This evening, New Year's eve, December 31, 2009, we'll have a blue moon. Contrary to what some believe, there is no real noticeable difference between a Blue moon and a regular moon. The term Blue Moon refers to when there is a second full moon in the same calendar month. In the past, every full moon throughout the year was given a folk name.
"According to some folktales during a full blue moon, the moon was said to have a face and talked to those in its light. Some pagan beliefs hold the second full moon in a calendar month holds the knowledge of the Goddess and contains very powerful three-fold the energy of a regular full moon. Special rites and rituals were held only on a blue moon night. Sill other traditions believe the different moon phases represent the transition of knowledge within the Goddess. The maiden is represented by the waning moon, the full moon represents the mother goddess and the waxing moon the grandmother goddess or crone. When the blue moon enters the cycle it is said to be the transition of the crone to the divine level of existence or the great transition."
It's that time of year again. The new year is here and everyone decides that this is the year that they will......well, fill in the blank with just about anything you can think of. I have stopped making these promises to myself. Well, mostly.
My new thing is to just say that I will do my best to do my best. Yeah, it sounds kinda wishy-washy but it isn't...really.
I mean, hey, if everyone did their best....I would like to think that things_life_ the world_ would be a little better.
Of course, that's in my world (y'all can join me there if you wish....we're a friendly group!).
For those of you who wish to make a resolution for the new year, here of some of the ones that I would make....if I were making resolutions which of course I am not....Anyhoo here are some good ones:
exercise more eat better save money improve grades (for all you students of all ages) learn something new (such as a foreign language or music) become more organized (hmmm...I just threw that in for kicks) reduce stress (no stress in my world...join us) be less grumpy (everybody oughta try this one) maintain a diary (always nice to look back on later) Volunteer to help others....okay this one is serious. Heck, I might even break my no resolution rule for it....I'll think about it.
This is a wonderful cartoon! Although is from 1939 it's still relevant today. The following information was written on youtube by XmasFLIX.blogspot.com :
Peace On Earth (1939) Christmas Classic MGM War Cartoon. Academy Award Nominee for Best Short Subject (Cartoon), 1940. Originally Released on December 09, 1939.
On Christmas Eve, two squirrel children ask their grandfather what men are. He describes them, then narrates the story of how humanity destroyed itself by war, as chilling scenes of armed conflict play on the screen. After the last human dies, the animals take their war implements and build homes from them, to live forever in peace.
Peace on Earth is a one-reel 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short directed by Hugh Harman, about a post-apocalyptic world populated only by animals. The only cartoon ever nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! It was broadcast in the US just after Germany had pre-emptively invaded Poland, a protest against Bush-Iraq-style pre-emptive wars, and before the US was attacked at Pearl Harbor and thus entered WWII.
At first glance this looks like just another typically Disney-esque cartoons featuring cute animals, but once you see those battle scenes you can see that it is so much more than that. This is an anti-war tale with well animated battle scenes that are scary as anything else that has been seen on the silver screen. Those scenes are very unsettling and tapped into the fears that many people held as Europe was at war with itself. This film was nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for an animated short feature (it lost to Disneys "The Ugly Duckling") and was also, according to Hugh Harmon, nominated for the 1940 Nobel Peace Prize. Unfortunately the 1940 Nobel Prizes were cancelled because of World War II, so it did not win or lose that award.
Fifteen years before this release, Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising were employees of Walt Disney -- in Kansas City. Disneys first animation studio was in that midwestern city and it was, ultimately, a failure. Following the companys demise -- and with dreams of becoming a live-action director -- Walt headed west. After shuffling around Los Angeles for a while, Disney realized that his best prospect for making a living was the cartoon business.
World War II was barely four months old when Peace landed on theater screens. Given the fact that a mood of patriotism and sacrifice was soon to grip the United States, the cartoons unapologetically anti-war stance is surprising. In the short, woodland creatures elebrate the Christmas season. Two squirrel children stumble over the lyric peace on earth/good will to men because they have no idea what men are. Grampa squirrel explains that all of the men are gone; they succumbed to the fever of war and annihilated one another. Woodland creatures rebuild civilization and mourn their loss.
Walt Disneys most notable cartoon series in those early days featured Oswald the Lucky Rabbit -- a character he did not own. The shorts were produced by a man named Charles Mintz and distributed by Universal Pictures. In 1928, after strong-arming Disney over an extended period with increasingly unfavorable business terms, Mintz took Oswald away from Walt -- along with most of Walts animators. Mintz housed these artists in a new studio designed expressly to produce the Oswald cartoons without Disneys involvement. Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising were two of the many defectors.
In a rare instance of karmic justice, Universal elected to create its own in-house cartoon studio and leave Charles Mintz high and dry. This turn of events left Harman and Ising unemployed, but they soon formed a partnership with producer Leon Schlesinger and founded Warner Brothers Animation. Harman launched a series called Looney Tunes and Ising a series called Merrie Melodies. Although these labels would one day feature such cartoon stars as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, Harman and Ising were not around to see it -- they departed Warner Brothers in 1933 in a dispute over production budgets.
In 1934, Harman and Ising helped found MGMs cartoon studio and proceeded to repeat history. They were fired as studio heads and were no longer in charge when MGM Animation achieved the things which made it famous (most notably the Tom and Jerry series of cartoons and surreal shorts of Tex Avery). MGM later rehired the men as directors, and it was under this arrangement that Peace on Earth was produced.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera remade the cartoon in CinemaScope in 1955. This post-World War II version of the film, entitled Good Will to Men, featured updated and even more destructive forms of warfare technology such as flamethrowers, bazookas, and nuclear weapons. The new Hanna-Barbera version was also nominated for the Best Short Subjects Oscar.
Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon
Somehow, not only for Christmas But all the long year through The joy that you give to others Is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing The poor and lonely and sad, The more of your heart's possessing Returns to you glad. John Greenleaf Whittier
Oooo! Ooooo! Yesterday's showing of A Christmas Carol made me think of my other fave holiday movies. Here's a Marvelous Musical Moment (don't you just love alliteration) from "A Muppet Christmas Carol".
One of my favorite Christmas movies is on tonight! The 1938 version of A Christmas Carol ! I just love the black and white version. For some reason is just says Christmas to me.
Here's part 1 of another holiday favorite... Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol
Okay, since I know everyone doesn't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving, I'm sending out two greetings today. So, no matter what you're doing, have a fabulous day!
Yes, I did mean Halloween Happy! I am Halloween Happy....I love to do all kinds of Halloween stuff...probably because I love the color ORANGE!! and Black is a good color too! So here are some cool Halloween things....Enjoy!
Love what this woman has done with nails
Here's an old fashioned Halloween with Betty Boop
A Halloween Classic.....Monster Mash!
Of course You MUST watch Michael Jackson's THRILLER!...here's the link
In honor of my ...FINALLY...packing up my stuff again, and moving...I'm playing all of my favorite traveling, moving, etc. songs. Here are the first songs that came to mind....more tomorrow.
Pssst! Anyone notice that all the traveling songs seem to be by men? Is it just me? Or maybe there are some by women and I just don't know them...pooh.
A young girl was trudging along a mountain path, trying to reach her grandmother's house. It was bitter cold, and the wind cut like a knife. When she was within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet.
Looking down, she saw a snake. Before she could move, the snake spoke to her. He said, "I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please put me under your coat and take me with you."
"No," replied the girl. "I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous."
"No, no," said the snake. "If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently."
The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over. She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had to admit that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen.
Suddenly, she said, "I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to be treated with kindness."
The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her coat and proceeded toward her grandmother's house.
Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her.
"How could you do this to me?" she cried. "You promised that you would not bite me, and I trusted you!"
"You knew what I was when you picked me up," hissed the snake as he slithered away.
(course in my version the man/woman/child then uses her last bits of strength to beat/stomp the crap out of the snake before she dies...saying if I gotta go so do you......apparently I'm not all that nice)
Here's the musical version of this story. Love this song but not too crazy about the graphics!
On her way to work one morning Down the path along side the lake A tender hearted woman saw a poor half frozen snake His pretty colored skin had been all frosted with the dew "Oh well," she cried, "I'll take you in and I'll take care of you"
"Take me in tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake.
Now she wrapped him all cozy in a coverture of silk And then laid him by the fireside with some honey and some milk Now she hurried home from work that night as soon as she arrived She found that pretty snake she'd taken to had been revived.
"Take me in, oh tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake
She clutched him to her bosom, "You're so beautiful," she cried "But if I hadn't brought you in, by now you might have died" Now she stroked his pretty skin again and then kissed and held him tight But instead of saying thanks, the snake gave her a vicious bite!
"Take me in, oh tender woman Take me in for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake.
"Now I saved you," cried the woman And you've bit me, even why? And you know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die" "Ah shut up, silly woman," said that reptile with a grin “Now you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in "
Please, take me in, oh tender woman Take me in, for heaven's sake Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake, sighed the snake
“Take me in tender woman “Come on in you pretty snake… Come on in, yeah, come on in you pretty snake…
I love Lambert Hendricks and Ross! Semonette is a fab song....I'm not all that crazy about the images used in the vid but just do what I do and listen to the music.
Here's LH&R live in 1961, with O.C. Smith, singing "Everyday I Have the Blues".
This is Jon Hendricks reencarnation of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross trio live on Vitoria (July 19th 1991). They're singing "Come On Home". The lyrics were written by Jon Hendricks. Vocals by Jon Hendrick, Kevin Fitzgerald Burke, Aria Hendricks (Jon's daughter) and Judith Hendricks (Jon's wife).
Alright y'all! Time for some good ole blues!! Not that I have the blues...nope, I'm more likely to have the Oranges! This is from the "Three Mo' Tenors" special...I love these guys!
Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Anderson
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ~Robert Byrne
The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth. ~Chinese Proverb
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~Elwyn Brooks White
Life is simple, its just not easy. ~Author Unknown
A life without cause is a life without effect. ~Barbarella
Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't. ~Richard Bach
Don't go changing to try and please me, you never let me down before... Don't imagine you're too familiar and I don't see you anymore...
I could not leave you in times of trouble, we never would've come this far... I took the good times, I'll take the bad times, I'll take you just the way you are...
Don't go trying some new fashion, don't change the color of your hair... You always have my unspoken passion although I might not seem to care...
I don't want clever conversation, I never want to work that hard... I just want someone that I can talk to, I want you just the way you are...
I need to know that you will always be the same old someone that I knew... Ah, what will it take till you believe in me the way that I believe in you?
I said 'I love you', and that's forever, and this I promise from the heart... I could not love you any better, I love you just the way you are...
I don't want clever conversation, no, no, I never want to work that hard... I just want someone that I can talk to, I want you just the way you are oh oh oh ...
Chinese Deaf Dance Group - The Thousand Hands of Buddha
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart A thousand hands will naturally come to your aid As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart You will reach out with a thousand hands to help others
I put this vid up because you can actually see people on the side directing movements
I love this song! It suddenly popped into my head this evening. I enjoy a good musical and FAME was pretty good. I forget when it came out...in the 80's I think (I don't feel like looking it up, sorry). Enjoy this song and sing along :-)
Here's your bonus vid...Out Here on My Own..with a very young Irene Cara.
Good Grief!! First there was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it came out in April of this year and I read it (here's my blog on that book).
It's actually a fun, though strange, book, especially if you know P&P backwards and forwards.
But noooow....we have Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange.
Just when you think it's safe to go back to the bookstore!
Apparently Ms. Grange starts her story where Pride and Prejudice ends and introduces a dark Darcy family curse. Okay, like....how the heck did we miss that the man was a vampyre??? I'm sure she explains it.
Ms Grange also wrote Mr. Darcy's Diary which I have read. It was okay not my favorite Mr Darcy background book. The best of those might be Pamela Aidan's trilogy of books in the Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman series. I enjoyed Ms. Aidan's books, there are three of them, and read them simultaneously while rereading P&P.
Mr Darcy, Vampyre comes out in August. I doubt if I will be able to stop myself from reading it. Hopefully it will be as fun and lighthearted as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I wonder what's next???? Elizabeth Bennet-Darcy, Werewolf????
I love Cary Grant! I had no idea that he had been considered for the part of James Bond. Wow! I mean, I can not at this point think of anyone as being the James Bond except for Sean Connery but I bet Cary would have been smooooooooth!
I especially loved him in: The Philadelphia Story (1940 my favorite!) His Girl Friday (1940) The Bishop's Wife (1947) To Catch a Thief (1955) An Affair to Remember (1957)
So check out his Bond like scenes from various movies.
Don't even pretend girl! You know you loooove Michael Jackson...well, the old, original Michael Jackson. I was checkin' out youtube, I really need to stay away from there, when I found these and I know you wanted to see them. Have fun!!
A tribute to the Jackson Five...check out the clothes and the moves!
Oh yeah!! Classic J5..and that hat on Michael is fierce!! :P
This is supposed to be the first televised performance of "ABC".
I wanna be your Sugar Daddy...
The Jackson 5 with Vicki Lawrence on the Carol Burnett Show.
Oooo...the J5 on Sonny and Cher.
We can't forget the Jackson 5 cartoon series....
Wow! I have never seen this one...it's either fabulous or really weird. And it has Janice and Randy!
Okay...this is really cool! I have always liked Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal vid. The dancing is just fabulous!!! But check out the second vid where some brilliant person put old clips of Fred Astaire, Cyd Charise and others dancing to Smooth Criminal. It's Brilliant!!!
I just found out about this new book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It just came out in April. At first, I was in shock but then asked myself why??? I mean, really, nothing is sacred...anyone who has read Christopher Moore's Lamb knows that(I have to admit that the book was funny).
So, why should I be surprised that someone added zombies to Pride and Prejudice???
You may have guessed by now that I am a HUGE Pride and Prejudice fan. I have read the book countless time.
I have the audiobook which I have listened too so many time that I think I can say the lines with the characters now (okay not all of them just Elizabeth and maybe a few of Darcy's).
I love the mini series version of P&P that the BBC put out in.....I think it came out in 1995. The 2005 movie version was too, too dark for me
And I have read many of the P&P continuations. My fave is Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. That book was fabulous!!!
Anyhoo, I read a few reviews of the new PP&Z and it doesn't sound half bad. I suppose, I will HAVE to go buy the book and read it
Dang it!! I just left the bookstore 2 hours ago...aaaand I had a coupon!!!
The first line of the book is.....
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."
Too, too funny!!! Especially if you have the first line memorized.
Here's what Amazon has to say about the book.....
So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.
Here are a few scenes from the BBC mini series set to one of my fave songs!!
OMG!! The very best scene....the end when they FINALLY get together!
Love, Laughter, Peace, Blessings and watch out for zombies!!!
Is there something mystical or magical about 4 a.m. ??? The poet Rives takes us into the amazing series of coincidences surrounding that most surreal of hours, 4 o'clock in the morning.
Uh huh....what, you say, has this to do with your topic??
Well, first, I do really love my new Ipod...really! And because I love it and it holds 120 gigs of stuff... I had to find more stuff to put on it.
Okay, okay...I'm getting to my point.
Soooo, I didn't have anymore music and I turned to podcasts. Why? Cause they're usually free...duh...(I'm getting there)
So, I found out that ITunes had added some of my fave vids for free download.....TEDTalks!!!
aaaaand...one of the TEDTalks I downloaded was a vid called The Brain in Love (see I told you I was getting to it )
A little synchronicity here...I was just emailing a friend about love and obsession the other day...so I figure I would share it with you...cause I luv ya!!
Hope y'all enjoy the vid....Love, Laughter, Peace and Blessings! La
About this talk (vid) Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love -- and people who had just been dumped. About Helen Fisher Anthropologist Helen Fisher studies gender differences and the evolution of human emotions. She's best known as an expert on romantic love...
Yea!! I know that all of you are just soooo excited about this announcement. And you should be....here is your excuse to quote poetry to folks you know and even those you don't...know. Yep, you have my permission (I know you've been waiting for it) to randomly quote poetry to any and everyone. Full poems, scraps of poems, children's poems....whatever works for you! Alrighty then! Now that I've made that announcement, here are a few of my fave poems and throughout the month I will be throwing up a few more....Enjoy!!
"I'm Nobody"
I ’M nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell! They ’d banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody! How public, like a frog To tell your name the livelong day To an admiring bog!
Emily Dickenson
"Daffodils"
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretch'd in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
"A Dream Deferred"
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Langston Hughes
"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies.
I say, It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.
I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees.
I say, It's the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them They say they still can't see.
I say, It's in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing It ought to make you proud.
I say, It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need of my care, 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Ewwww...that sounds kinda gross and pointless! But anyway, I'll make this short and sweet...sorta. So, unless you live under a rock or just avoid all news and most people, you most likely know about the big bruhaha with AIG and the bonuses they gave to certain employees. This has been talked to death...everywhere! Sooooooo, all I wanted to say was: When was the last time any of you received a "raise" much less a "bonus" for doing a FABULOUS job much less for doing a really crappy one???? Just wondering......
Alright Women!!! This is OUR month!! So let's celebrate, learn something and spread a little or a lot of knowledge!!
Women's History Month The public celebration of women's history in this country began in 1978 as "Women's History Week" in Sonoma County, California. The week including March 8, International Women's Day, was selected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.
Women's HistoryTrivia National Women's History Month's roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation.
As of Oct. 1, 2008, there are 154.7 million females in the United States. The number of males was 150.6 million. At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men.
Ann Teresa Mathews 1715 - First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband
Mary Katherine Goddard 1775 - First woman postmaster
Betsy Ross 1776/77 - First person to be a U.S. flagmaker
Hannah Adams 1784 - First woman to become professional writer
Lucy Brewer 1812 - First woman marine
Elizabeth Blackwell 1849 - First woman to receive a medical degree
Amelia Jenks Bloomer 1849 - Publisher/editor of first prominent women's rights newspaper
Harriet Tubman 1850 - First woman to run underground railroad to help slaves escape
Lucy Hobbs 1866 - First woman to graduate from dental school
Susan B. Anthony 1869 - Co-Founder of first US woman's suffrage organization
Arabella Mansfield Babb 1869 - First woman admitted to the bar
Frances Elizabeth Willard 1871 - First woman to become a college president (Evanston College)
Victoria Chaflin Woodhull 1872 - First woman to be presidential candidate
Helen Magill 1877 - First woman to receive a Ph.D. degree (Boston University)
Belva Ann Lockwood 1879 - First woman to practice law before U.S. Supreme Court
Clara Barton 1881 - Founder of the American Red Cross
Maud Booth 1887/96 - Co-Founder of Salvation Army and Volunteers of America
Suzanna Madora Salter 1887 - First woman mayor (Argonia, Kansas)
Mary McLeod Bethune 1904 - First woman to establish secondary school that became 4-year accredited college
Mary McLeod Bethune 1935 - Founder of National Council of Negro Women
Blanche Scott 1910 - First woman to fly an airplane
Jeannette Rankin 1916 - First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana)
Kate Gleason 1917 - First woman president of a national bank
Jeannette Rankin 1917 - First woman in Congress
Florence E. Allen 1920 - First woman judge
Hallie Ferguson 1924 - First woman governor of U. S. state (Texas)
Katherine Bement Davis 1929 - First person to conduct national survey of sexual attitudes
Jane Addams 1931 - First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Hattie Wyatt Caraway 1932 - First woman elected to U.S. Senate
Amelia Earhart 1932 - First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
Bessie Coleman 1921 - First black woman in the world to earn an aviator's license
Ruth Bran Owen 1933 - First woman foreign diplomat
Pearl S. Buck 1935 - First woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature
Hattie McDaniel 1939 - First African-American of any gender to win an Academy Award (she won for Best Supporting Actress in the film, Gone with the Wind)
Linda Darnell 1941 - First woman to sell securities on the New York Stock Curb Exchange
Conchita V. Cintron 1949 - First U.S. woman bullfighter in Spain
Georgia Nesse Clark 1949 - First woman treasurer of the United States
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova 1963 - First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6
Muriel Siebert 1967 - First woman to own seat on the New York Stock Exchange
Janice Lee York Romary 1968 - First woman to carry U.S. flag at the Olympic Games
Mary Clarke 1978 - First woman to be named major general in U.S. Army
Ella Grasso 1978 - First woman governor to be re-elected (Connecticut)
Sandra Day O'Connor - 1981 First woman a justice of the U. S. Supreme Court
Sally Kristen Ride 1983 - First American woman to reach outer space
Joan Benoit (Samuelson) 1984 - First woman to win an Olympic marathon
Penny Harrington 1985 - First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR)
Ann Bancroft 1986 - First woman to walk to North Pole
Christa McAuliffe 1986 - First woman citizen passenger on a space mission
Lt. Col. Eileen Collins 1995 - First American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle
Madeleine K. Albright 1997 - First woman Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in the U.S. government
Hillary Rodham Clinton 2000 - Only First Lady ever elected to the United States Senate
Halle Berry 2002 - First African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar
Condoleezza Rice 2005 - First African-American woman to be appointed Secretary of State
Nancy Pelosi 2007 - First woman to become Speaker of the House
Why do we need Theatre in our schools? (I knew you would ask) Here are a few of the reasons:
DRAMA IMPROVES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama involvement and academic achievement. In addition to having higher standardized test scores than their peers who do not experience the arts, student who participate in drama often experience improved reading comprehension, maintain better attendance records, and stay generally more engaged in school than their non-arts counterparts. Schools with arts-integrated programs, even in low-income areas, report high academic achievement.
DRAMA STUDENTS OUTPERFORM NON-ARTS PEERS ON SAT TESTS The College Entrance Examination Board reported student scores from 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 using data from the Student Description Questionnaire indicating student involvement in various activities, including the arts. As compared to their peers with no arts coursework or involvement:
Students involved in drama performance scored an average of 65.5 points higher on the verbal component and 35.5 points higher in the math component of the SAT
Students who took courses in drama study or appreciation scored, on average, 55 points higher on verbal and 26 points higher on math than their non-arts classmates.
In 2005, students involved in drama performance outscored the national average SAT score by 35 points on the verbal portion and 24 points on the math section.
ATTENDANCE Research indicates that involvement in the arts increases student engagement and encourages consistent attendance, and that drop-out rates correlate with student levels of involvement in the arts .
- Students considered to be at high risk for dropping out of high school cite drama and other arts classes as their motivations for staying in school.
- Students who participate in the arts are 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance than those who do not.
READING COMPREHENSION From learning to read to the in-depth study of Shakespearean literature, drama can play a significant role in the continual development of students’ reading comprehension skills. Studies indicate that not only do the performance of a story and a number of other drama activities in the classroom contribute to a student’s understanding of the work performed, but these experiences also help them to develop a better understanding of other works and of language and expression in general. The results below were gleaned from studies where educators and students alike noticed a difference when drama played a part in their classrooms,
- A series of studies on the arts and education revealed a consistent causal link between performing texts in the classroom and the improvement of a variety of verbal skills, including especially significant increases in story recall and understanding of written material.
- Performance of Shakespeare texts helps to improve students’ understanding of other complex texts including science and math material .
- Drama can improve reading skills and comprehension better than other activities, including discussion .
BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH DRAMA In addition to building social and communication skills overall, involvement in drama courses and performance has been shown to improve students’ self-esteem as well as their confidence in their academic abilities.
- High school students who are highly involved in drama demonstrate an elevated self-concept over those who are not involved .
- Playwriting original works and dramatic presentation of existing works can help to build the self-esteem and communication skills of high school students.
- The act of performing can help students and youth recognize their potential for success and improve their confidence .
BRIDGING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, there has been a national focus on closing the “achievement gap” between students of varying abilities, socioeconomic status, and geographies among other factors that may directly or indirectly affect a student’s academic success. The arts, including drama, address this issue by catering to different styles of learning, and engaging students who might not otherwise take significant interest in academics. Additionally, research indicates that drama courses and performance have a particularly positive effect on at-risk youth and students with learning disabilities.
- A study published in Champions of Change (1999) cites theatre arts, including performance, classes, and participation in a drama club, as a source for “gains in reading proficiency, gains in self-concept and motivation, and higher levels of empathy and tolerance towards others” among youth of low socio-economic status .
- Drama activities can improve and help to maintain social and language skills of students with learning disabilities and remedial readers .
- Improvisational drama contributes to improved reading achievement and attitude in disadvantaged students .
I found these entertaining vids, on Youtube of course, put out by the Americans for the Arts.
FYI.... Children involved in "any" of the arts improve thier overall academic performance.
Research shows that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
Kids involved in the arts develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more.
Studying the "arts"..... helps teach kids to be more tolerant and open; allows kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence; keeps students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.
