Ladies Gallery Dedication at The Statehouse

Yesterday the women of Ohio gathered in front of "The Peoples House," (The Ohio Statehouse) to re-enact the 1914 photo of women suffragettes rallying for the right to vote.


In 1922 six women were elected to the Ohio legislature, two years after demanding the right to vote. 89 years later, Ohio ranks a pathetic 41st among the states for women's representation in Government, with only 17% of our statewide elected officials being women. The national average hovers precariously at 22%, a number that dropped from a mere 24% in recent years.

In honor of the brave Ohio Suffragettes who risked jail and ridicule for the right to vote and run for elected office, The Capital Square Review and Advisory board raised $264,000 to dedicate The Ladies Gallery as a permanent exhibition in The Ohio Statehouse. The ceremony featured comments by Jo Ann Davidson, the first female speaker of the Ohio House, as well as a re-creation of a famous July 30, 1914, photo taken when more than 5,000 suffragettes rallied at the Statehouse for the right to vote.


Ohio ratified the 19th Amendment on June 16, 1919, 12 days after Congress sent the proposal to the states. Final ratification took another year nationally, however, and women got the right to vote in 1920. It took two years for them to reach state government.

Gregg Dodd, spokesman for the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, said "The enduring goal is to inform and inspire all who visit -- especially young women and girls -- to take an active role in democracy."

The display includes an interactive kiosk, artifacts, photos, banners and other items that tell the story of the first women legislators and the history of the suffrage movement in Ohio.
For more information visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.


It was a great-grand day. Enjoy the photos!

Many great women leaders from both parties were there, standing united. Ahhh, a refreshing sight indeed.

But the little woman who stole the show was clearly Miss Tristen Davis, a child of only tender years, who got up on a box in order to be tall enough to reach the microphone and read the 19th amendment. She was adorable.

The girls from OHIO GO RUN political training camp were there in force sporting their White House Project GO RUN LEAD t-shirts. Over 100 Ohio women participated in the camp last month, with the goal of electing more women to public office. Currently the Central Ohio chapter of the group is focused on the November election of Julie Houston for Delaware County Recorder. http://www.julierhouston.com/

For some additional light reading entertainment on the important subject of women's representation, click this link for an essay by Marie Wilson:

http://blog.thewhitehouseproject.org/2008/06/16/giving-the-daughter-test-to-mainstream-media/

Carpe Diem Ladies!

Add Women, Change Everything

Over at The Chief Source blog, Anne wrote a post titled A Remarkable Moment in Time about an event I attended last weekend. Over 100 women gathered from all across the state of Ohio for GO RUN LEAD training camp. Our goal: to train and prepare women to run for elected office. During the event, we gathered together an watched Hillary Rodham Clinton's concession speech on CNN with White House Project founder and women's rights icon Marie Wilson.

The Kleenex corporation should have sponsored the event because by the time it was over there was not a dry eye in the house.

Wilson also wrote about the event on The Huffington Post and Nicholas Kristoff wrote a fine commentary piece on the subject for The New York Times. I recomend you read them both.

As I sat there in that room across from Wilson during that historic moment, I wondered what she was thinking. I scanned the gathering of women, knowing they were all here with dreams of someday being elected and having a voice in our communities.

(Pictured above: political bloggers Jill Zimon of WRITE LIKE SHE TALKS and Annie of The Chief Source.)

I listened to Senator Clinton's heartfelt words, and did not cry...until the camera panned to her daughter.

It struck a deep personal chord.

When I lost my election in April, my daughter looked at me with those same eyes: a mixture of sadness, compassion, admiration and hope.

I knew then, my daughter would grow up strong and proud because of the example I provided. I knew for her it would be a perfectly normal idea to have a woman president, a congress filled diversity, and a corporate world with moms in the boardroom.

Later that evening, Marie summed it all up perfectly during her keynote address. The graduates of OHIO GO RUN political training jumped to their feet at cheered when she claimed:

"People are asking what will happen next, now that Hillary is no longer in the race. Well I think we have the answer right here in this room."

THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT: Add Women, Change Everything.

Healthcare costs in America

How about a nice little dose of common sense.

Really.

When I went for my annual physical, I wrote down a list of every person involved, from the secretary to the nurse, to the Doc, to the techs at the hospital who did my PAP and mammogram and the folks who read the results. Thirty Two people.

That's Thirty two people!

It took Thirty Two people for my doctor to tell me I am perfectly healthy.

It's no wonder health care costs more in the United States than anywhere else in the world!

If that's not bad enough, I went back to the Doc last week to have a cyst removed from my eyelid. It was just a little zit... a whitehead. I could have popped myself with a sewing needle and my fingernails. Well, I could have if it were on any other part of my aging sagging body other than my eyelid.

Yanno, I'm good at first aid, but I'm not worth much as a blind surgeon.

Well, my Doctor sent me to an eye specialist, because I suppose zit popping was one of the classes she missed in medical school. (I hear its a growing speciality just oozing with opportunity.)

But I digress. I go to the eye doc and say "Hey doc, could you pop this little zit on my eyelid?"

"Sure thing." He says, as he sticks a needle in my eye.

I leave, and all is well until I open my mail a week later and see a bill for $ 783.00!!!!!

My eyes popped right out of my head; A condition not covered by insurance.

You DIRTY RAT!

This is a true story.

A wildlife volunteer took two owls and two hawks on a five day trip. She was giving a series of educational presentations on wildlife conservation.

Hawks and owls eat rats, so she packed a big ol’ Coleman cooler full of frozen lab rats and put em on ice.

While she and the birds were giving one of their presentations, someone stole her mini van!

When asked about her misfortune she said “Yeah it was a bad day, but I felt much better about it when I pictured those guys opening up my cooler to find it full of dead rats! There is a certain amount of revenge in that.”

Sometimes dirty rats get exactly what they deserve.

My sweet little Sandy barfed up a huge puddle of blood this morning. Scared me witless.
I rushed her to the vet, with what the tech referred to as "a lovely sample."

Something tells me I may have changed that young womans breakfast plans.

My Dandy-Sandy has a fever, but her vitals are stable and her gums are pink, which means she is probably not bleeding internally.

They wanted to keep her in a cage until the doctor arrives, but I told them she would be much calmer and more comfortable waiting with me. The tech got the sample and I took my dog. The vets office is only a short jaunt from the house, so if need be, I can get her back over there within three minutes.

I should know more in about an hour.

UPDATE:

Further examination showed blood in her stool as well, so the vet gave her some medication and a special diet. She will also be taking Pepsid AC before meals, just like my husband.

I'm beginning to wonder if I have the effect of making people nauseous. LOL

The White House Project

Find more videos like this on The White House Project


White House Project
GO RUN LEAD Training Program
Columbus Ohio
June 6 - 8, 2008

“If it takes a village to raise a child, the likelihood is slim that a woman would be governing that village in Central Ohio.”

That statement is the conclusion of recent research conducted by Laralyn & Associates on Women’s Political Presence. For decades Ohio has received failing marks on women’s rights and representation and currently we are losing ground on the precious little territory we do occupy.

• Ohio ranks a dismal 43rd among the 50 states for the number of women in state legislature
• Only 12 of 59 judges on the bench in the 7 county Central Ohio area are women
• Women represent 51% of the population and only 28% of key elected and appointed positions


The Whitehouse Project is working to change that. The organizations founder, Marie Wilson, who also started Take Your Child to Work Day, is coming to Columbus June 6-8, offering a three day GO RUN LEAD training program for women.
This is a unique opportunity for Ohio women to learn the skills involved to influence politics and create a better future for us all.

This training session is for those who are running for office, for those who want to run for office, for those who want to run a campaign and especially for those community advocates who desire to be more effective.

The event is called OHIO GO RUN and is open to any woman in Ohio interested in influencing the world of politics. Politics effects everything in our daily lives, from the cost of gas, to the cost of food, to the quality of our childrens education. Our model of government is built on citizen participation. Unfortunatly women have precious few seats at the table.

Go Run is a weekend-long training to inspire, equip, and inform women from all walks of life to lead
more effectively in your work, community, and politics. The training will focus on communications,
fundraising, organizing and other leadership skills.
This national training program engages local experts, public officials, current and former
elected officials, and speakers to help train and share their experience and stories of success.
We make this training affordable for women from all income levels. Scholarships are available.

Participants represent a wide diversity in race, age, geogrpahy and political affiliation. 66 applicants are currently enrolled in the program that will include sessions on the media, the economy, and public speaking.

Presenters include Jenette Bradley, Jennifer Brunner, Jane Campbell, Laketa Cole, Nan Whaley, Barbara Ferris, and Roxanne Qualls, and Delaware County resident Kelley Wenzlaff will provide the introduction for Keynote Speaker, and White House Project Founder, Marie Wilson. The event will be documented by a professional film crew for use in future GO RUN trainings across the country.

For more information:
mmendoza@TheWhiteHouseProject.org
Monica Mendoza @ 303-871-6845

OHIO GO RUN
Women’s Political Leadership Training
www.TheWhiteHouseProject.org
June 6 - 8, 2008
Columbus, Ohio

Pangea Day

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in others — through the power of film.

In 2006, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won the TED Prize, an annual award granted at the TED Conference. She was granted $100,000, and more important, a wish to change the world. Her wish was to create a day in which the world came together through film. Pangea Day grew out of that wish.

People inspired by Pangea Day will have the opportunity to participate in community-building activities around the world. Through the live program, the Pangea Day web site, and self-organized local events, everyday people will be connected with extraordinary activists and organizations.

Date: May 10, 2008
Time: 18:00-22:00 GMT Check local times.
Language: Full program subtitled in Arabic, English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, and Spanish.
How to watch: In person, online, on TV, on your mobile phone

The 4-hour Pangea Day program will include visionary speakers and live music in addition to the featured films. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among the presenters taking part.

24 short films have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from 100+ countries. They were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and help us see the world through another person's eyes.

Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future.

On May 10, 2008 — Pangea Day — sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked live to produce a program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.

The program will be broadcast live to the world through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones.

Of course, movies alone can't change the world. But the people who watch them can. So following May 10, 2008, Pangea Day organizers will facilitate community-building activities around the world by connecting inspired viewers with numerous organizations that are already doing groundbreaking work.

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch is dying of cancer, and if you are not one of the six million people who have seen his "last lecture," I am honored to use this space to provide it for you now.



"So today’s talk was about my childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and some lessons learned. But did you figure out the head fake? [dramatic pause] It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.

Have you figured out the second head fake? The talk’s not for you, it’s for my kids. Thank you all, good night."
-Randy Pausch


Randy Pausch's home page

American Healthcare Standards

A Japanese doctor said, "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks."


A German doctor said, "That's nothing, we can take a lung out of one person , put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks."


A British doctor said, "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half of a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks."


A Texan doctor, not to be outdone said, "You guys are way behind. We took an asshole out of Texas , put him in the White House and now half the country is looking for work."

This joke Courtesy of Brewstersmythe

An Idea Worth Spreading

Click the image to view an amazing video.

Together, we really can make a difference.

Marie Wilson of The White House Project is asking the question "Can You Be in Politics and Keep Your Integrity?" She is calling on women to consider this question and write about on their blogs.

Wilson’s mission in life involves training and inspiring women to enter the pipeline of politics. She believes by adding women to the recipe of politics, we will change the system for the better. She writes; “It is about my wish, on behalf of young women and men alike, that at some point things will be different…that politics, can be a fair and upright foray into changing the world for the better.”

Wilson believes the integrity of our system of government comes from the people, and that its up to us to stand tall and make a difference. She inspired me that’s for sure. My entire world turned up side down this past year, because I took her advice and actually RAN FOR OFFICE. I believed her when she said “If you truly love your country, then each and every woman in this room should get up and run for office right now, or support another woman who is running!”

I put my heart and soul into those words last year, and alas I lost my race. (They say you have to run three times to build a big enough base to win.)

But every cloud has a silver lining, and this one, (while a storm cloud of stupendous proportion) has a lining made of pure gold. This year has empowered me, expanded my mind, opened an entire world of new opportunities, tested my armor, stretched my abilities, and brought me many new and wonderful friends.

One such friend is a woman I want you all to meet. She is a gift to this world and everyone in it. She is the reason I am writing this essay. She has the strength of an army, the determination of a hurricane, the compassion of The Buddha, and insight beyond the wisdom of a Shakespearian oracle. Her name is Maura and she blogs as The Fat Lady Sings.

Although we have never met in person, during this past year she has become one of my most trusted and treasured friends. When Maura learned of my intention to run for office, she stepped up to help.

SHE STEPPED UP.

She ran this campaign. She defined the image, developed the message, planned the strategy, covered the issues, handled the media, and kept me sane and grounded through it all...and she did it all from over six hundred miles away. Together we wrote a book too! (I’ll tell you all about that in another post.) But the point is we did it. Together.

Two regular middle class, Middle American women from different parts of the country came together with a plan to change the world, and in spite of the bumps and bruises along the way, WE REALLY DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

You see, that’s the beauty of this country. Our foundation is built by the will of The People. We are not subject to a dictator or king, WE DECIDE. We choose our leaders and determine what direction they will go. Regular folks like you and me are the driving force behind the greatest country in the world. Yes, it is true there are politicians who are corrupt; who trade their integrity in a desperate attempt to hold on to power, but our system has checks and balances to weed those people out. That check is YOU, the voter. Our system only fails when WE THE PEOPLE fail in our duty to pay attention. The buck stops with US.

Maura and I grasped that concept, and made the choice to get involved. It was hard. We sacrificed time away from our families, we worked long hours with no reward or pay, we endured attacks and criticism, we faced pressures and stresses from all sides, but we did our duty as citizens, and that my friends is something to be truly proud of.

We spoke out on issues important to us both, we motivated people, we educated people, we kept our integrity in the process, and I am proud to say, that for the first time in over sixty years, my “Strongly Republican” district of Delaware County Ohio voted Democratic. We exposed some of the corruption and mishandling in our local government and got some new honest citizens elected along the way. We joined up with people from all over this country, paving the way for for change, and hope for the future.

Maura and I played a part in that change, and change my friends is what the future is all about.

Please visit her website and thank her. She not only did it for me, she did it for you. And quite frankly, I expect we shall all be more than amazed by what this woman will do next.

Together, we really can make a difference.

I'm BAACK!!!!!

Hey gang,

I'm back. YesssireeeJim-Bob, After a long year of extreme focus, and sincere effort, I am finally free to blog again!

I had to put the old bloggeroo into hybernation during my lil ol run for The Ohio House of Representatives. But that is behind me now and I am glad to say...

I'M BAAACK!!!!!

It was an amazing experience, in which I learned a great deal and made many interesting new friends. (I promise to tell you all about it in weeks to come.)

To kick things off, let me share the telly commercial I ran during the campaign. Gawd, I can not begin to tell you how wierd it was to be eatin my wheaties with the munchkins and have this pop up on the boob tube.


The worst part is, every time I look at the spot all I can think of is what a "Bad hair day" I was having. Not to be vain but really, It looks like I pulled Shirley Jones' Partridge Family stylist out of rehab for this gig.

Geesh.

Click here for the Video Link to Kel Bell's Television Commercial with Ed Begley Jr.

For some added fun, here is a little link to an Ann Richards tribute poking fun at political hair.