Hillary and Bill, 1975
In a reminder of Hillary Clinton’s enduring status as an incomparable cultural-political icon, a great photo of the Secretary of State working on a military jet while wearing sunglasses, which first appeared in TIME last year has recently re-surfaced and gone viral with the help of a funny and admiring Tumblr. Recently someone pointed me […]
There is a most interesting twist to the recent controversial story of a book sold in an Islamic bookshop in Canada that allegedly promotes “wife beating”. The gentleman who claims to have made this accidental discovery while innocently browsing around the “Islamic Books and Souvenirs” shop in Toronto turns out to be a violent criminal offender. According to a report last year in the Toronto Sun– the same newspaper that is now reporting Brazau’s repulsion at discovering the Islamic book– Brazau is a seven-time convicted violent offender. It seems that Brazau does not need any tips on violent behaviour from “radical Islamist” books. Brazau’s last conviction was for hitting a man named Alan Norris with his car.
In a further irony and a detail that we just could not make up, it turns out that Brazau was also charged in the past for harassing a Muslim woman. In that incident, he allegedly rode his bicycle close to the hijab-wearing lady and, according to the charge, continuously verbally abused her, calling her a terrorist and telling her to go back to Afghanistan.
Also, I heard from a friend that both the Ottawa and Toronto Sun have closed down their comment sections on this story. Earlier, the Ottawa Sun had 30 comments and the Toronto Sun had 66, but now access for reader input has been cut off. That in and of itself, is a story.
“A Gift for Muslim Couple”
Copies of a book advising men how to beat their wives were being sold in a bookstore in Toronto. The book tells men to treat their wives as property and they must beat her anytime she does something the husband disagrees with like the leaving the house by herself .
Sometimes it seems we have come so far, only to find crap like that out there that sets us back. It boggles my mind that people can still think this way it is just so sad that anyone could see a need to write, promote or sell literature that encourages this kind of dominance and even abuse in this day and age. In my opinion, the writer must be taken to the court and should be punished for spreading domestic violence. This should not be allowed in this day and age. I think this practice is unacceptable and the book shouldn’t be sold. It’s disgusting how people still behave this way towards women and it must be stopped. I can’t believe people think that all Muslims beat their wives and this is what Islam is about. Extreme zealots in all religions twist religious writings to suit their own agenda. There will always be the few who will disgrace the many in any religion/culture or society. Islam does not allow men to beat their wives!
HUMSAFAR MANIA!
Humsafar was incredibly slow, melodramatic, had an unoriginal story line, plot holes, a lead actress who showed women in Pakistan that having a voice is not important while bullshit sacrifice and idyllic patience lead to success (which in this case is equated with winning “the man”). Not to mention the blatant reinforcement of cross-gender/cultural stereotypes with the evil mother-in-law and evil sister-in-law/cousin. By all accounts, officially labeled a sap drama meant to fulfill the emotional vacuum in the lives of young Pakistani women who lack real and meaningful relationships.
Indra Nooyi - An Inspiration
“You’ve got to say, at every point in your life, if you were to drop dead, would your epitaph be something that you could be proud of? Is your legacy something that would linger long after you?” – Indra Nooyi
Nooyi is an inspiration to me. She is a powerful woman. She’s one of the few women who have, in the most conventional sense, taken up a man’s job and done it perfectly right through her ways and means.
“If there is (a glass ceiling), remember it is made of glass and it can be easily broken, all you have to do is try.”
She came from conservative South India to pursue higher studies in the US with little money and no safety net. If she failed, she failed. While studying at Yale School of Management, she worked as a receptionist from midnight to sunrise to earn money and struggled to put together $50 to buy herself a western suit for her first job interview out of Yale, where she had just completed her masters. Incidentally, she wasn’t comfortable trying out a formal western outfit and ended up buying trousers that reached down only till her ankles. Rejected at the interview, she turned to her professor at the school who asked her what she would wear if she were to be in India. To her reply that it would be a sari, the professor advised her to be herself and stick to what she was comfortable with. She wore a sari for her next interview. She got the job and followed this philosophy for the rest of her career. She’s been herself, never tried to change her basic beliefs, derived strength from her traditions and believed in who she is. As she says, “I am so secure in myself, I don’t have to be American to play in the corporate life.” She worked hard and in time was counted as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes. Nooyi became the fifth CEO of PepsiCo in 2007. While her female cohorts may wear Prada and Gucci heels to work, Nooyi is known to walk the halls of PepsiCo in her bare tootsies. With a $19 million salary, gone are the days when she was forced to wear a sari in lieu of a suit; now that’s her attire of choice for any social events at the company. Her quick decision making ability and commitment towards implementing novel ideas won her laurels in the company. She emphasized on mergers and acquisitions for the company and it was during this time that PepsiCo acquired Tropicana and Quaker brands. A lady with immense will power, strength and leadership, Indra Nooyi is an inspiration for women from around the world. She not only revamped PepsiCo and upped their market presence; she also has her own sense of style when conducting business. She has risen to head a global behemoth by her own. She did a lot to get women into the management positions. She created a very specific diversity and inclusion program. She set goals and time frames and held people accountable for getting to them.
“Life is like riding a swing, you hold to it tight and start moving, you go high and low, when you’re up you know you will get low and when you’re at your low you push harder to get up, and sometimes you need a push from someone to take you up”
Summer is where the girls go barefoot and their hearts are just as free as their toes <3
