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By marilyn-ferdinand • 15 years ago

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, A Celebration of Women in Science and Technology

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, and bloggers all over the world are posting about the great women of science and technology and their accomplishments. The central link, http://findingada.com/about/, is where you can find information about Lovelace, the writer of the first computer program and hook-up with other celebrants.
I found out about this event too late to write my own blogpost, but my favorite woman in science in Rosalind Franklin, the woman who played a major role in discovering the structure of DNA. She has never been given the credit she deserves, and died before Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize for the discovery, which surely should have been shared with her posthumously.
By marilyn-ferdinand • 15 years ago

Preventing Sexual Violence among Teens

Just a short note to let you all know that I took it upon myself to create a special section on the National PTA website to address the recent gang rape in Richmond, California, and provide information on how big a problem this is (not just a “bad apples” case as the community was trying to label it). I hope you’ll take a look at my entry and those from Men Can Stop Rape, Break the Cycle, and Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Violence, and leave some feedback here and at the PTA Facebook page. Thanks.

Just a short note to let you all know that I took it upon myself to create a special section on the National PTA website to address the recent gang rape in Richmond, California, and provide ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 15 years ago

Raising Children in a Gender Neutral Way

Hello everyone. I need your help. I am an editor for the National PTA and am developing with some of the best people in the field online articles with practical advice about how to raise children in a gender neutral way, and particularly, how to ensure that boys and girls get equal education through nonbiased course materials, teaching styles, testing, etc. My plan is to post this information on PTA’s website, but I’m a little stuck. How often should it be posted–weekly, monthly? Should it be sent out in emails as well? How do we reach less-advantaged parents who may not have a fast Internet connection or even a computer? How about schools and teachers?

I really want this to be ...

Hello everyone. I need your help. I am an editor for the National PTA and am developing with some of the best people in the field online articles with practical advice about how to raise children in ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 16 years ago

Misogyny and The Real Housewives

I don’t expect everyone knows about or watches the Misogyny Channel, aka Bravo, which through its programming of modeling and fashion competitions, matchmaking, and its “Real Housewives” series in Orange County, Atlanta, New York City, and New Jersey, pushes every button every girl and woman in America and most of the rest of the world has had jammed into her brain stem. And I am no exception.
I enjoy looking at fashion, so until it jumped networks, Project Runway was a winning Bravo entry for me. I think, though, it had more to do with Heidi Klum, a very engaging host, than with the show itself, which is incredibly dumb (let’s make outfits out of stuff at a recycling plant, ...

I don’t expect everyone knows about or watches the Misogyny Channel, aka Bravo, which through its programming of modeling and fashion competitions, matchmaking, and its “Real Housewives” series in Orange County, Atlanta, New York City, and New ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 16 years ago

Submit Your Film to the 6th Annual Artivist Film Festival

The Artivist Film Festival ONLY accepts films and videos that address a human rights, social, or political issue, children’s issues/advocacy, animal issues/rights, or environmental issues -in essence, “activist” films that raise awareness about a particular issue or topic. Artivist also accepts films of individuals and organizations creating or inspiring positive change around them. Artivist screens shorts, feature-length films, documentaries, narratives, music videos, experimental, and animated film and videos directed by international filmmakers.
Films that have screened at Artivist in the past include “Fast Food Nation” and “Born into Brothels.”
Details may be found here.

The Artivist Film Festival ONLY accepts films and videos that address a human rights, social, or political issue, children’s issues/advocacy, animal issues/rights, or environmental issues -in essence, “activist” films that raise awareness about a particular issue or ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 16 years ago

Better Off Dead?

I’ve begun reading a wonderful book called Still Failing at Fairness: How Gender Bias Cheats Girls and Boys in School and What We Can Do About It, a revised and updated edition of Failing at Fairness. I’m only a little ways into it, but this paragraph really caught me up short:

“When adolescent boys and girls were asked what it would be like to be born a member of the other sex, how do you think they responded? As you might suspect, girls saw some enticing possibilities if they were born male: wealth, strength, political power, and athleticism. Boys were repulsed at even the idea of being born a female, or living in a female body, or facing female life ...

I’ve begun reading a wonderful book called Still Failing at Fairness: How Gender Bias Cheats Girls and Boys in School and What We Can Do About It, a revised and updated edition of Failing at Fairness. ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 16 years ago

Gender “disappeared” in Albertville school shooting

On March 12, the hubby and I watched “Worldfocus,” an English-language news program from Germany on one of our public broadcasting stations. The top story, with extended coverage, was of the double-digit fatalities in a shooting spree by a 17-year-old boy. The first fatal scene was the boy’s high school, where all but one of his 11 victims were women and girls. He added five more murders during his escape, then killed himself.
 

The hubby and I were struck that the anchorman made a point of the gender of the school victims, but that the rest of the broadcast trot out the “usual suspects” of motive–violent video games and loner status, though some students interviewed by police said he was ...

On March 12, the hubby and I watched “Worldfocus,” an English-language news program from Germany on one of our public broadcasting stations. The top story, with extended coverage, was of the double-digit fatalities in a shooting spree ...
By marilyn-ferdinand • 16 years ago

What’s Behind Utah’s Senate Bill 199 Will Eliminate Utah PTA

On February 10, Senator Curt Bramble (R-Provo), Chairman of the Education Committee, introduced the Equal Recognition of School Parent Groups bill (S.B. 199). This bill would make it illegal for schools to work with parent groups that charge dues.
S.B. 199 is disguised as legislation supporting equal recognition for all school parent groups–but such protections already exist! This bill would eliminate Utah PTA and, with it, many resources which benefit Utah students, such as the Reflections Program and oversight of the School Trust Lands. Utah PTA has a long history of promoting the involvement of all of Utah’s parents in schools, and S.B. 199 would bring that legacy to an immediate end. PTA truly supports equal access for all parents, ...

On February 10, Senator Curt Bramble (R-Provo), Chairman of the Education Committee, introduced the Equal Recognition of School Parent Groups bill (S.B. 199). This bill would make it illegal for schools to work with parent groups that ...