9 months of gestation in 20 seconds

http://www.pressnall.com/gestation_project/ This guy took a series of photos every other day as his wife was pregnant with their first child. How cool to watch the pregnancy bloom!

Useful Service, Cool Job

I just learned of a really cool company called The Welcome Committee that helps people who are moving to new locations do so with the minimum level of stress. They provide what they call Location Counselors/Concierges who do things like ordering dry cleaning services, finding day care centers, giving directions, offering "insider tips" and also offering some emotional support to the new residents. What a great service and what a great job!

I have moved so many times (NY to NC to RI to MA back to RI to CA to .... well you get the idea) and each time I went through such ordeals trying to find my way around. It was also lonely, stressful and overwhelming trying to figure out the simplest things. You basically can't optimize, can't try to find the "best" anything, and must just settle for ticking things off your endless "to do" list. If I had had help like this each time I moved I would have been soooo much better off. And I definitely would have been willing to shell out a couple hundred bucks or so for that assistance (what I'm guessing it might cost to use this service, after you sign-up and pay your Concierge for a few hours of help).

I'm probably pretty settled where I am now, so don't need anything like this anymore, but what a cool job also. If ever I can clear a few things off my plate of standing committments I might try to become one of their Counselor/Concierges. The idea of getting paid $40 an hour to help people learn what I had to learn through trial and error sounds like rewarding work, and taking someone out for coffee as a part of my "job" sounds totally fabulous.

Good job Welcome Committee. This is something that truly adds value to people's lives.

PersonalDNA

My PersonalDNA |

Be Sure to Keep an Eye on BlogHer.Org This Weekend

The BlogHer conference begins this evening, so keep an eye on the BlogHer site for links to live blogging, IRC Chat, and more.

Blog Sisters in the Pittsburgh Tribune

A very nicely done article in the Pittsburgh Tribune on women and blogging that quotes yours truly, as well as the BlogHers who were kind enough to give a nod to their Blog Sisters. The article discusses how blogs have helped women find and exercise their voices.

You may wonder if some media training isn't in order for Mrs. Sessum, as she reveals before God and clients the imminent loss of her uterus and her penchant for X*anax. It's not every day you get THIS kind of publicity!

"If life were supposed to be orderly, then my house wouldn't look like it does and my kid wouldn't have open paints and blendy pens all over her floor, and I wouldn't have to take a half of a zzzzanax as I mull over the many possibilities in the weeks and months ahead."
-- allied.blogspot.com, by Jeneane Sessum, as she contemplates an upcoming hysterectomy

w00t!!

Tags: Pittsburgh Tribune, Blogging, Women, Blog Sisters, BlogHer, Good Writing, Tech, PR, Gonzo Marketing, Worst Practices, Cluetrain, Gluetrain = Powered by Qumana

Family Sues for $200K in Losses over "Ugly Bride"

I am stunned and horrified by the following story and I'm wondering what can be done to protest something of this sort....I don't give a darned if this kind of thing goes on in India where I don't vote and don't have a voice. But you can bet that I give a lot more than your average rat's ass that this frivolous and hateful lawsuit is being persued in Hampden (Massachusetts) County Superior Court The following is a reprint from Masslive.com because you will not believe this story unless you read it with your own eyes:

Family Sues over "ugly bride"

SPRINGFIELD - Arranged marriages are an ancient tradition in India, but when a Belchertown family went there to meet a bride-to-be and judged her too ugly for the groom, they chose a 21st-century solution. They called the wedding off, and the groom's father is now suing for damages.

Vijai B. Pandey, 60, filed a lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court last month against friends who tried to arrange a marriage between his son Pranjul K. and their niece. The Pandeys, after spending money on long-distance calls and airfare, found her much too homely.

When the Pandeys saw the bride in New Delhi last August, they were "extremely shocked to find ... she was ugly ... with protruded bad teeth, and couldn't speak English to hold a conversation," Vijai Pandey stated in the lawsuit. The woman's complexion was also cited for the broken engagement.

Pandey's civil complaint against Lallan and wife Kanti Giri of Boyds, Md., seeks $200,000 in damages, and charges them with fraud, conspiracy and violation of civil rights, among other claims resulting in emotional distress.

Lallan Giri, an anthrax expert who has spoken at major scientific conferences on anthrax vaccine safety, said only, "We plead not guilty, 120 percent," when reached last week. Giri referred questions to Springfield lawyer Mark J. Albano, who refused comment.

However, the Giris' former lawyer, Matthew R. Hertz, said the conflict doesn't belong in court, and Pandey mischaracterized the original plan. "It was more of an informal 'would you like to meet her' ... no money ever changed hands that would require reimbursement," said Hertz, of Solomon, Malech & Cohen in Bethesda, Md.

Nimai Nitai das, president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of New England in Boston, said he hears occasionally of Hindu families seeking reimbursement for marriage arrangements gone awry. "In the U.S., sooner or later, everything winds up in court ... but I've never heard of a lawsuit about this," he said in a recent interview.

Arranged marriages among Hindus remain "very common," Nitai das said, adding that Westerners hold misconceptions about the practice, and marriages aren't planned before a child's birth.

Indian law sets a minimum marriage registration age of 18 for men and 21 for women. However, registration only became mandatory this year, following a decision by India's Supreme Court in February. More than third of brides in India are married before age 18, the Christian Science Monitor reported in May.

In parts of India, contracts are still written, Nitai das said, with stipulations including the bride's dowry. However, in modern Hindu society, arranged marriage means "the families are much more active in the planning," than typical Americans, he said.

When the Giris initially proposed a marriage between Pranjul K. Pandey, 37, and their niece, the Pandeys pointed out that Pranjul was handsome, personable and spoke English, and asked if the young woman was "equally beautiful ... and a good match," Pandey's lawsuit states.

The Pandeys were assured that she was comparable, and would learn English. The Giris agreed to compensate Vijai Pandey "for everything," if their niece was found unsuitable, Pandey wrote.

The Pandeys got a photo of the potential bride, but "couldn't tell much" from it. Nonetheless, they became "heavily involved by long telephone calls to India," and sent money for the woman's passport, anticipating her move to the United States after the wedding, court documents state.

A trip to India last summer, by Vijai Pandey's wife Lalita, their daughter Pramila, and Pranjul, was to finalize Pranjul's marriage, according to the lawsuit. The Pandeys arranged for the Giris' niece, her mother and sister to travel to New Delhi from elsewhere in India, but after an Aug. 22 meeting, called the marriage off.

Vijai Pandey asked the Giris for the compensation they promised, because they knew all along that the young woman "was homely and unsuitable and no match for Pranjul," he wrote. The Giris declined to give Pandey money, despite his phone calls to them last September, and a fax in March.

Nitai das said brides don't have to be pretty for arranged marriages to succeed. "I have seen some very handsome men who are happy with somewhat homely women," he said. Although Nitai das doesn't know people involved in the lawsuit, he said the plaintiffs may have been "reacting to ... the misrepresentation," about the young woman.

Lallan Giri is an executive at Emergent BioSolutions Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md., and Pandey, for reasons not fully explained, named the company as a defendant. Pandey is also suing Hertz and his law firm. Hertz sent Pandey a letter in March on the Giris' behalf, which was "extremely malicious," Pandey wrote.

The document was a standard "cease and desist," letter, Hertz said.

The Pandeys and Giris had been friends since 1979, when the Giris lived under "extremely humble," conditions in Amherst, the lawsuit states. Later, when Lallan Giri's career advanced and the Giris moved away, problems arose. "He started show-boating, boasting ... with (a) BMW, (a) Mansion, and acting as a big shot in a different class," Pandey wrote.

The Giris, Pandey said in the suit, made "innumerable, uninvited ... and imposing visits" to his Belchertown home, and used his computer for personal and official business.

In a brief phone interview, Pandey said he is a retired environmental engineer. He was once an Amherst insurance agent, according to newspaper archives.

In 1991, Pandey was sentenced to nine months in jail following a conviction for bank fraud in Springfield's U.S. District Court. In 1994, convictions from the 1980s, for larceny and leaving the scene of property damage, were overturned in Northampton District Court, and all charges dropped.

Pandey, who filed suit against the Giris on his own, has initiated several civil complaints since the 1980s. Defendants included Western Massachusetts judges and lawyers, an insurance company and others. Many cases were dismissed, and some were settled.

What can be done?? I do not want our courts to be taken up with something that is not only cruel and hateful but has nothing to do with life in the United States. As I said, if anyone has any ideas, email me (tishgrier@yahoo.com) or post a comment...

The Spice-Box that saved me

When I set off to graduate school in the US, the Internet had not yet taken over the world. I actually spoke to people to gather information about life in America in general and my destination, New Orleans, in particular.

I was delighted to find a woman whose son was an undergraduate at the university I was headed to. "My son had some problems initially with the food, but you should be fine. You are a girl, no?" she said to reassure me.

Biting back my foolish but proud claim that I would be as useless in the kitchen as any son of hers, I focused on the issues at hand. What was the weather in New Orleans like? Did I have to drive around? Was there public transportation? Food, in fact, was my last concern.

A recent food essay from the CSM. Read it, if the topic of Indian food interests you and if the CSM hasn't archived it yet.

Tabloid Times

I have several new limerick posts including these:

Tabloid Times
"Are Bill and Hill still having sex?
By that question, the Times seems perplexed..."
Tabloid Times is continued here.

Ode To Rep. Jefferson
"Rep. Jefferson seems to have stashed
90 grand in his freezer - cold cash..."
Ode To Rep. Jefferson is here.

Sleeper VEEP
"There once was a GOP VEEP
Who in meetings fell soundly asleep..."
Sleeper VEEP is continued here.

Frist And Hastert Rediscover The Constitution
"Frist and Hastert don't care if the Bush administration invades the privacy of ordinary citizens. Nor do they seem bothered by the Executive branch's brazen power grab, evidenced by Bush's "de facto veto" signing statements, Congressional oversight avoidance, and sundry law breaking. But just let the Justice Department mess with one of their own, by raiding his House office, then suddenly Frist and Hastert whip out their long forgotten copies of the Separation of Powers clause..."

Frist And Hastert Rediscover The Constitution is continued here.

Great article on women, visibility, blogging++ - BlogSisters kudos

What makes the women-online visibility issue as important as it is--to me anyway--is that men are still grabbing the lion's share of speaking and consulting gigs related to this space--BlogHer and other women-visibility-boosting outlets aim to change that:

...Together, they decided to stop talking about where the women bloggers are and create a place for women bloggers to read each other and be read by everyone. They built on the earlier efforts of women equally determined to amplify muted female voices such as Jeneane Sessum, the Atlanta founder of Blog Sisters.

"Blog Sisters and now BlogHer give women much improved visibility in a space that now has an economic component to it," Sessum said.

A GREAT article by uberreporter Jessica Guynn in the Contra Costa Times about women and blogging and BlogHer.

Ask questions now for the Tuesday roundtable with the BlogHers++. Cool!

Tags: BlogHer, women, blogging, tech, web2.0, business, PR = Powered by Qumana

White House Shakeup Song Parody and Limericks

I've written a song parody and a pair of limericks about the so-called White House shakeup. Here's a couple of verses from my song parody, The White House Shakeup Song, sung to the tune of Good King Wenceslas:

The White House Shakeup Song (Sing to Good King Wenceslas)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

"Bolten's cleaning house they claim.
He needs staffers brainy.
Upward polls are Bolten's aim.
Why not start with Cheney?

Many think that Don must go.
Rumsfeld's quite abysmal.
Dubya answers no, no, no.
Bush is just as dismal.

Miers may just lose her job.
Nearly was "Her Honor."
Andrew Card worked way too hard..."

The rest of my song parody and my two limericks are here, and my audio podcast version (with me attempting to sing my White House Shakeup Song) is here.

Private, Free Counseling for Rape and Incest Victims via KnowNow's RSS-powered RAIN Network

What is the "Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN)"? It's a powerful new way for victims of rape and incest to get qualified help in a way that's become increasingly comfortable for young people -- online.

Here's the official information -- please pass it along to those you think might benefit from it.
The pilot launch of the Online Hotline will begin in May, with a national launch expected in September. For more info, visit www.rainn.org/programs/online-hotline.

------------

KnowNow Inc., a market leader in RSS content delivery and communication and notification services, today announced that it is providing application development services and its eLerts RSS solution to connect a victim with an available trained volunteer as soon as they need one, through RAINN’s newly announced secure online hotline. To ensure protection of each individual who has a query or a need to talk to a counselor immediately, the request is connected to one of RAINN’s trained volunteers quickly, securely and anonymously.

RAINN will launch the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline in the fall, which will be the web's first secure hotline service, offering live help 24 hours a day.

Given that calls to the national telephone hotline continue to increase (the free hotline helped up to 137,039 people in 2005, up 44% in the last three years), research and observation are finding an increased reluctance among young people to use the phone. Since 80% of rape victims fall under age 30, adding an online way to communicate is a critical component to making the program a success.

In addition to KnowNow’s RSS solution, RAINN is partnering with other key technology players to make this a reality in the fall, including AOL, Verisign, Accius and McAfee.

How It Will Work:

One click will take users from rainn.org to the Online Hotline. There, they will anonymously request help and be connected to a trained volunteer for live, one-on-one support. The user's screen will be as clear and intuitive as instant messaging, so there's no learning curve. Sessions cannot be traced back to a user. No record of the session or user remains after a chat reinforcing privacy and confidentiality, so victims know that when they reach out, it remains anonymous.

A Pair Of Limericks For A Six-Pack Of Generals

My latest is "A Pair Of Limericks For a Six-Pack Of Generals." Here's one of the limericks:

War Against The Generals
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Some Gen'rals say Rummy must go.
So I'm guessing they're traitors and foes.
Soon we'll hear that they're pals
With bin Laden, et al.
Or much worse, that they're Democrat bro's.

My other limerick about the Generals is here.

Phone Buddies Community

I just became the community manager of an amazing emotional support community for women called Phone Buddies. (I'm also a participating member myself.) The basic idea is that you trade peer counseling sessions with other women, so each woman gets free counseling. There are 6 different types of emotional support techniques taught to community members, so it isn't just your everyday chatting, though it also isn't professional counseling either. A lot of the time I just need someone to talk to in a way that is really helpful -- not therapy and not just venting either.

There are a lot of really cool things about it actually. You don't have to give out your last name so it's totally confidential. Stuff like that. Anyway, I'm telling other women about it because I'd really like to see the community grow. The more women that participate the more Buddies we all get to exchange sessions with.

The website is at http://www.phone-buddies.com so check it out for yourself. I think it's amazing. I told my mother and sister about it and they're excited too. I love helping people and I could really use a stronger support network myself. My company has done a lot of cool projects, but I think this is probably going to be the coolest of all.

17 years ago today 96 Liverpool fans died needlessly. Let them never be forgotten.

Yoga's growing US popularity attracts cash

Yoga's growing US popularity attracts cash

Good article...good points.

As always, in everything I do I strive to maintain a semblance of balance in my days, in my work, in my personal life. Often it's a struggle because I am simply too busy. There is too much going on. I take on too much. Biting off more than we can chew. That's the danger I see with Yoga as well. While I desperately want to preserve my integrity as a teacher and promote the 'true' aspects of Yoga - I want to be successful, I want the program to grow and horror of horrors I want to make money being a Yoga teacher.

But last night, when the person who used the room before me, left behind dry erase markers and an eraser I decided to use it to actually 'teach' the class a 'lesson' not just movements but about the underlying principles that help govern Yogis/Yoginis: the Yamas and the Niyamas. As I was writing on the board, putting up the words and definitions, I noticed on the other board an 'erased' drawing of the human body complete with arrows pointing to the various parts and joints and then to the right of this 'ghostly' remainder of the body was an erased 'OM' symbol. I was suddenly overtaken by joy and I began to remember why I teach this practice to others. I re-traced the 'OM' symbol and went out to gather my class....

I think I am going to make it through everything that modern/materialistic society has to throw at me.

Clueless

I grew up in a loving household in which education was prized. I attended Smith College, where women's minds are taken seriously, and got a fantastic education. I spent my junior year in Paris. I loved France, the French language, the people, everything. Upon graduation from Smith, I asked a distinguished French professor to be my mentor, and he accepted. I applied to, and was accepted at the Sorbonne.

Instead of going to France, I married a man I had been dating, who had started slapping me around early in our relationship. I lasted over 30 years before I got out. And I can't even give myself credit for leaving. My eleven-year-old son had to run away from home and get the police involved before I woke up and realized that my life was not normal.

So what's with that? How does a woman who's been told all her life that she's powerful, she's intelligent, she's capable, fall into such a trap? And not have a clue that she's even doing it?

And if a woman with all the obvious advantages can make such poor choices, what must it be like for the millions of women who didn't start out so lucky?

Ode to the Leaker-In-Chief

I dedicate this poem to our Leaker-In-Chief:

Ode to the Leaker-In-Chief
By Madeleine Begun Kane

"The latest revelation
In the Scooter Libby case,
Is that when it comes to leaking,
Georgie Dub is quite the ace.

Those weren't aberrations
When he ordered up those leaks.
Bush betrays his office daily... "

The rest of my Ode To The Leaker-In-Chief is here.

Famous One-Eyed Kitten to Go on Display

Famous One-Eyed Kitten to Go on Display

Wonder how many people are going to flock to see this?

Duo of Tom DeLay Limericks

I've written two Tom DeLay limericks. Here's one of them:
Ode to the Bugman
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Tom's speech was jam-packed with some gems.
His withdrawal he blamed on the Dems.
It seems Streisand and Moore
Forced him out the House door.
Has the Bugman been sniffing his chems?

You can find both Tom DeLay limericks here.

"And They Cook, Too"

And They Cook, Too

A Blogger Cookbook Fundraiser for
Doctors Without Borders

Compiled and edited by Ginger Mayerson and Kathy Flake

Graphics by Tild~

Illustrations by Carol Colin and Robin Riggs

From the introduction:

Last year on October 8 an earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit Kashmir, the northern part of Pakistan. Being a native Californian, I know that’s no small cheese. Unfortunately, by October 8, 2005, I was tapped out from Katrina giving and could not give to my favorite charity, Doctors Without Borders, also known as Les Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). There was no doubt in my mind that MSF would be on the spot, doctoring in Kashmir, then and even now, and around the world wherever they are needed, as usual.

And so, partly out of guilt, but mostly out of admiration, the plan for this cookbook fundraiser was born. Now, I don’t cook very much and my basic culinary philosophy is "Shake it out of the box and eat it." However, I very much admire people who make an art of cooking and even make it look fun. I also read a lot of blogs, all kinds of blogs from all over the world: political, art, culture, whatever, and I noticed many of these bloggers posting recipes. Sometimes I’d print them out and put them in my very neatly organized, but seldom consulted three-ring Recipes binder. Every now and then I’d think how nice it would be to have all those online recipes in a book format... And an idea began to take shape..

Ads for this cookbook fundraiser are starting to pop up on blogs all over the reality-based portion of the blogosphere. Remember: this is a collection of recipes from PROGRESSIVE, LIBERAL bloggers!

See the Table of Contents and more...

...which includes the list of bloggers who contributed recipes and/or their time and effort in assembling this project.

As you will see, there are some pretty big names on that list:

Body and Soul, Majikthise, Mad Kane, The News Blog, Sadly, No!, Dohiyi Mir, Elayne Riggs, Agitprop, Pam's House Blend, and the list goes on...

CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY OF "AND THEY COOK, TOO"

Please support the worthwhile cause of Doctors Without Borders by buying a copy of
"And They Cook, Too" today, won't you?

Thank you!

This entry also appears here.