In Favor of Feminism: Share Your Views
Comments
-
Mirianda, how could I have forgotten the rape part.
0 -
And the winner of today's ignorant misogynist republican rat bastard of the day award goes to this pile of 💩:
0 -
Oh for fuck's sake.
0 -
AliceBastable, wow! What a delusional prick to think and actually say out loud that the circumstance (rape) is “inconvenient” and the a pregnancy is “what god intended”. Arggg!
0 -
In my ever-active fantasy world, the wife of one of these regressive shits would murder them in their sleep, then calmly confess, saying "I did it for all of us."
0 -
Absolutely Alice. Maybe she would get a woman judge & we could all testify at her trial. Inconvenient.......when I read this in the news I had a full on 'snort' and sprayed coke everywhere.
0 -
This comes to mind:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Beheading_Holofernes_(Caravaggio)
At the trial, we all step forward saying "I am Judith".
0 -
Great Serenity. Thanks for posting the link. Very informative.
0 -
I've seen this painting in person. It's quite striking.
0 -
Perhaps a female artist is more appropriate.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artemisia-gentileschi-judith-beheading-holofernes-1897872/amp-page
0 -
Wow. I am as ever, sooooo grateful for everything I have learned from you wonderful women & men who post at BCO. Thanks Alice. Edited to say AND EVERYONE on the multitude of threads here
0 -
Alice - I had seen that painting only in books, but I didn't know the story of the artist until today. Her version is more appropriate. I would love to see it.
0 -
In the Caravaggio, Judith looks somewhat repulsed by what she has to do. But Artemisia's Judith is ready to do some business!
0 -
There was an exhibition of the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi and her father, Orazio Gentileschi, in 2002 at the St. Louis Art Museum. Biblical scenes and impaled saints are not my favorite, but most of the pieces were large and I zeroed in on the technique, details, and rich colors.
0 -
Iceland elects its first female-majority parliament.
0 -
Go Iceland!
Alice - I prefer Modern art, but I do appreciate the chiaroscuro technique in these paintings. It's a fun word to say, and it adds depth and drama.
I just came across this video today. Gentileschi was impressive and shouldn't be forgotten.
0 -
Fascinating. Thanks for posting.
0 -
I just looked in this thread for the first time. I have found my tribe
0 -
Welcome, infoseeker
0 -
“Truck Driving Has Long Been A Man's World. Meet The Women Changing That"
Stephan Bisaha/NPR
Driving trucks has historically been a male-driven profession, but if Pamela Williams has her way, that will soon change."Guys, you better watch out, 'cause this right here is a women's industry from now on," says Williams, a truck driver and instructor with DSC Training Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.
Williams is one of a record number of women who are hitting the road as strong demand for everything from iPads to cars has led to a skyrocketing demand for drivers to transport the goods.
At the same time, many of the men who traditionally held truck driving jobs have yet to return, leading to a severe shortage of drivers across the industry.
That has opened up opportunities for women, who were disproportionately hit by layoffs during the pandemic, especially in restaurants and service sector jobs.
(Pamela Williams, a driving instructor with DSC Training Academy,
has been driving for seven years and enjoys seeing the country from the road)Pay in the truck driving industry has risen nearly 5% in the last year to an average of more than $27.50 per hour according to data from the Labor Department.
That's higher than what many women made in service jobs, making trucking a more attractive professional path. The higher pay and the chance to see the country from the cabin of a truck is what attracted Williams to the industry.
She's now been driving for seven years and she's also teaching others how to drive trucks.
"I can go out here and drive a week and make a thousand dollars – a quick thousand dollars doing something that I like to do," Williams says. "That's good."
Sleeping in cots and dealing with blood clots
Still, trucking can be a rough job.
Driving trucks often mean sleeping in a cot behind the front seat. All those hours of sitting behind the wheel can lead to blood clots. Plus driving around a 70-foot-long vehicle is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, according to data on injuries, illnesses and fatalities from the Labor Department.
For women there are additional challenges.
While sexism from the male truckers has improved over the last decade, it hasn't gone away.
The trucking industry is still dominated by men, who accounted for more than 83% of driving jobs in June, according to the job site ZipRecruiter, though there are about 245,000 more women driving currently, the highest ever.
Before signing up for classes at DSC Training Academy, Amalya Livingston did everything from working call centers to freelance mechanic work on cars to taking photos of them for dealerships.
She left those jobs for trucking to get away from always having a manager looking over her shoulder.
Livingston says some men still give her smirks or side-eyes when she climbs out of the cabin at refueling stops.
But it doesn't bother Livingston, who was inspired to join the trucking industry by her mother, who was herself a driver.
"It comes with the territory," Livingston says. "Women who make history," she adds, "We're not complacent."
Possibly, the biggest barrier for women is the time away from the people they care for. Research has shown women are more likely to be caretakers in the family, and many mothers continue to struggle with child care options.
Why women drive trucks
But more and more women are making it work.
Tiffany Hathorn initially dismissed the idea of trucking. She had other jobs and even tried to start her own business. She also had two younger sons who would need to be taken care of, making it hard to be on the road.
But Hathorn says she kept hitting a financial ceiling and she felt she was never making enough money for her family. It was Hathorn's mother who finally convinced her to join by volunteering to take care of the two sons.
Today, Hathorn is a truck driver, and she's on track to make $70,000 for the year. She orders groceries from her phone while on the road, and she video chats with her two sons and her loved ones when she can.
So when Hathorn gets asked by women and men whether trucking is right for them, she tells them the good and the bad. But she always tells them to do it, not least because of the financial freedom it has provided her.
"I'm not struggling like I was before," she says. "I have more of a peace of mind now."
(Tiffany Hathorn poses for a picture on June 29.
She earned her trucking license a year ago and estimates she will make $70,000 this year.
Hathorn says she recommends anybody who asks – men or women – to become a truck driver.)Williams, the instructor at DSC Training who's been driving for seven years, sees the initial hesitancy all the time.
When her students first climb into a truck — men and women — many get intimidated.
Everything is bigger — the mirrors, the wheel and even the gearbox, since most students have never driven a stick shift.
But once they turn the key, change gears and feel the subtle shift in the engine's rumble, the atmosphere transforms.
"They feel the power, then everything changes," Williams says. "They're like 'Oh, oh I'm gonna be a truck driver!'
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, WWNO in New Orleans and NPR.
0 -
When I was in the Air Force half a century ago, one of the young women in my dorm planned to become a trucker after her enlistment. I hope she got to do it; she was a very cool person.
0 -
0 -
I just finished reading Billie Jean King's autobiography, "All In" that was recently published. And wow. She truly is one hell of an amazing woman and has done incredibly enormous things for equal rights. I casually followed her career but her book spells out an amazing amount of detail in all the areas where she's made great strides for women. I'm big on reading memoirs, and highly recommend this well-written book.
Side note: HBO Max has a documentary "Billie Jean: Portrait of a Pioneer" which came out in 2006. I don't have HBO but plan to get it by Christmas and will be watching it.
One huge take away from "All In". Billie Jean's husband, Larry King (not the TV host) was/is an absolutely incredible man. He began pointing out to her the inequalities she experienced, such as the poor treatment she received as a star tennis player while he, an equipment coach, had way better perks. In the early days of her Wimbledon matches, after she won, they would display her name as Mrs. L.W. King, another way to undervalue Billie Jean which Larry pointed out. He never tore down her aspirations for being a tennis superstar and promoted her success. Even after a scorned woman sued BJ for palimony, Larry stood by her and they remained married. After 22 years of marriage, they divorced. BJ has been with her partner and eventual wife Ilana Kloss over 40 years. Larry also remarried, and Billie Jean and Ilana are godparents to his two children.
Larry King is one helluva man!
0 -
Billie Jean King continues to pave the way for women:
First Women's Bank opens in Chicago with goal of fixing gender lending gap
Its founders say it's the first financial institution aimed at helping women entrepreneurs get the capital to start and expand businesses.
Sep 22, 2021
Chicago is now home to the First Women's Bank, a bank its founders believe to be the first and only women-led and women-focused bank in the country.
A Wednesday ribbon-cutting ceremony minted the bank in Chicago women's history, and served as the grand opening for the bank's headquarters in West Town.
"Never before has there been a greater need and an opportunity to address what we believe is the fundamental problem facing women-owned and women-led businesses, and that's access to capital," said Melissa Widen, one of the bank's founders.
Widen and others at Wednesday's event cited studies showing women-owned businesses received far fewer business loans than firms owned by men.
"Promoting gender equality at this bank, it's not a marketing strategy. It's in our DNA," said Marianne Markowitz, the bank's CEO. "We believe that the potential for the bank to drive social change and to bridge the gender lending gap is enormous."
Helping women start successful businesses is the central mission of the First Women's Bank, CEO Marianne Markowitz said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot cut the bank's big blue ribbon during the ceremony and said the bank will "tell the world loud and clear" that Chicago is a place of "business and opportunity for everyone."
"Opening up access to capital is critically important, and it's got to be opened up to everyone," Lightfoot said. "We cannot succeed and move forward as a city, as a nation, unless we are very intentional about making sure that no one is left behind."
The bank will also provide support to women entrepreneurs through advice and networking resources, said Colleen Ryan, the bank's chief marketing and communications officer.
The bank will also focus particularly on helping women of color start businesses. Southside Grinds, a Black-woman-owned coffee company serving communities of color, was able to hit the ground running with the help from First Women's Bank.
"Our mission is to spread love and caffeination in under-commerced, under-beveraged and under-caffeinated areas," said Ebony Blue, the company's founder. "It's really important to us because there are a lot of places on the South and West Side of Chicago that do not have beverages, let alone any types of commerce."
The bank is supported by companies like Wendy's and Comcast, and by International Tennis Hall of Famer and women's equity advocate Billie Jean King, who invests in the bank and serves as one of its advisers.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22871137/merlin_101056664.jpg)
"I know the challenges women face when it comes to financial solutions for small businesses," King said. "I've lived it. I've been to banks –– it's not easy if you're a woman."
"When the bank delivers on its mission, it won't be just for women. [With] the small business community and the economy open, everyone has a chance to win."
0 -
Wow, that's one of the best relationships ever!
0 -
0 -
0 -
Alice, oh my, that’s hilarious! (stealing it)
0 -
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! I love it, too, Alice!!
0 -
0
