2012 Conference of the National Organization for Women, Part I

I have been attending NOW conferences regularly for the past ten years. I believe the first was in 2001, the year I became Philadelphia NOW chapter President. At that point I felt an obligation to attend. I recall that at every one of these conferences NOW was engaged in soul-searching—how can we attract more young women, more women of color? The soul-searching continues.

If attendance at national NOW conferences is any indication, NOW has been more successful at attracting young women than women of color (of all ages). It seems that every year the number of women of color at national conferences is smaller. I checked my perception against that of other regular NOW conference attendees and they confirmed my perception. (Of course these are subjective recollections. I have no hard data to back this up.)

The number of young feminists at national conferences appears to have remained relatively constant over the past decade, but the faces change. While many older members tend to attend national conferences faithfully year after year, this is much less likely to be the case with younger members. NOW members in their sixties, seventies, and eighties have been involved in the organization for over three/four decades and they generally are intensely loyal to it; with younger members, identification with NOW is much less powerful. They are not necessarily convinced that membership in NOW is essential to the feminist project. If NOW is to survive and thrive it must build a diverse cadre of young feminists deeply committed to the organization.

One of the most powerful presentations at the conference was “Young Feminists Organizing.” NOW's young, dynamic Action Vice President Erin Matson opened the session with a tribute to young feminists: “Younger women are leading the feminist movement--online and in the streets.” She acknowledged the tremendous achievements of an older generation of feminists, but the suggestion was clear—-it’s time for generational change.

Sandra Fluke

The first panelist was Sandra Fluke, the young woman who has become a feminist rock star thanks to Rush Limbaugh’s response to her congressional testimony on access to contraception. Fluke thanked NOW for “having my back the past few months.” Like Matson, she focused on the contributions of young feminists: “Young feminists are on the move. If some were under the illusion that they were living in a post-feminist world, they have awakened from that.” Fluke suggested that NOW use the language of “gender equality” when trying to reach young people. She noted that younger women are concerned that stereotypes about masculinity may be oppressive to the young men in their lives—their brothers, partners and friends—and that young women and men might be more easily reached by using the language of gender equality. Fluke may be onto something here. I recall some of my Women’s Studies students at Community College of Philadelphia expressing a similar point.

Krystal Ball

The next speaker, former congressional candidate and MSNBC political commenter Krystal Ball, was introduced as the woman who made in it safe for the Facebook generation to run for office. Ball had forcefully pushed back against an attempt to use sexually explicit Facebook photos as a means of derailing her candidacy. Ball’s speech focused on young feminists’ response to Republican attacks on reproductive rights, including her campaign to boycott Rush Limbaugh because of his scurrilous attacks on Sandra Fluke. Ball stressed that the next battle will be against Republican governors who want to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid. As with many young feminists, Ball’s feminism is intertwined with a wide range of social justice issues.

Tamika Mallory

The third speaker, Tamika Mallory, discussed issues such as wage inequality and violence against women in the context of their impact on women of color. Mallory is the national executive director of one of the nation's leading civil rights organizations, National Action Network, founded by Reverend Al Sharpton. Just 31 years old, she is the youngest national executive director in the group's history. Mallory focused on voting rights issues, which she characterized as the major civil rights issue of the 21st century--one more battle we thought we had won in the 1960’s which we are fighting all over again.

For many young feminists, their feminism is intertwined with wide range of social justice issues. Of course many older feminists recognize the interconnections, but young feminists have often placed greater emphasis on the way gender justice is intertwined with issues of race, class and sexuality. It’s perhaps a testimony to the gains that women have made that young feminists can do this. In my book on second wave feminism, FEMINISM IN PHILADELPHIA: THE GLORY YEARS, 1968-1982, founding member Lillian Ciarrochi argued “NOW was established to end sexism against women … The focus had to be women, women.” She was making an argument similar to that made by many in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s--that it was necessary to focus laser-like on civil rights for African-Americans and not get distracted by other issues. She now sees the feminist movement as at different stage: “Now I think the other issues are all intertwined. We’ve always known that but we had to focus [on sexism] in that way, in the early 70s. If we hadn’t we wouldn’t have gotten as much done. It’s the same with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.”

Many younger feminists have taken Women’s Studies courses organized around the intersection of race, class, gender and sexuality and their approach to feminist organizing reflects this. Although NOW has evolved in its approach and for some time has focused on these interconnections, not all feminists and social movement historians have recognized the extent to which NOW has embraced a more complex, inclusive approach to gender justice.

NOW’s leadership is committed to an inclusive vision but has yet to figure out how to make the organization more attractive to a diverse group of young feminists and to women of color of all ages. The organization is currently involved in major effort to revamp its structure. I attended a series of workshop on “ Modernizing NOW” and had plenty of time to think about what structural changes would make NOW more attractive to a diverse group of young people. I got what I thought was a brilliant new idea—-NOW should become involved in the global feminist movement. When I shared my idea informally with others, I discovered that many people were thinking along the exact same lines, suggesting this is an idea whose time has come.

NOW is a national organization with a domestic agenda. When NOW was founded in 1966 there was no visible global feminist movement. Much has changed in 46 years, including the capacity to connect with feminist organizations around the globe. NOW’s programming at national conferences reflects this. Among the workshops were several which placed feminist issues in global context: “Sex Trafficking - A Growing Criminal Industry that Harms Women, Children”; “Women Workers of the World: Unite to Fight for Our Dignity and Our Rights!” and the plenary session with Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.

However, NOW has no organizational connections with the global feminist movement. It’s not at all clear how such connections could be forged. It’s not like there is one over-arching global feminist organization with which NOW could affiliate. But if we were to figure out how to do this I think NOW would be a lot more attractive to a diverse group of women. Many recent immigrants—-from Africa and the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia—have a global perspective and a reconfigured NOW with an international dimension might be more attractive to such women. Also younger women whose education is increasingly international in orientation—-e.g., all those study abroad programs—-might be more receptive to a feminist organization directly involved in the global feminist movement. This is an issue the committee charged with recommendations to “modernize” NOW’s structure should seriously consider.

I didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed by the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.

I didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed by the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. I burst into tears when I heard the news. (Those on the other side were no doubt bursting into tears as well.) Fortunately, I missed the erroneous CNN report which announced that the Supreme Court had ruled against ACA and got the news when the decision in favor of ACA had been announced.

It wasn’t all good news. I’m worried that allowing states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion and still keep existing federal funding will leave a lot of people uncovered, but there is time to work on this and as Ruth Ginsberg said, “In the end, the Affordable Care Act survives largely unscathed.”

As usual, one of the best analyses was Paul Krugman’s :

In short, unless you belong to that tiny class of wealthy Americans who are insulated and isolated from the realities of most people’s lives, the winners from that Supreme Court decision are your friends, your relatives, the people you work with — and, very likely, you. For almost all of us stand to benefit from making America a kinder and more decent society.

Also the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Annette John-Hall didn’t pull any punches and said what so many pundits have danced around:

What baffles me the most is that almost every poll indicates that while most Americans support many of the measures in the Affordable Care Act, more than half want to see it repealed, including seniors who stand to benefit the most. For sure, the president didn't do the best job explaining the health-care law. And yet there's that element that chooses to blind itself with hatred for the black guy in the White House. Even if it kills them.

I think I will always remember where I was when I learned that the ACA had been upheld.

The Walled City of Carcassone: The Langue d’Oc Diaries, Part I

It felt really good to be back in France—we hadn’t been there since our sabbatical in 1999. Before that we went almost every year concentrating on one small region at a time. Southwestern France was one of regions where we had spent relatively little time. We were in Toulouse sometime in the mid 1980’s, but it was so hellishly hot we fled after one day. During our working years we could only travel during the summer or the winter holiday break. One of the great pleasures of retirement is the ability to travel off-season, when the prices are lower, the crowds fewer, and when it’s much easier to snag an airline upgrade.

We decided to combine Barcelona with Southwestern France—-once one cultural region before there were such entities as France and Spain. I had planned to read Montaillou, a social history of a small town in the region during the Middle Ages. No surprise, I never got around to it, despite Rick’s owning a copy. Fortunately Rick knows a lot about the history of the region and filled me in on the key points. I had also planned to review some French grammar before the trip, but never got around to that either. Rick speaks French really, really well and since he’s so good with languages, it’s very easy for me to fall into the trap of linguistic laziness.

The French are trying to revive the old language of the region and I was surprised to see all the street signs in Carcassonne in Langue d’Oc. The old walled city of Carcassonne is definitely worth a day and also worth staying overnight to see the castle and ramparts illuminated at night. Unfortunately, you have to walk through a gauntlet of gift shops as you enter the old medieval town, but then tourism pays for the preservation of the site. Carcassonne had been a major political /cultural center in the Middle Ages, but had been abandoned and in a state of disrepair until one of my heroes, historical preservationist Eugene Violet-Le-Duc, convinced the French government to allocate funds for its restoration. Every time we visit a medieval historical site in France– a cathedral, castle--the guidebooks always tell us that Violet-Le-Duc preceded us. Lovers of the Gothic cathedral (and I count myself among them) owe a great deal to Violet-Le-Duc.

L'Eglise Saint Navaire

The bad news about Carcassonne is that it has the high hotel prices that come with a major tourist attraction. We found an acceptable small hotel in a great location—-right outside the city walls. And although the hotel was nothing special, thanks to the hotel staff we found a great restaurant with the best cassoulet I’ve ever had!

Another victory for democracy, transparency in the Democratic Party—this time in the Pennsylvania Democratic party!

Some friends of mine who are very disillusioned with the Democratic Party and see little hope for improvement ask me why I bother working within the Democratic Party. Every once in awhile something happens which makes me think it might be worth it after all.

Progress shouldn’t be this painfully slow, but the determination and persistence of Tracey Gordon and Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus has finally paid off. The Philadelphia Democratic Party finally acknowledged that Tracey Gordon won election as committeeperson in 2010 and seated her. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Pennsylvania Democratic Progressive Caucus, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is becoming more democratic, more transparent.

On June 9 a resolution initiated by the PA Democratic Progressive Caucus was passed unanimously by Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee. The resolution stated:

Whereas, that in all 67 counties in the State of Pennsylvania there is only one process in effect for the election of Democratic Committee people and that the Committee person election process has guidelines set forth by the Pa. Dept. of State and State election laws; and

Whereas, we recognize that that all 67 Democratic County Committees are obligated to have rules and by-laws that are consistent with our State Party by-laws; and

Whereas, it should only be practical, that in all 67 counties that there is only one process in effect to remove an elected county committee person from office within the Pennsylvania Democratic Party;

Therefore, be it resolved, that we the elected committee people of the Democratic State Party respectfully request that the leadership of the State Democratic Party commission the state by-laws committee to establish a review and recommendation process for a due process procedure of the removal of county committee people and to submit a draft to all state committee members for the Jan./Feb. 2013 30 day call.

Last Fall the Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus asked the PA Democratic Progressive Caucus to bring the Philadelphia Democratic Party’s refusal to seat Tracey Gordon to the PA Dem. Party Executive committee and seek a remedy. Initially there was reluctance to deal with this issue but the Progressive Caucus persisted and the July 9 resolution was the result. Special thanks to Bruce Slater, Chair of the PA Democratic Progressive Caucus who made many, many phone calls to state committee members all around the state getting their support for this issue. That outreach will no doubt pay off in many other ways.

The By-laws Committee will have a draft of new by-laws consistent with the resolution by the next State Committee meeting and Party Chair Jim Burn made a public commitment that this would be done. I have seen a change in Burn. I think he now recognizes that the PA Democratic Progressive Caucus is a force to be reckoned with and Burn is now talking about making the Party more democratic, more transparent.

Also two additional resolutions initiated by the PA Democratic Progressive Caucus, support for same sex marriage and for women’s rights, were passed at June 9 state committee meeting. The women’s rights resolution was passed unanimously; the same-sex marriage resolution passed by an overwhelming margin. The energy in the Pennsylvania State Democratic Party is with the Progressive Caucus.

Irv Acklesberg and the ACLU intend to pursue legal remedies and are currently considering options which could result in a ruling enjoining the Phila. Democratic Party from ever again nullifying the results of a democratically conducted election for a county or committeepersons.

Of course it shouldn’t be so hard to get the Democratic Party to conduct its business in a fair, democratic manner. And some times I question whether it’s worth working within the party , BUT at this point I think a reformed, revitalized Democratic party is the only option for keeping an energized, well-funded radical right at bay and creating some space for progressive politics.

President Obama is not the lesser of two evils! This President has a record worth defending.

Last October I wrote a blog post expressing my frustration with “left wing critiques of Obama that refuse to credit his achievements or acknowledge the constraints he has been under.” Now that we are heading into what could be a very close election, it’s all the more important to counter that notion that President Obama is the lesser of two evils—a view recently expressed on a progressive email list I’m subscribed to.

Encouraging people to for Obama vote because Romney would be a disaster (although certainly true) can result in voters just staying home. People want a reason to vote for someone. Obama’s achievements--criticism from both far left and far right to the contrary-- have been impressive. There is a record to be proud of.

Yes, he has not always governed as a liberal/progressive. Yes, the stimulus bill should have been much larger, but was arguably the best that could be done, given this dysfunctional Congress. Remember what a difficult time the President had getting three Republican votes in the Senate to pass the bill.

This is not a liberal/progressive country and we can’t expect him to have governed as if we were a nation of blue states. Polls consistently put the number of people who identify as liberal/progressive at no more than 20%. Many of us are working hard to change those numbers, but that is the current political reality.

The responses both to the October blog post and its reprint in a local paper were quite positive. The comments I got were all in the form of reminders of achievements I had neglected to include. So for all those who are going to be out there going door to door talking to voters or to your friends and relatives, here are some talking points:

Jobs/ The Economy

True, President Obama has not ended the jobs crisis brought on by the Great Recession but financial crises, as virtually all reputable economists acknowledge, take a while to recover from. Although now reviled by both the left and the right, the stimulus program, according to most economists, brought the economy back from the brink of real disaster.

The rescue of the auto industry is certainly one of the President’s major achievements. See WAPO article on auto bailout.

Despite fierce Republican opposition, the President managed to get significant extension of unemployment benefits in the 2010 lame duck Congressional session

The passage of meaningful—again not as much as we needed—regulatory reform is an accomplishment the Republicans are itching to undo. The dismantling of regulatory agencies at the root of the current economic crisis dates back to the Clinton years. This crisis was many years in the making and we in all probability have a long ways to go before real recovery. Reasonable people understand this.

Healthcare

Despite implacable Republican opposition, President Obama, with a lot of help from Nancy Pelosi, still managed to pass a healthcare bill establishing access to heath care as a right of all citizens. Sure, it’s an imperfect bill, but assuming it survives the legal challenges, we will have the opportunity to improve it, just as we have had with other deeply flawed programs, such as Social Security. Medicare at first met with fierce opposition, but gradually became an essential part of the social safety net.

The expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) extended coverage to another 4 million low-income children, increasing the total number of children covered by the program to more than 11 million.

Education

President Obama’s overhaul of the college loan program resulted in significant savings for students, their families and the taxpayers. It is projected to save taxpayers roughly $68 billion over the next 10 years.

The implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill increased educational opportunities for veterans by making college more affordable for returning service members.

Women’s Rights

President Obama’s first official act was signing “The Lily Ledbetter Equal Pay Act,” another piece of legislation the Republicans are pledged to overturn.

In his first few days of office the President rescinded the "global gag rule" which denies US taxpayer dollars to clinics around the globe that even mention abortion to women with unplanned pregnancies.

President Obama has nominated and gotten confirmation of more women and minorities to the federal bench than any president in the history of the United States. And while many of his nominees remain stalled in the Senate confirmation process, it is a stellar record nonetheless. For more info see NYT article on Obama nominees.

And let’s not forget that Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan are on the Supreme Court: their nomination is a testament to Obama’s good judgment; their senate confirmation a testament to his political skill.

LBGT Rights

President Obama’s major achievement of the 2010 lame duck Congressional session was the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Admittedly it took him too long, but President Obama has affirmed his support for same sex marriage.

Foreign Policy

Finally, consider Obama’s achievements: He rid the world of Osama Bin Laden and finally brought the country some degree of closure after 9/11. Somewhat too slowly from my point of view, he is winding down the two wars he inherited.

The President reached the most important arms control agreement with Russia in two decades. New START will reduce our nuclear arsenals, put inspectors on the ground in Russia, and renew America’s leadership in pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons.

There is also a list of accomplishments prepared before the 2010 mid terms which contains additional info: : WHAT THE FUCK HAS OBAMA DONE SO FAR? at http://www.whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/

Also something often overlooked: Obama's appointments to regulatory agencies. John Judis wrote an excellent article about this. A summary and links to Judis article “The Quiet Revolution: Obama has reinvented the state in more ways than you can imagine” at “The Quiet Revolution: Obama has reinvented the state in more ways than you can imagine.”

I’m sure I’ve overlooked something, but I think it’s clear: This President has a record which is worth defending. He should not be described as the lesser of two evils!

After two years, the will of the voters is upheld in the Tracey Gordon case.

After two years, Tracey Gordon and the Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus (PDPC) won Round 1! In 2010, Tracey Gordon was elected to be a committee member of the 40th Ward in the Philadelphia Democratic Party, but despite that election, she was denied her seat by the vote of the Ward. See “When Elections Don't Matter: The city Democratic Party doesn't always care what voters think” The Philadelphia Democratic Party and its chair, Bob Brady, refused to fix the problem.

Despite repeated attempts to resolve the matter by Tracey, her supporters, her attorney Irv Acklesberg, and the PDPC, it wasn’t resolved until Irv Acklesberg filed a lawsuit seeking not only to reinstate Tracey, but to permanently enjoin future election nullifications by the Philadelphia Democratic Party. See the chronology of the case posted at YPP.

No doubt realizing that it would lose the court fight, the Philadelphia Democratic Party reinstated Tracey Gordon. On May 17, 2012, under the direction of the Party, the 40th Ward voted to rescind the illegal resolution it passed almost two years ago. Because Tracy is now serving as a Deputy City Commissioner—a job in which she is continuing to protect the right to vote—she had to resign from her elected position. (City ethics rules do not permit employees to hold party office.)

It took two years to get the Democratic Party to honor the will of the voters. Isaiah Thompson’s Citypaper article is a fair and accurate account of the chronology of events and recent developments in the case. I was struck by the comment of Dan McCaffery, an attorney for the Democratic City Committee in this case: “This is about a group of individuals who identify themselves as the Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus trying to oversee or take charge of the Democratic Party of Philadelphia.”

The Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus was formed not to take over the Party but to encourage more progressives to work within the Democratic Party, to make the party more transparent, more “small-d” democratic, and by doing so, to make the Party more attractive--especially to young people. McCaffery’s comments remind me of opposition to feminists' struggles for gender justice in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Those hostile to feminists assumed they were seeking role reversal rather than equality.

As Irv Acklesberg stated (as reported in the Citypaper article): “The case was never just about [Gordon],” he says. “It was to prevent the party from doing this, and we're still trying to do that. … They want to retain the power to nullify elections, and the purpose of this lawsuit is to make sure that there is no such legal power so that courageous people like Tracey Gordon will come forward in the future...and stand up to this dictatorial party.”

The Tracey Gordon incident was the catalyst in the formation of the Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus. Remedying this injustice was critically important, but our goals are broader. The case now moves to Round 2. The Philadelphia Democratic Progressive Caucus is seeking to take the baton from Tracey and continue this fight for a permanent injunction. We are awaiting a court ruling on that effort.

In partnership with a range of civic and advocacy organizations, the Philadelphia Progressive Caucus plans to develop materials and run workshops to encourage more people to run for committeeperson. The Democratic Party in many parts of the city is an empty shell with many committeeperson positions unfulfilled or filled by people who are not actively engaged in educating voters and getting out the vote. We intend to change that.

When I do voter registration work, I encounter more and more young people of all backgrounds who want to register as Independents. It’s getting harder and harder to convince them (especially those who identify as progressives) that there is space for progressive politics in the Democratic Party. The Philadelphia Progressive Caucus hopes to encourage significant numbers of progressives to run for county and for state committee in 2014. If we can’t guarantee that if they win election that they will be seated, how will we ever convince them that Democratic Party is worth their time and energy?

A note of thanks to Citypaper: Our major dailies, the Inquirer and Daily News have generally ignored the internal workings of Democratic Party—a real problem, given that this is a one Party town and it’s difficult for candidates (especially in low profile or judicial races) to be elected without some Party support. Many thanks to Citypaper for covering the Tracey Gordon issue and especially to Holly Otterbien. Most of us would not have known of this betrayal of democratic values without her story which first alerted citizens to the Tracey Gordon case.

Roman Ruins, Medieval Cathedrals, Art Nouveau—Barcelona has it all! The Barcelona Diaries: Part II

Sagrada Familia still under construction!

We certainly didn’t exhaust Barcelona’s riches in our five days in Barcelona. The city is an open air museum with one of the most beautiful medieval old towns in Europe and neighborhoods filled with gorgeous 19th and early 20th century townhouses festooned with Art Nouveau touches. And looming over it all--Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. I’ve never been a fan of Art Nouveau in general and Gaudi in particular, but somehow seeing Gaudi in Barcelona—a city he loved and which loved him back—made a difference. To my surprise, I enjoyed Gaudi’s monuments –and all the echoes of Gaudi throughout the city.

It’s worth seeing the Cathedral of Seu before seeing Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s Art Nouveau riff on a Gothic cathedral. The exterior of Sagrada Familia with towers echoing Seu has always struck me as grotesque, but the interior was a wonderful surprise—all the light streaming through the many clear windows, the playful details.

Exterior detail, Sagrada Familia

Interior Sagrada familia

We did the usual Gaudi tour combining Sagrada Familia with nearby Parc Guell. Parc Guell was really way over the top with its gateway in the form of a giant penis--no mistaking Gaudi’s intention here. But the Gaudi sculptures were in a beautifully landscaped park and I really enjoyed that bank of lavender and rosemary in full bloom.

Gateway to Parc Guell

Finally, Casa Mila, an eccentric apartment house designed by Gaudi. I felt a little guilty dragging Rick to this. He is no Gaudi fan, but ever since I saw the scene with Gaudi’s bizarre sculptures on the rooftop of Casa Mila in Woody Allen’s Vicky, Christina, Barcelona I really wanted to see Casa Mila. Up close, the sculptures struck me as kind of silly but the views of Barcelona from the roof top of Casa Mila were spectacular.

Casa Mila

Casa Mila rooftop sculptures

We barely scratched the surface of Barcelona’s artistic treasures and never made it to the acclaimed Picasso Museum. We had hoped to go there when we returned to Barcelona for one last day before flying home, but decided we preferred the open air museum. During the general strike all the city’s museums were closed, giving us less time for museums, but since walking around Barcelona is such a delight, we really didn’t mind the inconvenience of one less museum day.

The Catalunya Museum was the one museum open during the general strike—apparently most of its workers decided not to participate in the strike. It has an amazing archeological exhibit—the runs of the ancient Roman city Barcena which had all the attributes of the good life, Roman style—the baths, the sanitation system, the gorgeous mosaic floors.

Catalunya Museum

Another must-see museum is the Palacio Nacional housed in a gigantic 19th century neo-baroque monstrosity. There is an impressive collection of Old Masters and a much appreciated feature more museums should install—a vast open space with many huge incredibly comfortable couches filled with exhausted museum-goers taking a nap. Like many other elderly tourists, we took advantage of this opportunity for a much needed rest.

Palacio Nacional

We also went to the Joan Miro Foundation—a museum built by Miro to house his personal collection. Unlike my experience of appreciating Gaudi more after seeing him in his city, seeing Miro in his own museum in his native Barcelona did not lead to greater appreciation . I don’t find Miro’s paintings visually appealing and I just don’t get the point.

Finally we went to the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion built for the 1929 World’s Fair and recently reconstructed. This was for Rick, who whenever he’s in a place with a structure built by Van der Rohe, will go out of his way to see it. I’ve never been a fan of modernist architecture—although a few trips to Chicago did increase my admiration. Because Mies Van der Rohe’s style has been so fully absorbed by 20th/21st century architecture, it’s hard to fully appreciate how original, how radical it once was. It wasn’t until we went to Vienna and I saw all that heavy, over-opulent architecture that I finally got what Mies Van der Rohe and the Bauhaus school were doing; I understood what they were rebelling against.

Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion

This is just a small sample of Barcelona museums and cultural attractions. I would love to go back, but realize we probably won’t. If Rick and I had discovered Barcelona 30 years ago when we started traveling together, we would in all likelihood have made some return trips. If we don’t return, it’s okay—I’m grateful for this opportunity to get to know Barcelona. That day in 1969 really didn’t count.

Life in the Rearview Mirror

Life in the Rearview Mirror By Margaret E. Guthrie Cross-posted from Metropolis

There are some pretty wonderful things about reaching old age that are little discussed; the disadvantages are far too well advertised to warrant further attention. I am officially old, I will be 75 in August of this year and learned recently that the "elderly" designation attaches when you reach age 72. So I think I have reached an age to be a reasonably good judge of the advantages of being old.

One of the advantages I like best is the ditching or overboard tossing. By that I mean certain things in your life that once seemed mighty important and now are not. Raising your children is one of these. By now, your children are middle-aged, have married or partnered well or not, are established in their career or profession or not, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about any of it. You have survived their adolescent years when you wondered whether either you or they would make it out alive. You have survived their twenties and early thirties when you despaired over partner and career choices, watching the light move across your ceiling as night turned to day and you still hadn't been to sleep. All of that is in the rearview mirror and good riddance. Your kids now are what they are.

You're also out of work or retired, depending on whose choice it was. In either case, you are no longer worried about the office, the shop, the restaurant. You no longer worry about the rogue co-worker, the super dysfunctional boss, the intimidating client. You no longer obsess over monthly sales figures, deadlines or annual employee evaluations. You no longer agonize over whether to change career in mid-stream, and if you do, what would be the gain and what would be the loss? All of that is also in the rear view mirror and good riddance to that as well.

If you're single, or divorced as I am, you also no longer worry about a partner, having one, finding the perfect match, dating someone younger, what your friends and family might think, etc. And then, having found someone, maybe, trying to find common ground, trying to build a new relationship that will not come unglued, that will last, that you can stand to be in, etc. All that, too, is now in the rear view mirror. And what a relief that is. No one to consult about what time dinner is or what it will be, no one else who gets a turn to pick the movie, or what to watch on TV or comment on what you're reading or wearing or doing. Living alone can be so liberating.

Now is my time. What I discovered is a new ability to focus as I have not done since I was a child and for the same reason. Children don't have the distractions that adults do, at least not in our society. Old people, having come out on the other side, don't either, and so can focus on whatever ignites their interest as they have been unable to do for years.

My focus has become food. First, I have become a member, through the Weavers Way Co-op, of Dining for Women. (www.diningforwomen.org) That organization supports women's groups in developing countries working to improve living conditions for impoverished families. Each chapter meets monthly at members' homes, bringing a covered dish. Each member contributes what she would have spent at a restaurant and that money is donated directly to that month's selected recipient. Since my chapter began, D4W has contributed to a women's cooperative in Mali granting micro-loans to women to start up small businesses, an organization working in Liberia and Sierra Leone to install composting toilets and water collection and purification systems in small villages and a women's cooperative in Guatemala that connects women weavers with designers in the US, enabling the women to feed and clothe their children and send them to school. So the gratification is immediate.

I am also hoping to join the board of a community partnership that is working to bring better food into the public schools in the northwestern part of the city and that operates a vegetable garden at a homeless shelter that usually houses 250 men, women and children. Anyone living in the shelter is welcome to work in the garden. The garden's produce goes directly to the kitchen of the shelter.

Finally, my next door neighbor, John, has surrendered his portion of our shared backyard so I can enlarge "our" vegetable garden. I try to grow enough so we can both live out of the garden all summer and early fall. I am learning something new about growing vegetables every day. Right now my downstairs, where I have large windows filled with early spring sunshine, is filled with peat pots containing small heirloom tomato and pepper plants. John loves the fact that he's the only one on our block with a gardener. I love that I have more than doubled production. There is something about watching nature at work that renews and energizes and when you're nearing the three quarter century mark, anything that energizes is fantastic.

For the first time I've gotten hate email on my blog.

For the first time I've gotten hate email on my blog. My blog is not exactly high traffic and the comments are almost always from friends and family members. I never expected that hate-mongers would find me and consider it worth their while to spew forth venom on my blog. But somebody found my post "Someone ripped our Obama bumper stickers off our car and left the following comments:

AnonymousApr 29, 2012 11:44 PM get over it. im sure that porch monkey will give you another. they are all about handouts anyway. maybe the next one they send out will be a chinese flag and his sorry face on it. Anyway, I normally just run people off the road that has that shit on their cars. so be lucky it wasnt me.

Joe BidenApr 30, 2012 06:52 AM I think you should get a bumper sticker that says "I'm An Idiot" instead. They really both say the same thing anyway. Oh, and by the way...thank you for shoving your head up your ass and pretending Obama hasn't been the worst president in the history of the country. Obama loves people like you. Too stupid to know better.<----Hey...another bumper sticker idea.

AnonymousMay 1, 2012 05:57 PM I found this because i was looking for the "that Obama sticker might as well say your stupid" and just had to read the comments. cant add anymore truth to what the above two poster submitted. id tell you to go shoot yourself but your probably to stupid to own a gun let alone know how to operate one. on another note, why do you own a toyota when GM is Obama's lovechild. you should really wash it.

The comments read like a parody of illiterate right –wingers and I guess I should just shrug my shoulders and delete the comments. I live a sheltered life—politically speaking. My neighborhood is a liberal/prgresive ghetto. I don’t have a single friend or family member who would vote for a Republican and the political arguments I get into are of the left vs. liberal variety. But there’s a world out there of people who think very differently. I didn’t expect to brush up against them on my blog!

The Post-Election Blues

I should be used to this by now.  Over the years I have worked hard for many candidates who have lost, sometimes narrowly,  sometimes badly.  I think it’s hardest when they lose narrowly—all those ruminations about if we had just worked a little harder.

I'm trying to talk myself out of the post-election blues. I thought Patrick Murphy would have been an excellent Attorney General, but the winner Kathleen Kane is certainly a qualified candidate. There were some exciting young challengers-- Numa St. Louis and Charisma Presley-- who did not win this time but have a good chanced of wining next time around. I feel very sad for Babette Josephs but I am sure she will find some way to continue the to fight the good fight  as a private citizen

I have had some victories—or more accurately been part of a victorious army; the big one was Barack Obama’s 2008 primary and general election victories.  I sure hope I don’t wake up depressed the morning of November 7.

Doing politics is kind of like teaching—maybe one semester was a failure but there will soon be another one coming up, a fresh start and an opportunity to learn from past mistakes.  So we pick ourselves up and get ready for the next election. November 2012 is the battle of my political life. The disappointments of the primary are small indeed compared with the unimaginable disappointment of an Obama defeat to Mitt Romney.

And there is so much to work to do to preserve democratic rights—fighting to overturn the voter ID law, cynically designed to depress turn-out among the young, the poor and the elderly, while at same time struggling to adapt to and educate voters about the new law.  Will people become so angry about this that they will become determined to vote to deny victory to those determined to disenfranchise them? Is that too much to hope for???

Barcelona was far more beautiful than I ever expected:The Barcelona Diaries Part I

In 1969, I was in Barcelona for one day. I was there to catch the overnight boat to Formentera in the Balearic Islands. Formentera was one of the major international hippie destinations in 1969. The Spanish Government was not happy about the throngs of long-haired hippies sleeping on the beaches, smoking dope, and otherwise offending the locals. I wasn’t sleeping on the beaches, but I was hanging around with some crazy people and I was lucky I didn’t wind up in one of Franco’s jails.

All I remember of Barcelona in 1969 –in addition to the omnipresent men in uniform-- was the beauty of the waterfront and the energy of the crowds on Barcelona’s main drag, Las Ramblas. I remember Barcelona then as a bit down at the heels, its best years apparently behind it. What a difference 43 years has made! Barcelona is now a rich, prosperous city—its architectural heritage largely restored.

And what was most amazing was how spotlessly clean the city is—and not just the major tourists centers. We took one of those city bus tours which covered most of the city; there was no litter anywhere (unusual for a southern European City) and hardly any graffiti—kind of like a Latin Switzerland.

Certainly one of the best things about Barcelona is the extent to which the Mediterranean is integrated with the city—miles of sandy beach, with easy access, no beach fees. The beach was a 45 minute walk from our hotel in the medieval old town. During Spain’s one day general strike when public transit was virtually shut down, we walked to the beach and spent a leisurely afternoon sipping sangria at a beachfront café.

Hotel Neri in the medieval old town was probably the best (and unfortunately one of the most expensive) we’ve ever stayed in—but worth every penny. I love the medieval old towns of European cities and when I read about the Barrio Gotico(Barcelona’s medieval quarter), I was determined to stay here. Rick does most of the hotel research and Hotel Neri was one of his best finds ever.

It also had a wonderful restaurant-- unfortunately very expensive. We only intended to have dinner there one night, but during the general strike because of lack of transportation and the street disturbances, it made sense to stick to the hotel restaurant, so we had two wonderful dinners at the restaurant at the Hotel Neri. During the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona was a Loyalist stronghold and one of the last hold-outs against Franco. The citizens of Barcelona were upholding their left wing traditions as Barcelona was the site of the most serious disturbances during the general strike.

Spanish workers have protections U.S. workers can only dream of and the new right of center government, under pressure from the European Union, is trying to take them away. It looks like strikes (and learning how to adapt to them) will be more and more a part of European travel.

The best thing about travel—Coming home!

I enjoy traveling and Rick and I want to continuing doing so as long as we can, but maybe not so much as I once thought we would. Even though our trip was only for 2 weeks and we really enjoyed Barcelona and Southwest France (more on that later), I was so happy to be home.

Also, I’m finding that although I still very much enjoy planning for a trip—as the time gets closer I find my self increasingly reluctant to go. This year it was especially hard to leave my garden. With the unseasonably (or is this the new normal??) weather, my late March garden looked like a mid-April garden. I was overcome by a powerful urge to plant and I thought I’d really rather go to a garden center than go to Barcelona. I did not want to leave all those emerging bulbs and spring flowering shrubs and trees. My beloved redbud was just coming out and I was afraid its gorgeous purple blossoms would be gone by the time we returned.


I need not have worried; the temperatures cooled down somewhat during the time we were away and there are still flowering shrubs and trees and those incredibly beautiful pale green leaves which last for just a short period of time. And to my surprise redbuds were blooming all over Barcelona! I had thought of the redbud as a North American tree—after all, its botanical name is Cercis Canadensis--but it flourishes in Mediterranean climates as well as the temperate zones of North America. The early flowering shrubs and trees were blooming in Barcelona and Southwestern France, so I didn’t miss early Spring after all.

Nature--Pristine and off the Beaten Track in Costa Rica: Part I, Quetzal birds in the Mountains

Nature--Pristine and off the Beaten Track in Costa Rica: Part I, Quetzal birds in the Mountains by Fran Gilmore

Last time I wrote for this blog, it was to tell the stories of a small environmental success and a travesty of oil company pollution of monumental proportions, both in Ecuador. But today a happier topic--eco-friendly destinations in Costa Rica.

My friend Nicole is an American anthropologist who has for many years been deeply involved in conservation efforts in Costa Rica. On my January visit, she was an enormous help, telling me where I could find two beautiful natural environments, with accomodations run by people dedicated to preserving and sharing a pristine environment. She spent hours making arrangements in her fluent Spanish, but it can all be done on line English, so don't fear. And now I will share them with you.

The first is a tiny and charming hotel in the mountains about 2 hours from the capitol, San Jose, called Paraiso de Quetzales (www.quetzalsparadise.com). I was to learn that the beautiful quetzal bird you see is not mythological, as I'd thought, probably confusing it with the phoenix.


We were lucky to be there in late January, the beginning of the nesting season, and to see a tranquil pair seated near each other on different branches. We delighted in the beautiful tails of the male and the sweet little head with its punk feather-do. Jorge Serrano, who owns the hotel and the lovely hilly land around it, is a man who loves his job being close to nature, and makes sure the land is taken care of. He runs the hotel with his kind and gentle teenage son. Both speak passable English. I was surprised when I left by a hug from the son. Can you imagine a teenage boy hugging a paunchy middle aged woman? Spontaneously?

But that was just the last delight of many. For a modest sum of $62/person you get a tiny cabin with 4 heavy blankets (it's freezing in the mountains--bring winter togs), a good dinner near a friendly wood fire (fresh trout from a neighboring fish farm is an option), breakfast and an early morning walk to find the birds. Other times, you can hang around in the cozy living/dining area, or walk through it to a balcony overlooking a hummingbird garden. This is my picture of the Magnificent hummingbird. He obligingly posed.

As I spent a lot of the afternoon trying to capture these fleet creatures in flight, the day finally melted into the sunset you see.


You can find a whole gallery of pictures at www.quetzalsparadise.com.

A good place to start your trip is at my friend Carol's B&B, Rainforest Dreams, located in Escazu, a suburb of San Jose, the capitol. You will delight in her company and knowledge of the country, and enjoy the simple but pleasant atmosphere at a moderate price. Find it at rainforestdreamscostarica.com. For another beautiful coastal destination, see Part II. Buen eco-viaje, amigos!

Pristine and off the Beaten Track in Costa Rica: Part II, Wonderful Hotels and Motor Launch through a Mangrove Swamp

You read about our quetzal quest in the mountains if you read Part I. Following that, we headed west for a boat trip in a mango swamp off the coast at Isla Damas (Women Island, so named for its hourglass shape.) The Island is near one of Costa Rica's most popular tourist destinations, Manuel Antonio, famed for its lovely beaches. Though I'd lived in Costa Rica for three years, I never got there, and wanted to go. But in retrospect, if you have limited time on the coast, for my money, do the Damas Island tour (or a host of other tours offered by the same company, Iguana Tours, at www.iguanatours.com). We did a guided bird walk at Manuel Antonio, and there were so many tourists (about 5 groups, each about 10 people), that any bird with sense was far from the trail. We did see a sloth or two and assorted reptiles. The beaches were gorgeous--little jewels in bays with trees, as lovely as the best Caribbean beaches. The park is pristine, and there are no stands or stores. Bring your own food and anything else you need.

That said, I can rave about our mango tour on a motor launch with a canvas "roof" and an expert, bilingual guide. The area will remind you of the everglades, if you've been there. We saw what you'd expect--lots of beautiful shore birds, like the golden-crowned night herron pictured. We learned that this smart guy catches insects, wounds them so they flutter madly, and then uses them to attract fish, his real target. Smart as he is beautiful.
We also were treated to a monkey show. We saw a whole troop of whitfaced capuchin monkey, including several mothers with babies on their backs. As we were enjoying watching them feed and jump, suddenly the whole troop decided to cross the canal, right in front of our boat, leaping from trees on one bank to the other. I totally forgot I could take video with my little point-and-shoot, but I did manage a mediocre still of a mom with babe, just before she reached her target tree (below).


Again, the guy in charge (not sure if he's the owner) is Jorge Cruz. He is another devoted lover of nature. When I mentioned Nicole, he said she was a very good friend. The tour was $40/person for us, because we arranged it ourselves. Others who booked through their hotels paid $60, presumably there was a $20 cut for the hotel. Here's how it works. They pick you up early in the morning (about 6:30 if memory serves--you birders know the birds don't wait for late risers). They take you to the boat launch area and provide a snack, mainly fruit and cookies. Our hotel served good coffee at 5:30 AM, as I imagine most do, since they house many birders. Aftert the trip, which lasts about 2 hours (it goes by in a flash), they provide a full breakfast (with coffee this time).

One last thing--your hotel. As you might imagine, hotels in the Manuel Antonio area tend to be pricey. We stayed at one which was not only moderate in price, but had an ecological mission. It's called Hotel Mono Azul (Blue Monkey, at hotelmonoazul.com). The website lists a host of environmentally friendly measures, such as using waste food to feed animals, non-toxic detergent and cleaning products, etc. The daughter of the owners, when she was 13 years old, wanted to do something to help the rainforest. So she organized Kids Saving the Rainforest. Young people around the world can join, and contribute money, or do something that serves a rainforest where they live. We heard of one boy, I think in India, who lived in a place where there were many poisonous snakes. Many people killed them. But this brave soul captured them and returned them to the forest. If you buy anything at their gift store, all proceeds go to KSTR. The hotel is attractive, accomodations are acceptable but not luxurious. Food is ordinary. The price was $52/person, not including breakfast. Like I said, prices in the area are higher than more remote destinations. Buen eco-viaje, amigos!

Summer in March

Well maybe not exactly summer, but certainly late Spring. We had high 70’s temperatures in Philly last week. I loved every minute of it and was out there cleaning beds, dividing daffodils and fertilizing. Yes, you can divide bulbs when the foliage is still green as long as there is enough moisture in the soil.

This March has been magical—I've actually been spending balmy days working in the garden in March!!

However,it is worrisome—what in the world is happening to our planet? But I admit to really enjoying the early spring.

There is nothing I enjoy more than working in the garden (except having dinner with Rick over a good bottle of wine). When I am cleaning beds, pulling weeds, fertilizing bulbs, I am totally absorbed in the task. It’s the mind cleansing experience my Buddhist friends describe when they meditate. When I am in the garden I am totally in the "Now." And how wonderful to have this extra month of unfrozen soil and warm weather. (Yes, I know there may be a serious price for this.)