Norway Tidbit

"In my country there are not really any stay at home moms.. we stay home the first 1-2 years .. part time dad does, part of the time mom does.. Its our culture.. equality among genders is big for us.. also in men having the right to be equal ;) .. like equal rights to parenthood =)"

--Norway business owner, 33-year old female.

A friend said this today to me online, when I asked her if she was a stay-at-home mom.  I was really impressed by the answer.

Dear USA, why can't we be more like this?

"Norway has been, in many regards, an early adopter of women's rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights.  For example, in 1990 Norway was the first country to recognize the ILO-convention 169 on indigenous people, and in 1913 became one of the first countries to grant women universal suffrage (without conditions on civil status). It was also the first independent nation to allow women to run for elected office." (from Wikipedia)

Holy Bishop Glass Ceiling, Britain!

Many Christians were disappointed today when the Church of England voted to keep Bishop a male-only position.  Female priests currently account for 1/3 of clergy members in England, but they are still barred from higher offices in the church, like Bishop, Cardinal and Pope.

"More than 70 percent of the 446 synod votes on Tuesday were in favor of opening the church’s episcopacy to women."  But because of the way the synod is divided into voting blocks, and each block requires a 2-thirds majority to pass the vote, 6 votes in the "laity house" block kept this vote from passing.  The "laity house" is made up of non-clergy churchgoers, voted as local representatives by their home church.

The Church clergy has not expressed much support for this vote outcome, stating "We have, as a result of yesterday, undoubtedly lost a measure of credibility in our society." So it may be that the churchgoers are more against women bishops than the church leaders.


In response, a petition has started circulating, asking for the governing seats that the Church Bishops hold in the British House of Lords to be removed.  If Bishops can only be men, they they have no place in government council seats, seems to be the idea behind this petition.
Well, at least the next time someone says, "we don't need feminism anymore, men and women are clearly equal!" you'll have a nice retort.

Obama "Thanks" His Supporters

So, having recently won a second term in the US Presidential office, Obama made a hearty speech today, thanking all the voters who supported him and promising to stand up for their values.  Given that our country has sunken into deeper economic decline during his first term, and important social programs like Medicare & Social Security are on the chopping block, while we continue to spend billions of $ expanding our wars abroad, it's good to know the President is ready to fight for the American people:

"The president, speaking from a White House phone, cautioned listeners to expect disappointments during his second term. As he has in the past, Obama warned that he was prepared to swallow some bitter pills during the negotiations, including some that would agitate the base."

Shortly after this "thank you" speech, Obama ran off to meet with "a cadre of corporate CEOs...to discuss their budget ideas."

Do you think he also told these CEOs to "expect disappointments" and "swallow some bitter pills?"  Somehow, I think not.

I guess Obama-voters should be glad they got at least 1 week after the election to feel fuzzy and good, before he crushed their hopes and dreams with brutal honesty.  "Thanks for your votes, guys, but now I'll be thanking my REAL supporters."

I mean, Obama just has his priorities straight.  Sure, votes are good, but he couldn't have possibly won that election without campaign financing.  There will always be American citizens wanting "change," but you can't convince them that you are the change they want without a really good PR campaign!