the rnc has started and i am keeping an eye on the events that unfold.  this evening we watched the speeches and came away with a semi-sick feeling.  i can already see it happening.  the misrepresentation of progressives and/or liberals on the conservative side.  the heavy handed comments, shrouded in patriotism.

the gop ain’t what it used to be.  (great!  now i have old gray mare stuck in my head.)

i will still give them a chance, but i believe in my heart that progressive is always the best option.  we need to move forward in this country and we won’t be able to do it with a conservative leaning old guy and an inexperienced creationist lady.  and by the way - do the republicans really believe that women in this country are so stupid that they will just vote for any lady they put on the ticket just because she is female?  apparently that is the case.  we’ll see what palin has to offer by way of a speech tomorrow evening.

until then…

keep fighting the good fight and happy viewing!

peace - hippiegrrl

today is the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote.

“Men their rights and nothing more; women their rights and nothing less.” -susan b. anthony

suffrage was not an easy thing to be a part of. the women that worked through this movement gave up much (some even their lives) to assure the right for all women to have the vote.

the battle was long and hard fought beginning in 1848 with the seneca falls women’s rights convention. elizabeth cady stanton and lucretia mott were involved with the organizing of this first event. stanton drew up the “declaration of sentiments” (modeled after the declaration of independence and including 11 resolutions - one of which being the right for women to vote) to frame the meeting. 300 individuals gathered and all resolutions were passed. frederick douglass was on hand and assisted in swaying the crowd to pass the resolution dealing with voting rights.

along the way suffragettes formed two associations to further the cause. the national woman suffrage association was formed by susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton and the american woman suffrage association was formed by lucy stone and julia ward howe. these associations did, eventually in 1890, merge to become the national american woman suffrage association. this merge strengthened the movement leading through the years of fighting to come.

(photo courtesy of united states library of congress)

during the mid-nineteenth century, susan b. anthony led many events for the suffrage movement. her work in rallying for the cause and many arrests for attempting to vote or picketing made her a key figure in the movement. a great debt of gratitude is owed to anthony and all the other women who made voting a possibility for the future generations of women. sadly, many of the key figures in this struggle passed away before seeing suffrage for women won, 72 years after the initial demand.

shortly after the 19th amendment passed in 1920, another amendment was introduced to the united states congress. 1923 saw the equal rights amendment put forth by the women’s movement. this amendment seeks to afford equality to women in general. as you know - this amendment has yet to be passed by the congress. we have surpassed the timeframe that it took for the 19th amendment to pass (72 years) and are now into our 85th year of fighting for equality. why, you may ask, is this necessary? the main reason is disparity in the workplace. equal pay for women based on skill rather than gender. the equal rights amendment would afford women a platform for which to insist on equal pay. may opponents of this amendment use military service (more specifically the draft) as a way to counter the movement. in this day and age the argument no longer holds water since a great deal of women are now voluntarily serving in the armed forces.

women’s rights are not yet fully won. we need to continue to move forward or we will regret it. electing progressive leaders is the only way to further the cause. otherwise we can return to the days before the 19th amendment gave us the right to stand up for what we believe in by casting our personal vote as women. those were hard, sad times and we NEVER want to go back!

happy voting!!

hippiegrrl

if you enjoyed this entry please share or comment below!

i am torn! the olympics are a really big deal every 2 years. i watch as much as i can from the opening through the closing ceremonies. however - this year is going to be difficult. with china in such a state of human rights ruin - it is difficult to rally around the american team. by not boycotting the events, america has effectively put the last nail in china’s coffin. rather than standing up and saying we will not attend the games until real change is implemented in the country we have given the chinese government a free pass to continue oppressing it’s citizens.yes - you can say that america has been giving china a free pass for years now by importing goods from sweatshops without batting an eye, but this is on the world stage. not that doing it on the sly is any better, but when we have a voice in the world we should use it wisely. i realize that it would have put a great damper on the careers of the olympians, but it would totally be worth it.

so what can we do? america is there. the olympians did not have a choice of country for the venue. it certainly is not there fault that the i.o.c. chose china for this years games. still - it will be hard to watch.

maybe the best way to send our support to the people of china is to join organizations that assist in changing the state of human rights in asia and elsewhere. become more aware of the situation that plagues the people of other nations (as well as our people here at home) and work toward a better tomorrow for everyone.

please visit these sites and do what you can:

Human Rights Watch
SweatShop Watch
Free Tibet
US Campaign for Burma
Save Darfur
Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Marriage

peace - hippiegrrl

background - love canal was an area of niagara falls, ny that was evacuated in the late 70’s due to toxic waste being exposed under residential lots and a grade school. i lived in this area and i was 3 years old when my family left. my mother didn’t want to take any chances, so the first wave of evacuations took us out of our home, never to return. a few years back i wrote about my experience and the overall effects of love canal in my column for backwash. if you would like further information, please click the following links and read more about it -

My Life and Love Canal…Part 1 3 September 2002
Love Canal, 25 years later…The Saga Continues 12 September 2002
Love Canal Revisited 5 August 2003
editors note: backwash is currently undergoing changes and may or may not be available. the site is in need of more visitors or it may very well disappear so clicking the links above is greatly appreciated!

current day events: on friday, 1 august 2008, there will be events in the city of niagara falls to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the love canal evacuations. this sounds like a morbid and odd thing to “celebrate” but there is good reason to get together and remember. the press release for this event notes that

“love canal marked the beginning of the environmental health movement in Western NY and across the country. Thirty years ago on August 2, 1978, the NYS Department of Health declared a State of Emergency at Love Canal, closed the 99th Street School and ordered a cleanup plan be undertaken immediately. The agency recommended pregnant women and children under two living near the leaking Love Canal toxic dump should move. More relocations followed in response to this legendary grassroots community struggle which sparked the creation of the Federal Superfund program.”

with this said - here are the events that will be taking place on friday - just in case you wanted to partake…

9:00 - 10:00 AM National News Conference, Colvin Blvd. and 100th Street.
10:00 - 11:00 AM Walking Tour of Love Canal, Colvin Blvd. and 100th Street.
6:30 - 8:30 PM 30th Anniversary Reception & Program
VFW Post 917 - La Salle Griffon Post, 2435 Seneca Ave, Niagara Falls, NY 14305

guests for these events include - Lois Gibbs, CHEJ Executive Director, Luella Kenney, Love Canal Survivors, Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples, Senator Antoine Thompson, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, Bill Pienta (United Steelworkers District 4 Director), Scott Adams (United Auto Workers Region #9 Area Director) and Western NY community leaders fighting the “Love Canals of Today” including Bethlehem steelworkers exposed to radioactive contamination, CWM hazardous waste landfill in Lewiston/Porter, FMC pesticide contamination in Middleport, and West Valley nuclear waste site.

maybe we’ll bump into each other there!

peace - hippiegrrl

looking for local, handmade items? want to learn how to throw your own pottery?

then don’t miss the buffalo indie market tomorrow, the 13th of july from 12pm-5pm at the pearl street grill.

this time around there will be a pottery workshop that will feature wheel throwing taught by local artist trisha wilson of buffalo plaid pottery. for $3 you can learn to use the wheel and for $5 you can even have your pottery fired at village clay in orchard park.

this is just the beginning of workshops for the buffalo indie market. interactivity is what the market will be all about in the coming months so be sure to check it out this sunday and in the future!

click the postcard below for more info on tomorrow’s event!

peace and happy crafting!
hippiegrrl

this weekend i had a realization. no matter how old i am or how successful i become - no matter what trials i face in my life and what struggles i overcome - i will always be (to some people) just a girl. someone who is vulnerable and needs to be taken care of. someone who creates worry for others simply because of my gender. someone who is believed to be incapable of certain things because i don’t have the anatomy of a man. someone who does things the way a “girl” does. whatever that means. since i am female i would, ofcourse, do things “like a girl” but that should not mean that it is less than a boy.

you would think that since it is 2008 we would have gotten over the old way of looking at things, but i suppose that is not the case. there are some people that will always believe that women cannot do certain things. case in point - hillary clinton. after she conceded the election i heard a few rumblings from people about the fact that she probably would not have won anyway. this is a sad state of affairs. especially when you consider that her opponent (john mccain) is not the sharpest individual. in fact - he has even admitted that he does not know things that would be important for a president to know. ofcourse, he never puts it that way. his supporters like to call it “intellectual honesty” but it is really just bull crap. at least hillary clinton has actual intelligence and thankfully so does barack obama. hopefully the masses in our country will have learned the lesson of not electing someone who is actually stupid. we had 8 years of it and i do not think we could withstand another 4.

getting back to the girl issue - in honour of my realization - i am dedicating this entry to all the strong women in this world and especially to the girls that will become the strong women of the future. if we ever want to see a woman president we have to start to change minds. starting at home is the best place to do this mind changing, but if it cannot happen right away do not be deterred. changing hearts and minds is a difficult task that we must rise up together and work toward. if we do not do this now - we will continue to be “just girls”. if we do not stand up for ourselves the issues that affect us today will continue to worsen. wage equality will never be overcome. reproductive rights will be further eroded. gender discrimination will be allowed to stand as normal and right. the world will be a worse place for our children (especially the girls). visit one of the links below to join a cause. take a stand - many people believe that this is the only life we have to live so it is only right that we should be allowed to live it as equal to everyone.

peace, hippiegrrl

links for the feminist in each of us:
national organization for women (NOW)
code pink
lucy stone league
equality now
emily’s list
feminist majority foundation
9to5 - national association of working women

i have a few different posts i am working on that should (hopefully) be interesting to readers. in the meantime i wanted to post a few links that i thought you would enjoy - to tide you over…

so - having said that - here you go…

wondering what other people in your field make? then glassdoor.com is the site for you - you can post reviews and salary levels for your current (or former) position and see what other people in your area of the country make for similar jobs. very interesting and eye opening in some cases.

looking for buzz and traffic to your site? at reviewme.com you can sign up to review other blogs and, in turn, create buzz for you blog.

at whatdoyouknowaboutromeo.com you can read and post reviews of guys from the good, the bad and the ugly dating world. check it out and keep your eyes peeled for a new site from the hippiegrrl family coming in the next few months. it will have a similar bent, but also offer selling services for those that want to unload items from previous relationships.

that’s all for today. hope you enjoy these and keep coming back for more!

stay active and peace!
hippiegrrl

just wanted to post quickly to say that there will be another buffalo indie market this coming sunday (mother’s day). my last post was for the first one and i don’t want to be too far behind. click here for more info… компютри втора употребаbuffaloPoker, im Unterschied zu den meisten anderen Spielen, verlangt von den Spielern gut zu lügen, um gut casinospiele gratis zu können. indie market.

coming up - “why buffalo?” - information about why buffalo is worthy of visitors and residents alike!

peace - hippiegrrl

coming in april…

buffalo indie market

should prove to be a step in the right direction of indie craft in the buffalo, ny area.
hopefully it will jumpstart a movement.

peace - hippiegrrl

a short post today just to show you that it is possible for buffalo to be in the national news.

new york times magazine - faces of social entrepreneurship

michael gainer, of buffalo reuse, was part of a series on entrepreneurs that are doing good things in their community.
check it out!

peace - hippiegrrl

We often write about Roe v. Wade at hippiegrrl.com and now, more than ever, it is important to consider the consequences of having the decision overturned. Several states are trying to pass new initiatives, in the November elections, that will restrict a woman’s right to choose several different things about her body. Not only are they attempting to restrict the rights of women to have abortions, but they are also going after the right to artificial insemination and birth control. Does that make any sense? No abortions AND no birth control. What kind of screwed up system allows this?

Well - you can do something about it! Join up with the following organizations and start fighting the good fight for women’s, civil and human rights!

Naral Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
National Organization for Women
ACLU Women’s Rights Project

Now that 2008 is in full swing, we would like to bring you a list of cool e-newsletters and sites that will help you stay healthy and happy in the new year. Ofcourse we realize that resolutions generally don’t work so these suggesstions are a quick and easy way to get a daily, weekly or monthly fix of good things for your mind, body and soul. If you can’t keep up that exercise routine to your expectations at least you can read about good things on a daily basis. After all - knowledge is power!

Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit - Daily OM - A peaceful place on the internet to read a daily inspirational piece, meet nice people, check out horoscopes or purchase meditative gifts.

Thirst for a healthy life - Vital Juice Daily - “Entertaining, uplifting, convenient, free go-to source for all things healthy and wellthy” - (vital juice about us.)

Email to keep you hip - Daily Candy - “the insider’s guide to what’s hot, new, and undiscovered — from fashion and style to gadgets and travel. As useful as it is entertaining, it’s like getting an e-mail from your clever, unpredictable, and totally in-the-know best friend. The one who knows about secret beauty treatments, must-have jeans, hot new restaurants — and always shares the scoop.” - (daily candy about us.)

Girl-centric - girlawhirl - awesome source for fashion, beauty, travel, cuisine, culture, health, home and green finds. You can register for free and have the ability to keep track of different events and ideas through an online list service. My favourite is the food diary! There are also specific areas for several major cities (much like daily candy) so you can check out city specific finds.

One for the guys - Thrillist - Covering only what they like, thrillist is a daily email primarily for guys. Girls might want to get the mail as well, just to keep up with what is hot in guy world. There are currently five editions (sorted by city) and many more to come.

That should be good for now. I’ll be back sporadically with additional sites that we enjoy viewing and know you will too! Happy surfing and healthy 2008!

Peace - hippiegrrl

Okay - So maybe that title is a bit hokey, but I truly believe that 2008 is going to be the best year yet! Anything will be better than 2007. Moving along…

How were your holidays? We completed the season with the celebration of the Epiphany. You might know it as “Three Kings Day” or “Twelfth Night”. It’s basically the day when the Three Kings (Magi) brought the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the Messiah. Yes - this is a Christian tradition and it is a bit skewed (in reality it took the three kings 2 years to see Jesus, but who is counting, right?) yet still a nice ending to the Christmas festivities. We don’t do a big celebration, but we do keep our decorations up until at least the 6th for this reason.

Now the rundown on gift giving. Did I stick to the handmade and/or local commitment I made earlier in the season or did the commercialism and fervour of the season win out? I would have to say that I did a good job of keeping it at least 50% handmade and/or local. For those products that I purchased outside of the handmade/local category I made sure that they were put together either in the United States, or somewhere that I could be confident has good working condition policies. In other words, I tried to be sure that the goods were not made in sweatshop conditions. This, I felt, was more important than the handmade/local pledge.

Many of my friends and family received cool t-shirts from threadless.com. Threadless has awesome designs and their t-shirts are printed in Chicago. Also - many of the designs are printed on American Apparel T’s, which are sewn in Downtown LA (About American Apparel.)

Moving forward into the future. I will be opening a coffeehouse in the next few months that will be committed to selling Fair Trade products and having the smallest impact possible on our environment. Sustainability, Recycling, Composting, and Reusing will be central themes for the products. Excellent customer service will (ofcourse) be the top priority. As I move through this amazing adventure I’ll be writing about it here, so get ready to follow along and see what happens with this new direction.

Peace and Happy Protesting!

Hippiegrrl

PS - Don’t forget to vote - it’s coming soon!!!

The big day is almost here. How much shopping do you have left to do?

We are still chugging along, trying to get everything done before the big rush weekend. Since taking the handmade pledge (see below and right for details) it hasn’t been super easy to live up to. I’ve tried my best to get everything locally though, so that is a good thing.

Speaking of the handmade pledge, there was a great article in the new york times magazine on Sunday about the movement. Read about it here!

We hope that your holiday season is merry and bright! Keep the stress level to a minimum and enjoy the time with family and friends.

We will see you after the big day to do a holiday wrap up!

Peace - Hippiegrrl

Sorry for the short entry, but it’s better than nothing eh?

As I mentioned in the last post, we will attempt to bring you good ideas for the holiday season of shopping madness. Keeping in mind that the winter holidays should be about family and friends and not consumerism, we realize it is still fun to give and receive gifts. So, in an effort to help you become more conscious consumers, here is the next installment in our holiday shopping rant series.

Let me begin with a quote from the Organic Consumers Association:

“Hourly wages paid by clothing giants such as Wal-Mart, Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, Esprit, Liz Claiborne, Kmart, Nike, Adidas, J.C. Penney and others in China’s “special economic zones,” are as low as 13 cents an hour, well below the estimated 87 cents an hour minimum living wage for an assembly-line worker in China.”

Unfortunately, the companies listed in that quote are not alone. A great majority of clothing products sold in the United States are now produced in poor, underdeveloped countries in sweatshop factory conditions.

“In Bangladesh, women earn 1.7 cents for every baseball cap they sew with a Harvard logo and 5 cents for every Disney T-shirt they sew that sells for $17.99.” - National Labor Committee

Over the years consumers in the United States have become complacent. Buying things they want, no matter where they were manufactured, has become the norm. It is now time to stand up and say NO to sweatshop labour. NO to fashion over compassion. NO NO NO! And here is how we can do it.

Each time you walk through a store, take a look at the “made in” label on items you wish to purchase. Think a little bit about what you are spending your money on. Become an informed consumer. These tasks sound difficult, but they really are not at all. And if it means that you can effect change in the industry that will make all the difference.

To get you started, I will list a few shoppes online that are “sweatshop free” producers. If you prefer to shop in person, just do a little research online before going out to the local shoppes. Good luck with your holiday shopping and remember to take some time out just for you. Have a cup of coffee and relax for a bit during the shopping spree. Conserving energy for the actual holiday is what it’s all about. Who wants to be too tired to participate?

Peace - Hippiegrrl

links to shoppes:
American Apparel
Patagonia
No Sweat Apparel
And for more detailed information and links check out this PDF from SweatShop Watch - Shop With A Conscience Brochure 2007 (PDF)