Katharine Hepburn and Feminism

Full disclosure: the editor of OnBackground is a feminist who believes in, and trumpets to any who will listen, the cause of equality for all.

While I cannot claim to have enjoyed Katharine Hepburn's fullest acting skills while she was using them on the silver screen or stage, I have found her on-screen persona engrossing and so I enjoyed a number of the articles accompanying her recent passing http://www.examiner.com/ex_files/default.jsp?story=X0630HEPBURNw. In particular, I found Maureen Dowd's column today to have particular insight on the subject of Hepburn's career and her struggle with finding ways to be a strong woman, on screen and on her own time. Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/16/opinion/16DOWD.html

Fright of the Day

The Washington Times' article today, The staggering costs of malaria, that includes an endorsement of the use of DDT reminds OnBackground of a recent piece in The Onion: Newsweek Editors Argue Over What To Make Readers Fear Next http://www.theonion.com/onion3925/index.html. While The Onion's humor can be crass, it can also be insightful and even funny.

Incidentalia

Today’s CQ Today Midday Report (via email subscription: http://www.cq.com ) had the following interesting trivia regarding American Samoa’s delegate to Congress: “Del. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, D - Am. Samoa, is a "matai" -- a Samoan chief -- a title he has held since 1988. Faleomavaega is actually his title; his family name is Hunkin.”

Although I was not able to find exactly what I was looking for, I’d like to applaud and refer readers to Project Gutenberg’s free online portal to thousands of electronic books http://www.gutenberg.net. While I have yet to read a full book online, I find the thousands of works available on line to be a resource and a joy. Of course, should you have ready access to a copy of Vladimir Nabokov’s Despair, I’m looking for a quote about flights of fancy and insanity.

Also, take a moment to read The Unamerican Amendment at http://www.politixgroup.com/comm158.htm. While I don’t necessarily agree with Mann’s take on politics or on whether Presidents should be limited to two terms, I found it thought provoking.

Stay late, eat a lot, work all night -- AND DIE!

Although i don't normally look first at the scientific stuff, I was suitably scared by the idea that stress can kill you http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030630-102303-2101r.htm via "heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes and certain cancers."

The front page of today's LA Times draws one's attention to the unexpectedly positive fundraising performance of Howard Dean. Once expected to be a typical one-shot wonder, Gov. Dean may yet surprise us with his totals. Let's wait and see.