Senior Women Web

Author: SeniorWomenWeb

  • Palin vs. Gore Climate Showdown

    FactCheck.org pointed out that “The former vice president and former vice presidential candidate both offer distortions on global warming.”

    Summary

    “On Dec. 9, an op-ed by Sarah Palin on climate change ran in the Washington Post. Al Gore responded to Palin’s piece and made some fresh claims of his own later that day in an interview with MSNBC. We find that both engaged in some distortions and have been rightly called out by experts in the field.

    • Gore said that 40 percent of the polar ice cap is already gone. That’s an outdated figure — it has recovered in the last two years, and is now about 24 percent smaller than the 1979-2000 average.
    • Gore’s claim that all Arctic ice would “go completely” over the next decade is greatly exaggerated. The scientist he is citing was actually talking about nearly ice-free conditions, and only in the summer months.
    • Gore and Palin both left out information when discussing the economic impact of climate legislation. Gore dodged a question about job losses, and Palin ignored the potentially severe effects of doing nothing.
    • Palin misrepresented the contents of the leaked e-mails from the Climate Research Unit, saying that they show “fraudulent scientific practices.” That’s not the case.

    Read the analysis of FactCheck.org’s findings at their site

  • Shopping Green for Gifts

    We’ve mentioned Inhabitat as a shopping destination before but just can’t avoid another look:

    We thought the jewelry at the Inhabitat shop very good looking especially the Swedish pieces made by Kumvana Gomani: Snö leaf earrings are made in Sweden delicately handcut from recycled soda and water bottles and like a true snowflake, no two are exactly the same. They cost $20.

    Classic patterns recycled from vinyl record bands and fashioned into bracelets or cuffs cost $15 or $25 dollars.

    Explore such gadgets as a Kill a Watt Energy Monitor, a PowerFilm Rollable Solar Energy Charger or SodaStream JET Starter Kit. Or for the bathroom, A Scent of Scandal Candles, Cheeky Baby Butter or a Natural Solutions Cleaning Kit?

  • Brilliant Women, 18th Century Bluestockings

    While women of  brilliance in ‘the colonies’ might not had the opportunity to form a similar group to England’s Bluestockings at that same period, it does not keep us from an interest in these, the women depicted in  the National Portrait Gallery exhibition  in London. These women,  we’ve been told, were only imitating similar women in French society!

    “The exhibition begins by introducing the fashionable Bluestocking Circle and exploring how a tight-knit group of women became a model for rational ‘Enlightenment’ forms of sociability. The Bluestockings met in the London homes of the fashionable hostesses Elizabeth Montagu (1718-1800), Elizabeth Vesey (c.1715-91) and Frances Boscawen (1719-1805) from the 1750s. Together these women, and the eminent men who supported their endeavours, invented a new kind of informal sociability and nurtured a sense of intellectual community and potential. Guests included the leading literary, political and cultural figures of the day, including the scholar and classical translator Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806), the critic and writer Samuel Johnson (1709-84), the artists Frances Reynolds (1729-1807) and her brother Sir Joshua (1723-92), the novelist Fanny Burney (1752-1840) and the writer and dramatist Hannah More (1745-1833). They got their comical name  —  ‘Bluestockings’  —  when another guest, the botanist Benjamin Stillingfleet (1702-71), was welcomed at one of Elizabeth Montagu’s salons even though he had arrived absent-mindedly wearing the blue woollen stockings normally worn by working men, instead of the more formal white silk.”

    For example, Elizabeth Carter:  “Encouraged by her father, a clergyman, to study, Carter applied herself with such perseverance that she became one of the most learned Englishwoman of her time, being mistress of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, besides several modern European languages. She rendered into English De Crousaz’sExamen de l’essai de Monsieur Pope sur l’homme (1739); Algarotti’s Newtonianismo per le Donne; the works of Epictetus (1758) and wrote a volume of poems. An icon of virtue and learning, Carter was later sought out by aspiring women writers, including the literary critic Elizabeth Montagu, with whom she developed a lifelong friendship and helped to establish the Bluestocking Circle.”

    The section titled A Revolution in Female Manners continues:  “With greater restrictions imposed on personal freedom, the final section of the exhibition considers the changing fortunes of the intellectual and creative woman.  A Revolution in Female Manners explores the rise and fall of two writers — the republican historian Catharine Macaulay and the early ‘feminist’ Mary Wollstonecraft. Both held radical beliefs, greeted the French Revolution with enthusiasm and spoke out for women’s rights. But their troubled reputations were due not only to their uncompromising politics, but also to their rejection of traditional female behaviour, especially in their liberal attitudes, publicly-voiced political opinions and unconventional sexual lives. But the contemporary moral climate saw new limits placed on female self-expression and the traditionally demarcated roles of the sexes were emphasised once again.”

     

  • Teens and Sexting, One of a New Series of Pew Reports

    “Teens and Sexting” is one of a new series of reports from the Pew Research Center exploring the behaviors, values and opinions of Millennials — teens and young adults born from 1981 to 2000.

    Overview

    As texting has become a centerpiece in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens and young adults. A new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as “sexting”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.

    Focus group findings show that sexting occurs most often in one of three scenarios:

    1. Exchanges of images solely between two romantic partners
    2. Exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship 
    3. Exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where often one person hopes to be.

    “Teens explained to us how sexually suggestive images have become a form of relationship currency,” said Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report. “These images are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity, or as a way of starting or maintaining a relationship with a significant other. And they are also passed along to friends for their entertainment value, as a joke or for fun.”

    Teens also described the pressure they feel to share these types of images. One high school girl wrote: “When I was about 14-15 years old, I received/sent these types of pictures. Boys usually ask for them or start that type of conversation. My boyfriend, or someone I really liked asked for them. And I felt like if I didn’t do it, they wouldn’t continue to talk to me. At the time, it was no big deal. But now looking back it was definitely inappropriate and over the line.”

    (more…)

  • Current Reading, Divorce Denied: Social “Social Abandonment” is Insufficient Grounds in New York

    Part of Johanna Grossman’s recent article in Writ concering includes the following section two sections:

    Davis v. Davis: A Failed Marriage, with No End in Sight

    In the case before the New York court, Novel Davis filed for divorce against her husband, Shepherd Davis. The couple has been married and resided together for forty-one years.”

    Two years ago, Ms. Davis had filed for divorce on grounds of “abandonment” under New York Domestic Relations Law § 170(2), which provides that such an action can be premised on the “abandonment of the plaintiff by the defendant for a period of one or more years.

    In her complaint, she alleged what amounts (or might amount) to “social abandonment” — stating that her husband refused to celebrate or acknowledge major holidays or birthdays with her; refused to “eat meals together”; refused to “attend family functions or accompany [her] to movies, shopping, restaurants, and church services”; once left her “at a hospital emergency room”; removed her “belongings from the marital bedroom”; and just generally “ignor[ed] her.”

    In response, Mr. Davis said, in legalese, “So what?” He argued that even if he did engage in these social refusals — and he contests many of Ms. Davis’s allegations — this form of “social abandonment” is not sufficient to justify divorce under New York law.

    The trial court that first heard their case ruled that the wife’s “social abandonment” allegations  “do not support a cognizable legal theory.”  Then, as noted above, the appellate court, in its recent ruling, agreed and upheld the dismissal of Ms. Davis’s petition for divorce.  The couple (or, perhaps more accurately, the two married individuals) thus remain legally bound to one another…

    New York’s Unique Approach to Divorce

    New York more or less let the no-fault revolution pass it by. The state legislature did expand the state’s divorce laws in 1966 to include several additional grounds of fault — cruelty, abandonment, neglect, and felony imprisonment — as well as a separation ground. But the separation ground requires either fault or the consent of both parties. The one-year required separation period does not begin to run until a court has granted a legal separation on grounds of fault or until the couple has entered into a written agreement, filed with the court, resolving all their issues such as property division, alimony, and child custody.

    If parties agree to divorce in New York, then they can pursue a separation-based divorce. But many still opt for a fault-based divorce, because it is faster and sometimes cheaper. They simply collude as to the alleged grounds and, typically, the defendant never responds to the complaint at all.

    But when only one spouse wants a divorce, the situation is trickier. Without consent of the other spouse, a one-year separation is insufficient grounds for divorce. The spouse who wants out must, then, allege one of the enumerated grounds of fault. When a divorce is contested, however, the legal and factual sufficiency of the ground (or grounds) must be proven. And, as happened in the Davis case, courts in New York sometimes actually deny petitions for divorce. When that happens, the couple must, simply put, stay married until the party who wants out develops new grounds for divorce.

    Read the rest of Johanna Grossman’s article at FindLaw’s  Writ.

     

     

  • Book Review and a Holiday Gift Idea: Read My Pins; Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box

    Jill Norgren reviews: With domestic and global problems on all sides Madeleine Albright’s new book offers a wonderful interlude in which playfully to consider the human face of diplomacy. It complements Madam Secretary,  her memoir, which similarly shows herself and politicians in all their humanity. Consider both as gifts for the Holidays!

  • Grandma’s Boxes: Letters from 1918

    Roberta McReynolds writes:  “I suppose you’ll hear all kinds of reports about influenza so I’ll tell you what I know. The doctor claims it is real and spread from that dance last week. I don’t know how many cases and something like 15 in town, 2 new ones this morning.” I carefully folded the last letter and slipped it back in the envelope. It felt like I had picked up a snow globe and peered into a life that had been frozen in time.

  • The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

    The Exquisite Corpse Adventure from the Library of Congress:  “Ever heard of an Exquisite Corpse? It’s not what you might think. An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal part of it and pass it on to the next player to do the same. The game ends when someone finishes the story, which is then read aloud.”

    “Our Exquisite Corpse Adventure works this way:  Jon Scieszka, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, has written the first episode, which is ‘pieced together out of so many parts that it is not possible to describe them all here, so go ahead and just start reading!’ He has passed it on to a cast of celebrated writers and illustrators, who must eventually bring the story to an end. Every two weeks, there will be a new episode and a new illustration. The story will conclude a year from now.”

    “To get bi-weekly updates with new Exquisite Corpse Adventure chapters, click on the subscribe link at the top of the page. “This story starts with a train rushing through the night….”  No one knows where or how it will end!”

    “The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is a project of the Center for the Book and the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance.

    The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and the Butler Center for Children’s Literature at Dominican University have developed a companion educational resource center to support The Exquisite Corpse Adventure.

    CONTEST Reading Rockets and AdLit.org are offering K-12 students the chance to have some writing fun of their own with the Exquisite Prompt challenge.”

  • The Shape of Fashion and Its Underpinnings, 1870 – 1960

    The Museum of the Rockies, Montana University, has organized an online exhibit, The Shape of Fashion and Its Underpinnings, 1870 – 1960. Here are a few paragraphs from the exhibit:

    “The study of costume — fabrics, style, construction and cut — informs us of both a fashion and social history, and provides a refreshing and enlightening look at human history. The costume collection at the Museum of the Rockies spans from the 1860s to the 1960s and marks the earliest settlement in the Gallatin Valley.”

    “Underpinnings are the foundation upon which the shape of fashion is built, and similarly reflect the swing of the fashion pendulum. Perhaps more fascinating than the costume itself, these foundations for The Shape of Fashion reflect more earnestly the essence of the feminine realm. From a tight corset and layer upon layer of undergarments to a simple brassiere, the transition in women’s foundations tells the story of their journey toward liberation.

    “Hoop skirts of the early bustle period were trimmed down considerably from the absurd diameters of the 1860s. A tight bodice and corset, contrasted with a bustled skirt, characterized the silhouette of this period. The fashions of this era reflected the notion that costume was an indication of personal success, and that corseting was a healthy means of controlling the shape of the body.”

    …

    “Women’s activity levels were limited due to multiple layers of clothing: most dresses required at least two petticoats, along with drawers, a chemise and a corset cover. In addition to the corset, a woman endured up to 25 pounds of dress and accessories. The advent of new technologies — particularly the sewing machine (patented in American in 1848) and paper patterns (Butterick, c. 1860) — and the emergence of the department store contributed to mass production and increased availability of fashionable clothing.”

    (more…)

  • Exploring the Article “Married (Happily) With Issues” on Air

    The New York Times Sunday Magazine article entitled Married (Happily) With Issues, was discussed by the author, Liz Weil, and her husband, Dan Duane, on KQED’s radio program, Forum.  The marriage therapies the couple participated in, and experimented with,  both for their marriage’s viability and to research for the magazine article, are explored on air.  The first paragraph in the article sets the scene:

    “I have a pretty good marriage. It could be better. There are things about my husband that drive me crazy. Last spring he cut apart a frozen pig’s head with his compound miter saw in our basement. He needed the head to fit into a pot so that he could make pork stock. I’m no saint of a spouse, either. I hate French kissing, compulsively disagree and fake sleep when Dan vomits in the middle of the night. Dan also once threatened to punch my brother at a family reunion at a lodge in Maine. But in general we do O.K.”

    Host: Michael Krasny

    Guests:
    – Liz Weil, contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine
    – Dan Duane, Liz Weil’s husband, author and contributing editor at Men’s Journal magazine

     

    Download audio (MP3)