my, time certainly flies...

hard to believe that my two weeks off are just about over – and i didn’t even blog during that time… hey, there were times i didn’t even turn on the computer for days at a time… guess i needed a break from technology too…

i did the 'dutiful daughter' thing though – yep, the mother was ill - she thought her kidneys were 'packing up' so we got into the hospital and then spent 7 hours in the emergency ward while they monitored lungs and kidneys - once they discovered neither had deteriorated significantly they sent her home – the next day was spent checking up on her and doing her shopping…

of course, when she wanted more shopping a couple of days later i wasn't so happy when she insisted on coming - she refuses to accept she can't do what she once did - consequently she needed to take a break from walking (it wears her out - and she can barely breath) so we decided on a sit-down and a coffee… she thought we should eat but she just couldn’t (or wouldn't) understand that there was nothing in the shop i could get that was vegan-friendly and anyway, all i wanted was coffee, but she could have food... her response was typical - why couldn’t i just 'stop being so damn difficult' – hmmm,  apparently i went vegan just to antagonise her!!!!

you could say we get very niggly after too long with each other - conversation sometimes can get a bit strained between us - the mother's become really conservative over the years so we disagree on a lot of issues… i try to just let things ‘wash over me’ but after a while ‘bad daughter’ comes to the fore and stands up for herself and her beliefs… my mother just doesn’t ‘get’ vegan – vegetarian she could (just) cope with, but vegan - now that's just tooooo weird... never has she asked why i chose to be vegan - of course, why would she, she already knows i did it to be difficult!! – these days it seems if it’s not her belief system, it's not worth learning about - it's not the status quo so we just won't talk about it… fuck there are times when i wished i lived on a remote country property far away from my mother (and, at times, humankind in general!) – see, bad, bad daughter….

enough of the mother/daughter shit... 

i haven’t gotten through anywhere near the amount of reading i had planned… and now i’ve gotten even more to read because two new books i bought a few weeks ago arrived… ‘the sexual politics of meat: a feminist-vegetarian critical theory’ by carol adams, and ‘sister species: women, animals and social justice’ ed. by lisa kemmerer… being mine rather than the library's though means i can read them anytime...

i did watch a couple of interesting movies – one, a documentary called “troubled minds - the lithium revolution” – in the 1940s an australian doctor, john cade, discovered the ‘benefits’ of lithium for treating manic depression (as it was called then – bi-polar now) – this in effect marked the beginning of psycho-pharmacology (the use of drugs to manage psychiatric conditions) – up until this discovery electric shock ‘therapy’ and lobotomies were the dominant treatments… it explains his search for chemical alternatives to these brutal forms of treatment and the lack of interest from drug companies because lithium is a naturally occurring element so couldn’t be exploited commercially – it was quite fascinating actually….

i also watched ‘ironclad’ – set in 13^th century england when john was king – this is the story of what john did after being forced to sign the magna carta – his rampage across the country and the violence he and his mercenary army perpetrated against all who signed the document and supported limiting a kings powers – that included mass slaughter of families and villagers - in his desire to regain total control… this was also very interesting, but very graphic - i found myself closing my eyes a lot – but they were violent times…

i caught up with a number of people too – usually dinner at my place because it’s just easier – i know exactly what’s gone into the food and nobody that comes to share has any problems with my vegan menu – consequently i cooked, ate and drank soooo much – and i did catch up with a vegan friend that i hadn’t seen for ages – it’s always lovely to speak to a full-on, ra-ra-ra vegan - ahh, another's passionate belief in the things i hold important – it makes the heart sing...

two causes i strongly believe in take ‘centre stage’ this week…

the first one is the oscar’s law rally i’m off to tomorrow -  a campaign to stop the factory farming of companion animals… the campaign is named for this wee little boy who was finally rescued after spending 5 years as a breeding machine for the greed of humans… the sheer neglect these babes suffer is heartbreaking… my old girl allie who died earlier this year spent her first 4 years of ‘life’ as a ‘brood bitch’ in a puppy factory and believe me there are psychological as well as physical scars from the deprivations they endure…

the second cause is palestine’s 'push' for UN recognition of statehood…  over 120 nations from the middle east, africa, asia, and latin america have already endorsed this initiative, but israel and the US are trying to block it... europe is still undecided - sadly it appears australia is undecided too… 44 years of occupation is just way too long - please sign the petition calling on the UN to recognise the state of palestine here…





i'll leave you with this video a friend sent me... 'freed' after decades as laboratory animals in a pharmaceutical research facility, this is the extremely touching vision of a group of chimpanzees seeing the outside world, feeling the sun on their faces and bodies, for the first time... their pleasure is apparent - palpable - and brings a tear to the eye and a smile to the lips... (the commentary isn't in english - but who needs commentary - a picture paints a thousand words)... you can read more here...

two weeks of leisure...

yay - i'm on leave! well, i went to say i was on holidays, but hey – something just niggled me that this was no doubt another word with its origins in christianity and lo and behold, on checking it appears it was ‘coined’ around the 1200s – “haliday (c.1200), from O.E. haligdæg "holy day; Sabbath," from halig "holy" (see holy) + dæg "day" (see day)”… it later took on dual meanings “in 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of recreation," but pronunciation and sense diverged 16c". it had lost it’s christian meaning by the 19th century “as a verb meaning "to pass the holidays" by 1869.” ...  online etymology dictionary 

looks like 'ye olde english' could just as easily be called 'ye olde christian' - it pervaded the language and peoples lives totally...

i’m hoping it’s going to be a relaxing, reinvigorating next 2 weeks – i applied for these couple of weeks off a few months ago now – and i’ve been hanging out ever since… although i’ve been a tad depressed this weekend because my old girl was always there to spend my leave with, so this is actually my first real time off that she hasn't been around for in 15 years… i'm sooo missing canine companionship...



i occasionally check out the save-a-dog website but whenever i do me boy jumps on the keyboard and zaps me (as only cats can) to 'stop looking at dogs – stupid, stupid dogs’ (and i swear, i can actually 'hear' him saying that in my head! – and for some reason i hear it in antonio banderas’ voice – if you’ve missed shrek 2 and its layers of humour for young and old - it certainly wasn’t just a kiddies film - the ‘puss in boots’ voice won’t mean anything to you!)…


but there’s a pull, a tug – i think my old girl is telling me it’s time – or nearly time - to save another older homeless babe (or is the 'nearly time' just me procrastinating - due to a guilty disloyal feeling where shadow's concerned whenever i ponder the prospect perhaps - but then i feel bad for doing nothing because there are so many in need! - and then i wonder if i have enough space - me old girl was blind and deaf when we moved in here and didn't need a lot of space - is there enough 'territory' for a dog and a cat with just a small courtyard - but of course there are some wonderful, beautiful areas around here to go walking with a canine friend... oooh, why can't i just make a decision?!!!!!…

i saw me mother yesterday though and she’s not well – between copd (chronic pulmonary disease) and ckf (chronic kidney failure) she’s having a hard time at the moment…which could mean her condition (it's chronic remember, so no 'getting better' - and hey, she's 82!!) could be deteriorating - at the very least she may have to have another hospital 'visit' - guess i just see how the next few days pan out…

but i brought plenty of ‘provisions’ home with me - that’s books galore… if you’re interested, these are some of the books i’m hoping to get through…

the immortal life of henrietta lacks - rebecca skloot...

"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance...."

 

me of the never never - fiona o'loughlin

"This book is for anyone who likes to laugh (and cry), who wants to read about a woman living her life on her terms."

the particular sadness of lemon cake - aimee bender

"On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s  privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world..."

the book of rachael - leslie cannold

"Two thousand years ago, as a charismatic young preacher from Nazareth was gathering followers among the people of Galilee, his sister swept floors and dreamed of learning to read. In Leslie Cannold’s story, it is the women of Nazareth who take centre stage..."

now all i have to do is line up some smoke (i’m almost out – not what you want when on ‘holidays’)…

it's 3.45am now, i couldn't sleep so thought i might as well write a post, but i'm going back to bed now - maybe a couple of chapters will help me 'nod off'...

old superstitions die hard…

"fingers crossed"…

it rolls off everyone’s tongue so easily… i grew up with the "fingers crossed" saying when hoping for something to turn out well, to have a positive outcome… but ever wondered where it came from? i hadn’t thought about it significantly before - but then i went to use it earlier… all of a sudden i was intrigued by 'whose' superstition it was based on and had to check it out…

tt’s not so easy to discover the origin though – so here’s a few of the ‘origins’ I came across…

purely christian...

"The theory of a Christian origin of crossing your fingers is based on early periods in the religion's history. During these early times, Christianity was an outlawed religion and the disciples of Christ usually formed a secret society. To protect the identity of the sect's followers, secret hand signs were developed so the members could recognize each other." http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-origin-of-crossing-your-fingers-for-luck.htm

majorly christian...

“Crossing fingers - Generally this means "wishing for good luck or fortune". Another interpretation could be seen as "here's hoping". The gesture probably has pagan / Christian origins where the gesture was believed to ward off evil. As such, folklore believes that crossing the fingers when telling a lie somehow offsets the evil of the lie... Some historians believe that crossing your fingers is a hidden or secret way of making the Christian sign of the cross - a sure-fire way of defeating demons. As a gesture it has both positive and negative symbolism. Luck or lies.” http://www.aquiziam.com/gestures.html

"The custom of crossing your fingers for good luck is fairly common. Superstition states that the act of crossing one's index and middle fingers brings good luck and wards off evil spirits or witches." http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-origin-of-crossing-your-fingers-for-luck.htm

“Crossing one's fingers is a quick and easy way of making the sign of the cross to shield oneself from diabolic powers. It is also easy to keep them crossed, thus ensuring lasting protection from the devil's tricks.” http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsf.htm

           

purely pagan… 

“Another theory suggests that the sign pre-dates Christianity, when it was believed that benign spirits dwelt at the intersecting point of the cross, as in the Solar Cross (also known as Pagan Cross, Sun Cross, Wheel Cross, Odin's Cross or Woden's Cross). In Europe, the sign was made by two people; the first to make the wish and the second to support it. Linking their fingers firmly would squeeze and energize the spirits into beneficial action.

The popular gesture grew out of the pagan belief that a cross was a symbol of perfect unity; and that its point of intersection marked the dwelling place of beneficent spirits. A wish made on a cross was supposed to be anchored steadfastly at the cross's intersection until that desire was realized. The superstition was popular among many early European cultures.” http://www.scribd.com/doc/44602448/Charles-Panati-Extraordinary-Origins-of-Everyday-Things

to add to that… 

“To ensure the wish stayed in place and on the wisher’s mind, it was often tied to the finger with string, a practice that eventually evolved into a memory aid.” http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/why-do-we-cross-our-fingers-when-wishing-for-luck-and-where-did-the-practice-come-from

and now… 

“… As time passed, the rigors of the custom eased and a person could wish without the assistance of an associate. It sufficed merely to cross the index and the middle fingers…

Over time the ancient custom of the "crossed fingers" of friends degenerated to a wisher crossing his own fingers and finally to today's expression "I'll keep my fingers crossed," with the well wisher never actually doing so, and no one expecting him or her to.  What was once deliberate and symbolic has become reflexive and insignificant—though not obsolete.” http://www.unicornlady.net/superstitions/superstitions.html


hmmm, this one gesture can identify me to likeminded people, ward off evil, allow me to lie without consequence and bring me a whole lotta good luck - wow - what duality - it spans both good and bad... 

hearing that phrase is going to conjure up a whole different image in future!!! don't you just love the etymology of words and phrases - the power and politics of language...

the subjugation of womyn...

after an enjoyable gathering of friends at my place on saturday - which of course meant lots of food, lots of wine - champagne cocktails were on the menu too thanks to kirsty - and plenty of conversation - i was feeling a tad 'green' yesterday - so my plan was simple - i wasn't moving from the couch! even blogging wasn't on the agenda because the brain was a bit 'fuzzy'...

however, i checked my emails to find i'd received a petition to support a womon's right to wear the burqa... now to me the burqa is a tool of female oppression within a patriarchal culture encompassing the misogynistic tradition of womon as chattel, so i went online, and after reading copious amounts of differing versions of the origins of this garment (along with varying names and the many variations of the garment itself) i ended up viewing a slideshow entitled 'the canvas prison' showing the use of the burqa in the systematic subjugation of womyn in afghanistan under the fanatically brutal regime of the taliban ('ousted' in 2001- unfortunately it appears that karzai maintains links to the taliban and has close ties to iran - another brutally misogynistic regime - so a change in power doesn't appear to have resulted in change for womyn!) ... here's that slideshow...

The canvas prison

after viewing these images, i then followed some other links and ended up on an australian website called 'the punch' - "The Punch is for every Australian with a passion for debate. We'll feature some of the nation's best writers and biggest names discussing current events in politics, entertainment, sport, business and more." 

it was here that i came across an article "the truth behind the burqa" written by jacqueline pascarl (aussies might remember her as jacqueline gillespie) - it's an impassioned, enlightened and intelligent article of which this is just an extract...

"The common, misinformed perception is that Muslim women mostly wear the burqa to express their religious devotion.  

Frankly, I’ve lived on both sides of this debate, and I would like to put the record straight once and for all as I was instructed during my time in a moderately strict Islamic society - to wear a burqa, hijab or headscarf during daily life is not prescribed specifically anywhere in the Koran – it is not wajib (mandatory and prescribed by the Koran), but only sunat (recommended culturally).

As a royal princess in an Islamic country (Malaysia), and originally hailing from Australia, I was required, after my marriage, to undertake four years of Islamic study under the tutelage of the Royal Household’s Iman and religious teacher.  We used text books primarily sourced from Pakistan and Egypt which had been specially printed in English for converts to Islam, as well as long tracts of the Koran and my tutor’s own knowledge and interpretations as he was a respected scholar nationally. 

These twice weekly classes over four years, were never undertaken between myself and my teacher without the presence of my servants, or another royal lady who acted as chaperones – not for my chastity or purity, but, as the Iman explained to me, for his!  He truly believed that I, or any woman, could not be trusted in the lone company of a male without the baser instincts of the female gender coming to the fore.

According to these books, I was to learn that it was fine for a husband to beat his wife as long as he didn’t mark her face, I was to ascertain that female circumcision was not mandatory or even mentioned in the Koran, that it is a cultural practice only. However, the father who does instigate the excision of the clitoris of his female child will be rewarded in heaven – this again, I stress, was not mentioned anywhere in the Koran, but simply extrapolated from cultural musings of a scholarly nature. That abhorrent undertaking is about control of women and tempering their sensuality – it has nothing to do with religion and I have yet to meet any Australian Iman who would say otherwise.

I was taught scores of things by the Royal Iman, the beauty of many tracts of the Koran, the cadence of the Arabic language; but much of the teachings, as opposed to the Koran itself, were strictly cultural and archaic, rather than the pure religious teachings of the Koran.  I learnt that the primary reason women are required by Islamic societies (the majority of which are patriarchal) to swathe themselves in fabrics and cover their collar bones, necks, arms, legs, ankles, calves, chests, elbows, shoulders, throats, thighs, ears, napes of necks, hair and in some cases, faces, is that women are culturally condemned to the roll of seductress and are considered untrustworthy, immoral humans, driven to tempt men and bring down the bastions of male self-control. The fine shape of an ankle, or a tendril of hair – a glimpse of which can send a mere male into a sexual frenzy, are the tools of seduction.  In essence and to outline it crudely – the veil, much lauded by so called Islamic teachings, is a protection for men against we voracious vixens of the mortal world. Not, as so many pundits state, a protection for women against men.

Even culturally, under the Islamic teachings I studied and with which I was indoctrinated, not one stanza exhorted a man to order his woman to cover her face – everything else, yes, but to wend her way along streets covered in a tent with only slits for her vision was never mentioned...."

this led me to jacqueline's blog - although it hasn't been updated since January, nonetheless she has some interesting posts to read on a number of topics...

i also checked out rawa's (revolutionary association of the women of afghanistan) website - they were mentioned in the slideshow and have been active in the fight for womyn's rights and social justice since 1977... the short biography on rawa's founding leader, meena, murdered in 1987 is worth the read ...

no, i haven't changed my view on the burqa (unless you call firmly cementing my already-held-belief a change) - i certainly won't be signing that petition to aid the oppression of womyn...

this womon ain't no lady...

being called 'lady' and the ensuing conversation with a couple of friends last week really frustrated, or should that be annoyed or disheartened me - perhaps all three - it's a word i never use because to me it's heavy with oppression...

when i'm called 'lady' i cringe - when i was growing up young womyn were supposed to act like young 'ladies' so we were constantly being told "ladies don't talk back" (opinionated womyn definitely weren't ladies!) - "ladies don't swear" - "ladies don't dress like ______" (insert your own term here - whore, slut, harlot - the antithesis of a lady!!) - "ladies don't smoke in the street" (because they looked 'cheap' - meaning whore, slut, harlot. etc.!!) - it was a constant litany of 'ladies don't do this', 'ladies don't do that'... hmmm, apparently ladies didn't do very much at all so who'd want to be one? everything i did when growing up (and still do) was very unladylike...

and the origin of the word...

"Lady begins in Anglo-Saxon or Old English as hlæfdige ‘bread-kneader’ being compounded of hlaf ‘loaf of bread’ + dige ‘female kneader.’ So the first lady was she who kneaded the bread. Lord is what is left from Old English hlaf -weard> hlaford =, hlāf ‘bread, loaf ‘+ weard keeper, guard (think of ward, wardrobe, guard, garden [place where you keep or guard plants?] ). So the lady kneaded the loaf of bread and the lord guarded the bread as master of the household." from http://www.billcasselman.com/wording_room/lord_lady.htm

there is consensus with this...

"c.1200, lafdi, lavede, from O.E. hlæfdige "mistress of a household, wife of a lord," lit. "one who kneads bread," from hlaf "bread" (see loaf) + -dige "maid," related to dæge "maker of dough" (see dey (1); also compare lord). The medial -f- disappeared 14c. Not found outside English except where borrowed from it." from online etymology dictionary

this last source also goes on:

"Sense of "woman of superior position in society" is c.1200; "woman whose manners and sensibilities befit her for high rank in society" is from 1861 (ladylike in this sense is from 1580s, and ladily from c.1400). Meaning "woman as an object of chivalrous love" is from early 14c. Used commonly as an address to any woman since 1890s."

it was something to 'aspire' to if you were from the lower socio-economic class...

"In the late 19th and early twentieth century, in a difference reflected in the British novelist Nancy Mitford's essay "U vs. non-U", lower class women strongly preferred to be called "ladies" while women from higher social backgrounds were content to be identified as "women." Alfred Ayer remarked in 1881 that upper middle class female store clerks were content to be "saleswomen," while lower class female store clerks, for whom their job represented a social advancement, insisted on being called "salesladies." These social class issues, while no longer as prominent in this century, have imbued the formal use of "lady" with something of irony (e.g.: "my cleaning lady," or "ladies of the night" for prostitutes)." from wikipedia

sadly, the word lady still appears to be in usage as a definer of womyn, a shackle to keep us in our 'place' - according to an article on ms magazine's blog - "who're you calling a lady?" by Leah Berkenwald - an american member of congress caused outrage just last month...


"This week, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) reminded American women that in order to be afforded due respect from him and ultra-conservatives like him, they need to act like ladies.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) had criticized Rep. West’s opposition to raising the debt ceiling:

"The gentleman from Florida, who represents thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, as do I, is supportive of this plan that would increase costs for Medicare beneficiaries, unbelievable from a Member from South Florida, slashes Medicaid and critical investments essential to winning the future in favor of protecting tax breaks for Big Oil, millionaires, and companies who ship American jobs overseas."

In response, Rep. Allen West sent a personal attack in the form of an email to Schultz cc’d to Congressional leadership. In it, he called the Congresswoman “the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives” and a “coward,” and told her to “shut the heck up.” Then he wrote this:

"You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!"

you can read the rest of the article here, but one of my favourite comments to the article was from a womon called sha:


"If you get right down to it, what he really means by being a “Lady” is being the under-educated, disenfranchised property of her husband with little to no interest or stake in the political process that governs her life and choices. We get it, you would love to return to the days of petticoats and lynch mobs, but it isn’t going to happen, so you better learn to dialogue with a woman who takes her job seriously and may even believe she is there for the people she represents. Radical, I know!"

nah, this womon ain't no lady!! (and i didn't think i'd ever get this post finished - it seems to have taken me all morning because my internet has kept dropping out - talk about pissed off - oooooh, how fucking unladylike!!!!