Why create a blog with the title Women's Issues Matter? I believe women's issues are relevant to everyone -- in one form or another. I also believe women adopt a global perspective -- not limited by the broader categories of gender or class. This space is an information clearinghouse; shares resources and/or discusses issues of concern to each of us.
The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee email: freedom@leonardpeltier.info Phone: 407-641-5089 255 Primera Blvd., Suite 160 Lake Mary, FL 32746
LEONARD PELTIER #89637-132 USP COLEMAN I P.O. BOX 1033 COLEMAN, FL 33521
Leonard can only receive letters, cards, postcards, photos, (not Polaroid), and postal money orders
for his commissary account. He responds to all his mail.
Hillary Clinton Criticizes Obama's Foreign Policy with Neocon with Talking Points
Former Secretary of State Clinton's Statement on Syria
COMMENTARY | I cannot help but wonder WHEN this woman's unbridled arrogance and sanctimonious attitude slithered out of the primordial ooze and surfaced to the degree that we've been seeing her 'take no prisoners' behavior, especially throughout the last couple of months.
I suspect she was making some pretense of keeping this latest nastiness somewhat more in-check than she is willing to do currently. B-U-T, WHAT the devil is the underlying attraction and motivation driving her to project a 'cute,' abrasive demeanor at the same time? What advantage does she hope to gain by appearing so thoroughly obnoxious and making very clear that she does NOT care what anyone may think? Oh right . . . .
I cannot imagine being married to President Clinton has been a walk in the park OR that she somehow envisions that her impending 'doting' grandmother status has somehow elevated her in society -- at least in her eyes.
Up until the recent past, I've greatly admired this woman's intelligence as I continued to believe [against all hope] that 'Madame' would step into her light, radiating illumination onto the darkening world.
Alas, what I've been increasingly observing is that she's barreled to the front of the pack -- not giving a holy rat's ass what most people think and/or who she tromps on along the way.
How sad; how very, very, very sad that this once remarkable woman has become utterly despicable and contemptible in the process. I have also become increasingly disheartened by the sham and pretense of her coy posturing about her potential presidential candidacy.
WHAT the hell happened???
Hillary Clinton: I Would Arm Syrian Rebels
Hillary Clinton's Pro-Iraq War Speech
WASHINGTON -- On one of the first major foreign policy rifts between
President Barack Obama and his former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, one top former administration official is siding with the
president.
Former Deputy CIA Director Mike Morell said he
disagreed with Clinton’s suggestion –- offered in a recent Atlantic
Magazine interview -– that the United States should have armed Syrian
rebels far earlier than it did.
“There is no doubt that what ISIS
[the Islamic State] was able to do in Syria was probably the key factor
in strengthening them in terms of what they are doing in Iraq today,”
Morell told "CBS This Morning" on Monday. “It is difficult for me to see
how arming the moderate rebels would have made that much difference in
Syria. We would have had to have it on a very, very large scale that I
think would have frightened our partners in the region because it would
have put a very, very large footprint, U.S. footprint on the ground in
the Middle East."
“So you support the decision made by the president at the time,” host Charlie Rose asked.
“Yes,” Morell replied.
[To view the video, go to the website.]
A
lifer in the intelligence community, Morell served as both deputy
director and acting director at the CIA when the Obama administration’s
policy toward the Syrian rebels was put in place. His skepticism about
arms transfers ended up prevailing, though contemporaneous reporting has
shown it was one of the most contentious foreign policy debates inside
the administration. (Eventually, the president did send light arms to the rebels).
The
argument has been revived in recent weeks as the Islamic State has
moved from waging an insurgency inside Syria toward wreaking havoc
through western, mid and northern Iraq. And in a notable break from the
president, Clinton stressed that more could have been done earlier to
deal with the menace.
“The failure to help build up a credible
fighting force of the people who were the originators of the protests
against Assad — there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was
everything in the middle — the failure to do that left a big vacuum,
which the jihadists have now filled,” she told The Atlantic.
Whether
timed for political benefit or an honest assessment of her policy
preference, Clinton’s deviation from Obama on Syria underscored the
rifts that continue to exist within the Democratic Party on matters of
foreign affairs. Its more hawkish wing may have been humbled by the Iraq
War, but recent events in the Middle East have encouraged its members
to speak up a bit more.
The president has never been a part of
that camp, as his "don't do stupid stuff" ethos is (more often than not)
philosophically at odds with it. And in comments that appeared before
Clinton's, he made the same case as Morell -- that more weapons in Syria
never would have guaranteed better results.
“This idea that we
could provide some light arms or even more sophisticated arms to what
was essentially an opposition made up of former doctors, farmers,
pharmacists and so forth, and that they were going to be able to battle
not only a well-armed state but also a well-armed state backed by
Russia, backed by Iran, a battle-hardened Hezbollah, that was never in
the cards,” the president told the New York Times’ Tom Friedman.
I was shocked like the rest of you when I learned about Robin Williams' death earlier this week.
But news of his apparent suicide hit me extra hard because Bipolar
disorder, which the comedian struggled with throughout his life, has
impacted my family and me firsthand.
When I was a little girl, my mom was diagnosed with the illness.
Thank God, my mother--the best mom in the world in my book--has been
healthy, happy, and thriving for many years.
For a long time, though, my mom's illness was devastating for
her--and for the people who love her, especially my older sister and me,
and my superhero of a dad, who cared for his sick wife and two young
daughters, and still somehow managed to put a roof over our heads.
Back then, my mom's illness was barely talked about outside our home.
We kept it on the down low, unlike the girl in my class whose mom had
cancer and everyone knew it.
Words like "depression," "Bipolar," and "Lithium" have been a part of
my vocabulary since I was a little kid, practically before most
children learn to read, so the illness isn't new to me.
What is new is what I've witnessed this week, something beautiful in the wake of Williams' death.
Through social media, in addition to our collective grieving of a
comic genius and mensch, we've seen an outpouring of people sharing
their stories--post after post of people coming out of the closet with
their own struggles with depression. Thirty years ago, when my mom was
diagnosed, these types of public platforms didn't exist.
More than that, mental illness used to be shrouded in darkness.
Today, that stigma is fading and--with a little help from this era of
sharing (and sometimes over-sharing)--we're evolving. We're learning
that people with mental illness, just like people with cancer, shouldn't
be shamed, but should be listened to, treated, cared for, and loved.
And in the case of Williams, there is another layer. He was larger
than life, so funny, so brilliant, and so famous, that his death is
capturing our attention in a way we've rarely seen before. If mental
illness could claim him--this beloved genie who brought us so much joy
and laughter--then none of us are immune.
So, besides introducing us to lovable characters like Mork, John
Keating, and Mrs. Doubtfire, Williams has left an even more important
legacy, helping us--the living--shed light and awareness where once
there was secrecy.
Williams' death draws attention to mental illness in the larger
society, and in our own community too. One of the many reasons I love my
work at the Jewish Federation is because of our resources in the area
of mental health care. Last year, 2,525 community members received free
or subsidized mental health care through the Federation agencies--CJE
SeniorLife, Jewish Child & Family Services, Response, The ARK, and
SHALVA.
All these resources and this awareness mean that maybe the next little girl whose mom is sick won't feel alone.
If you or someone you know is depressed, call Jewish Child & Family Services at 855-ASK-JCFS (855-275-5237).
To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 1 (800) 273-8255.
Eva Cassidy was born 2 February 1963. Growing up
in a musical family on the outskirts of Washington,
DC, she sang as a small child and later learned to play
the guitar. Even then as a child she had an amazing
gift for perfect harmony, and on family outings, she
would sing, harmonising perfectly with the music from
the car radio. Her father, a teacher of children with
learning disabilities and a part-time musician, formed
a family band with Eva,
her brother Danny, on violin, and himself on bass. She
endured school, preferring her own company and, whenever
possible, being involved with music and painting. In 1986 she did the art work for a projected album
by a band, Method Actor, led by a friend, Dave Lourim.
She was asked to sing on the album and was heard by
producer Chris Biondo who, impressed by her raw talent,
encouraged her and introduced her to other musicians.
Cassidy appeared on several albums as a backing singer,
including E-40's I Wanna Thank You. Meantime, Biondo
was stockpiling tapes by Cassidy and in 1991, while
recording Chuck Brown And The Soul Searchers, played
examples for the group's leader. Brown was immediately
taken with her sound, as indeed would be other artists
including Roberta Flack and Shirley Horn, and in 1992
Eva and Chuck recorded The Other Side (Liaison). Early the following year
Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy began performing live, including
an appearance at
Washington's Blues Alley. The collaboration with
Chuck Brown was one which Eva would value very highly.
They performed well together. seem to blend instinctively,
and they respected and admired each other as artists. Later in the year, following
a medical check-up, Eva Cassidy had outpatient surgery
for a malignant skin lesion on her back. Early in 1994
she recorded for Blue Note Records and toured with the
group Pieces Of A Dream, but, unlike the sessions with
Brown, she found this musically unsatisfying. In January
1996 she appeared at Blues Alley again, a session that
was recorded, but when summer came she was unwell. Eva
had been experiencing pain in her hip for some time.
At the time she was working for a friend in Annapolis
on murals in schools cafeterias, and she put the soreness
down to too much ladder work. Eventually Eva had a number
of tests. Although cancer was suspected, only after
several more tests, was the diagnosis confirmed: advanced
melanoma. She was told that she had three to five months
to live. Eva was admitted to Johns
Hopkins hospital. A constant stream of friends kept
coming, bringing her fruit and flowers. She felt badly
that these were going to waste, so she asked someone
to bring in paper and crayons. Often she could not see
her visitors because of the regimen she had, so this
way she helped her visitors to express themselves to
her. When one stepped off the elevator and saw the hallways
lined with people sitting on the floor colouring, talking
and getting to know each other; it was a wonderful scene
to behold. Eva had every picture hung on the big wall
at the end of her bed so she could see them. In September
a tribute concert was organised. It was a moving occasion
for all. There were different artists playing all night.
Eva Cassidy came out with Chuck Brown at the end. They
chose "Red Top" for her, so she wouldn't have
to sing much. He covered her with his animated style,
letting her just stand and join in. It was a warm partnership
in song. But then she had someone bring her a stool,
and sat down to play and sing, "What a Wonderful
World". It was amazing that she pulled together
all that strength to do the number- and of course all
who knew her were all stunned. That was the last song
Eva Cassidy sang in public. It was one of those times
that those who were there, will never forget. After
the concert Eva had a couple of hundred 'thank
you' cards made. She made a little drawing for it,
a heart-shaped smiling face. When friends would visit
later, they would find her bent over her pen, handwriting
notes on all the cards. She had very little energy and
stamina to sit, but she used that time to thank people. On her Brother Danny's last
visit shortly before Eva passed away, he recorded the
violin track for " I Know You By Heart". Later
her father, brother and friends played a concert for
her outside her bedroom window. Eva Cassidy died on 2nd November
1996. She was only 33 years old.
Renaissance Education Foundation (REF) along with her dedicated team
visited brick kiln factories yesterday where we met Safia who was
working with her husband who was heart attacked and died just because of
poverty working long time good for nothing. The main source of her
earning is blocked due to the death of her husband as he was
underestimated due to the loan and he was working like salvage, now she
having 6 kids younger one is in 2+ every one can felt that the poor
woman who was helping her husband in brick making and the expert of
brick maker had died then what should she is thinking about the 6 kids
and their life. Renaissance Education Foundation (REF) along with her dedicated team
visited brick kiln factories yesterday where we met Safia who was
working with her husband who was heart attacked and died just because of
poverty working long time good for nothing. The main source of her
earning is blocked due to the death of her husband as he was
underestimated due to the loan and he was working like salvage, now she
having 6 kids younger one is in 2+ every one can felt that the poor
woman who was helping her husband in brick making and the expert of
brick maker had died then what should she is thinking about the 6 kids
and their life. All
were underestimated by the owner of the brick factory due to her
husband pledged the family as per their needs says Safia, she wanted to
safe her children but she couldn't because her husband was pledged them
after his death, he is now free from every circumstances but put his
family in trouble.
All 6 kids were working when we reached the brick
factory; Safia told the REF that she wanted to kill the kids along with
herself because now there is no mean to live for listing the owners and
she herself putting her children in child Labrador which is like child
abusing.
We immediately decided to take her children in orphan
house running under the Josephine James the Head Mother of St. James
Orphan House She has rented an upper portion of a house, 20 kilometers
outside Lahore, for Rs.5, 000 per month, where she lives with her own
two offspring plus another 10 boys and 7 girls already. And start
educating them in Renaissance Education Foundation Higher Secondary
School so that in this ways we can help the poor Safia who wasn't live
please put hands together for giving happens and life and better future
for them.see the video http://youtu.be/-Tov3NEcqq4
Joseph Nadeem Executive Director at Renaissance education foundation
Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani on Wednesday became the first
woman to be awarded the Fields Medal, mathematics' equivalent to the
Nobel Prize. The professor at Stanford University in California was among four
Fields Medal recipients at the International Congress of Mathematicians
held in Seoul, and the first female among the 56 winners since the prize
was established in 1936. "This is a great honour. I will be happy if it encourages young female scientists and mathematicians," Mirzakhani was quoted as saying on Stanford's website.
[Continued; visit the website to read the entire article]
