Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
An article in the New York Times this weekend stopped me in my tracks, causing me to put down the paper, close my eyes and fantasize about a world without men.
Ridiculous, I know, but Greg Hampikian, who wrote “Men, Who Needs Them?” makes a compelling case for their potential biological obsolescence:
If a woman wants to have a baby without a man, she just needs to secure sperm (fresh or frozen) from a donor (living or dead). The only technology the self-impregnating woman needs is a straw or turkey baster, and the basic technique hasn’t changed much since Talmudic scholars debated the religious implications of insemination without sex in the fifth century. If all the men on earth died tonight, the species could continue on frozen sperm. If the women disappear, it’s extinction.
The war on women in this country has made me think more about men. The problems women have aren’t entirely the fault of men. That would be an unfair and inaccurate statement. But, men — because they continue to hold onto the power which allows them to either keep things as they are or be the conduit of change — seem to have their hands (and voices) in almost all of them. And women are mad.
Maybe — like so many other women in this country, regardless of political orientation — I’m feeling a bit more appalled than usual by the blatant disrespect (to put it politely and mildly) women continue to be shown by men. Maybe I’m particularly unhappy that far too many people have become immune to the onslaught, which is one of the key reasons why Rep. Todd Akin hasn’t been officially stripped of all his political power.
Maybe my very soul is sick of war, rape, anger, physical and emotional abuse of women and children, powerful men and powerless women.
Maybe I’m outraged by the pay inequity and the lack of senior positions available to women in both the public and private sectors.
Maybe I’m frantic because my oldest daughter started college this week and my biggest fear has nothing to do with grades and everything to do with the substantiated rise in the number of campus date rape incidents.
Maybe I’m worried about how society continues to put pressure on women — of all ages — to look young, thin, beautiful, perfect, and my youngest daughter and her friends are caught in a web of confusion about what true beauty is.
Maybe all women are weary of being used as pawns in an increasingly nasty political game where the only real players are men. And it brings us no joy to know that both political parties are using women in hand-to-hand combat to win the presidential election.
Maybe I’m furious and frustrated that this simple sentence — Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex — is still not in the U.S. Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment should have been passed decades ago. For sure, there are some women who are against it as well (for reasons I will never, ever comprehend), but I believe it’s primarily due to the political power of men that it continues to languish.
Maybe all that, and more, led me to close my eyes and think about men on the auspicious occasion of Women’s Equality Day when we commemorated the passing of the 19th Amendment which gave women a legal voice in politics. Yes, we can vote, and the good news is a record number of women are running for Congress this year. But men continue to talk over us in very substantial ways.
Of course, we will never have a world without men, and nor should we. It’s a silly notion not worthy of discussion and debate (but is great fodder for fantasy). But the article in the New York Times fed my imagination when I was alone with my coffee and thoughts.
I don’t want men to be gone . . . but wouldn’t it be nice if they all read the article and understood who wields the real power? And wouldn’t it be nice if women did, too?
Having just commemorated a key milestone in the ongoing march toward total equality between the sexes, let’s think less about one group wielding power over another, and more about how to help each other make this a better world . . . for everyone.
* * *
Barbara Hannah Grufferman is the President of Best of Everything Media, Inc., author of “The Best of Everything After 50,” a guide to positive aging, and is at work on her second book, “Fifty Rules: What Every Woman Needs to Know Before Turning 50,” which will be published in late 2012. Barbara is a columnist for AARP, and Chief Pundit at FOF (FabOverFifty), one of the largest websites for women over 45. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Updated August 26, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 27, 1962, the United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus the following December.
On Aug. 27, 1908, Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, was born. Following his death on Jan. 22, 1973, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to article » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1770 German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born in Stuttgart. 1859 Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful U.S. oil well near Titusville, Pa. 1883 The island volcano Krakatoa erupted and the resulting tidal waves claimed some 36,000 lives on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. 1928 The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes. 1945 American troops began landing in Japan following the surrender of the Japanese government in World War II. 1962 The United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus the following December. 1967 The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, was found dead from an overdose of sleeping pills. 1975 Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia’s 3,000-year-old monarchy, died in Addis Ababa almost a year after being overthrown. 1979 British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion; the Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility. 2007 Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty in Richmond, Va., to a federal dogfighting charge. 2008 Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., turns 69 years old today.
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
Actress Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) turns 36 years old today.
AP Photo/Charles Sykes
1942 Daryl Dragon, Musician (The Captain and Tennille), turns 70 1943 Tuesday Weld, Actress, turns 69 1952 Paul Reubens, Actor (“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”), turns 60 1953 Alex Lifeson, Rock musician (Rush), turns 59 1961 Yolanda Adams, Gospel singer, turns 51 1969 Chandra Wilson, Actress (“Grey’s Anatomy”), turns 43 1970 Tony Kanal, Rock musician (No Doubt), turns 42 1970 Jim Thome, Baseball player, turns 42 1988 Alexa Vega, Actress (“Spy Kids” films), turns 24
Historic Birthdays
Lyndon B. Johnson 8/27/1908 – 1/22/1973 36th president of the United States.Go to article »
73 Sophia Smith 8/27/1796 – 6/12/1870
American philanthropist; founded Smith College81 Hannibal Hamlin 8/27/1809 – 7/4/1891
American vice-president (1861-5)85 Charles Dawes 8/27/1865 – 4/23/1951
American vice-president (1925-9) and diplomat; awarded Nobel Peace Prize (1925)74 Theodore Dreiser 8/27/1871 – 12/28/1945
American novelist65 Carl Bosch 8/27/1874 – 4/26/1940
German Nobel Prize-winning industrial chemist (1931)86 Man Ray 8/27/1890 – 11/18/1976
American photographer, painter and filmmaker66 C. S. Forester 8/27/1899 – 4/2/1966
English novelist and journalist64 Frank Leahy 8/27/1908 – 6/21/1973
American Notre Dame football coach (1941-53)
Correction:
The version of the article linked above about President Johnson’s death refers incorrectly to Southwest Texas State University. President Johnson went to college there, not Mrs. Johnson. (She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin.)
Nineteen year old tryst
Renewed at the sight of some
Awesome waterfalls
We recently had a spectaular time viewing a number of wild animals in a nature preserve titled African Lion Safari in a small town–in of all places–Ontario, Canada. Here’s some of the sights we took in.
Updated August 26, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was declared in effect.
On Aug. 26, 1906, Albert Sabin, the Polish-American doctor who developed the polio vaccine, was born. Following his death on March 3, 1993, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1847 Liberia was proclaimed an independent republic. 1910 Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia. 1939 Major league baseball was televised for the first time when experimental station W2XBS broadcast a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. 1957 The Soviet Union announced that it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. 1961 The Hockey Hall of Fame opened in Toronto. 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. 1974 Aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh died at age 72. 1978 Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and took the name John Paul I. 1986 In the so-called “preppie murder case,” 18-year-old Jennifer Levin was found strangled in New York’s Central Park. (Robert Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years in prison.) 2003 Investigators concluded that NASA’s overconfident management and inattention to safety doomed the space shuttle Columbia as much as damage to the craft did. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actress Melissa McCarthy (“Mike and Molly”) turns 42 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Actor Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) turns 32 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1921 Ben Bradlee, Former Washington Post executive editor, turns 91 1933 Ben J. Wattenberg, Author, turns 79 1934 Tom Heinsohn, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 78 1945 Tom Ridge, Former director of homeland security, turns 67 1946 Valerie Simpson, R&B singer (Ashford and Simpson), turns 66 1960 Branford Marsalis, Jazz saxophonist, turns 52 1965 Chris Burke, Actor (“Life Goes On”), turns 47 1969 Adrian Young, Rock musician (No Doubt), turns 43 1971 Thalia, Singer, actress, turns 41 1980 Macaulay Culkin, Actor (“Home Alone”), turns 32 1986 Cassie, R&B singer, turns 26 1993 Keke Palmer, Actress, turns 19
Historic Birthdays
Albert Sabin 8/26/1906 – 3/3/1993 Polish-born American microbiologist; developed oral polio vaccine. Go to obituary »
68 Robert Walpole 8/26/1676 – 3/18/1745
British prime minister (1721-42)49 Johann Heinrich Lambert 8/26/1728 – 9/25/1777
Swiss mathematician, scientist and philosopher69 Joseph-Michel Montgolfier 8/26/1740 – 6/26/1810
French inventor; helped build first hot-air balloon50 Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier 8/26/1743 – 5/8/1794
French scientist42 Albert 8/26/1819 – 12/14/1861
German-born prince consort of Queen Victoria87 Lee De Forest 8/26/1873 – 6/30/1961
American inventor of the Audion vacuum tube86 Jules Romains 8/26/1885 – 8/14/1972
French novelist, dramatist and poet98 Jerome Hunsaker 8/26/1886 – 9/10/1984
American aeronautical engineer81 Peggy Guggenheim 8/26/1898 – 12/23/1979
American art collector and patron85 Maxwell Taylor 8/26/1901 – 4/19/1987
American army officer in World War II81 Christopher Isherwood 8/26/1904 – 1/4/1986
English-born novelist and playwright
Updated August 25, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation.
On Aug. 25, 1918, Leonard Bernstein, American conductor, composer and pianist, was born. Following his death on Oct. 14, 1990, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1718 Hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some of them settling in present-day New Orleans. 1825 Uruguay declared its independence from Brazil. 1875 Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 22 hours. 1916 The National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior. 1921 The United States signed a peace treaty with Germany. 1950 President Harry S. Truman ordered the Army to seize control of the nation’s railroads to avert a strike. 1975 The album “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen was released. 1984 Author Truman Capote was found dead at age 59. 1985 Samantha Smith, the schoolgirl whose letter to Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her peace tour of the communist country, was killed with her father in an airplane crash in Maine. 1997 The tobacco industry agreed to an $11.3 billion settlement with the state of Florida. 1998 Former Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell died at age 90. 2003 Tennis champion Pete Sampras announced his retirement during a news conference at the U.S. Open in New York. 2009 South Korea’s first rocket blasted off into space. 2009 Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., died at age 77. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Sean Connery turns 82 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
Actress Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”) turns 25 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1921 Monty Hall, Game show host (“Let’s Make a Deal”), turns 91 1931 Regis Philbin, Talk show, game show host, turns 81 1933 Wayne Shorter, Jazz saxophonist, turns 79 1933 Tom Skerritt, Actor (“Picket Fences”), turns 79 1941 Marshall Brickman, Filmmaker, turns 71 1946 Rollie Fingers, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 66 1949 Gene Simmons, Rock musician (Kiss), turns 63 1951 Rob Halford, Rock singer (Judas Priest), turns 61 1954 Elvis Costello, Rock musician, turns 58 1958 Tim Burton, Director, turns 54 1961 Billy Ray Cyrus, Country singer, turns 51 1961 Ally Walker, Actress, turns 51 1964 Blair Underwood, Actor, turns 48 1966 Albert Belle, Baseball player, turns 46 1967 Jeff Tweedy, Rock singer (Wilco), turns 45 1968 Rachael Ray, TV chef, turns 44 1970 Claudia Schiffer, Model, turns 42 1981 Rachel Bilson, Actress (“The O.C.”), turns 31
Historic Birthdays
Leonard Bernstein 8/25/1918 – 10/14/1990 American conductor, composer and pianist.Go to obituary »
79 George Wallace 8/25/1919 – 9/13/1998
American four-time governor of Alabama and 1968 third-party candidate60 Walt Kelly 8/25/1913 – 10/18/1973
American creator of the comic strip “Pogo”81 Sir Hans Adolf Krebs 8/25/1900 – 11/22/1981
German-born English Nobel Prize-winning biochemist (1953)84 Sean O’Kelly 8/25/1882 – 11/23/1966
Irish president (1945-59) and leader of the Sinn Fein Party77 Arthur Hinsley 8/25/1865 – 3/17/1943
English Roman Catholic cardinal and archbishop of Westminster45 Bill Nye 8/25/1850 – 2/22/1896
American journalist and humorist40 Louis II (“mad king Ludwig”) 8/25/1845 – 6/13/1886
German king of Bavaria (1864-86)64 Allan Pinkerton 8/25/1819 – 7/1/1884
Scottish-born American founder of the Pinkerton detective agency53 Ivan lV 8/25/1530 – 3/18/1584
Russian tsar remembered as “Ivan the Terrible”
Updated August 24, 2012, 2:29 pm
On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing record damage; 55 deaths in Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas were blamed on the storm.
On Aug. 24, 1899, Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentinian writer of poems, essays and short stories, was born. Following his death on June 14, 1986, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
79 Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash. An estimated 20,000 people died. 1572 The slaughter of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris. 1814 British forces invaded Washington, D.C., and set fire to the Capitol and the White House. 1857 The New York branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. failed, sparking the Panic of 1857. 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in just over 19 hours. 1949 The North Atlantic Treaty went into effect. 1954 The Communist Control Act went into effect, virtually outlawing the Communist Party in the United States. 1968 France became the world’s fifth thermonuclear power as it exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. 1970 A bomb planted by anti-war extremists exploded at the University of Wisconsin’s Army Math Research Center in Madison, killing a researcher. 1981 Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of rock musician John Lennon. 1989 Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Pete Rose from the game for gambling. 2006 The International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a planet, demoting it to the status of a “dwarf planet.” 2007 A judge in Inverness, Fla., sentenced John Evander Couey to death for kidnapping 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, raping her and burying her alive. 2007 James Ford Seale, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, was sentenced to three life terms for his role in the 1964 abduction and murder of two black teenagers in Mississippi. 2007 The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for his involvement in dogfighting. 2011 Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple Inc. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter” movies) turns 24 years old today.
AP Photo/Joel Ryan
Actress Marlee Matlin turns 47 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1934 Kenny Baker, Actor (R2D2 in “Star Wars”), turns 78 1942 Max Cleland, Former U.S. senator, D-Ga., turns 70 1947 Anne Archer, Actress, turns 65 1947 Joe Manchin, U.S. senator, D-W.Va., turns 65 1949 Joe Regalbuto, Actor (“Murphy Brown”), turns 63 1952 Bob Corker, U.S. senator, R-Tenn., turns 60 1952 Mike Shanahan, Football coach, turns 60 1955 Mike Huckabee, Former governor of Arkansas, turns 57 1956 Gerry Cooney, Boxer, turns 56 1957 Stephen Fry, Actor, turns 55 1958 Steve Guttenberg, Actor, turns 54 1960 Cal Ripken Jr., Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 52 1961 Jared Harris, Actor (“Mad Men”), turns 51 1962 Craig Kilborn, Talk show host, turns 50 1965 Reggie Miller, Basketball player, turns 47 1970 David Gregory, Broadcast journalist (“Meet the Press”), turns 42 1973 Dave Chappelle, Actor, comedian (“Chappelle’s Show”), turns 39 1981 Chad Michael Murray, Actor (“One Tree Hill”), turns 31
Historic Birthdays
Jorge Luis Borges 8/24/1899 – 6/14/1986 Argentine poet, essayist and short story writer.Go to obituary »
82 George Stubbs 8/24/1724 – 9/10/1806
English painter and draftsman73 William Wilberforce 8/24/1759 – 7/29/1833
English politician and philanthropist73 Sir Daniel Gooch 8/24/1816 – 10/15/1889
English railway pioneer and mechanical engineer62 Charles Follen McKim 8/24/1847 – 9/14/1909
American architect83 Sir Max Beerbohm 8/24/1872 – 5/20/1956
English caricaturist and writer80 William Gibbs 8/24/1886 – 9/6/1967
American naval architect; designed the World War ll Liberty ships90 Malcolm Cowley 8/24/1898 – 3/27/1989
American literary editor of The New Republic (1929-44)76 Graham Sutherland 8/24/1903 – 2/17/1980
English Surrealistic painter65 Rene Levesque 8/24/1922 – 11/1/1987
Canadian pro-independence premier of Quebec (1976-85)
