estrogen

It’s My Turn!

Thanks a lot Linda, you just had to bring up our dirty laundry didn’t you!!!  Just when I was trying to decide what my second blog should be about :-)
The story on HD33 goes all the way back to the Caucus in January of 2008.  My precinct was meeting at McKinley Middle School.  I was [...]

Cedar Rapids residents, don’t forget to vote today!

Cedar Rapids residents who live in Iowa House District 33 have an opportunity today to vote in a special election. Candidates are:

Kirsten Running-Marquardt, Democrat
Joshua Thurston, Republican

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and a list of voting locations is available on the Linn County Auditor’s Web site.
House District 33 includes [...]

Making a Difference in the Life of a Child

I just watched an incredible documentary on the Independent Film Channel about the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Wow.  What an awesome legacy Mr. and Mrs. Hershey left for their community. 
An introduction on their website is below.  mhs-pa.org .
“At Milton Hershey School®, we believe that all students can be successful.
We know that in order to [...]

It’s way past time to end juvenile, sexist cracks against female politicians

Let’s pretend for a moment that U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley or Sen. Tom Harkin was able to land in an uncomfortable, yet potentially advantageous position on a piece of legislation. In this hypothetical, both men would be simultaneously courted and despised by both sides, but also in a unique position to make a change within [...]

Best political quote of the day

Pres. Barack Obama carried on the White House tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey today, sending the bird, “Courage,” off to be grand marshal of a holiday parade. In doing so, he said this:
“… You know, there are certain days that remind me of why I ran for this office. And then there are [...]

Flood Victims Speak Out

Mayor
Elect Ron Corbett’s Listening Session with Flood Victims
IBEW
Building, Cedar Rapids, December 3, 2009
The
following notes are taken from Tweets I sent out during the meeting.  I have rearranged them so [...]

Perhaps it is time…

Ellen, who posts on the Choices Campus Blog, has spent the past semester studying in Sweden and brings word of a movement in that country — The Feminist Initiative (F!). It is a feminist political party, launched in 2005 in a country that has had a history of progressive policies in relation to gender.
Here’s the [...]

Check out Patty Judge’s blog

Want to follow Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge as she travels the state promoting the I-JOBS initiative? Check out Patty’s new blog and you can do just that?
From the press release:
Lt. Governor Patty Judge is on the road today promoting the Culver/Judge I-JOBS initiative, and now Iowans can follow along from the comfort [...]

Another litmus test?

Joni Scotter of Marion is a member of the Iowa Republican Party’s State Central Committee.  She has recently come under attack for choosing to be a member of Terry Branstad’s corridor campaign committee.
The by-laws of the Party do not say anything about members working or volunteering for campaigns.  Much like anything else, there are those [...]

Secretary of State 2 - The Sequel?

The fire blazing in the room at Java Creek Cafe was not the only heat when former Governor Terry Branstad visited with Linn County GOP activists.  Rumors were spreading like hot embers through the room that Paul Pate is a candidate for Secretary of State.  A couple of Pate’s former staff members were in attendance, [...]

All I want for Christmas

If I could have a Christmas miracle it would be that the Iowa GOP would begin to listen to those of us who don’t put social issues as the most important issue to be focused on in the next legislative session.
So many of us are hurting.  Our families are suffering.  We are putting on a [...]

New City Council, New Year, New Resolution

It’s official.  Cedar Rapids has a new Mayor and several new City Council members.  I look forward to Wednesday’s meeting.  I want to see everything that Ron Corbett plans on bringing to the table. 
If you follow the Gazette you know that I ran for the seat in District 3.  I felt it was time [...]

Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am!

Ron Corbett is bringing his own, “the one Kay has is too small”.  Yep, he has his own gavel and it’s bigger!  Rick Smith with the Gazette has more of the conversation with the new Mayor here.
I am happy that Ron is willing to respond to citizens speaking in public, on the record, to [...]

An update & my thanks

Because this post, which is personal in nature, can be a trigger for readers who have suffered the death of a child, I’m placing it behind the link.

In December, just as Iowa was experiencing its first big blizzard and I
was hard at work beside my [...]

Iowa politics needs an estrogen injection

It’s been said that women become involved in politics when they are invited to participate. Please consider this your invitation.
Today, at 1 p.m., Iowans from all walks of life will meet in school gyms, churches, community centers and household basements. They will gather to begin a very important process that too often gets lost [...]

Scientists confirm it: Santa’s reindeer are female

Deer experts at the University of Alaska have studied the various depictions of Santa’s reindeer and have concluded that the whole team — from Vixen to Rudolph — are female. This is because reindeer, also known as caribou, are the only deer that feature antlers on both genders. Male reindeer shed their antlers prior to [...]

Musical takes aim at ovarian cancer

How would you like to be entertained and help fight ovarian cancer at the same time? You can do just that this January in Iowa City by purchasing tickets to “Menopause the Musical Out Loud.”
The production will have one showing only on Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Englert Theatre. Tickets are either [...]

On this day in 1846…

The good folks at the U.S. Census Bureau reminded me that:
Iowa became the 29th state to join the Union on
this day in 1846.
The name “Iowa” is derived from an American Indian
word meaning “the beautiful land,” and it’s thought that the nickname
“the Hawkeye State” is in honor of the famous Indian chief, Black Hawk.
Iowa [...]

Political Potpurri

I found these snippets when reading an old Reader’s Digest of my Grandmother.  When I say old, it is from October 1964.
Even though these snippets are from 44 years ago I think you will see not much has changed in politics =)

When State Sen. A. O. Rappelet of Galliano, LA., had three rivals running against him, [...]

Survey findings allude to gender disparities in higher education

Professors involved with the Modern Language Association’s survey of professors haven’t yet relinquished their full report, but they have provided a glimpse into some key findings.
Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed reports on what the professors had to say during a MLA annual meeting on Sunday about the gender disparities for faculty members in [...]