A word for today

I came across this word recently: Pulchritude

pulchritude \PUL-kruh-tood; -tyood\, noun: That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness.

Want some more? Here are a couple of dictionary links:

http://www.wordreference.com/definition/pulchritude

http://www.wordsmith.org/words/pulchritude.html

Internet Freedom

Let's not let corporate America take away our Freedom of speech on the World Wide Web!!

The House of Representatives will soon vote on whether or not to preserve Internet freedom—and the fight to protect Network Neutrality is gaining huge momentum.

The SavetheInternet.com Coalition now has 524 member organizations, 637,386 petition signatures to Congress, 3,251 blog links, and 5,634 MySpace friends. We will only win this fight if the public is mobilized, Congress is bombarded from all angles, and word spreads around the Internet like prairie fire.

Here are some resources compiled by MoveOn.org you should check out today about the current threat to Internet freedom:

MoveOn's blogger resource page is full of facts and links to help you inform people about Net Neutrality:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1771&id=7594-6827355-AW6zb35XGn_qVT4_HmV71w&t=3

MoveOn member Mari Fetzer designed a FANTASTIC image with links to 5 things people can do today to preserve Internet freedom. The coding is available at the bottom of: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1769

Check these out! Several fun videos are now on the SavetheInternet.com Coalition website, including a great Halo mimick on Net Neutrality: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1770

Comedy site "Ask A Ninja" has a unique perspective on Net Neutrality: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1768

Mother's Day

I have not posted in a LONG time, but it is my plan to begin posting regularly again. Call me the reluctant blogger!

I want to share two upcoming events of interest for this coming Mother's Day:

The first is a Peace Vigil:

A Mother's Voice~The Power to Pacify!

~ Please join us on Mothers' Day ~A peaceful vigil to express opposition to the Iraq war ~ Monument Park ~ Central Street, Gardner, MA

12:00 - 3:00 PM

And the second is a Mother's Day Parade:

Mother's Day Parade

featuring a giant puppet "Great Mama" who will give birth to the world

attended by a band of belly dancers (myself included)

Downtown Northampton, MA

1:00 PM

Followed by a forum of birth professionals - midwives, doulas - and birth activists

in Pulaski Park

Many of you may already be aware of the origins of Mother's Day, but just in case you don't, let me tell you that before it was taken over as a "Hallmark" holiday, it was a political event organized by women to protest war. A friend recently sent me an eMail with a copy of Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day proclamation written in 1870, that I wanted to share.

Mothers' Day Proclamation:
Julia Ward Howe, 1870

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,whether our baptism be
that of water or of tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided
by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage,
for caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that
we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one
country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be
trained to injure theirs.

From the bosom of the devastated earth a
voice goes up with our own. It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not
the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate
possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of
war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest
day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the
dead. Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own
time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God. (Goddess?)

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I
earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may
be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest
period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different
nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and
general interests of peace.