Three Women Win Nobel Peace Prize

Congratulations to all three women who won the Nobel Peace Prize. I wanted to share this story as it has only appeared briefly on the news and I love to share good news.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded jointly to three women - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. They were recognized for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work".

"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women achieve the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," said Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland in Oslo.

The Committee said it hoped the three-way award "will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realize the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent."

Only a dozen other women have received the Nobel Peace Prize among 85 men, as well as a number of organizations, who have won the prize over its 110-year history.

This is a victory for women's rights all over the world. Let's applaud these women for their achievements!

Here's to Tenacity, Resolve or just plain Stubbornness

Talk about a woman who never gives up. I recently read the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The novel, which became a bestseller was also made into a movie, which did a great job of representing the book.

I was shocked when a friend shared with me this article in which Stockett herself writes about how her novel was rejected sixty times before finally getting published - sixty! Can you imagine getting sixty rejection letters stating that your book - that you poured your heart into - isn't good enough to be published. And can you imagine each time deciding not to give up, editing the manuscript yet again determined to make it better and sending it back to yet another literary agent only to face more rejections.

Kathryn writes: "In the end, I received 60 rejections for The Help. But letter number 61 was the one that accepted me. After my five years of writing and three and a half years of rejection, an agent named Susan Ramer took pity on me. What if I had given up at 15? Or 40? Or even 60? Three weeks later, Susan sold The Help to Amy Einhorn Books."

I'm always encouraged by people who try and try, even when the odds seem to be against them. This just shows that it pays to never give up on what you believe in!

As a reader, I'm so glad Kathryn Stockett didn't give up!

 

The Help, Movie Trailer

Aiming High

As women in the United States of America, we may take our freedoms for granted. In this country we have the ability to do things that women in other parts of the world don’t: marry whom we choose, own property, get an education, drive.

That’s why one article I recently read got my attention – in fact, it was the photo that caught my eye first: four Afghan women wearing head coverings and military uniforms. 

The headline read: “Afghan officers are aiming high.”

These women are training to become their country’s first females piloting military helicopters.

“We’re going to open the door for ladies in Afghanistan,” said second Lt. Sourya Saleh. “It’s a big deal for us to open this door for the others. That these other ladies who have the dream and think they can do it, we want to show them.”

 

These women are fighting against the odds to pursue their dreams.

While Afghanistan remains a male-dominated culture, women there now go to school and work in offices. Having women pilots in the military will be a huge step not just for Afghanistan but for the entire Middle East.

 

With all of the negative news coming out of the Middle East, I’m excited to be able to share this story.

I wish these women the best of luck in their journey.

You can read the full story here

Ode to Abby Wambach and the U.S. Women's Soccer Team

Although our girls on the U.S. Soccer Team didn’t win the Women’s World Cup, their achievement is still one to be admired.

I felt hometown pride as Abby Wambach, a native of my hometown, tied the game against Brazil which they went on to win, and scored the winning goal over France and went on the World Cup Finals. Abby Wambach and her teammates are wonderful role models for young girls, exhibiting strength and determination. 

And what I love about Abby is her humble, down-to-earth attitude. Even winning an ESPY for “Best Play” of the year didn’t distract her from her goal.

“(You can’t) lose sight of what’s important, and what’s important is sticking together as a team, which has united us and we’ve grown stronger, to be honest.” Wambach was quoted as saying.

Abby may have scored the winning goal against France, affording the  U.S. team to go on for a chance at the World Cup, but she recognizes it was a team effort.

“If you have a ‘we’ mentality instead of the ‘me’ mentality, you’re more likely to win.”

That’s a mentality that applies both on the soccer field and in life.

Read more about Abby here in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle