Dear Followers, I received this amusing email from my late father-in-law's widow, and thought I'd pass it along. Helen is in her 80s, and it's nice to know that a good sense of humor doesn't fade. Enjoy... Merry Christmas To My Female Friends If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you And deliver some things just inside your … [Read more...]
205: The Self-Empowered Woman: Dr. Ruth Westheimer
December 18, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Practically everyone knows that Dr. Ruth--who studied at the Sorbonne and rose to fame in the 1980s--is America's most popular sex therapist. But few know about her life before success and stardom. Her birth name was Karola Ruth Siegel, and she was born in Wiesenfeld, Germany in June 1928. Her parents (she was an only child) were Orthodox Jews (3: Belief In The Unbelievable), and soon afterwards Hitler began actively promoting … [Read more...]
203: The Self-Empowered Woman: Whoopi Goldberg/Moms Mabley
December 1, 2013 By
Dear Followers, I don't know how many of you watched Whoopi Goldberg's amazing HBO special on Moms Mabley, but it was a real eye opener. Mabley was the first successful female comedian, and she paved the way for women to be both financially secure and funny. So today's blog will take a brief look at both of these talented women. Whoopi Goldberg's real name is Caryn Elaine Johnston, and she and I both share a November 13th birthday. Some … [Read more...]
202: The Self-Empowered Woman: S. Josephine Baker
November 13, 2013 By
Dear Followers, When most of us hear the name "Josephine Baker" we think of the exotic cabaret dancer who set Paris on fire decades ago. But I'd like to introduce you to S. Josephine Baker, who changed the face of public health medicine. Born on November 15th, 1873, to a wealthy Quaker family (3: Belief In The Unbelievable), as a young teenager she had planned to accept a scholarship to attend Vassar. But when she was 16, both her brother and … [Read more...]
201: The Self-Empowered Woman: Marin Alsop
October 31, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Since September 2007, Marin Alsop has been the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, which is notable because she is the first woman ever to hold this position with a major American orchestra. Her tenure has been so successful that her contract has been extended through the 2020-2021 season. In 2005, she became the first conductor to ever receive a MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant." She was born on … [Read more...]
199: The Self-Empowered Woman: Jane Franklin Mecom
October 5, 2013 By
Dear Followers, In the last post, I recommended a movie that I felt would give all of us something to think about as well as a new perspective. Today, I'd like to recommend a book about a woman whose life has fascinated me for years, the sister of Benjamin Franklin, Jane Mecom. They grew up in Boston in the early 1700s where they were known in the neighborhood as Benny and Jenny. Their parents had 17 children; he was the youngest boy … [Read more...]
198: The Self-Empowered Woman: Wadjda
September 26, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Today, instead of profiling a Self-Empowered Woman, I'd like to tell you about an inspiring new movie that deserves our support. Wadjda is the first full-length feature film ever made in Saudi Arabia and, more importantly, it's the first film directed by a female Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Haifaa al-Mansour. As anyone who has watched my YouTube video knows, I'm a great fan of ten year old little girls. And this film tells the … [Read more...]
197: The Self-Empowered Woman: Queen Latifah
September 18, 2013 By
Dear Followers, Queen Latifah has a new afternoon talk show that is already receiving good reviews. Her real name is Dana Elaine Owens, and she was born in East Orange, New Jersey on March 18th, 1970. She chose the name Latifah (which means delicate and very kind) when she was only eight years old Her mother was a high school art teacher and her father was a police officer; they separated when she was eight, and divorced two years later. As a … [Read more...]
