Few things are more powerful or influential than a relationship between a mother and a child.
A good relationship can be tremendously rewarding and a bad one can leave both of you limping through life. Why is the bond so powerful? Your mother is your first encounter with life, with nourishment, and with survival. All foods, emotions, drinks, and medications a pregnant woman has during pregnancy become the body and mind of the baby. In the womb, everything a mother does directly influences the child she is creating.
No wonder a mother's child grows up to scrutinize and evaluate every single move she makes. The child is still thinking that what his or her mother does directly influences their life intensely.
Literature and film abound with explorations of just who a mother is. A mother is always an enigma. The 1999 Spanish film "All About My Mother" starring Cecilia Roth and Penelope Cruz explores the intrigue of who a mother really is in a very creative way.
The acting is excellent, the story curious, and the characters lovable. There seem to be no true villains in this film even though there are plenty of people causing others pain. But the pain they cause each other seems to be explained; thereby softening the blows.
This film explores the complicated reality of some modern families much like the films Transamerica (2005) and Object of My Affection (1998). The relationships may seem an exaggeration for many but often it is easier to explore truth through exaggeration.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Determination to do One's Best: Gertrude Bell, The Mother of Iraq
Today one may hesitate to put "Mother of Iraq" on her resume, but that is exactly who English Explorer, Gertrude Bell was. You’ve probably heard of T.E. Lawrence but have you heard of Gertrude Bell?
Gertrude was a few years older than T.E. Lawrence and they both played a critical role in the formation of Iraq. Her legacy, her story is usually completely overshadowed by Lawrence even though her professional contribution was at least as important. She is an example of female character overlooked when history is written.
Gertrude believed in the formation of an Arab state called Iraq. The British government was intent on creating a western-type nation and government in the Middle East but few Western citizens who were in charge of this project understood the needs and psychology of this region better than Gertrude.
Our current place in history offers hindsight to the challenges that were to come because Westerners imposed their form of government and organization in a region who thought differently. I am reminded of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, when her ideal creation took on a life of its own and became uncontrollable and unpredictable. It may be some time before Gertrude Bell is fully recognized by people today because of the collective frustration and disassociation with Iraq.
Gertrude, born in 1869, was born into incredibly wealthy family in England. Her grandfather was a steel tycoon, Isaac Lowthian Bell. His wealthy fostered business ambition and opportunities for several generations of Bells. Graduating from Oxford (an unusual accomplishment for a woman in this time), Gertrude took up travel. I think it was to escape the confines of her wealthy, upper class circle, that she chose to travel where she wouldn't bump into other members of her society. Gertrude traveled extensively in what we now call the Middle East. Very few women ever explored this region and it was here that Gertrude could break free from Victorian-laden expectations of proper female behavior.
Her wealth was an asset as she traveled and dined with Arabian sheiks. Even though she was a woman, most welcomed her as a peer because of her obvious wealth. During her travels she recorded her experiences, the political dynamics, and photographed several centuries' worth of archeological treasures.
Gertrude was seemingly fearless. She was strong, determined, and a creative problem solver. She wasn't always recognized as a leader, in fact, she spent several professional years in administrative, supportive roles. Her frustration would mount but she would excel at her work and keep her eyes open for opportunity. She was quick to use the influence of other powerful men to gain position on key projects.
Georgina Howell, author of "Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations" (2006) wrote a fascinating version of Gertrude's story. While Gertrude had some serious weaknesses and vulnerabilities, her strength and integrity and the way she carved a respected role for herself in a male dominated world make her an excellent role model for women today.
Looking for more?
Audio NPR story: 7 minutes, 49 seconds
Photographic Journal of Gertrude’s travels
Build Your Own Success, Learn from Women Who "Made It"
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Gertrude was a few years older than T.E. Lawrence and they both played a critical role in the formation of Iraq. Her legacy, her story is usually completely overshadowed by Lawrence even though her professional contribution was at least as important. She is an example of female character overlooked when history is written.
Gertrude believed in the formation of an Arab state called Iraq. The British government was intent on creating a western-type nation and government in the Middle East but few Western citizens who were in charge of this project understood the needs and psychology of this region better than Gertrude.
Our current place in history offers hindsight to the challenges that were to come because Westerners imposed their form of government and organization in a region who thought differently. I am reminded of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, when her ideal creation took on a life of its own and became uncontrollable and unpredictable. It may be some time before Gertrude Bell is fully recognized by people today because of the collective frustration and disassociation with Iraq.
Gertrude, born in 1869, was born into incredibly wealthy family in England. Her grandfather was a steel tycoon, Isaac Lowthian Bell. His wealthy fostered business ambition and opportunities for several generations of Bells. Graduating from Oxford (an unusual accomplishment for a woman in this time), Gertrude took up travel. I think it was to escape the confines of her wealthy, upper class circle, that she chose to travel where she wouldn't bump into other members of her society. Gertrude traveled extensively in what we now call the Middle East. Very few women ever explored this region and it was here that Gertrude could break free from Victorian-laden expectations of proper female behavior.
Her wealth was an asset as she traveled and dined with Arabian sheiks. Even though she was a woman, most welcomed her as a peer because of her obvious wealth. During her travels she recorded her experiences, the political dynamics, and photographed several centuries' worth of archeological treasures.
Gertrude was seemingly fearless. She was strong, determined, and a creative problem solver. She wasn't always recognized as a leader, in fact, she spent several professional years in administrative, supportive roles. Her frustration would mount but she would excel at her work and keep her eyes open for opportunity. She was quick to use the influence of other powerful men to gain position on key projects.
Georgina Howell, author of "Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations" (2006) wrote a fascinating version of Gertrude's story. While Gertrude had some serious weaknesses and vulnerabilities, her strength and integrity and the way she carved a respected role for herself in a male dominated world make her an excellent role model for women today.
Looking for more?
Audio NPR story: 7 minutes, 49 seconds
Photographic Journal of Gertrude’s travels
Build Your Own Success, Learn from Women Who "Made It"
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
Nature's Cure for a Weary Soul
An immersion into nature slowly ebbs the clanging thoughts of a mind, one by one. They fall away into much needed silence until you can at last be at peace, hearing the abundant sounds of life in nature.
The length of time it takes to find this place of mind-quiet depends on how long it has been since you were last in nature. I myself find that a simple hike near my home is no longer sufficient. It takes me days to unwind and fully embrace the voices of wind in trees, water waves lapping against the rock, crows cawing, or seagulls bellowing. Once I finally cast away all the useless dribble in my mind, power, confidence, and serenity rush in.
Nineteenth century writer, Elizabeth C. Wright talks about the dichotomy between civilization's conversations and nature's voice.
"…[We rush off into the woods, out of the way of finery and etiquette, and conventional rubbish, where we should escape from fashionable twaddle, gossips, and flirts – from humbugs and house-hold botheration, and to be free to rest and refresh ourselves at leisure. *
…When your soul is utterly weary with shaking hands with pretence, and conversing with make-believers, you too will be ready for such a plunge into the wilderness. **
…Away from this poisoned air, beyond this clang and discord, yet close at hand, a wilderness full of fragrance and music waited for us." ***
And once she was immersed…
"A grateful content, a peaceful rest, such as comes to happy children, settled upon us like dew upon the grass, and those who did not sleep lay listening to the 'voices of the night'." ****
Elizabeth C. Wright's comments struck a cord in me. I haven't been able to find out much about her. She wrote these words in a publication in 1860. She lived in New York and she was familiar with Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden." I haven’t been able to find a copy of her publication, "Lichen Tufts, from the Alleghanies." Another essay is entitled "The Nature Cure – For the Body" and "The Nature Cure – For the Mind."
Looking for more?
Elizabeth C. Wright, Essay "Into the Woods" is found in
"At Home on This Earth: Two Centuries of U.S. Women’s Nature Writing" (2002). The anthology includes famous women writers like Margaret Fuller (a transcendental contemporary of Ralph Waldo Emerson), Harriet Beecher Stowe (the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and of whom, Abraham Lincoln said "So you are the little lady who started this great war."), and Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring, a book that kicked off a nature conservation movement).
Women Making & Discovering Their Own History
* At Home on This Earth: Two Centuries of U.S. Women’s Nature Writing" Editors Lorraine Anderson and Thomas S. Edwards (2002), p. 41
** Ibid, p. 44
*** Ibid, p. 47
**** Ibid, p. 48
About the Author: Allison Frederick writes on environmental and sustainability related issues, particularly as they relate to environmental psychology and green brand strategy.
The length of time it takes to find this place of mind-quiet depends on how long it has been since you were last in nature. I myself find that a simple hike near my home is no longer sufficient. It takes me days to unwind and fully embrace the voices of wind in trees, water waves lapping against the rock, crows cawing, or seagulls bellowing. Once I finally cast away all the useless dribble in my mind, power, confidence, and serenity rush in.
Nineteenth century writer, Elizabeth C. Wright talks about the dichotomy between civilization's conversations and nature's voice.
"…[We rush off into the woods, out of the way of finery and etiquette, and conventional rubbish, where we should escape from fashionable twaddle, gossips, and flirts – from humbugs and house-hold botheration, and to be free to rest and refresh ourselves at leisure. *
…When your soul is utterly weary with shaking hands with pretence, and conversing with make-believers, you too will be ready for such a plunge into the wilderness. **
…Away from this poisoned air, beyond this clang and discord, yet close at hand, a wilderness full of fragrance and music waited for us." ***
And once she was immersed…
"A grateful content, a peaceful rest, such as comes to happy children, settled upon us like dew upon the grass, and those who did not sleep lay listening to the 'voices of the night'." ****
Elizabeth C. Wright's comments struck a cord in me. I haven't been able to find out much about her. She wrote these words in a publication in 1860. She lived in New York and she was familiar with Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden." I haven’t been able to find a copy of her publication, "Lichen Tufts, from the Alleghanies." Another essay is entitled "The Nature Cure – For the Body" and "The Nature Cure – For the Mind."
Looking for more?
Elizabeth C. Wright, Essay "Into the Woods" is found in
"At Home on This Earth: Two Centuries of U.S. Women’s Nature Writing" (2002). The anthology includes famous women writers like Margaret Fuller (a transcendental contemporary of Ralph Waldo Emerson), Harriet Beecher Stowe (the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and of whom, Abraham Lincoln said "So you are the little lady who started this great war."), and Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring, a book that kicked off a nature conservation movement).
Women Making & Discovering Their Own History
* At Home on This Earth: Two Centuries of U.S. Women’s Nature Writing" Editors Lorraine Anderson and Thomas S. Edwards (2002), p. 41
** Ibid, p. 44
*** Ibid, p. 47
**** Ibid, p. 48
About the Author: Allison Frederick writes on environmental and sustainability related issues, particularly as they relate to environmental psychology and green brand strategy.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Life Stew - How Society Influences Female Identity
Have you ever stopped to differentiate between the beliefs you want to have about your life’s direction versus the beliefs you inherit from old habits and from society? Are the expectations of your family, religion, and culture congruent with who you strive to be?
What Exactly Do You Believe?
The beliefs we have about ourselves, about what we should have accomplished, about how we should behave, about what a mother, family, or wife is determine whether we are satisfied with ourselves and ultimately whether we love and accept ourselves. Many women feel frustration and even self-hatred or at least disappointment surrounding their roles as wives, lovers, career women, and mothers. They hold themselves to standards that are based on rules. These rules are based on beliefs about what a woman is.
Women do have a quest at this time in our culture. It is the quest to fully embrace their feminine nature, learning how to value themselves as women and heal the deep wound of the feminine.[i]
What is the deep wound of the feminine? For at least over 4500 years, women, most particularly, woman’s sexuality, has been the domain of the men in their lives; whether it be fathers, brothers, husbands, lovers, or even judges. I am not launching a feminist tirade, but it is critical to acknowledge where we’ve come from and what the past was like for women who came before us.
Each individual is birthed from the societal stew yet our lives are our own expression and responsibility. Part of being an adult is to learn how to stop blaming others and start manifesting ourselves, but this may be hard to do unless we carefully examine what we believe, where we came from, and how these two things relate to each other.
I use the illustration of the stew because a stew has distinct ingredients yet they all influence each other either through dominating flavoring or in more subtle ways. All the ingredients take up the properties of everything that is in the stew. The properties from our societal stew linger in our minds acting like silent partners - governing our lives (our subconscious mind).
Can you name something you did in the last week but now you have no idea why you did it?
Or did you do something you swore you wouldn’t do, but did?
When we take action and make decisions that later baffle us, it is often our silent partner who made the decision for us. Our silent partner believed it was acting in our best interests. It acted for our own survival, to avoid a more painful outcome, or to support subtle – yet critical beliefs we hold. Our silent partner is running around, behind our backs, shaping our lives into something that we later say, “This isn’t how I thought my life would be.”
Name three subtle beliefs you have.
Are some similar to these?
· I can’t take that promotion and still be a good mom.
· I don’t have the money.
· My kids come first.
· If I am not sexually attractive to my husband whenever he wants, he will leave me, or worse – have an affair.
· It’s irresponsible for me to go back to school.
These beliefs – all your beliefs – even the positive ones – originate from the stew. We are like a piece of potato or tofu. We enter this world as an individual. Then we brew in the stew. We are still a piece of potato or tofu, which differs remarkably from carrots or beef, yet we’ve captured the flavorings of all those around us. The secret to a delicious stew, the longer it simmers, the more flavoring ingredients like potatoes and tofu absorb. What beliefs have you absorbed?
What Exactly Do You Believe?
The beliefs we have about ourselves, about what we should have accomplished, about how we should behave, about what a mother, family, or wife is determine whether we are satisfied with ourselves and ultimately whether we love and accept ourselves. Many women feel frustration and even self-hatred or at least disappointment surrounding their roles as wives, lovers, career women, and mothers. They hold themselves to standards that are based on rules. These rules are based on beliefs about what a woman is.
Women do have a quest at this time in our culture. It is the quest to fully embrace their feminine nature, learning how to value themselves as women and heal the deep wound of the feminine.[i]
What is the deep wound of the feminine? For at least over 4500 years, women, most particularly, woman’s sexuality, has been the domain of the men in their lives; whether it be fathers, brothers, husbands, lovers, or even judges. I am not launching a feminist tirade, but it is critical to acknowledge where we’ve come from and what the past was like for women who came before us.
Each individual is birthed from the societal stew yet our lives are our own expression and responsibility. Part of being an adult is to learn how to stop blaming others and start manifesting ourselves, but this may be hard to do unless we carefully examine what we believe, where we came from, and how these two things relate to each other.
I use the illustration of the stew because a stew has distinct ingredients yet they all influence each other either through dominating flavoring or in more subtle ways. All the ingredients take up the properties of everything that is in the stew. The properties from our societal stew linger in our minds acting like silent partners - governing our lives (our subconscious mind).
Can you name something you did in the last week but now you have no idea why you did it?
Or did you do something you swore you wouldn’t do, but did?
When we take action and make decisions that later baffle us, it is often our silent partner who made the decision for us. Our silent partner believed it was acting in our best interests. It acted for our own survival, to avoid a more painful outcome, or to support subtle – yet critical beliefs we hold. Our silent partner is running around, behind our backs, shaping our lives into something that we later say, “This isn’t how I thought my life would be.”
Name three subtle beliefs you have.
Are some similar to these?
· I can’t take that promotion and still be a good mom.
· I don’t have the money.
· My kids come first.
· If I am not sexually attractive to my husband whenever he wants, he will leave me, or worse – have an affair.
· It’s irresponsible for me to go back to school.
These beliefs – all your beliefs – even the positive ones – originate from the stew. We are like a piece of potato or tofu. We enter this world as an individual. Then we brew in the stew. We are still a piece of potato or tofu, which differs remarkably from carrots or beef, yet we’ve captured the flavorings of all those around us. The secret to a delicious stew, the longer it simmers, the more flavoring ingredients like potatoes and tofu absorb. What beliefs have you absorbed?
Becoming aware of what is influencing us – of what else is in the stew, will help us:
· empower ourselves
· make decisions that generate the outcomes we truly desire
· heal old wounds
· help us be there for the ones we love
· turn dreams into reality
in short, create the life you secretly obsess about.
So what is in your stew? What has your ethnicity, your family, your schools, and your religion taught you about women? What are they teaching your daughter about women?
[i] Murdock, Maureen, “Heroine’s Journey: A Woman’s Quest for Wholeness”, p. 3
· empower ourselves
· make decisions that generate the outcomes we truly desire
· heal old wounds
· help us be there for the ones we love
· turn dreams into reality
in short, create the life you secretly obsess about.
So what is in your stew? What has your ethnicity, your family, your schools, and your religion taught you about women? What are they teaching your daughter about women?
[i] Murdock, Maureen, “Heroine’s Journey: A Woman’s Quest for Wholeness”, p. 3
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
True to Yourself – Following Oprah’s Lead
I've hesitated to write about successful women who are alive today because I take liberties with the way I think about and present successful women. I read many biographies of women and there are a lot of choices they make that I do not like. I am not a true biographer, I do not share all the lessons that successful women can show us, often I emphasize their strengths and struggles as I recognize them to be issues women are struggling with today.
With modern women I worry that I will horribly represent them because I find the reporting on celebrities and/or successful modern women dubious. Perhaps I am afraid of an angry phone call or email. Yet there are some women today who one cannot continue to overlook, especially if you are talking about success, in this case, the Queen of Success, Oprah.
I just watched Oprah Unauthorized (2007). Surprisingly the DVD I rented from my library looked as pristine as some of the DVDs I request on obscure women. It was a wonderful video that raised me out of my chair and left me ranting "Oprah, Oprah, Oprah." I don't normally act this way, even when I am excited but the enthusiasm of the people interviewed in this documentary and the list of her hundreds of accomplishments brought tears to my eyes. How exciting to see someone create such an extraordinary life. It makes me wonder why she is so rare.
The praise that resonated to me the most was that "Oprah is always true to herself." Several people said that she always did what she thought was right and created what was true to her. This uncompromising commitment to herself and her ideals and expectations of life is why almost everyone in the world loves her, or at least admits that she is likeable. Oprah’s lifestyle proves to us that you can truly listen to others, be there for them and make yourself successful and be true to yourself – all at the same time. My question is, are we up for the challenge?
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
With modern women I worry that I will horribly represent them because I find the reporting on celebrities and/or successful modern women dubious. Perhaps I am afraid of an angry phone call or email. Yet there are some women today who one cannot continue to overlook, especially if you are talking about success, in this case, the Queen of Success, Oprah.
I just watched Oprah Unauthorized (2007). Surprisingly the DVD I rented from my library looked as pristine as some of the DVDs I request on obscure women. It was a wonderful video that raised me out of my chair and left me ranting "Oprah, Oprah, Oprah." I don't normally act this way, even when I am excited but the enthusiasm of the people interviewed in this documentary and the list of her hundreds of accomplishments brought tears to my eyes. How exciting to see someone create such an extraordinary life. It makes me wonder why she is so rare.
The praise that resonated to me the most was that "Oprah is always true to herself." Several people said that she always did what she thought was right and created what was true to her. This uncompromising commitment to herself and her ideals and expectations of life is why almost everyone in the world loves her, or at least admits that she is likeable. Oprah’s lifestyle proves to us that you can truly listen to others, be there for them and make yourself successful and be true to yourself – all at the same time. My question is, are we up for the challenge?
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Englewood Author’s Novel Inspired by Colorado Castle Owner
A Scottish castle brimming with European antiques is not what you would expect to see in Northern Douglas County. Nor would you expect to run into over 3,000 acres of pristine undeveloped land just east of Castle Pines Village. Even odder, this castle and the land was owned and governed by a Southern belle who raised cattle.
Colorado's beauty and sunny days attract all sorts of people with interesting pasts and Tweet Kimble brought her life steeped in European culture to our Rocky Mountain State.
Englewood author Corinne Joy Brown was one of the last writers to interview Tweet before she died in 1999. Tweet's character was so strong and so fascinating to Corinne that Tweet served as the inspiration for her historic novel "MacGregor's Lantern." The castle Tweet owned was modeled after Scottish castles. During the research for Corinne's book, Corinne discovered that the Scots dominated in the ranching industry in Colorado and Wyoming. It may have been this influence that encouraged the castle design at Cherokee Ranch.
Maggie Dowling is the main character in MacGregor's Lantern. Her determination is reminiscent of the stories people still tell about Tweet Kimble. Maggie moved out West, accepting an engagement proposal from one of her father's clients. She expected adventure, which she certainly encountered but it wasn’t packaged the way she expected.
Many women during the late 1800’s also traveled west with their husbands or to meet up with their fiancés and many found the western frontier too difficult to bear so they returned home. Returning home was never an option in Maggie's mind. She committed to the decision and for better or worse, she was going to see that decision through. This story combines independence and determination with usual western flair.
I love reading stories about strong, determined women, so I gladly encourage you to MacGregor's Lantern by Corinne Joy Brown.
If you live in Colorado or when you plan a visit, make sure you take a tour of Cherokee Castle and Ranch. When Tweet passed away she left her house, land, antiques, and legend as a nonprofit treasure open for tours, educational programs, weddings and other parties. You can enter her estate just off Highway 85 and find yourself in a world of impressive views, Native American Indian heritage, European antiques and Colorado wildlife.
Successful Women Share Their Secrets
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Colorado's beauty and sunny days attract all sorts of people with interesting pasts and Tweet Kimble brought her life steeped in European culture to our Rocky Mountain State.
Englewood author Corinne Joy Brown was one of the last writers to interview Tweet before she died in 1999. Tweet's character was so strong and so fascinating to Corinne that Tweet served as the inspiration for her historic novel "MacGregor's Lantern." The castle Tweet owned was modeled after Scottish castles. During the research for Corinne's book, Corinne discovered that the Scots dominated in the ranching industry in Colorado and Wyoming. It may have been this influence that encouraged the castle design at Cherokee Ranch.
Maggie Dowling is the main character in MacGregor's Lantern. Her determination is reminiscent of the stories people still tell about Tweet Kimble. Maggie moved out West, accepting an engagement proposal from one of her father's clients. She expected adventure, which she certainly encountered but it wasn’t packaged the way she expected.
Many women during the late 1800’s also traveled west with their husbands or to meet up with their fiancés and many found the western frontier too difficult to bear so they returned home. Returning home was never an option in Maggie's mind. She committed to the decision and for better or worse, she was going to see that decision through. This story combines independence and determination with usual western flair.
I love reading stories about strong, determined women, so I gladly encourage you to MacGregor's Lantern by Corinne Joy Brown.
If you live in Colorado or when you plan a visit, make sure you take a tour of Cherokee Castle and Ranch. When Tweet passed away she left her house, land, antiques, and legend as a nonprofit treasure open for tours, educational programs, weddings and other parties. You can enter her estate just off Highway 85 and find yourself in a world of impressive views, Native American Indian heritage, European antiques and Colorado wildlife.
Successful Women Share Their Secrets
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Author Donates Royalties to Stop Dam Building
India has undergone many dam projects as have many other developing countries. Foreign investment, flood control, irrigation canals, and energy production are the cited reasons for dam construction but critics claim that the devastation to the human population living in the flood zones and the ecological damage, as well as statistics stating historical dam projects provide significantly less energy output as expected, encourage extreme resistance to dam construction.
In India, massive protests in the form of hunger strikes, and donations of book royalties from famous Indian writer Arundhati Roy* keep this debate in the news.
Book Review: "Power Politics", 2001, author Arundhati Roy, Indian female writer (also author of famous novel "The God of Small Things"
This book is a series of essays exploring water dam building and energy production in India, political response to September 11, 2001 in expectation of a U.S. war with Afghanistan, and free speech.
One essay from the book is called "The Reincarnation of Rumpelstiltskin." Roy provides statistics and arguments against the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Indian citizens who lived and farmed on lands where the Indian government wanted to flood in the construction of dams. Resistance against dams, the overall ecological damage being the primary grounds of argument, is a common one in the United States; however, in most cases, a dam displaces few people.
Roy opens our eyes to the plight of thousands and thousands of people living in India, most of them already poor and with little political influence who are forced to leave their homes and try to find a new way to support themselves. I am not in a position to assure you of the accuracy of her statistics and statistics can always be manipulated, but her image of the conditions of the displaced is well worth being aware of.
The Sardar Sarovar dam in India was fiercely debated. One website described one of the resettlement villages for the people who were displaced by this dam.
"The sites, severely lacking basic infrastructure such as sewage and irrigation facilities, can themselves hardly be called villages. Yet since the mid-1990s, these sites have been home to 80 families who once lived in the now-submerged village of Makhekheda. Nearly 12,000 other families live in sites that pass as villages off similar unnavigable roads across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. These families, who had their land and livelihoods submerged as a result of the 360-foot high Sardar Sarovar dam, dot the unseen landscape of the Sardar Sarovar project."**
Statistics of the people affected vacillate wildly between 50,000 to 1 million*** however, to the families involved, the gravity of their situation is barely affected by a massive number of neighbors. For these families, they are forced to promptly create a new way of earning a living and rewrite traditions that may be generations old. The hunger strikes and protests against these dam projects may reside more with people rehabilitation and perhaps less on the ecological damage or even the economic necessity. Critics also claim that many of the dam projects end up providing only a fraction of the amount of energy intended.****
Arundhati Roy
I sought out her work because an essay I was reading said that Roy believes that individuals should take responsibility for themselves and stop claiming to be a victim. Few people feel this way today as many of us are tempted to blame the government, parents, spouses, or society for our own shortcomings. "Power Politics" is her only book I’ve read so far. Further research into her work leaves me impressed at her forthrightness, clarity of purpose, and commitment to others. She has been widely criticized for her actions and has also been taken to court. In response to criticism, she said:
"I am hysterical. I'm screaming from the bloody rooftops. And he and his smug little club are going 'Shhhh... you'll wake the neighbours!' I want to wake the neighbours, that's my whole point. I want everybody to open their eyes".*****
Is there an issue you feel passionate about? Have you been contributing to the solution? Have you turned your passion into commitment?
Looking for more?
The International Day of Action Against Dams For Rivers, Water, and Life
Narmada River project – problems and solutions – evaluates Indian dam project calling for 3,000 dams on the Narmada River.
Cited sources
*Arundhati Roy donates book royalties
**”Dam-Affected Resettlement in India: A Photo Essay” by Chhandasi Pandya, April 29, 2006
***”Dam-Affected Resettlement in India: A Photo Essay” by Chhandasi Pandya, April 29, 2006
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10177
****Dams do not provide expected energy output
*****Arundhati Roy quote : SCIMITARS IN THE SUN, Frontline, Volume 18 - Issue 01, Jan. 06 - 19, 2001
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
In India, massive protests in the form of hunger strikes, and donations of book royalties from famous Indian writer Arundhati Roy* keep this debate in the news.
Book Review: "Power Politics", 2001, author Arundhati Roy, Indian female writer (also author of famous novel "The God of Small Things"
This book is a series of essays exploring water dam building and energy production in India, political response to September 11, 2001 in expectation of a U.S. war with Afghanistan, and free speech.
One essay from the book is called "The Reincarnation of Rumpelstiltskin." Roy provides statistics and arguments against the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Indian citizens who lived and farmed on lands where the Indian government wanted to flood in the construction of dams. Resistance against dams, the overall ecological damage being the primary grounds of argument, is a common one in the United States; however, in most cases, a dam displaces few people.
Roy opens our eyes to the plight of thousands and thousands of people living in India, most of them already poor and with little political influence who are forced to leave their homes and try to find a new way to support themselves. I am not in a position to assure you of the accuracy of her statistics and statistics can always be manipulated, but her image of the conditions of the displaced is well worth being aware of.
The Sardar Sarovar dam in India was fiercely debated. One website described one of the resettlement villages for the people who were displaced by this dam.
"The sites, severely lacking basic infrastructure such as sewage and irrigation facilities, can themselves hardly be called villages. Yet since the mid-1990s, these sites have been home to 80 families who once lived in the now-submerged village of Makhekheda. Nearly 12,000 other families live in sites that pass as villages off similar unnavigable roads across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. These families, who had their land and livelihoods submerged as a result of the 360-foot high Sardar Sarovar dam, dot the unseen landscape of the Sardar Sarovar project."**
Statistics of the people affected vacillate wildly between 50,000 to 1 million*** however, to the families involved, the gravity of their situation is barely affected by a massive number of neighbors. For these families, they are forced to promptly create a new way of earning a living and rewrite traditions that may be generations old. The hunger strikes and protests against these dam projects may reside more with people rehabilitation and perhaps less on the ecological damage or even the economic necessity. Critics also claim that many of the dam projects end up providing only a fraction of the amount of energy intended.****
Arundhati Roy
I sought out her work because an essay I was reading said that Roy believes that individuals should take responsibility for themselves and stop claiming to be a victim. Few people feel this way today as many of us are tempted to blame the government, parents, spouses, or society for our own shortcomings. "Power Politics" is her only book I’ve read so far. Further research into her work leaves me impressed at her forthrightness, clarity of purpose, and commitment to others. She has been widely criticized for her actions and has also been taken to court. In response to criticism, she said:
"I am hysterical. I'm screaming from the bloody rooftops. And he and his smug little club are going 'Shhhh... you'll wake the neighbours!' I want to wake the neighbours, that's my whole point. I want everybody to open their eyes".*****
Is there an issue you feel passionate about? Have you been contributing to the solution? Have you turned your passion into commitment?
Looking for more?
The International Day of Action Against Dams For Rivers, Water, and Life
Narmada River project – problems and solutions – evaluates Indian dam project calling for 3,000 dams on the Narmada River.
Cited sources
*Arundhati Roy donates book royalties
**”Dam-Affected Resettlement in India: A Photo Essay” by Chhandasi Pandya, April 29, 2006
***”Dam-Affected Resettlement in India: A Photo Essay” by Chhandasi Pandya, April 29, 2006
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10177
****Dams do not provide expected energy output
*****Arundhati Roy quote : SCIMITARS IN THE SUN, Frontline, Volume 18 - Issue 01, Jan. 06 - 19, 2001
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
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