The Revolution

From 1868 to 1870 women's suffrage crusaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony published a women's newspaper called "The Revolution." The newspaper, dedicated to political and cultural news, was published by and for women. In the first edition, Stanton and Anthony address their readers with "What Congress Needs"

In 2008, what does Congress need?

The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1890

love, els

environmental radicalism goes mainstream?

Yesterday, the NYT's Week In Review featured an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?em&ex=1201669200&en=3f189a22ce28dc36&ei=5087%0A)on the meat industry . Vegetarian leaders have been saying for years that industrial farming practices are resource intensive, inhumane and an altogether harmful and unnecessary element of our culture.
Slate.com also recently ran an article(http://www.slate.com/id/2182758/) promoting a "grey-water" system in the US. This would enable recycling of water, which Mexico has been doing for years. Orange County, CA just opened their system, the first in the country (appropriate considering it's a desert).
It's interesting that economic downfall may the road to greater environmentally sustainability. The American economy is supposedly falling like a lead balloon, and the NYT Magazine cover story this week was about how America's position as a world super power is definitely in jeopardy. One day, we'll be telling our kids stories about how we let the water run constantly and ate lots of 39 cent burgers, and they won't believe us.

"The Next Brando"

Another talented actor succumbs to the pressures of stardom and fame and inevitably, prescription drugs. Heath Ledger, 28, died today in Manhattan of an apparent overdose.
In the late nineties, Ledger was best known as the mysterious bad-ass hunk hero in the modern Shakespeare movie, 10 Things I Hate About You. Lucky for his film legacy, his career only took off from there. Avoiding roles that only type casted him as the hunky Australian he was, Ledger made quite the stamp on Hollywood in the past few years. He scored an Oscar nod and gay icon status for his portrayal of the cowboy Ennis in 2006's most honored and talked about film, Brokeback Mountain. Post- Brokeback, Ledger starred in the Australian film, Candy; the Bob Dylan bi op I'm Not There; and the much anticipated (by me, at least)Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, due out this summer.
Because he was a babe, the paparazzi, of course, loved and stalked him. Making hipster everywhere jealous, Ledger moved to a Brooklyn brownstone with his girlfriend, Michelle Williams (former Dawson's Creek star, co-star in Brokeback, and puller-off of the pixie haircut)and their daughter, Matilda. The family was spotted around Brooklyn, looking normal, if not more attractive than normal. While I'm sure all of Brooklyn was rooting for them, Ledger and Williams split up. Ledger crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan and until his death, was rumored to be struggling with drug addiction and, apparently bad taste, as he was rumored to be dating former Full House alien baby, Mary-Kate Olsen.
The blogsphere is buzzing with sadness, confusion, and who the fuck cares. So, since I am in the blogsphere, let me say this: As Heath Ledger was a person, father, son, etc. his death is indeed, sad. Cynics contend that Ledger was a rich and selfish. True, and that is what lead to his demise. Is that to say that we should harp on Ledger's death more than we did Benazir Bhutto's? U.S. Soldiers and Iraqis? The people of Darfur? The millions of people who suffer from depression and addiction? No. Americans love sensational and tragic stories of celebrities so that we can pretend that we don't have an incompetent president, a sinking economy, and an endless war. Plus, they are nice to look at (except you, Britney Spears.).
So while Heath Ledger will look great in his coffin, he has a daughter that will never know him and a public that will never know if he really was the next Brando.

Death to the nine to five

Let's face it, some boys and girls become writers because the only
workplace they're willing to visit is the one inside their heads.
—Arthur Krystal, American editor and essayist, The New Yorker, April 26 1999

Masala Chai

It's funny how being half way across the world can feel just like home. It was as if I had always been a part of India, as if nothing was new, the smells, the sights, the sounds, all so familiar and not in a I've-been-here-before type way. Whizzing past the bright colors in the back of a rickshaw and listening to the blaring of horns was as comforting as being in the back of a taxi cab in NYC heading to a Broadway show.

This feeling was only heightened and strengthened lying on Candolim Beach and being approached by a local Goan "reflexologist" speaking in Konkani at a mile a minute, asking me whether I was interested in a foot massage, assuring me that he has had 3 years of training and attempting to convince me that a diagram of the pressure points on the feet with his picture crudely taped to it was his certificate of authenticity. He then wore a look of shock and continued to speak to me in Konkani even though I was explaining to him (in English of course) that I didn't speak Hindi/Konkani and that I was okay. Again I was approached, this time by Nitin and Charlie, two people I had met the year before. Not expecting them to recognize me I smiled politely; to my surprise they exclaimed "Sonia?!" Again I felt right at home, people recognized me, as if I was a local who frequented the area regularly. In addition to Nitin and Charlie, cab drivers and waiters at the resort (I use resort loosely considering this meant buildings of rooms and flats with a pool and restaurant, no spas or concierge) came up to me and said they remembered me from last year, and was I enjoying my time.

I had many a conversation with the cab drivers of Candolim. After the first few days I was able to extablish that I knew the prices and was not to be ripped off, I was no tourist, not new to the game of bargaining. When they asked me what I was doing on my holiday I replied that my cousin was getting married and I was her only bridesmaid.
This reply was immediately countered with "When are you to be married?"
Thinking they misheard me I set them straight, "Oh no, it's not that is to be married, it's my cousin."
"Yes, but when are you getting married?"
To this of course I was shocked and said, "I'm only twenty!"
"But, that is not so young."
"Okay, but I also don't have a boyfriend."
To this the popular response from the younger drivers was "What about me?" (it was impossible to know whether to laugh or actually reject the offer) and from the older ones, "Well, will you marry a Goan?"
This conversation happened quite regularly in the first few days, until I had a regular cab driver who just made general small talk since we had conquered the marriage conversation.

My family was no better, the first question was, "So, now that Rommel was married last year and Tanya this year, can we expect another wedding next year?"
This of course ran a similar course to the back and forth with the cab drivers minus the proposals. The night after the wedding there was a large family dinner at which Tanya, my cousin that had just been married, realized she had neglected to set me up with a nice Goan boy. The night proceeded with all the family members, Ralph's (Tanya's now husband) and Tanya and mine alike joining in a match making between one of Ralph's cousins, Lou-Ellen and me. The night was amusing to say the least with many jabs about our shyness and lack of interaction to forced pictures and adjacent chairs at the dinner table. Tanya then inquired 1) whether I couldn't delay my ticket back to the states and 2) whether Carmen, Lou-Ellen's Mother, would consider sponsoring a trip to NY. All in all it was a fun evening and ended in Tanya's assurance that Lou-Ellen was a man of few words and that next time she would be sure to begin her match-making at the start of my next visit.

To sum up, India was wonderful. I could see being living there and truly becoming a part of it's daily hustle and bustle. It was also a nice change to start my day with a steaming Masala Chai instead of the traditional cup of coffee. I can't say that now I'm back I will convert but maybe every once in a while.

Namasté