Election Eve and Early International Women's Day

Ahhh, exciting times we live in, especially this first week of March.

Tomorrow, in early celebration of International Women's Day, I will be leading a chat that most fabulous, wonderful, stupendous boutique, Hoopla Traders, in the Adams Morgan section of DC, at 2314 18th Street NW, as part of the neighborhood's First Tuesday celebration, and Hoopla's Living Green Salon. Not only do I run out of great adjectives when describing this place, but I also am tickled by the fact that the boutique is a fellow member of Co-op America.

In keeping with the international nature of the day, I will be having a discussion regarding how fair trade has helped women in Cambodia. If I can figure out my new laptop, I will also have photos of some of the women workers.

(Just a note: although the photo above is not of women making fair trade products for Three Stone Steps' customers, or even in Cambodia, it is my absolute favorite photo of women and one of my favorites from my many travels to Vietnam. Hope you enjoy it as I do.)

Please join me if you can. If you can't and find yourself in ournationscapital, and want to shop, you honestly can't do much better than stopping at Hoopla. It really is a warm, wonderful, and special boutique, and I'm not just saying that because they carry much of Three Stone Steps' product line!

While my little chat at Hoopla will pale in comparison to the excitement of refreshing the computer over and over and over again as the election results come in from the Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island primaries and primacaucus on Tuesday night, the effect that this race has on women and the discussion its garnered in the feminist community cannot go without mention, especially in the context of International Women's Day. Who really dreamed of a primary contest that didn't include two middle-aged white men?

Honestly, I really never thought of the Democratic contest in terms of a white woman versus a black man thing, but many do, and I know that this has garnered much debate in the feminist community. I know that my late mother, who held consciousness raising and assertiveness training sessions in our paneled suburban club basement in the 70s, would be beside herself just knowing that a woman was running and actually did/does have a shot at becoming president. I know that I, too, would like to see a female president in my lifetime, although I'm unsure if it should be this female. But, I so don't want to go there now.

Anyway, if the feminist aspects of this amazing primary contest interests you, I would strongly suggest reading a blog post by the Zaftig Redhead (really, how can anyone think a blog by that name could be anything other than interesting?) called Divisive Primary Hold Potential Fallout for Women's Rights Community. And, despite my comment about just knowing that my mother would be out in force for Hillary, Zaftig Redhead's analysis doesn't just talk about the split in terms of generational differences, or first versus fifteenth wave feminism.

So, there you have it. Loads going on these days, and a few long nights waiting for results and next steps lie ahead.

waiting and tired

Ok, let's not start on a negative note. That is not the Three Stone Steps way. But, I find myself waiting a great deal. In fact, I feel as though I've been waiting so much that I have the Kinks song in my head.....but, I'm not tired of waiting for YOU, really....I'm just a little tired and I feel as though a lot of waiting.





The Kinks - Tired Of Waiting For You


So, what I am waiting for? It's noting existential. I'm waiting for a new shipment of messenger bags, wallets, big bags, little bags, and jewelry rolls to make it from Cambodia to Three Stone Steps' world wide headquarters here in lovely Baltimore, Maryland USA.

And, here in Maryland, yesterday we had, what the talking heads were fond of calling the Potomac Primary. (What would they have done if the river not touching the three jurisdictions of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia not started with a "p?" I think they loved the alliteration....) Anyway, I digress. Being the political nerd that I am, I was waiting, waiting for election results. Unfortunately, here in the land of Three Stone Steps world headquarters, we were slammed by a nasty ice storm, so a judge decided the polls should be open an extra 90 minutes (a move that I applaud by the way), which delayed my scrutinizing the results for an entire hour and a half.

Other than that, I'm waiting for a few phone calls and emails to be returned.

It's not all that bad, since this waiting and tired spell of mine (it's just today) made me realize just how much I actually liked the Kinks!

Back soon in a rosy mood!

Thoughts on Burma

While I've traveled fairly extensively in South East Asia, I've never been to Burma/Myanmar. Most of this is due to the fact that I never really made up my mind whether travel to Burma is a good thing (i.e., it exposes locals living under the junta to people living in 'freer' societies, and helps with their dismal financial state) or that it really does prop up a truly repressive regime.

Although it seems to have been moved from the front pages, I really can't stop looking for news on the situation. I read in the New York Times blog today that apparently the deaths can be measured in the thousands, and not in the tens. I also read some expert in the region saying that it was "over."

Well, is it?
Is there nothing that we can do to help the situation there. Will traveling help?

And, I look at the photos, and think that I've been to many, many Buddist wats, but none that seem so lovely as the main one in Yangon.

I remain distressed, and helpless. If you can think of anything that regular people can do to help with this situation, please let me know.