March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD). Celebrated around the world, IWD is a time to reflect on the advances toward equity made by women everywhere and to look ahead to the challenges that remain.
IDRC is a proud contributor to development projects that focus on overcoming gender inequality and the particular conditions that keep women in poverty.
I am thrilled to have my book reproduced in this medium and thank Susanne and Stephan for the inspiration to do it and for all of their hard work and design. It is now twelve years since the book was written so there are many other IWDs to write about as well as many other stories to be told about the years depicted in “In Words and Images”
Hopefully this new project will inspire other authors to add to the herstory
Joyce Stevens has been an activist over many years in the left, union and feminist movements, starting with her membership in the Eureka Youth League in 1942 and in the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) in 1945.
March 8 is International Women’s Day. What is the origin of this celebration? What have some organizations done to honor the date?
This chronology of International Women’s Day traces it back to the US in 1909, and links that event to the 1911 rallies in Europe. The tie to the Triangle Fire is also mentioned.
Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc).
In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother’s Day and St Valentine’s Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.
The IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday, as in the listed countries the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season.
History
The first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. Among other relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (New York, 1911), where over 140 women lost their lives. The idea of having an international women’s day was first put forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over working conditions. By urban legend,[1][2] women from clothing and textile factories staged one such protest on 8 March 1857 in New York City[citation needed].[3] The garment workers were protesting against very poor working conditions and low wages. The protesters were attacked and dispersed by police. These women established their first labor union in the same month two years later.
More protests followed on 8 March in subsequent years, most notably in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights[citation needed]. In 1910 the first international women’s conference was held in Copenhagen (in the labour-movement building located at Jagtvej 69, which until recently housed Ungdomshuset) by the Second International and an ‘International Women’s Day’ was established, which was submitted by the important German Socialist Clara Zetkin. The following year, IWD was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. However, soon thereafter, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed over 140 garment workers. A lack of safety measures was blamed for the high death toll. Furthermore, on the eve of World War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on 8 March 1913. In the West, International Women’s Day was commemorated during the 1910s and 1920s, but dwindled. It was revived by the rise of feminism in the 1960s.
Demonstrations marking International Women’s Day in Russia proved to be the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday in Russia, and it was established, but was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women’s Day was declared as a non working day in the USSR “in commemoration of outstanding merits of the Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, their heroism and selflessness at the front and in rear, and also marking the big contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples and struggle for the peace.”
Women’s Day in modern culture
The day remains an official holiday in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, and is observed by men giving the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts. In some countries it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother’s Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union celebrations of IWD were abandoned in Armenia. Instead April 7 was introduced as state holiday of ‘Beauty and Motherhood.’ The new holiday immediately got popular among Armenians, as it commemorates one of the main holidays of Armenian Church, Annunciation. However, people still kept celebrating IWD on March 8 as well. Public discussion held on the topic of two ‘Women’s Days’ in Armenia resulted in the recognition of the so called ‘Women’s Month’ which is the period between March 8 and April 7.
In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women.[4][5] Yellow mimosas and chocolate are also one of the most common March 8 presents in Russia.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia, the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women sometimes get gifts from their employers too. School children often bring gifts for their teachers as well.
In countries like Portugal, it is usual, at the night of 8 March, groups of women celebrate in “women-only” dinners and parties
In India, IWD holds a lot of significance. Many celebrations are held during the day. This portrays the power of women in the modern era and how vital their role is in the society.[citation needed]
In 1975, which had been designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to and began sponsoring International Women’s Day.
The 2005 Congress (conference) of the British Trades Union Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for IWD to be designated a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Today many events are held by women’s groups around the world. The global women’s organization Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events (www.internationalwomensday.com) so that women and the media can locate local activity. Many governments and organisations around the world support IWD. For example, HSBC hosts a range of IWD activity including co-hosting of the UK’s flagship IWD event with women’s group Aurora. Global interest in IWD shows a steady increase.
At the US Postal Service, celebrations typically include round-table discussions of celebrations around the world, especially in Belarus. This is widely attributed to a forward-thinking woman from that country who pushed (unsuccessfully) for the day to become a postal holiday.
The 1932 Soviet poster dedicated to the 8th of March holiday. The text reads: “8th of March is the day of the rebellion of the working women against the kitchen slavery” and “Down with the oppression and narrow-mindedness of the household work!”. Originally in the USSR the holiday had a clear political character, emphasizing the role of the Soviet state in liberation of women from the second-class citizens’ position…
However, with time the meaning of the Holiday evolved to an apolitical celebration of women with an emphasis on their beauty and motherhood. Most late Soviet 8th of March postcards carried no political meaning.
Whenever I do a dating boot camp, guys are always amazed that I seem to know everybody. The first time one attendee, Yakub, did a boot camp with me, he kept marveling at this. He started calling me “The Mayor of New York City.”
It arises from the fact that everywhere I went, I knew somebody. I knew men. I knew women. I knew kids. I knew dogs. I knew shopkeepers. I knew everybody. By knowing all these people everywhere I went, I got to know more people.
The number one mistake that men make when they go out and try to meet women…
The number one mistake that men make when they go out and try to meet women… is that they go out and try to meet women. Think about that statement for a second.
You call your friend on a Saturday afternoon to go out and meet women. So what do you do? You go to a coffee shop, you stare at a good-looking woman, you try to remember the perfect opener… and you ignore everybody else in the place. Does this sound familiar? I used to do the same thing. It’s the reason why you do not meet women.
Become mayor of your own life
Now, let me teach you a technique that is far simpler and a thousand times more effective. It is not only more effective, but it will decrease your rejection rate by 100 percent.
Instead of going out and trying to “meet women,” go out and start meeting people. That’s right.
Start talking to everybody you know, and everybody you don’t know.
Start talking to everybody you know, and everybody you don’t know. By going out and communicating with everyone, you’ll start attracting women instead of having to chase them.
By talking to the little old lady who is walking her dog, that hot woman you want to meet will notice the good positive energy you’re displaying toward the old lady. This will cause her to become attracted to you. She will stop, and she will most likely approach YOU.
Five people you need to meet
Here are five key people in your life you need to get to know:
The checkout clerks who work at your local market
The person who serves you coffee every day
The person who works the counter at your dry cleaners
The person who makes your sandwich at lunch
The host at the local restaurant where you eat regularly
By getting to know these people, when someone you’re attracted to is behind you in line, you can break the ice by starting a conversation with the checkout person with whom you’re already comfortable. That eases the pressure of striking up a conversation with a new person.
No more routines
You should be talking and friendly to everybody you meet.
You should be talking and friendly to everybody you meet. By doing this, women are going to become attracted to you. Not only that, when you talk to everyone, you don’t look like one of those sleazy pickup artists who run lines and routines on women wherever they go.
I’m going to lose it if I hear one more guy walk up to a woman and say, “Can I ask you a question? Who lies more, men or women?” You know how I feel about routines.
You will never again need a routine if you naturally learn how to become mayor of your own life. Not only that, but women will start to approach YOU. So now, who would you rather be for the rest of your life — the pursuer or the pursued?
Gemma Atkinson has been evicted from I’m a Celebrity
Actress and model Gemma Atkinson became the seventh celebrity to be evicted from the jungle on Wednesday night as the public voted her out.
The 23-year-old from Manchester shouted “Yes!” and threw her arms in the air as the result was announced, before hugging her fellow I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here campers.
Speaking afterwards with Ant and Dec, she said: “I feel great. Thank you everyone for getting me out.
“Do you know what, I’ve had enough. When you’re cold and hungry the whole time…”
“The whole thing’s been great and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. There’s no stress, nothing… but you get used to it and you miss the hustle and bustle.”
Asked about the explosive arguments that have characterised the reality show this year, she said: “I think it’s just a clash of characters, it’s weird because it was all the older people rowing. It was quite funny and you knew it was going to explode. I think Janice liked to wind people up, but it was kind of in a funny way.”
Asked who she hoped would win the series, she replied “Biggins or J”.
Former supermodel Janice Dickinson shocked her fellow campmates by insisting she had never had a one night stand - despite previously boasting of having 1,000 lovers.
Dickinson, 52, has previously been giving glamour model Gemma Atkinson advice on how to spice-up her sex life.
But she made the latest of a string of revelations about her private life after the campmates had to guess whether the percentage of people who had had one night stands was 44% or 63%. The contestants correctly guessed 44%, but Janice, with a straight face, added: “Well I’m 63%.”
Channel 46 weekend news anchor Cari Champion says she was fired last week following an off-color comment that made it on the air.
According to this report by Richard Prince, the station thinks Champion uttered the “MF” word as she and co-anchor Mike Moore bantered during a commercial break. What the anchors didn’t know was that their conversation was being broadcast over the air.
Champion has appealed her dismissal to the station’s corporate headquarters, saying she didn’t drop the “MF” bomb. Instead, she says, she used the word “Mothasucka.” Kind of like saying “heck” instead of “hell.”
It had to have been an absolutely fascinating conversation between Champion and her bosses the next day. Imagine them dancing around the distinctions between “Mothasucka” and “Motha-…” well, you know.
I’m reminded of what George Carlin once said about middle-class housewives who shriek out the word “Shoot!” when they drop the casserole dish: “You can’t fool me. Shoot is shit with two O’s.”
Meet Adult Star and Exotic Dancer Angelique Morgan - Friday Only! Signing for Free! You Heard it Right! Happy Birthday on Saturday 9/22 Angelique!
Angelique has been seen on Dr 90210 on E!, Criss Angel; Mind Freak, Beauty and Geek, Casting Premiere 18 September, Howard Stern, TV host interview Rev TV on #25 local Las Vegas channel, Playboy Radio, Club Jenna DVD, Playboy TV and more!
Check me out on that side for time and location! See Ya There!
XOXO
Angelique
I know that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was a few weeks ago, but these pictures of Adriana Lima getting fitted for it just came out today. And when there are pictures of Adriana Lima in lingerie that I haven’t seen, I’m posting them. It’s one of the rules here at Hollywood Tuna, and since I make the rules, I can’t break ‘em. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.
Marko Jaric and Adriana Lima are dating. Minnesota Timberwolves’ guard Marko Jaric is probably the envy of all single NBA players in the league…he is reportedly dating Brazilian bombshell and Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima.
Morph 2136521, including: Adriana Lima, Audrey Hepburn, Eva Green and Winona Ryder.