International Woman's Day 2011

Many many years ago, just after I had started university, I befriended a female engineer/researcher from Russia. Well, sort of befriended, in the manner a scruffy dog tries to befriend a lunching businessman on a park bench. Anna headed the physics lab in our electrical engineering department.

She was actually a very intimidating person: reserved, but short-tempered, and didn't suffer fools. Why she suffered an ex-ballet dancer newbie engineering student obviously way up over her ears, was beyond me. While all my other fellow students lived in fear of having to ask Anna for any information (Anna didn't believe in the "There are no stupid questions" premise of today) and thus become the brunt of her scorn.

Then came one March day and another physics lab. Anna walked in with a bouquet of red roses, which was very puzzling. Then she took out two of the roses and handed one to Myrna and one to me (the only two women in our year). She explained that it was International Women's Day and back in Russia, it was a very important holiday. One where women went out on the streets and joyfully celebrated.



I don't know if literally women in Russia at that time went out into the streets or if Anna meant it figuratively. What she said though was it is a shame that people in Canada and the States didn't know how much that day of recognition meant to many women around the world. And, to be perfectly honest, I was one those Canadians she was referring to who didn't really care about the women's struggles living in her country behind the Iron Curtain.

This was because we knew so little about life in Russia. What the media covered was appropriated from sources either underground or from dissidents living outside of the country. Somewhat the same situation as that existed in Egypt for the last decades.

On this International Women's Day, I am celebrating the women of Egypt, as well as the people of Egypt.



In the video above, Wadah Khanfar, the head of Al Jazeera, shares his view on what is happening in Egypt. He argues Al Jazeera's approach to journalism emphasizes "re-thinking authority, giving a voice to the voiceless". Many of those voiceless, one has to assume, are the women of Egypt. Yet, perhaps some are speaking up:

The Women of Tahrir from Yasmin Moll on Vimeo.

Maybe each of us to should spend some time listening to women who are speaking out. You can start today by reading about 100 Top Women in the Guardian. Or, you can join the second annual Women in the World Stories and Solutions summit starting Thursday, March 10th.

Finally, I want to thank Anna, who I no longer know, for giving me that rose over 30 years ago. With that simple gesture, she brought me closer to a whole country of women seldom mentioned.

Word of the Year 2009: Accomplishment

A friend and I went to the fitness studio yesterday afternoon. While we walked down the steps into an almost empty studio, she says, “Look and weep! As of tomorrow (Januray 1st), this studio is going to be completely full of people with their water bottles and New Year’s Resolutions. And, we are going to have to wait until February or March before they give up and we have the studio to ourselves again.”

I almost had a moment of smugness for not being one of those people with New Year’s Resolutions. Instead I have a word. This year, 2009, I’ve decided upon the word Accomplishment.



If you want to know about the whole Word of the Year deal, you’ll have to go to Christine Kane’s blog and read this article. Basically, Christine wrote,

“Several years ago, my friend Kathy and I decided that, instead of making resolutions, we would pick a word that would guide us throughout the year. It would be our touchstone. It would remind us of living our lives at the BE level.”

This past December many of her readers wrote about their words of 2008 and their motivations and experiences with the words. On December 12th, in Christine S. blog entry, she wrote,

“I am now treating “accomplishment” as a noun rather than a verb, having it serve as a reminder to stop and give myself a mental pat on the back and encouragement to keep up the good work.”

This post was published on a day that promised to be mad with activity at work; for we were holding a large public event. I knew the day would be crazy and I wasn’t sure about the outcome. Yet, one thing I was certain about was that no matter what happened during the event, the fact that it happened at all was an accomplishment. Not only that, but it was my accomplishment. Something I would not have realised if I hadn’t read Christine S. words that morning.

So, this year’s word is accomplishment:

noun

1. the reduction of inflation was a remarkable accomplishment
   achievement, act, deed, exploit, performance, attainment, effort, feat, move, coup.
2. a poet of considerable accomplishment
   expertise, skill, skillfulness, talent, adeptness, adroitness, deftness, dexterity, ability, prowess, mastery, competence, capability, proficiency, aptitude, artistry, art; informal know-how

I must say I get dizzy reading some of those words. Uncomfortable even. Well, this promises to be a good ride.

What is your word for this year?

The collage above is dedicated to various people who have taught me much these last six months about how easy it is to accomplish good work and true purpose.



There are a lot of you, but I’d like to particularly mention Romina, Rev. Wasike, Rev. Teh, Birgit, and Julika for all their humble kindness and perseverance.

Happy St. Nikolas

Today is one of the first official Christmas celebrations in Germany. The children put their polished boots outside their front doors last night. This morning, the boots are filled to bursting with candies, chocolates, mandarins, and cookies.

In our household, both Mr. and Mrs. St. Nikolas arrived to shower the children with sweets.

Mr. Nikolas was a bit uncertain whether his constant reminders over the last few days, had actually sunk into the mush brain of his ever so loving, but ever so confused wife. (Granted, it has been known for Mrs. Nikolas to rush off to the local gas station in a pinch, when she forgot the up-and-coming St. Nikolas Day.) So, the children have now received enough sweets to keep them on a sugar high throughout the next four weeks, which is our official Christmas season: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Even, New Year’s Day, and onto Epiphany (when the three kings bring gifts).

Happy St. Nikolas to you all.

False Flattery

My virtual fortune cookie came up with a doozie this morning:

“Rarely do great beauty and virtue dwell together as they do in you.”

Sigh, it’s been a while since a virtual random generator, let alone a stranger sitting next to me, shamelessly tried to flatter me.

When I was younger, yes, way-back-then, I was told no matter who the deliver of a compliment is, no matter how dubious the intent was the only proper way to respond to any compliment or flattering statement, is to look the person in the eyes and say, “Thank you.” That’s it. Not one single word more. Do not reject, dismiss, or concur. Do not try to second-guess why someone says something nice, “Thank you” is all that is required. So, that is exactly what I did after reading my virtual fortune cookie’s message.

It doesn’t matter that the message was not written personally for me. It doesn’t matter that it is not true. It doesn’t matter that I don’t even know the individual who wrote that message into the random generator program “Thank you” is what I said.

Holiday Motifs

The holiday season is coming up. I’ve made a few festive motifs for cards.

If you like any of them and would like to make up Xmas cards with the motifs, just give a shout.

I will make up the motifs to the right dimension and resolution that your online printing site requires and send the jpec files on to you.

My experience with my mypix has been very positive, but that would only work for Europe.

If you are from Canada or, the State, or Australia…

You might want to try another online printing company. Hee!

Though, now that I think of it, for those of you on the equator or below, interested in sunny holiday motifs, I’d whip up something for you as well.

Happy Halloween

This is my favourite holiday of the year. As a dear friend of mine wrote "a perfect combination of theater and sweets". Such a shame that not many children go trick or treating downtown. I tried running after some kids dressed up and on their way to the suburbs one year. "Hello, we have candy as well!" It didn't go over so well. The parents lead them off in the opposite direction rather briskly, with a look that said, "Let's get some distance between us and the crazy lady"...

Still, we buy candy every year, in the hope children will come to our door.

This year my beloved came back from the sweets store with Christmas chocolates for Halloween. Apparently, there wasn't any Halloween sweets left. If any children do come they will undoubtedly be thrilled with the glittery delicious Christmas selection.

Quiet Occupation

Light dances off my fingertips.
Shadows fall upon the terrace wall.
The sea breeze rushes up the cliff
And races over my head,
Through the frangipani leaves.
Branches sway to and fro.
A song. A dance. This day.
A gift of the mighty gods.
A bird’s wings flutter. It flies…
Away. Gone. This moment in time.

Silent Reflection

Innocence And Civil Manners

Charlotte of Charlotte’s Web wrote a funny post about attending a Sommertagszug procession in her hometown. This is a procession, which is carried out in order to scare off winter; they parade around like busy spring creatures and burning snowmen to welcome in springtime.

One of her readers commented on the fact that in the States they probably wouldn’t allow public burning of snowmen, as is customary in the Sommertagszug. It made me think of our Summer Folks Festival parade, which announces the beginning of the summer fairgrounds and summer festival. There are people participating in the parade that you might not always see in other countries. This parade is long (takes over two hours to pass our living room window) and it consists of the craziest mix of local lore riding on floats, trucks, tractors or marching on foot.

They have, of course, the normal marching bands, politician riding in convertibles, all of the different clubs (e.g. amateur theatre, quilting, American football, gymnastics), but the parade also hosts a few strange bedfellows. My favourites are the two disco trucks playing techno music and gyrating young folk and the Squatters Alternative group (a group of squatters living in caravans on a squatter’s paradise just off the island of Luebeck). The group I like the least always come at the end and it is the gun club, shooting off old muskets, which make so much noise children cry and adults swear.

But, what I like is the fact there is room for all of these people in the grand scope of things.

There is even a quaint custom of throwing candy into the crowd of on-watchers, which I can’t imagine being allowed to happen in the States. The children (and some adults) keep rushing into the streets between the floats and marching bands scooping up any left over candies. All the other children jump up and down and catch the candy as it is being thrown to them from the people in the floats.

I have this sense of the world being still quite innocent, watching children run up and down the streets, alongside the floats catching the candy, and no one saying this isn’t hygienic, or even, this could be dangerous. Or, allowing people from intrinsically different poles of the social spectrum (e.g. squatters and gun guys) all the same chance to participate in the festivities. What could be a better show of civil manners?