As requested, here are all the posts from Hungry Women in an easier-to-read format. Enjoy, and thanks for the feedback!
But one thing television doesn’t always do is give us great female characters. Lists of favourite television characters (including my own, regrettably) are often dominated by those flawed, comic, brilliant, but male creations. All too often, sadly, their female counterparts are two-dimensional stereotypes.
So I’ve put together a list of my favourite female characters, who I believe exhibit some of the originality of our favourite male characters. The list is by no means exhaustive, as it only covers characters from programmes that I’ve watched myself, so I welcome suggestions and recommendations of other shows featuring brilliant female characters!
Daisy Steiner (Spaced)
Jessica Hynes
I don’t often see women like me on television. Even the brilliant ones often look and dress in a way that is completely alien to me. Not Daisy Steiner. She dressed comfortably, in combats and hoodies (and, in defiance of television rules, often in the same outfit in more than one episode, as if she, like us, did not own a limitless wardrobe), wore no makeup and, well, basically looked normal. She was one of life’s lovable losers: a permanently procrastinating unemployed writer wandering through her 20s fuelled by endless cups of tea. Her flaws weren't cutesy, nor were they melodramatic – they were wonderfully ordinary; her self-doubt and her laziness. Daisy’s bumbling naivety and sense of fun make her one of the warmest and real characters in British comedy.
Spaced is available to watch on 4OD.
CJ Cregg (The West Wing)
Allison Janney
West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin didn’t always present women in the best of lights and it is telling that very few strong female characters emerged during his reign as writer and executive producer of the hit US political show. But in the male-dominated corridors of the White House, Claudia Jean Cregg walked and talked with the best of them. The only woman on President Bartlet’s senior staff, CJ’s Press Secretary was intelligent, opinionated and funny, nailing one-liners and slapstick with equal aplomb. She was as witty, tough and driven as any of the men she worked with, and could even match them on a dysfunctional personal life. Her elevation to White House Chief of Staff in the latter seasons of the show, a role in which she adeptly balanced compassion with political savvy, demonstrated just what a powerful character she was.
I defy you to watch this scene without laughing:
Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
Catherine Tate
Say what you will about Russell T. Davies’ stint at the helm of Doctor Who, but he certainly knew how to write female characters. And by far and away his best was the super-temp from Chiswick, Donna Noble. An antidote to the string of youthful companions, Catherine Tate’s Donna brought a sense of maturity to the TARDIS and a welcome respite from all the sexual tension with the Doctor. Donna was gobby, but compassionate, and wasn’t afraid to challenge the Doctor’s authority. Always resourceful, Donna possessed a whole CV of transferrable skills to call upon in any situation. On the surface a comic character, it was painfully clear that all that sass was covering up deep-rooted insecurity, as Catherine Tate deftly conveyed the subtle layers of Donna’s character. Donna’s fate, to be cursed with returning to her old life and never remembering the Doctor, was so very tragic.
This will always remain one of my favourite Donna scenes:
Leslie Knope (Parks & Recreation)
Amy Poehler
Leslie Knope is a relentlessly positive, devoted public servant. After a rocky start in Season 1, when it felt like she might become a cliché of a bumbling, incompetent woman, Leslie grew in assurance to move from Deputy Director of Pawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department to Governor of Indiana (which we learn from a flash forward in the series finale). Leslie is content in her own skin and happy with what she is doing with her life. She is hard-working, ethical and good at her job – qualities that don't often come together in comic political creations.
Monica Geller (Friends)
Courtney Cox-Arquette
This might seem an odd choice, and yes, Monica did embody many female stereotypes: thin and glamorous (having overcome her teenage weight problems to become accepted), and obsessed with weddings and babies. But during my teens, when I first became hooked on Friends, Monica showed me that women could be so much more than those stereotypes. They could even embrace those qualities that society tried to teach me were unfeminine – competitiveness, obsessive cleanliness and organisation (it’s really just good sense), uninhibitedness (The Routine), control-freakishness, impulsivity and immaturity, and an uncontrollable need to please. And on top of all that, she was head chef of an upmarket New York restaurant. Monica – you were neurotic, loud and kind of annoying, but sometimes I cannot deny how alike we are (rules do help control the fun!)
I learnt my best dance moves from the Gellers...
Dana Scully (The X Files)
Gillian Anderson
When the producers of the X-Files originally conceived the character of Dana Scully, they imagined a tall, blonde, sexy bombshell. Instead they got Gillian Anderson: 5 foot nothing, with mousey hair (that would be died red for the show) and an ill-fitting suit. But when she read opposite David Duchovny at her audition, the chemistry between the two actors was instantly apparent. FBI Special Agent Scully, a medical doctor with a degree in physics, managed to remain sceptical in the face of Mulder’s belief in extra-terrestrial life for a large part of the sci-fi series. She was unflinching in the face of danger and conducted her work, including all manner of disturbing autopsies, with a calm authority. Since the X-Files first aired in 1993, Scully has even been credited with encouraging women to forge careers in STEM subjects.
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
Voiced by Yeardley Smith
For twenty five years now, girls have been able to grow up watching Lisa Simpson, one of television's greatest feminists. She’s a member of MENSA, an awesome jazz saxophonist, a science and nature nerd, maths prodigy and all-round child genius. Lisa may not have the impish charm of her older brother or populist appeal of her father, but she is far more inspirational. She is never afraid to be different, has the courage of her convictions and has strong views on the role that girls and women should have in society. Yet despite her sometimes precocious worldly wisdom, she is in no hurry to grow up. When a new girl, Alex, arrives at school with perfume and mobile phones, Lisa struggles with her desire to fit in, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that she’s happiest as she is. “We've only got nine, maybe ten years, tops where we can giggle in church and chew with our mouths open and go days without bathing,” she declares. “We'll never have that freedom again." Amen to that, Lisa!
Sue White (Green Wing)
Michelle Gomez
Sue White was completely bonkers. No, really; completely and utterly, off-the-wall crazy. As Staff Liaison Officer for East Hampton Hospital, she was full of crushing put-downs, bizarre non-sequiturs, wholly inappropriate responses and a worrying lack of attention to her actual job (“Take this, ‘Dealing with Difficult People’, and f*ck off!”) What else can you say about Sue White? There has never been any character – male or female – on television quite like her, and there probably never will be again.
Sue White on religion:
Margo Leadbetter (The Good Life)
Penelope Keith
The Good Life may have centred on Tom and Barbara Good’s attempts at self-sufficiency, but it was always their stuck-up next door neighbour Margo who stole the show for me. With her iconic seventies’ outfits and immaculately coiffured hair, Margo was an unashamed middle class Conservative snob. She ordered around her long-suffering husband Jerry and despaired at the actions of her neighbours. Although, by her own admission, she had no sense of humour, she certainly knew her rights and and her place in society. When The Good Life first aired in 1975, Margaret Thatcher had just become leader of the Conservative Party, and Margo is very much a woman of that era – assured, resolute and independent, whilst maintaining a healthy respect for the old housewifely traditions of suburbia.
Geraldine Granger (The Vicar of Dibley)
Dawn French
Back in the 1990s, when lovable clergywoman Geraldine Granger first bounced onto our screens, the ordination of women vicars had only just been approved and was a controversial topic. Despite this, The Vicar of Dibley was never a controversial show, and although the villagers were initially discomforted by their new female vicar, Geraldine was able to win them all over with her charm, her sense of humour and her devotion to the Christian faith. Her character helped normalise women vicars in Britain, as well as bringing a sense of humanity to the clergy. She had a weakness for chocolate, a healthy sexual appetite and an extremely positive acceptance of her wonderful voluptuous curves. In the end though, what makes us love the Vicar is exactly what the people of Dibley love about her too – her kindness and big-hearted attempts to do good in the lives of the people she cares about.
Sarah Lund (The Killing)
Sofie Gråbøl
The character of Inspector Sarah Lund took the dysfunctional, maverick male detective stereotype and turned it on his head. With her distinctive knitwear and uncommunicative manner, Lund spends long periods of the Danish murder mystery drama staring into the middle distance with a slight frown as she mulls over the latest grisly murder on her plate. There are no histrionics with Lund; no passionate outbursts – she is an emotionally guarded introvert who battles her demons in private. Against conventional gender roles, Lund struggles with family relationships and seems untroubled by her social isolation, much as many of her male counterparts do. She truly is a rarity in the world of television crime drama.
They say you should never meet your heroes. But sometimes it is not until you meet someone that they become your hero in the first place.
And
when you do meet them, be sure to ask them awkward questions about how
they got to where they are - being your hero - because the paths they
take can often be as surprising as they are influential in helping you
find your own way in life's great adventure...
Like Prof. Athene Donald,
Larson is one of the great science communicators who manages to express
her own enthusiasm for a subject and make it both interesting and
comprehensible for her audience. Although unassuming in nature, it was
clear from the start that Larson knew not only a lot about cryocoolers
(on which the workshop was based) and low temperature space
applications but the notoriously difficult low temperature Physics
underlying it all. An unusual combination of someone who has both the
practical outlook and abilities of an engineer, as well as the depth of
understanding of a pure scientist. This is highlighted in many of her
projects but perhaps most so in that of the magnetic low-gravity simulator which she not only used for high-end experimental Physics research but was also instrumental in building.
Disability: A New History may
not at first seem an obvious choice for a blog whose theme is that of
celebrating the successes of under-publicised women throughout history.
Although there are many similarities and cross-overs between the
marginalisation of groups based on any feature including gender or
disability or even ethnicity, sexuality, age or wealth, I do not wish to
'lump together' all such issues; to reduce each case to a single,
interchangeable concept would be to vastly underestimate the complexity
of discrimination in society today. However, not only has this fantastic
radio show introduced me to several inspiring women (particularly Adele
Husson and Hippolyte van Lendegem in episode 10),
about whom I shall hopefully start reading soon, but it has also
provided much food for thought on many topics, not only those such as
disability identity but also gender identity, the concepts of 'beauty'
and 'body image' and, in particular, the progress of society.
My realisations about the last point in particular have been particularly relevant; and positive. By examining first-hand accounts of people from the 18th century onwards (sometimes earlier) a picture of the progress of society and its attitude is painted - and it's not as straight forward as we may imagine. It is easy to assume (as, indeed, I have done) that the majority of cultures throughout the world, though by no means all of them, tended towards the dominance of a particular social group; that, in the past, that dominance, synonymous with the marginalisation of all other social groups, was almost impossible to go against; and that we have been making slow but constant progress ever since towards a more equal, a more 'politically correct', society. Peter White, presenter of Disability: A New History, shows us that this is not, in fact, the case - and I draw hope from this, as I will discuss in my closing comments. But first, here is some of the eye-opening History that A New History has taught me.
In the middle ages roughly 60-65% of the population were thought to have some form of 'disability'. (I admit to using this as a vague an open-ended blanket term throughout this article.) So although certain religions, in particular Christianity, taught notions such as that a disabled child was the result of the sin of the parents and that the disability could be cured by touching a sacred relic, the majority of people were getting on with their lives and taking little or no notice of such ideas (as discussed in episode 2). 'Freak shows' and entrepreneurs who used their disability to their advantage were originally seen not as demeaning but as an exploration and an appreciation of the variety found in nature through which the performers were adults in full control of their lives, earning a substantial living - though this, inevitably, did not continue to be the case. (See episode 3.)
It was not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that a wide-spread attitude of pity and of out-casting anyone not of the 'norm' truly took form. Interestingly, this 'norm' was, for some reason, taken to be that of a healthy, young male and so even by being a women you were, at the end of the day, considered to be 'disabled' and therefore an imperfect human.
Apparently we weren't the only ones who had waited a bit late to attempt to view it on the big screen though and the Plymouth Arts Centre
(a really friendly independent cinema and art gallery) was so full I
had to sit away from my family - not that they missed me as, I was told
afterwards, they could hear me laugh loudly and recognisably when Mrs.
P. M. Travers, played by Emma Thompson, entered the Hollywood hotel room filled to the bursting with Disney merchandise and uttered the most derisive, 'Oh dear.'.
She is master of comic timing both on and off screen (Charlotte in The Boat that Rocked or any of her interviews, for example, on the Graham Norton Show discussing Saving Mr. Banks - from 4m20s in here), of pathos (Maggie in Peter's Friends,
a lesser known but wonderful film also starring Imelda Stuanton,
Alphonsia Emmanuel, Kenneth Brannagh, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony
Slattery) and of incredible characterisations (The Queen in the Playouse Presents TV drama, Walking the Dogs).
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Veruca Salt - Named after the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character, this can't be a bad thing! Featuring Nina Gordon and Louise Post on guitars and vocals.
The Roches - Loving the song 'Nurds'!
Bobby Gentry - Seriously impressive vocals as well as songwriting skillz!
Introducing three new pages to the blog for the easy sharing of interesting links:
News Links - some interesting online news articles
Non-News Links and Books - some interesting non-news articles, books, organisations, projects, talks, videos and anything else I may find
Early Day Motions and Petitions - formal motions submitted to the House of Parliament for debate, allowing MPs to draw attention to an event or cause, and online petitions
Recommendations are welcome (and, indeed, where some of the links already come from) and all links will be twittered eventually too (as I grapple with modern larks such as social media).
A little note to welcome in two thousand and fourteen (or twenty-fourteen if you will)...
Many people like to 'point out' to me that although there are many talented classical, folk or acoustic female guitarists there aren't that many that can rock - I mean, really ROCK. To these people I shake my head, sigh a sigh of pity (think of all the great music they're missing out on listening to!) and say..."Oh Well"
Watch Danielle Haim ROCKING out the classic Fleetwood Mac riff on her SG at Jools Hollands' 2014 Hootenanny here.
Happy 2014!
https://twitter.com/HungryWomenBlog
At 22-years-old, the West Indies’ all-rounder Stafanie Taylor has become the first player, male or female, to hold the batting, bowling and all-rounder number one spots in ODI cricket at the same time. Taylor made her debut for the West Indies at just 17 on their tour of Europe in 2008. Her impressive Twenty20 debut against Ireland saw her hit 90 off 49 balls. She has been named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for the past two years and was also awarded the West Indies’ Women’s Cricketer of the Year. An explosive right-hand batter with a right-arm off-break, in 67 ODIs for the West Indies, Taylor has made 2626 runs at an average of 45.27, scoring 5 centuries and 16 half-centuries in the process, and taken 91 wickets at an average of 16.30. At only 22 and with some arguing that she would not be out of place in the men’s game, Taylor surely has many more years of success ahead of her.
Though it might not appear so in the British media, women’s football, or soccer, enjoys a lot of success abroad, particularly in the US and South America.
Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known as Marta, has achieved celebrity status in her home country of Brazil. 27-year-old Marta is a forward for Tyresö FF of Damallsvenskan and the Brazil women's national football team. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year five consecutive times, from 2006-2010. She won a silver medal with the Brazil team in the 2004 and 2008 summer Olympics and is joint top of the all-time Women’s World Cup goal scorer list. Hailed as the Pele of the woman’s game, Marta is also a passionate advocate of female participation in football.
Emily Scarratt
Motorsports are a notoriously testosterone-driven arena. Scottish racing driver Susie Wolff has had to battle the ridiculous stereotype that women make terrible drivers, whether they’re in a Ford Fiesta or Formula One car to become a development driver for the Williams Formula One team in 2012. Women have competed alongside men in Formula One, but not for forty years, and Susie is determined to become the first British woman to drive in a Formula One race. The critics have been lining up to claim that women can’t compete at the pinnacle of the racing world, and Wolff has plenty of tales to tell of the sexism she faces. But she hopes that she will be able to inspire girls to get into the sport: “People tell me that their daughters didn’t realise that girls could even race until they had heard of me.”
Despite its popularity being troublingly tied up with the marketability of the women who play it, women’s tennis fares a little better than many other sports, with equal prize money handed out at all four Grand Slam tournaments since 2007. The Williams sisters can be credited with raising the profile of the women’s game and becoming household names in the process. Whilst Venus Williams has not sustained her initial level of success, her younger sister has been consistently at the top of the game since she won her first US Open in 1999, at the age of 18. Since then, Williams has notched up 16 more Grand Slam wins, across all surfaces, as well as an Olympic Gold. Now 32, in 2013 Williams has regained the WTA’s Number One ranking for the sixth time in her career, indicating that there may well be more titles to come.
25-year-old South Korean Inbee Park has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings since 15 April 2013. Having started playing golf at the age of 10, Park turned professional at 18,as soon as she was allowed under the LPGA rules. Park has won four major championships in her career, including three consecutive major wins during the 2013 season, becoming only the fourth LPGA Tour player to win three majors in a calendar year. She is also the youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Open. Awarded the LPGA's Player of the Year, Park's successes in 2013 have brought a lot of publicity to women's golf.
Many thanks to Ellie for another guitar hero recommend, this time from the world of Folk Music.
In 1957, a 16-year-old Joan Baez bought herself a Gibson acoustic guitar. In 1958 she gave her first concert at the Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts - the start of a 50-year residency - and 1959 saw her play at the first Newport Folk Festival.
'Folk' is an incredibly appropriate word when looking at Joan Baez. If anyone is a person 'of the people' then I think it's safe to say that Joan definitely earns that title. Musically she plays songs under the all-encompassing umbrella of 'Folk' which is best defined as music that tells stories about people; and as varied as people are, so are the songs of this genre - ballads and blues, lullabies and cowboy tunes, songs of freedom and songs of the people that fight for it. And they were not empty words that she sang (which she did in 6 languages, including English and Spanish, both of which she spoke fluently). Joan acted on every one of them, whether standing in fields alongside migrant farm workers striking for fair wages, withholding income tax from the IRS to protest against military spending or, as was seen in the recent anniversary documentary (here), performing at the legendary 1963 March on Washington, a pivotal point in the american Civil Rights Movement - the same year that she began touring with Bob Dylan. She opposed the death penalty and fought for LGBT rights, she took on a whole host of environmental issues as well as global poverty, she occupied Wall Street and Amnesty International created the Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. More information about her social and political activism can be found here.
So not only was she a fantastic musician (as can be seen from the taster links below and the respect she commanded of her peers) but she truly used the full potential of music as a social instrument: to carry a message across states and continents; to share a sentiment and inspire generations; to tell a story; to change the world...
'The Lily of the West'
'We Shall Overcome' (Woodstock, 1969)
Footage from the 1963 March including Joan Baez and Bob Dylan
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Adding the Third Dimension: Favourite Female TV Characters - Guest Post
I love television. Some people might be a bit snobby about it as an artistic medium, but I think it’s great. It has the power to tell a story in incredible detail in several hours over several weeks, or to dip into one for half an hour. You can get to know longstanding television characters in a way that you never could in a film, or even a book. They become a part of your life; something to discuss with friends or ponder in the shower. Television can keep you hanging on the edge of your seat or it can be the entertainment world’s equivalent of a worn pair of slippers and an old jumper.But one thing television doesn’t always do is give us great female characters. Lists of favourite television characters (including my own, regrettably) are often dominated by those flawed, comic, brilliant, but male creations. All too often, sadly, their female counterparts are two-dimensional stereotypes.
So I’ve put together a list of my favourite female characters, who I believe exhibit some of the originality of our favourite male characters. The list is by no means exhaustive, as it only covers characters from programmes that I’ve watched myself, so I welcome suggestions and recommendations of other shows featuring brilliant female characters!
Daisy Steiner (Spaced)
Jessica Hynes
I don’t often see women like me on television. Even the brilliant ones often look and dress in a way that is completely alien to me. Not Daisy Steiner. She dressed comfortably, in combats and hoodies (and, in defiance of television rules, often in the same outfit in more than one episode, as if she, like us, did not own a limitless wardrobe), wore no makeup and, well, basically looked normal. She was one of life’s lovable losers: a permanently procrastinating unemployed writer wandering through her 20s fuelled by endless cups of tea. Her flaws weren't cutesy, nor were they melodramatic – they were wonderfully ordinary; her self-doubt and her laziness. Daisy’s bumbling naivety and sense of fun make her one of the warmest and real characters in British comedy.
Spaced is available to watch on 4OD.
CJ Cregg (The West Wing)
Allison Janney
West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin didn’t always present women in the best of lights and it is telling that very few strong female characters emerged during his reign as writer and executive producer of the hit US political show. But in the male-dominated corridors of the White House, Claudia Jean Cregg walked and talked with the best of them. The only woman on President Bartlet’s senior staff, CJ’s Press Secretary was intelligent, opinionated and funny, nailing one-liners and slapstick with equal aplomb. She was as witty, tough and driven as any of the men she worked with, and could even match them on a dysfunctional personal life. Her elevation to White House Chief of Staff in the latter seasons of the show, a role in which she adeptly balanced compassion with political savvy, demonstrated just what a powerful character she was.
I defy you to watch this scene without laughing:
Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
Catherine Tate
Say what you will about Russell T. Davies’ stint at the helm of Doctor Who, but he certainly knew how to write female characters. And by far and away his best was the super-temp from Chiswick, Donna Noble. An antidote to the string of youthful companions, Catherine Tate’s Donna brought a sense of maturity to the TARDIS and a welcome respite from all the sexual tension with the Doctor. Donna was gobby, but compassionate, and wasn’t afraid to challenge the Doctor’s authority. Always resourceful, Donna possessed a whole CV of transferrable skills to call upon in any situation. On the surface a comic character, it was painfully clear that all that sass was covering up deep-rooted insecurity, as Catherine Tate deftly conveyed the subtle layers of Donna’s character. Donna’s fate, to be cursed with returning to her old life and never remembering the Doctor, was so very tragic.
This will always remain one of my favourite Donna scenes:
Leslie Knope (Parks & Recreation)
Amy Poehler
Leslie Knope is a relentlessly positive, devoted public servant. After a rocky start in Season 1, when it felt like she might become a cliché of a bumbling, incompetent woman, Leslie grew in assurance to move from Deputy Director of Pawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department to Governor of Indiana (which we learn from a flash forward in the series finale). Leslie is content in her own skin and happy with what she is doing with her life. She is hard-working, ethical and good at her job – qualities that don't often come together in comic political creations.
Monica Geller (Friends)
Courtney Cox-Arquette
This might seem an odd choice, and yes, Monica did embody many female stereotypes: thin and glamorous (having overcome her teenage weight problems to become accepted), and obsessed with weddings and babies. But during my teens, when I first became hooked on Friends, Monica showed me that women could be so much more than those stereotypes. They could even embrace those qualities that society tried to teach me were unfeminine – competitiveness, obsessive cleanliness and organisation (it’s really just good sense), uninhibitedness (The Routine), control-freakishness, impulsivity and immaturity, and an uncontrollable need to please. And on top of all that, she was head chef of an upmarket New York restaurant. Monica – you were neurotic, loud and kind of annoying, but sometimes I cannot deny how alike we are (rules do help control the fun!)
I learnt my best dance moves from the Gellers...
Dana Scully (The X Files)
Gillian Anderson
When the producers of the X-Files originally conceived the character of Dana Scully, they imagined a tall, blonde, sexy bombshell. Instead they got Gillian Anderson: 5 foot nothing, with mousey hair (that would be died red for the show) and an ill-fitting suit. But when she read opposite David Duchovny at her audition, the chemistry between the two actors was instantly apparent. FBI Special Agent Scully, a medical doctor with a degree in physics, managed to remain sceptical in the face of Mulder’s belief in extra-terrestrial life for a large part of the sci-fi series. She was unflinching in the face of danger and conducted her work, including all manner of disturbing autopsies, with a calm authority. Since the X-Files first aired in 1993, Scully has even been credited with encouraging women to forge careers in STEM subjects.
Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
Voiced by Yeardley Smith
For twenty five years now, girls have been able to grow up watching Lisa Simpson, one of television's greatest feminists. She’s a member of MENSA, an awesome jazz saxophonist, a science and nature nerd, maths prodigy and all-round child genius. Lisa may not have the impish charm of her older brother or populist appeal of her father, but she is far more inspirational. She is never afraid to be different, has the courage of her convictions and has strong views on the role that girls and women should have in society. Yet despite her sometimes precocious worldly wisdom, she is in no hurry to grow up. When a new girl, Alex, arrives at school with perfume and mobile phones, Lisa struggles with her desire to fit in, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that she’s happiest as she is. “We've only got nine, maybe ten years, tops where we can giggle in church and chew with our mouths open and go days without bathing,” she declares. “We'll never have that freedom again." Amen to that, Lisa!
Sue White (Green Wing)
Michelle Gomez
Sue White was completely bonkers. No, really; completely and utterly, off-the-wall crazy. As Staff Liaison Officer for East Hampton Hospital, she was full of crushing put-downs, bizarre non-sequiturs, wholly inappropriate responses and a worrying lack of attention to her actual job (“Take this, ‘Dealing with Difficult People’, and f*ck off!”) What else can you say about Sue White? There has never been any character – male or female – on television quite like her, and there probably never will be again.
Sue White on religion:
Margo Leadbetter (The Good Life)
Penelope Keith
The Good Life may have centred on Tom and Barbara Good’s attempts at self-sufficiency, but it was always their stuck-up next door neighbour Margo who stole the show for me. With her iconic seventies’ outfits and immaculately coiffured hair, Margo was an unashamed middle class Conservative snob. She ordered around her long-suffering husband Jerry and despaired at the actions of her neighbours. Although, by her own admission, she had no sense of humour, she certainly knew her rights and and her place in society. When The Good Life first aired in 1975, Margaret Thatcher had just become leader of the Conservative Party, and Margo is very much a woman of that era – assured, resolute and independent, whilst maintaining a healthy respect for the old housewifely traditions of suburbia.
Geraldine Granger (The Vicar of Dibley)
Dawn French
Back in the 1990s, when lovable clergywoman Geraldine Granger first bounced onto our screens, the ordination of women vicars had only just been approved and was a controversial topic. Despite this, The Vicar of Dibley was never a controversial show, and although the villagers were initially discomforted by their new female vicar, Geraldine was able to win them all over with her charm, her sense of humour and her devotion to the Christian faith. Her character helped normalise women vicars in Britain, as well as bringing a sense of humanity to the clergy. She had a weakness for chocolate, a healthy sexual appetite and an extremely positive acceptance of her wonderful voluptuous curves. In the end though, what makes us love the Vicar is exactly what the people of Dibley love about her too – her kindness and big-hearted attempts to do good in the lives of the people she cares about.
Sarah Lund (The Killing)
Sofie Gråbøl
The character of Inspector Sarah Lund took the dysfunctional, maverick male detective stereotype and turned it on his head. With her distinctive knitwear and uncommunicative manner, Lund spends long periods of the Danish murder mystery drama staring into the middle distance with a slight frown as she mulls over the latest grisly murder on her plate. There are no histrionics with Lund; no passionate outbursts – she is an emotionally guarded introvert who battles her demons in private. Against conventional gender roles, Lund struggles with family relationships and seems untroubled by her social isolation, much as many of her male counterparts do. She truly is a rarity in the world of television crime drama.
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General Election Special - Guest Post
2015’s General Election is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in recent years. There is barely a sliver of daylight between the Conservatives and Labour in the polls, which is due, in part, to the growth of smaller parties; a sign, perhaps, that we are finally moving away from the two-party politics that dominated the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of this one. But the most surprising aspect of this election was not that there were seven party leaders debating the issues, but that not one, but three of those leaders were women.
This election is unprecedented in many ways, but the increased role of women is one of its big positives. One in four candidates standing are women, more than at any other election. It’s predicted that women could make up 30% of MPs in the next Parliament – a significant increase on the 22% elected in 2010. It’s not quite the 50% that it should be, but it’s inching slowly towards it.
As Harriet Harman said, when launching Labour’s Women’s Manifesto: "All women are different but there are some commons themes. Above all, we need to make sure women understand that politics and democracy is for women as well as men. Too often women feel politics is just a group of men shouting at each other, who don't understand their lives.”
One way of achieving this is to raise the profile of the women who are already in politics. Below is selection of the women who are currently Members of Parliament and who will be standing for election again on 7th May. There wasn’t space to include all 148 female MPs, so I’ve tried to choose one from each party whose journey into the House of Commons and political activity tell the most interesting story.
Diane Abbott (Labour)
Labour, due to their socialist roots, have always lead the way on getting women into politics, with their first three female MPs taking their seats in 1923. 53% of Labour candidates contesting their target seats in 2015 are women and they also lead the way on numbers, having 86 female MPs. Despite this, they have never had a female leader, though Diane Abbott challenged for it in 2010.
Abbott took her seat as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington back in 1987, becoming the first black woman elected to Parliament. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents in 1953, Abbott attended Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read history. After graduating she worked in a number of positions, including as a television researcher and reporter.
Abbott has been something of a livewire within the Labour party, often voting against party lines. She voted against the Iraq War, and has opposed ID cards and the renewal of Trident. Her speech on civil liberties in the debate on the Counter Terrorism Bill won recognition at the 2008 Human Rights awards. She served briefly as Shadow Minister for Public Health under Ed Miliband's leadership, before being sacked in a re-shuffle, but chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group. Outside of Parliament she founded the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise educational achievement levels amongst black children.
She has often courted controversy, with frequent media appearances and comments on race, but was re-elected with an increased majority in 2010. She has announced that she will be putting herself forward to become Labour’s candidate for London Mayor in 2016.
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Conservative)
It could be argued that the Conservatives have the best record of all when it comes to prominent women, having elected a female leader as far back as 1975; a leader who would go on to become one of the most iconic British Prime Ministers of the twentieth century. But it’s been 25 years since Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street and today the Conservatives are lagging behind other parties when it comes to the proportion of female candidates and MPs.
Dr Sarah Wollaston studied medicine at King’s College London and worked as a GP for twenty years before entering politics. She was selected as a candidate for Totnes in 2010 through the country’s first open primary and was subsequently elected to Parliament with an increased majority for the Conservatives.
Wollaston is Chair of the Health Select Committee and since election has gained a reputation for being an independent-minded MP, unafraid to oppose the party leadership in defence of the interests of her constituents. She has rebelled against the Coalition on several key issues, voting in favour of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union in 2011, for a cut in the EU budget in 2011 and voting against military intervention in Syria in 2013.
She is, understandably, very interested in health issues. Her opposition to NHS reform in 2011 resulted in the Conservatives changing certain clauses at her request, and she subsequently voted in favour of the revised Health and Social Care Bill. She has also been a vocal proponent for minimum unit pricing for alcohol and was greatly admired for standing her ground on the issue, clashing with the party leadership when she declared that the plans for minimum pricing had been shelved due to party strategist Lynton Crosby’s ties to the alcohol industry. In 2013, she jointly won The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Award for her opposition to a Royal Charter on press regulation.
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat)
Things are looking pretty bleak for the Liberal Democrats at the moment, but they’re looking even bleaker for Liberal Democrat women. Only 12% of the party’s MPs are women and polls suggest that figure could be even lower after the election.
Jo Swinson hales from East Dunbartonshire and has been an active member of the Liberal Democrats since she was seventeen. After graduating from the LSE with a BSc in Management, she first stood for Parliament at the age of 21, contesting John Prescott’s seat of Hull East in 2001. She lost, but gained a 6% swing for the Liberal Democrats.
She took her home seat of East Dunbartonshire in the 2005 General Election, becoming, at 25, one of the youngest women ever to become an MP. She is currently the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Junior Equalities Minister.
Swinson was vocal in her opposition to the Iraq War and the Labour government's proposals for national identity cards. She supports measures to tackle climate change and reducing the voting age to 16 as a way of engaging young people in politics. Although she believes more women should be involved in politics, she opposes positive discrimination to address gender imbalance, controversially wearing a pink t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “I am not a token woman” to the Liberal Democrat’s national party conference in 2002.
Caroline Lucas (Green)
The Greens can boast that they are the only party with all female MPs. Of course, they only have the one MP, but unsurprisingly, the Greens have an impressive record when it comes to female representation. They are fielding the highest number of female candidates and are the only political party where a female leader has handed over the reigns to another female.
Born to Conservative parents, Caroline Lucas gained a first class degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter in 1983. Whilst a student, she became heavily involved in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She joined the Green Party in 1986 and held numerous positions within the party’s leadership, before becoming leader in 2008. She was elected MEP for the South East in 1999, and in 2007 announced her intention to stand for Parliament in Brighton Pavilion, where the Greens had been gaining in popularity. In 2010, she was elected as the first Green MP and in 2012 stepped down as leader of the Greens to concentrate on her role as MP and to allow other members of the Green Party to gain prominence.
Lucas has been a popular, at times radical, but always hardworking MP. She has been an outspoken and welcome voice in opposition to the political establishment in the House of Commons. She was reprimanded for breaching the Parliamentary dress code by wearing a t-shirt with the slogan “No More Page 3” in the chamber and was arrested during a non-violent protest against fracking in Balcome. She is a tireless advocate for the causes she believes in, including promoting localisation over market-led globalisation, protecting the environment, animal rights, the advancement of women and disarmament. Despite her popularity, dissatisfaction with the Green-run Brighton Council could cost Lucas votes in the election and it’s unclear whether or not she will retain her seat.
Eilidh Whiteford (SNP)
The SNP have been a powerful force in 2015’s election, with leader Nicola Sturgeon's debate performances surprisingly managing to eclipse the popularist platitudes of Nigel Farage and UKIP. As a progressive party, the SNP, and Sturgeon in particular, are keen to promote gender equality. Although the SNP only recently voted to introduce all-women shortlists, they already have the second highest proportion of female general election candidates of the six main parties in Scotland, at 36%, behind the Scottish Green’s 43% and ahead of Labour’s 27%.
Currently, the SNP only have one female MP in Westminster (to their five male MPs). Eilidh Whiteford has been actively involved with the SNP since 1986 and was elected as MP for Banff and Buchan in 2010. She sits on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee and is the SNP's Westminster Spokesperson for Fishing, Food and Rural Affairs, and International Development. Her causes include encouraging women in politics, opposing austerity and, obviously, greater devolved powers for Scotland.
Margaret Ritchie (SDLP)
Margaret Ritchie was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003, became the leader of the Social Democrat and Labour Party in 2010 and has been the Member of Parliament for South Down since 2010. On Remembrance Day 2010 Ritchie made history by becoming the first leader of a nationalist party to wear a poppy at a wreath-laying ceremony in Downpatrick and has attacked Sinn Féin for causing division in Northern Ireland. Although described as “sincere, decent and focused”, Ritchie was not a popular leader of the SDLP and stepped down in 2011. She resigned from the Assembly in 2012 to concentrate on her duties as an MP in Westminster.
Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin)
One of ten siblings, Michelle Gildernew was born into a politically active Irish republican family. The Gildernews were leading figures in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association during the 1960s. Gildernew was appointed Sinn Féin representative to London in 1997 and was part of the first Sinn Féin delegation to visit Downing Street. She was elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 2001, though only held onto her seat by 4 votes in 2010. Like all Sinn Féin MPs, Gildernew follows a policy of abstentionism and does not take her seat in Parliament. Gildernew is a Republican activist and has campaigned on women's and mothers' rights.
Naomi Long (Alliance)
Naomi Long graduated from Queen’s University of Belfast with a civil engineering degree in 1994 and worked for several years in structural engineering consultancy before going into politics. Her first foray into politics was in 2001, as a member of Belfast City Council; she also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast. In 2001 she was elected as Member of Parliament for Belfast East, becoming the first MP for the Alliance Party. Long became the first liberal-affiliated MP elected to Westminster in Northern Ireland since 1914. Despite the close relationship between the Alliance Party and the Liberal Democrats, Long does not take the coalition whip and is not a member of the Liberal Democrats.
I am not advocating voting for female candidates regardless of party or politics, simply because there is a woman on the ballot. That, like assuming that there is a ‘woman’s vote’ and that we all think and act – and vote – as one, is insulting and does little to advance the cause of equality in politics. What I am in favour of is promoting and raising the profile of female MPs, such as those above, in order to encourage more women to take that step towards candidacy. If more young girls become familiar with female faces on those fabled green benches, maybe future elections will finally see women making up two in every four candidates.
This election is unprecedented in many ways, but the increased role of women is one of its big positives. One in four candidates standing are women, more than at any other election. It’s predicted that women could make up 30% of MPs in the next Parliament – a significant increase on the 22% elected in 2010. It’s not quite the 50% that it should be, but it’s inching slowly towards it.
As Harriet Harman said, when launching Labour’s Women’s Manifesto: "All women are different but there are some commons themes. Above all, we need to make sure women understand that politics and democracy is for women as well as men. Too often women feel politics is just a group of men shouting at each other, who don't understand their lives.”
One way of achieving this is to raise the profile of the women who are already in politics. Below is selection of the women who are currently Members of Parliament and who will be standing for election again on 7th May. There wasn’t space to include all 148 female MPs, so I’ve tried to choose one from each party whose journey into the House of Commons and political activity tell the most interesting story.
Diane Abbott (Labour)
Labour, due to their socialist roots, have always lead the way on getting women into politics, with their first three female MPs taking their seats in 1923. 53% of Labour candidates contesting their target seats in 2015 are women and they also lead the way on numbers, having 86 female MPs. Despite this, they have never had a female leader, though Diane Abbott challenged for it in 2010.
Abbott took her seat as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington back in 1987, becoming the first black woman elected to Parliament. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents in 1953, Abbott attended Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read history. After graduating she worked in a number of positions, including as a television researcher and reporter.
Abbott has been something of a livewire within the Labour party, often voting against party lines. She voted against the Iraq War, and has opposed ID cards and the renewal of Trident. Her speech on civil liberties in the debate on the Counter Terrorism Bill won recognition at the 2008 Human Rights awards. She served briefly as Shadow Minister for Public Health under Ed Miliband's leadership, before being sacked in a re-shuffle, but chairs the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group. Outside of Parliament she founded the London Schools and the Black Child initiative, which aims to raise educational achievement levels amongst black children.
She has often courted controversy, with frequent media appearances and comments on race, but was re-elected with an increased majority in 2010. She has announced that she will be putting herself forward to become Labour’s candidate for London Mayor in 2016.
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Conservative)
It could be argued that the Conservatives have the best record of all when it comes to prominent women, having elected a female leader as far back as 1975; a leader who would go on to become one of the most iconic British Prime Ministers of the twentieth century. But it’s been 25 years since Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street and today the Conservatives are lagging behind other parties when it comes to the proportion of female candidates and MPs.
Dr Sarah Wollaston studied medicine at King’s College London and worked as a GP for twenty years before entering politics. She was selected as a candidate for Totnes in 2010 through the country’s first open primary and was subsequently elected to Parliament with an increased majority for the Conservatives.
Wollaston is Chair of the Health Select Committee and since election has gained a reputation for being an independent-minded MP, unafraid to oppose the party leadership in defence of the interests of her constituents. She has rebelled against the Coalition on several key issues, voting in favour of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union in 2011, for a cut in the EU budget in 2011 and voting against military intervention in Syria in 2013.
She is, understandably, very interested in health issues. Her opposition to NHS reform in 2011 resulted in the Conservatives changing certain clauses at her request, and she subsequently voted in favour of the revised Health and Social Care Bill. She has also been a vocal proponent for minimum unit pricing for alcohol and was greatly admired for standing her ground on the issue, clashing with the party leadership when she declared that the plans for minimum pricing had been shelved due to party strategist Lynton Crosby’s ties to the alcohol industry. In 2013, she jointly won The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Award for her opposition to a Royal Charter on press regulation.
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat)
Things are looking pretty bleak for the Liberal Democrats at the moment, but they’re looking even bleaker for Liberal Democrat women. Only 12% of the party’s MPs are women and polls suggest that figure could be even lower after the election.
Jo Swinson hales from East Dunbartonshire and has been an active member of the Liberal Democrats since she was seventeen. After graduating from the LSE with a BSc in Management, she first stood for Parliament at the age of 21, contesting John Prescott’s seat of Hull East in 2001. She lost, but gained a 6% swing for the Liberal Democrats.
She took her home seat of East Dunbartonshire in the 2005 General Election, becoming, at 25, one of the youngest women ever to become an MP. She is currently the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Junior Equalities Minister.
Swinson was vocal in her opposition to the Iraq War and the Labour government's proposals for national identity cards. She supports measures to tackle climate change and reducing the voting age to 16 as a way of engaging young people in politics. Although she believes more women should be involved in politics, she opposes positive discrimination to address gender imbalance, controversially wearing a pink t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “I am not a token woman” to the Liberal Democrat’s national party conference in 2002.
Caroline Lucas (Green)
The Greens can boast that they are the only party with all female MPs. Of course, they only have the one MP, but unsurprisingly, the Greens have an impressive record when it comes to female representation. They are fielding the highest number of female candidates and are the only political party where a female leader has handed over the reigns to another female.
Born to Conservative parents, Caroline Lucas gained a first class degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter in 1983. Whilst a student, she became heavily involved in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She joined the Green Party in 1986 and held numerous positions within the party’s leadership, before becoming leader in 2008. She was elected MEP for the South East in 1999, and in 2007 announced her intention to stand for Parliament in Brighton Pavilion, where the Greens had been gaining in popularity. In 2010, she was elected as the first Green MP and in 2012 stepped down as leader of the Greens to concentrate on her role as MP and to allow other members of the Green Party to gain prominence.
Lucas has been a popular, at times radical, but always hardworking MP. She has been an outspoken and welcome voice in opposition to the political establishment in the House of Commons. She was reprimanded for breaching the Parliamentary dress code by wearing a t-shirt with the slogan “No More Page 3” in the chamber and was arrested during a non-violent protest against fracking in Balcome. She is a tireless advocate for the causes she believes in, including promoting localisation over market-led globalisation, protecting the environment, animal rights, the advancement of women and disarmament. Despite her popularity, dissatisfaction with the Green-run Brighton Council could cost Lucas votes in the election and it’s unclear whether or not she will retain her seat.
Eilidh Whiteford (SNP)
The SNP have been a powerful force in 2015’s election, with leader Nicola Sturgeon's debate performances surprisingly managing to eclipse the popularist platitudes of Nigel Farage and UKIP. As a progressive party, the SNP, and Sturgeon in particular, are keen to promote gender equality. Although the SNP only recently voted to introduce all-women shortlists, they already have the second highest proportion of female general election candidates of the six main parties in Scotland, at 36%, behind the Scottish Green’s 43% and ahead of Labour’s 27%.
Currently, the SNP only have one female MP in Westminster (to their five male MPs). Eilidh Whiteford has been actively involved with the SNP since 1986 and was elected as MP for Banff and Buchan in 2010. She sits on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee and is the SNP's Westminster Spokesperson for Fishing, Food and Rural Affairs, and International Development. Her causes include encouraging women in politics, opposing austerity and, obviously, greater devolved powers for Scotland.
Margaret Ritchie (SDLP)
Margaret Ritchie was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003, became the leader of the Social Democrat and Labour Party in 2010 and has been the Member of Parliament for South Down since 2010. On Remembrance Day 2010 Ritchie made history by becoming the first leader of a nationalist party to wear a poppy at a wreath-laying ceremony in Downpatrick and has attacked Sinn Féin for causing division in Northern Ireland. Although described as “sincere, decent and focused”, Ritchie was not a popular leader of the SDLP and stepped down in 2011. She resigned from the Assembly in 2012 to concentrate on her duties as an MP in Westminster.
Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin)
One of ten siblings, Michelle Gildernew was born into a politically active Irish republican family. The Gildernews were leading figures in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association during the 1960s. Gildernew was appointed Sinn Féin representative to London in 1997 and was part of the first Sinn Féin delegation to visit Downing Street. She was elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 2001, though only held onto her seat by 4 votes in 2010. Like all Sinn Féin MPs, Gildernew follows a policy of abstentionism and does not take her seat in Parliament. Gildernew is a Republican activist and has campaigned on women's and mothers' rights.
Naomi Long (Alliance)
Naomi Long graduated from Queen’s University of Belfast with a civil engineering degree in 1994 and worked for several years in structural engineering consultancy before going into politics. Her first foray into politics was in 2001, as a member of Belfast City Council; she also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast. In 2001 she was elected as Member of Parliament for Belfast East, becoming the first MP for the Alliance Party. Long became the first liberal-affiliated MP elected to Westminster in Northern Ireland since 1914. Despite the close relationship between the Alliance Party and the Liberal Democrats, Long does not take the coalition whip and is not a member of the Liberal Democrats.
I am not advocating voting for female candidates regardless of party or politics, simply because there is a woman on the ballot. That, like assuming that there is a ‘woman’s vote’ and that we all think and act – and vote – as one, is insulting and does little to advance the cause of equality in politics. What I am in favour of is promoting and raising the profile of female MPs, such as those above, in order to encourage more women to take that step towards candidacy. If more young girls become familiar with female faces on those fabled green benches, maybe future elections will finally see women making up two in every four candidates.
***
Female Poets and Inspirational Women of The First World War - Guest Blog
In May 2012, following attendance at a performance of the musical “Bullets and Daffodils” about the life and work of WW1 soldier poet Wilfred Owen, I volunteered to help the little group of actors who travel around performing the musical drama. They also run a museum to the memory of Wilfred Owen called The Wilfred Owen Story, which is situated in Argyle Street, Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula in the north west of England. Wilfred was brought up and educated on the Wirral Peninsula and by a strange coincidence so was I. At the request of Dean Johnson who runs the Wilfred Owen Story Museum, I began researching women who wrote poetry during World War One for an exhibition held there in November 2012. I began by looking for a woman poet with a connection to the Wirral Peninsula and discovered that May Sinclair was born in Rock Ferry, which is a few miles down the cost from Birkenhead.
By the time WW1 broke out in Europe in August 1914, May was famous on both sides of the Atlantic as an author and poet. It was May who first used the phrase "stream of consciousness" to describe a literary work. Although she was by no means a young woman, May went to Belgium in September 1914 with the Dr Hector Monro Flying Ambulance Unit as Dr Monro's Personal Assistant. May also financed the unit. The experiences of the unit were such that within six weeks May was sent bak to England suffering from medical symptoms described as "Shell Shock". She wrote about her experiences and wrote two poems which she dedicated to the unit.
I began to add poets of other nationalities and am slowly building up a list of women poets of all nationalities and from many different countries, for this was the first time a war affected every country of the globe and every man, woman and child too. I'd love to know if you have poets to add to the list which you will find here http://www.femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk/p/female-poets-of-first-world-war-revised.html.
One of the poets for whom I have a great deal of admiration is Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Ella travelled to France to entertain the American troops in 1918. Can you imagine what it must have been like taking a liner across the Atlantic (no Jumbo Jets in those days) with the risk of torpedoes and mines sinking the ship at any moment? And practical everyday things like travel-size cosmetics and toiletries and light-weight cases did not exist back then. For younger women, Tampax and Lil-lets hadn't been invented yet either, but they were resourceful women and in spite of the terrible conditions they lived and worked in while in the various theatres of war, and in spite of being hampered by long hair, long skirts and high-button boots, they coped admirably and wrote about their experiences.
By the time the exhibition was up and running in November 2012, I was well and truly hooked on researching the poetry of the First World War and had started a weblog - www.femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk. People contacted me and asked for some of the exhibition panels and exhibitions were held in several other venues. I was also contacted by relatives of some of the poets on my ever-growing list.
I had also branched out to include some of the amazing women who were not poets - women like Mary Riter Hamilton, the Canadian artist who went to paint the aftermath, travelling to France in 1919. Mary's story was so incredible - she lived in a tin hut among the Chinese workers who cleared away the debris left by the conflict and helped to bury the dead - that I could not leave her out. Mary stayed in France for three years painting well over 300 pictures, her health suffered and she lost the sight of one eye but she did not give up. That is how the heading "Inspirational Women of World War One" came into being and I put together a book which features some of those women. I called the book "No Woman's Land" and started a weblog too - www.inspirationalwomenofww1.blogspot.co.uk.
The stories of those women is very inspiring and I feel we should celebrate their lives more. I think it is a shame that women in general the world over do not seem to have built upon the progress made during the First World War when the world needed women.
Lucy London, January 2015 Photo: One of Mary Riter Hamilton's pictures.
By the time WW1 broke out in Europe in August 1914, May was famous on both sides of the Atlantic as an author and poet. It was May who first used the phrase "stream of consciousness" to describe a literary work. Although she was by no means a young woman, May went to Belgium in September 1914 with the Dr Hector Monro Flying Ambulance Unit as Dr Monro's Personal Assistant. May also financed the unit. The experiences of the unit were such that within six weeks May was sent bak to England suffering from medical symptoms described as "Shell Shock". She wrote about her experiences and wrote two poems which she dedicated to the unit.
I began to add poets of other nationalities and am slowly building up a list of women poets of all nationalities and from many different countries, for this was the first time a war affected every country of the globe and every man, woman and child too. I'd love to know if you have poets to add to the list which you will find here http://www.femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk/p/female-poets-of-first-world-war-revised.html.
One of the poets for whom I have a great deal of admiration is Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Ella travelled to France to entertain the American troops in 1918. Can you imagine what it must have been like taking a liner across the Atlantic (no Jumbo Jets in those days) with the risk of torpedoes and mines sinking the ship at any moment? And practical everyday things like travel-size cosmetics and toiletries and light-weight cases did not exist back then. For younger women, Tampax and Lil-lets hadn't been invented yet either, but they were resourceful women and in spite of the terrible conditions they lived and worked in while in the various theatres of war, and in spite of being hampered by long hair, long skirts and high-button boots, they coped admirably and wrote about their experiences.
By the time the exhibition was up and running in November 2012, I was well and truly hooked on researching the poetry of the First World War and had started a weblog - www.femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk. People contacted me and asked for some of the exhibition panels and exhibitions were held in several other venues. I was also contacted by relatives of some of the poets on my ever-growing list.
I had also branched out to include some of the amazing women who were not poets - women like Mary Riter Hamilton, the Canadian artist who went to paint the aftermath, travelling to France in 1919. Mary's story was so incredible - she lived in a tin hut among the Chinese workers who cleared away the debris left by the conflict and helped to bury the dead - that I could not leave her out. Mary stayed in France for three years painting well over 300 pictures, her health suffered and she lost the sight of one eye but she did not give up. That is how the heading "Inspirational Women of World War One" came into being and I put together a book which features some of those women. I called the book "No Woman's Land" and started a weblog too - www.inspirationalwomenofww1.blogspot.co.uk.
The stories of those women is very inspiring and I feel we should celebrate their lives more. I think it is a shame that women in general the world over do not seem to have built upon the progress made during the First World War when the world needed women.
Lucy London, January 2015 Photo: One of Mary Riter Hamilton's pictures.
***
Do you know where you're goin' to? To infinity and beyond!
They say you should never meet your heroes. But sometimes it is not until you meet someone that they become your hero in the first place.
And
when you do meet them, be sure to ask them awkward questions about how
they got to where they are - being your hero - because the paths they
take can often be as surprising as they are influential in helping you
find your own way in life's great adventure...
I had just such an experience this summer at my first ever international scientific conference
which took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Having decided to
make the most of this experience and attend a pre-conference workshop -
and, what's more, having decided at the last minute to switch workshops -
I found myself in the presence of one Dr. Melora Larson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
There's
no point in hiding the fact that, space, spacecraft and spacecraft
engines being obviously cool, the fact that Larson worked for JPL made
her immediately equally cool in my eyes. Or, at least, potentially - and
boy, did she live up to those expectations.
 | ||
| Levitating helium droplets in Spacelab 3 |
Do you like the things that life is showin' you?
This
combination of hands-on skills and a thirst for knowledge can be
perhaps traced back to her childhood and her early influences and
ambitions. Larson clearly takes after one of her own inspirations, her
father, who was both a physical chemist and a dab-hand at woodwork.
She initially wanted to be either a fire-fighter or an astronaut and, unfortunately for America's firefighting community, the astronaut dream won out. Deciding to take the academic rather than the military route to walk among the stars, Larson studied astrophysics but soon became side-tracked by pure Physics - very in-depth pure Physics.
In studying for her PhD from the University of California (Santa Barbara) she not only added extensively to our knowledge of low temperature helium but in the process also developed two very high accuracy (resolution of 5-20 nano-Kelvin) thermometers.
But
the space community need not have worried that they'd lost their
budding young astronaut. After her PhD Larson was offered a postdoc
position at JPL where she has risen from triumph to triumph. The breadth
of projects she has worked on range from the Confined Helium Experiment (CHeX) which flew on the Space Shuttle in 1997 to the Low Temperature Microgravity Physics Facility (LTMPF), an International Space Station (ISS) project until 2004; and, currently, the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), part of the very exciting NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope project.
Larson has also been a member of the board of directors of both the Cryogenics Society of America (CSA) and the Cryogenics Engineering Conference (CEC). She has been a past CEC board president and in 2017 will take office as CSA president.
Thanks also Diana Ross and Buzz Lightyear for the lyrics/quotes. Whether they contain cryogenic* instrumentation or not, spaceships will always be seriously cool....
*Note that Cryogenics is not the same as Cryonics (see here).
She initially wanted to be either a fire-fighter or an astronaut and, unfortunately for America's firefighting community, the astronaut dream won out. Deciding to take the academic rather than the military route to walk among the stars, Larson studied astrophysics but soon became side-tracked by pure Physics - very in-depth pure Physics.
In studying for her PhD from the University of California (Santa Barbara) she not only added extensively to our knowledge of low temperature helium but in the process also developed two very high accuracy (resolution of 5-20 nano-Kelvin) thermometers.
Do you get what you're hopin' for?
 |
| Manoeuvering MIRI towards ISIM |
Larson has also been a member of the board of directors of both the Cryogenics Society of America (CSA) and the Cryogenics Engineering Conference (CEC). She has been a past CEC board president and in 2017 will take office as CSA president.
"I need to repair my turbo boosters. Are you still using fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion?"
So you don't need to be an astronaut to work in space. And you don't need to have a plan to find where your talents lie - or, at least, if you have a plan you don't need to follow it. But it does help to have heroes to look up to, to inspire you and to encourage you. Thanks, Melora, for being one of mine!Thanks also Diana Ross and Buzz Lightyear for the lyrics/quotes. Whether they contain cryogenic* instrumentation or not, spaceships will always be seriously cool....
 |
| ISS over Earth |
***
Radio, Disability, Gender and Beauty: A New History
The
gift of a friend's old iPod has helped me to continue my adventure into
the amazing world of learning-by-radio. There are so many fantastic
programs out there to listen to, from the jazz sessions on Fip Radio, to the great stories of The Moth
and, of course, the wealth of material provided by the BBC. Local radio
too can provide stimulating topics for discussion as well as a broad
range of new music to listen to, both of which can be found, for
example, on Southampton's Unity 101 radio
station. And the portability the newly acquired iPod (or 'iThing' as I
like to think of it when I get confused between all the myriad iProducts
available) has, of course, made such joys all the more accessible.
Being somewhat of a 'Maven' as Malcolm Gladwell uses the term in The Tipping Point
there will no doubt appear on this blog a page devoted to radio
programs that I have discovered and that I think everyone should listen
to, their being either particularly edifying or entertaining. However,
there is one series in particular that has taught me so much in its ten
short episodes (little more than an hour and a half of total listening
time) that I think it deserves a complete discussion of its own.
Disability: A New History may
not at first seem an obvious choice for a blog whose theme is that of
celebrating the successes of under-publicised women throughout history.
Although there are many similarities and cross-overs between the
marginalisation of groups based on any feature including gender or
disability or even ethnicity, sexuality, age or wealth, I do not wish to
'lump together' all such issues; to reduce each case to a single,
interchangeable concept would be to vastly underestimate the complexity
of discrimination in society today. However, not only has this fantastic
radio show introduced me to several inspiring women (particularly Adele
Husson and Hippolyte van Lendegem in episode 10),
about whom I shall hopefully start reading soon, but it has also
provided much food for thought on many topics, not only those such as
disability identity but also gender identity, the concepts of 'beauty'
and 'body image' and, in particular, the progress of society.My realisations about the last point in particular have been particularly relevant; and positive. By examining first-hand accounts of people from the 18th century onwards (sometimes earlier) a picture of the progress of society and its attitude is painted - and it's not as straight forward as we may imagine. It is easy to assume (as, indeed, I have done) that the majority of cultures throughout the world, though by no means all of them, tended towards the dominance of a particular social group; that, in the past, that dominance, synonymous with the marginalisation of all other social groups, was almost impossible to go against; and that we have been making slow but constant progress ever since towards a more equal, a more 'politically correct', society. Peter White, presenter of Disability: A New History, shows us that this is not, in fact, the case - and I draw hope from this, as I will discuss in my closing comments. But first, here is some of the eye-opening History that A New History has taught me.
In the middle ages roughly 60-65% of the population were thought to have some form of 'disability'. (I admit to using this as a vague an open-ended blanket term throughout this article.) So although certain religions, in particular Christianity, taught notions such as that a disabled child was the result of the sin of the parents and that the disability could be cured by touching a sacred relic, the majority of people were getting on with their lives and taking little or no notice of such ideas (as discussed in episode 2). 'Freak shows' and entrepreneurs who used their disability to their advantage were originally seen not as demeaning but as an exploration and an appreciation of the variety found in nature through which the performers were adults in full control of their lives, earning a substantial living - though this, inevitably, did not continue to be the case. (See episode 3.)
It was not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that a wide-spread attitude of pity and of out-casting anyone not of the 'norm' truly took form. Interestingly, this 'norm' was, for some reason, taken to be that of a healthy, young male and so even by being a women you were, at the end of the day, considered to be 'disabled' and therefore an imperfect human.
Much
of the (relatively speaking) open-mindedness and healthy, tolerant
approach to society seen in the 18th century, and in particular in the
UK, may be connected to the secularism of that period, as discussed in
another thought-provoking radio documentary, BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking.
As is also discussed in this particular episode, the 19th century saw a
great return to religion and superstition at their most intolerant
infiltrating every corner of people's lives. Rationality was not immune
to this and, unusually, it was the developments in science, which we are
so used to associating with sociological as much as technological
progress, that drove this change. It was then the current scientific
reasoning (published in many peer-reviewed journals) that the appearance
of the body outside reflected the state of the body inside, both
medically and morally. And, in this new environment, the well-being of a
person's 'immortal soul' was given as much consideration as their
physical health.
It is from this that our obsession with 'beauty', as now defined so narrowly by society, was also derived. Until then, beauty was obviously appreciated, but society was not so restrictive in what it accepted as 'beautiful', nor were the consequences of being considered 'unbeautiful' so great. The beginnings of the fashion industry are well known to have taken form in this era but it was on listening to this documentary (which addresses the subjects of beauty an deformity in episode 4) that it dawned on me that the importance of showing utter obedience to it begun here too. Given the undisputedly wide-ranging impact this has had on the marginalisation of many groups in society, but particularly on women, this is another example of how the progress discussed earlier does not - and has not - taken a direct route but rather wriggles back and forth.
And
I maintain that this is indeed a hopeful message to draw for everyone
who has suffered any form of marginalisation or negative discrimination.
It is often easier to think, when bombarded from all sides by arguments
often from otherwise logically-minded and forward-thinking people and
organisations, that, in terms of equality, this is as good as it gets;
that we have crawled from the middle ages into an enlightened society
which doesn't deny the capability of, for example, women to be great
scientists, non-white-middle class people to lead nations as politicians
and people over 30 to pioneer the computing industry - but it doesn't
especially expect these things to happen either, would only support them
at a push and wouldn't be that bothered if they didn't. It is easy to
slip into the mentality that the lack of representation of minority
groups is no longer due to centuries of discrimination - because, in the
UK at least, such discrimination is now illegal an therefore 'does not
exist' - but is rather due to the lack of enthusiasm or natural tendency
towards various endeavours of those that fall into such categories. It
is so easy to accept society as it stands rather than ruffle feathers
and challenge it to change, assuming that all the progress that will
ever be made has been made already.
But the lessons I have learnt from Disability: A New History suggest otherwise. Progress towards equality is not direct but, for want of a better word, wiggly. We moved naturally forward several steps in the 18th century but then many steps backwards a hundred years later. So this is not 'it'; we can do better. There are still many steps to take but with the increased accessibility of educational material - on the radio or otherwise - it must surely drive the majority of them forwards rather than backwards.
It is from this that our obsession with 'beauty', as now defined so narrowly by society, was also derived. Until then, beauty was obviously appreciated, but society was not so restrictive in what it accepted as 'beautiful', nor were the consequences of being considered 'unbeautiful' so great. The beginnings of the fashion industry are well known to have taken form in this era but it was on listening to this documentary (which addresses the subjects of beauty an deformity in episode 4) that it dawned on me that the importance of showing utter obedience to it begun here too. Given the undisputedly wide-ranging impact this has had on the marginalisation of many groups in society, but particularly on women, this is another example of how the progress discussed earlier does not - and has not - taken a direct route but rather wriggles back and forth.
And
I maintain that this is indeed a hopeful message to draw for everyone
who has suffered any form of marginalisation or negative discrimination.
It is often easier to think, when bombarded from all sides by arguments
often from otherwise logically-minded and forward-thinking people and
organisations, that, in terms of equality, this is as good as it gets;
that we have crawled from the middle ages into an enlightened society
which doesn't deny the capability of, for example, women to be great
scientists, non-white-middle class people to lead nations as politicians
and people over 30 to pioneer the computing industry - but it doesn't
especially expect these things to happen either, would only support them
at a push and wouldn't be that bothered if they didn't. It is easy to
slip into the mentality that the lack of representation of minority
groups is no longer due to centuries of discrimination - because, in the
UK at least, such discrimination is now illegal an therefore 'does not
exist' - but is rather due to the lack of enthusiasm or natural tendency
towards various endeavours of those that fall into such categories. It
is so easy to accept society as it stands rather than ruffle feathers
and challenge it to change, assuming that all the progress that will
ever be made has been made already.But the lessons I have learnt from Disability: A New History suggest otherwise. Progress towards equality is not direct but, for want of a better word, wiggly. We moved naturally forward several steps in the 18th century but then many steps backwards a hundred years later. So this is not 'it'; we can do better. There are still many steps to take but with the increased accessibility of educational material - on the radio or otherwise - it must surely drive the majority of them forwards rather than backwards.
***
Bringing Science to Life: Athene, Athena, Imposters and a lot of Smarts
Someone
says, 'Think of a physicist!' and what comes to mind? What stereotypes
come flooding in? Brilliant, yes. Good communicator? Probably not. We're
not meant to be a fan of words, us sciencey engineery types (mmm, irony). But it's a good thing that this is not always the case.
Athene Donald, DBE, FRS,
Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, is
not only a world-renowned physicist, an early adopter of the art of the
multidisciplinary (she was a founding chair of the Institute of Physics Biological Physics Group), but is also one of the great scientific communicators. Alongside a fairly stunning academic career she has written for the Guardian and Physics Focus as well as her own extensive and multifaceted blog discussing and ruminating on topics ranging from Neuroscience to Equality. I
imagine as a
lecturer that she is one of those rare academics who are both proficient
at their research and able to teach; each of these skills is
wonderfully valuable in their own right but it is unusual for someone to
possess them both.
But what I find most inspiring about this incredible penseuse is the refreshing fact that she is as active as she is prolific. Not only is she a Fellow of the Royal Society but she has chaired their Education Committee and is working for an improved scientific education (see for example here and here);
not only does she write about public engagement but the list of talks
given on her CV is both enormous and diverse including subjects of pure
science, outreach and careers, school education and diversity itself;
and not only is she a prominent voice for women in science and
engineering but she is active in increasing their numbers in her role as
the University of Cambridge's Gender Equality Champion and until last year Chair of the Athena Forum and a member of the Equality and Diversity Advisory Network of the Royal Society...the
list goes on! And as the first female lecturer in her department and
first female professor in physical sciences at the University of
Cambridge, it is no wonder she is so active in this field.
So
many achievements listed already and we have yet to really get to her
actual scientific research. Donald was one of the first to apply
condensed matter physics to the 'messy world of food and biology'. As
she relates to Prof. Jim Al-Khalili on his inspiring Radio 4 program Life Scientific,
when she first postulated combining the two subjects she found it very
hard to be taken seriously. Before long, however, she proved it a
worthwhile endeavour and contributed to making an entire new field of
research 'more respectable for physicists' as well as pushing electron
microscopy to new limits. The applications of her work range from food
processing and the study of disease to work with the Diamond synchrotron science research facility.
And
yet, even someone with as many strings to their bow and a list of
achievements of value to society longer their arm as Donald, she is a
self-confessed sufferer of 'Imposter Syndrome'
as described in her blog entry linked above. If you've ever had the
feeling that you're not quite good enough to be doing what you are, that
you're only there because no-one's yet noticed and it's only a matter
of time before they find you out - then you are not alone. Many people
in senior and specialised positions, academic or otherwise, admit to
experiencing such a phenomenon - and many more, it is most likely,
experience it but do not admit it.
It has been suggested that there is a tendency of women towards this attitude of underestimating oneself and one of men towards overestimating, for example in the study described here, and that this tendency is one of the causes for the vast gender gap that exists in senior academic positions. Academia, obsessed, as it often becomes, with metrics, competing for numbers of citations in a world driven by self-promotion, would certainly seem to lean towards such a personality which may be less common in women than in men. However, projects like the Meaning of Success, which celebrates the lives of 26 successful female academics from the University of Cambridge alone, are just one of many such ventures out there to show that it is by no means an insurmountable barrier to women working for a career in science.
As both Donald and Professor Curt Rice propounded at the annual Campbell
lecture at the University of Southampton earlier this year, gender
balance is not only the 'right' thing to do (given that 'right' and
'wrong' are highly subjective and can be discussed indefinitely) but
it's the smart thing to do, which can be qualified and proven.
That's what drove Rice to lead a campaign that increased the number of
female full professors at his own University of Tromsø from 4% to nearly 30% in a very impressive program of development. That's right, gender equality being pioneered by (shock! horror!) a man...
However, in order for the embracing of equality and diversity in such a way to become the norm, we must work to conquer the complex and generally unseen problem of implicit or unconscious bias. It affects us all (see how much it affects you here) and mostly without us knowing, as studies such as this employability study from Yale University (also discussed here) shows, but this doesn't make it 'natural' and it is in no way acceptable; the consequences, as we know, are far-reaching and hugely detrimental.
So
many achievements listed already and we have yet to really get to her
actual scientific research. Donald was one of the first to apply
condensed matter physics to the 'messy world of food and biology'. As
she relates to Prof. Jim Al-Khalili on his inspiring Radio 4 program Life Scientific,
when she first postulated combining the two subjects she found it very
hard to be taken seriously. Before long, however, she proved it a
worthwhile endeavour and contributed to making an entire new field of
research 'more respectable for physicists' as well as pushing electron
microscopy to new limits. The applications of her work range from food
processing and the study of disease to work with the Diamond synchrotron science research facility.What am I doing here?
And
yet, even someone with as many strings to their bow and a list of
achievements of value to society longer their arm as Donald, she is a
self-confessed sufferer of 'Imposter Syndrome'
as described in her blog entry linked above. If you've ever had the
feeling that you're not quite good enough to be doing what you are, that
you're only there because no-one's yet noticed and it's only a matter
of time before they find you out - then you are not alone. Many people
in senior and specialised positions, academic or otherwise, admit to
experiencing such a phenomenon - and many more, it is most likely,
experience it but do not admit it.It has been suggested that there is a tendency of women towards this attitude of underestimating oneself and one of men towards overestimating, for example in the study described here, and that this tendency is one of the causes for the vast gender gap that exists in senior academic positions. Academia, obsessed, as it often becomes, with metrics, competing for numbers of citations in a world driven by self-promotion, would certainly seem to lean towards such a personality which may be less common in women than in men. However, projects like the Meaning of Success, which celebrates the lives of 26 successful female academics from the University of Cambridge alone, are just one of many such ventures out there to show that it is by no means an insurmountable barrier to women working for a career in science.
The Smart Thing
Creating a society in which such barriers no longer exist is vital to the development of science, technology, engineering and, in one way or another, every single person. More and more studies are showing that gender balance and, of course, statistical representation of all marginalised groups, improves not only the well-being of the individuals but the productivity of the group; more diverse groups are more intelligent groups (see results from work at MIT).As both Donald and Professor Curt Rice propounded at the annual Campbell
lecture at the University of Southampton earlier this year, gender
balance is not only the 'right' thing to do (given that 'right' and
'wrong' are highly subjective and can be discussed indefinitely) but
it's the smart thing to do, which can be qualified and proven.
That's what drove Rice to lead a campaign that increased the number of
female full professors at his own University of Tromsø from 4% to nearly 30% in a very impressive program of development. That's right, gender equality being pioneered by (shock! horror!) a man... However, in order for the embracing of equality and diversity in such a way to become the norm, we must work to conquer the complex and generally unseen problem of implicit or unconscious bias. It affects us all (see how much it affects you here) and mostly without us knowing, as studies such as this employability study from Yale University (also discussed here) shows, but this doesn't make it 'natural' and it is in no way acceptable; the consequences, as we know, are far-reaching and hugely detrimental.
Dame Professor Athene Donald, named after the symbolic personification of wisdom
in the society attributed as the birthplace of modern science, not only
overcame all these barriers to become a brilliant, pioneering and
unstereotypically eloquent physicist; but is now using her many skills
and talents to ensure that the barriers are lowered for future
generations.
***
Good Beginnings (Just a Note to Say...)
This year I've managed to be involved with two large-scale Outreach events: Stargazing Live, Portsmouth and The Big Bang at the NEC in Birmingham, with Out of This World Learning.
At both events (which involved such hi-jinks as making a solar system
with people as planets and launching compressed-air paper rockets into
the ceiling of the NEC) I started noticing something:
The participants (mostly, but not exclusively, children dragging their parents along) were balanced approximately 50:50 female to male.
What's
more, there was no trend in interest, enthusiasm or aptitude between
the genders - as, I would expect of course, but it's quite satisfying to
have evidence to back oneself up with. This made me rather happy and I
thought it was worth sharing!
Here's to the future generations of Valentina Tereshkovas and Helen Sharmans!
***
Saving the Eccentrics
It probably took as long to hunt down a cinema in the West of England that was still showing Saving Mr. Banks in the first few days of 2014 as it did to watch the film itself - but it was definitely worth it.
Apparently we weren't the only ones who had waited a bit late to attempt to view it on the big screen though and the Plymouth Arts Centre
(a really friendly independent cinema and art gallery) was so full I
had to sit away from my family - not that they missed me as, I was told
afterwards, they could hear me laugh loudly and recognisably when Mrs.
P. M. Travers, played by Emma Thompson, entered the Hollywood hotel room filled to the bursting with Disney merchandise and uttered the most derisive, 'Oh dear.'.
My first conscious Emma Thompson experience was watching her on the Jonathon Ross show discussing Stranger than Fiction
which was about to be released. I knew who she was, having no doubt
watched some of her extensive works previously, but this was the first
time she made an impression; an impression which has grown and grown
into something bordering on awe.
She is as well known for portraying more 'eccentric' characters - such as the reclusive and difficult author, Karen Eiffel, in Stranger than Fiction; her own creation, Nanny McPhee;
Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter films - as she is for her
moving portrayals of many period drama favourites such as Elinor
Dashwood in the 1995 production of Sense and Sensibility
(for which she also wrote the screenplay). There aren't many actors who
can successfully and convincingly pull off such a breadth of characters
equally well but Thompson is definitely one of the few that can; she
finds that perfect balance between the amusingly peculiar and the
credible and relatable.
I
had already formed all these opinions of Thompson when I convinced my
family to come to the cinema with me in those first few January days.
Yet somehow, I came away from Saving Mr. Banks even more in awe of
her. I knew nothing of Mrs. P. M. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, and
the story behind the transforming of a very successful book into one of
everyone's favourite Disney Films, but have been inspired to find out
more and am very much looking forward to Mary Poppins, She Wrote
by Valerie Lawson becoming available again in our local library. I
laughed (loudly, you may recall), I cried (don't tell anyone), I took
Tom Hanks' sugar-coated portrayal of Walt Disney with a pinch of salt
and I came away with the following conclusion: She's the best. Emma
Thompson is the best actor out there, the best at plying her trade - and
no other actors (male or female, for why would I judge them
separately?) even come close. (And I'm not the only one! See here. )
What more can I say than that, except, maybe, to leave you with the phrase she utters as Karen Eiffel in Stranger Than Fiction:
"Well, Penny, like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method."
Images: Upper right - Emma Thompson and Queen Latifa in Stranger Than Fiction; Middle Left - Emma Thomspon after hand and feet casting for Hollywood Walk of Fame; Bottom - cast of Peter's Friends
Images: Upper right - Emma Thompson and Queen Latifa in Stranger Than Fiction; Middle Left - Emma Thomspon after hand and feet casting for Hollywood Walk of Fame; Bottom - cast of Peter's Friends
***
Recent Musical Discoveries
From listening to Terry Hall's BBC Radio 6 Show - I plan to investigate and so thought I might share the discovery!Veruca Salt - Named after the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character, this can't be a bad thing! Featuring Nina Gordon and Louise Post on guitars and vocals.
The Roches - Loving the song 'Nurds'!
Bobby Gentry - Seriously impressive vocals as well as songwriting skillz!
***
Blog Update - Links Pages
Introducing three new pages to the blog for the easy sharing of interesting links:
News Links - some interesting online news articles
Non-News Links and Books - some interesting non-news articles, books, organisations, projects, talks, videos and anything else I may find
Early Day Motions and Petitions - formal motions submitted to the House of Parliament for debate, allowing MPs to draw attention to an event or cause, and online petitions
Recommendations are welcome (and, indeed, where some of the links already come from) and all links will be twittered eventually too (as I grapple with modern larks such as social media).
***
A New Year is Upon Us - Oh Well!
#GuitarHeroesA little note to welcome in two thousand and fourteen (or twenty-fourteen if you will)...
Many people like to 'point out' to me that although there are many talented classical, folk or acoustic female guitarists there aren't that many that can rock - I mean, really ROCK. To these people I shake my head, sigh a sigh of pity (think of all the great music they're missing out on listening to!) and say..."Oh Well"
Watch Danielle Haim ROCKING out the classic Fleetwood Mac riff on her SG at Jools Hollands' 2014 Hootenanny here.
Happy 2014!
***
Tweets!
Hungry Women's embracing technology!https://twitter.com/HungryWomenBlog
***
As mentioned in the introduction this post grew (and grew - into 3 posts) from my experiences in Outreach. One of the schools at a TEAtime lecture was so enthused by the effects of freezing things with liquid nitrogen (such as tennis balls, bananas, aliens etc.) that they asked me to come to their school and freeze some more things. Having already wowed them with the 5 Greats I now take with me everywhere, I decided to prove a point and bring 5 more with me. And if I go again, I'll bring 5 more...and 5 more...and...
As I find the time there will most likely be many more posts to come on this subject. I haven't even mentioned Rosalind Franklin (except briefly here), pioneer microbiologist without whose work Crick and Watson would have been unable to model DNA structure. Or Marie Curie, not only an inspiring woman but the only scientist ever, male or female, to be awarded a Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics and one of only four people ever to be awarded two Nobel Prizes. Or Dorothy Hodgkin, Mary Somerville, Barbara Cartland (yes, the author - also inventor), Florence Lawrence...So watch this space. And spaces like these:
In the meantime, whatever your gender, show encouragement to the women in your life who might be about to solve the next big engineering problem or make the next big scientific breakthrough. Share the news about these inspiring people and show people like Emily, here, that she's not on her own.
And if you are a woman - ever thought about a career in engineering?
***
***
***
As we enter the new year and reflect on the main events of 2013, Andy Murray's Wimbledon success will be enjoyed and celebrated anew in which he became the 5th Brit to win the Wimbledon in 77 years - that's right, the 5th! So let's take a moment to remember his lesserknown predecessors:
Virginia Wade, British, Wimbledon Singles Champion 1977
Hungry Women welcomes guest posts and contributions from everyone - all of which will of course be duly credited - so get in touch if you have any ideas!
***
5 More Great Scientists and Engineers
(who also happen to be women)
As mentioned in the introduction this post grew (and grew - into 3 posts) from my experiences in Outreach. One of the schools at a TEAtime lecture was so enthused by the effects of freezing things with liquid nitrogen (such as tennis balls, bananas, aliens etc.) that they asked me to come to their school and freeze some more things. Having already wowed them with the 5 Greats I now take with me everywhere, I decided to prove a point and bring 5 more with me. And if I go again, I'll bring 5 more...and 5 more...and...
Ida Noddack née Tacke (1896-1978)
Her team discovered the two 'missing' elements of the periodic table in 1925 and she was reportedly the first scientist the postulate the idea of Nuclear Fission and the concepts behind it. However her story is one of great controversy and it is only recently being acknowledged how important her discoveries were - and how great a scientist she was.
Lise Meitner (1878-1968)
Partially driven by the arms races spurred by the two World Wars, Nucelar Fission was a hotly pursued subject. Lise Meitner, despite having support and funding restricted due to the fact she was a woman, was the first not only to publish the term 'Nuclear Fission' but also to come up with a working, theoretical explanation. Her contribution was downplayed, however, by Otto Hahn, the chemist in whose laboratory she ran the tests that proved her theory. Hahn went on to receive the Nobel in Chemistry for the work while Meitner was all but forgotten.
Attempts were later made to rectify this error by jointly awarding Meitner, Hahn and a third scientist, Fritz Strassman the Enrico Fermi Award and, posthumously, naming element 109 'meitnerieum' (Mt) after her. Today she is recognised as one of the pioneering scientists of nuclear research.
Grace Hopper (1906-1992)
Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Havard Mark I computer and a pioneer in computer science. She was the first to put forward the idea of machine-independent programming languages and also came up with the term 'de-bugging' after removing and actual moth from a computer. As well as being renowned as a technical genius, her success also lends itself to her immense marketing, political and business skills.
Hedy Lamarr (1914-200)
Hollywood actress ($3000/week MGM contract on first arriving in Hollywood)
Patent for 'secret communication system'
Bouillon cubes inventor
Not your average extracts from a CV. Yet they all belong to one person, Hedy Lamarr. Her patent (mentioned above) intended for torpedo guidance systems later became a key part of the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS technology. Her genius revolutionised telecommunications - and her acting roles revolutionised the film industry.
Amalia Ballarino
Amalia Ballarino is leading the team behind the HTS (high temperature superconducting) Power Transmission Cables Project, as part of the LHC high luminosity upgrade at CERN. The LHC is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator performing some of the most cutting edge experiments in particle physics today. Thanks to the team led by Ballarino during its construction, the HTS Current Lead Project reduced the power consumption of the LHC by a factor of three [1]. In 2006 she was awarded Superconductor Industry Person of the Year, the industry's most prestigious international award.
[1] A. Ballarino. Application of high temperature superconductors to accelerators.
Report, CERN, 2000.
***
As I find the time there will most likely be many more posts to come on this subject. I haven't even mentioned Rosalind Franklin (except briefly here), pioneer microbiologist without whose work Crick and Watson would have been unable to model DNA structure. Or Marie Curie, not only an inspiring woman but the only scientist ever, male or female, to be awarded a Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics and one of only four people ever to be awarded two Nobel Prizes. Or Dorothy Hodgkin, Mary Somerville, Barbara Cartland (yes, the author - also inventor), Florence Lawrence...So watch this space. And spaces like these:
In the meantime, whatever your gender, show encouragement to the women in your life who might be about to solve the next big engineering problem or make the next big scientific breakthrough. Share the news about these inspiring people and show people like Emily, here, that she's not on her own.
And if you are a woman - ever thought about a career in engineering?
***
And here's to many more to come in 2014!
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
As mentioned in a previous post, Ada is credited as the 'World's First Computer Programmer'. At just 18 years old Ada was invited by Charles Babbage to see the prototype for his Analytical Engine. Becoming fascinated with the machine it was she who was to write and explanation for how it was to work, a concept few other scientists of the time could understand. She also wrote the first 'program' for this or any other computing machine, a method for it to perform a series of calculations. Acknowledged as a true pioneer in the computing world, (a high level computing language, Ada, has been named after her) it's time that her achievements were more widely appreciated.
Emily Warren Roebling (1843-1903)
The Brooklyn bridge is one of the largest engineering projects in North American history. Designed by her father-in-law and originally managed by her husband, Emily Roebling took up civil engineering studies in order to help with the project. It's lucky for North American engineering history (and the millions of people that use the bridge) that she did, for when her father-in-law died and her husband was struck with an illness that left him bed-ridden and partially paralised, it was Emily who took the role (though not the title) of Master Bridge Builder or Chief Engineer and saw the project through to completion.
Valentina Tereshkova (1937-present) and The Mercury 13 (1959)
In 1959 NASA 'auditioned' test pilots for the Mercury program - the first manned space flight mission. 'Manned' is right term here for only male pilots were invited to undergo the rigorous testing program. 500 applied, 110 were made it to the first round of tests and 7 were finally accepted for the program (2 of which were later grounded) - the Mercury 7.
However, as one of the independent researchers who helped developed the tests noticed, women (on average) weight 15 % less than men and require less oxygen - significant advantages in the confines of space travel. What's more, there was no shortage of female test pilots in the USA at that time. And so 13 out of the 19 women selected underwent an passed the same tests as the Mercury 7. Originally called the FLATs (Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees) and later dubbed the Mercury 13, they were sadly ahead of their time (gender discrimination in the workplace would still be legal in the USA until the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and never made it into space. As said in the introduction, where would society be now without such pointless self-inflicted barriers to development?
The names of these amazing women:
The names of these amazing women:
Geraldyn "Jerrie" Cobb
Bernice "Bea" Steadman
Janey Hart
Geraldine "Jerri" Sloan Truhill
Rhea Allison Woltman
Sarah Lee Gorelick Ratley
Jan & Marion Dietrich
Myrtle Cagle
Irene Leverton
Gene Nora Jessen
Jean Hixson
Wally Funk
Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union...
Despite such ridiculous hurdles, women have never been completely eclipsed from scientific history. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, Russian cosmonaut, became the first woman in space. More than that, she was a particularly gifted astronaut and soon clocked up more hours in space than all of her male peers - Russian and American - put together. And at the age of 76 she's still going strong, reported here to be the first to sign up for a one-way trip to Mars in the name of scientific discovery.
Find out more about Valentina, the FLATs and other great women of space exploration here.
The Mars Curiosity Rover Engineers and Scientists (2013)
40 years after the Mercury 13 were grounded and Valentina made here space flight debut, things are looking up. One of the most exciting and well-followed missions in NASA's, recent history, Curiosity has been fueling the imaginations of artists and scientists alike with its ground-breaking images and samples from the surface of the planet Mars. And, as posted here, it owes its launch into space to a number of fantastic female engineers and scientists.
Lene Hau (1959-present)
Quantum computing is predicted to the be the way forward in modern technology and the next significant step after the internet. In the early noughties, Danish physicist Lene Hau led her team at Havard University in making several scientific breakthroughs that were as remarkable in their own right as they are important in pioneering this revolutionary field. As skilled in experimental work as in theoretical, with a stint at CERN on her CV and publications in many a prestigious journals including a cover article in the much coveted Nature, her scientific career is already pretty stunning. May 2014 and the future hold many new adventures for her! And perhaps a Nobel?
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Introduction: 5 Great Scientists and Engineers
(who happen to be women)
The post that follows (and its sequel) is probably the one that is the closest to my heart and has been the longest time coming. Originally to be titled 'Quantum Leaps', it has developed and grown thanks to the Outreach work I've been lucky enough to take part in this year.
In case you're unfamiliar with the term, Outreach involves engaging schools, colleges and other local groups with your work or, in my case, research, in the hope that you will all go away having learnt something. In my field I'm lucky enough to get to play with cryogens and superconductors, and freezing things with liquid nitrogen is a very effective way to get people interested in science and engineering (by showing them that it's really cool *science pun*).
For my workshop in the 2013 edition of Dragonfly Day I started the session by looking at some of my female engineering heroes - some of whom have already been mentioned on this blog. After a conversation spawned from a faculty equality and diversity committee meeting, however, it became clear that encouraging girls and young women to reach their potential in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects was only one of the tasks that lay ahead on the road to closing the appalling gender gap that still exists in the UK in these areas. One of the biggest discouraging factors for many people hoping to enter STEM areas (men as well as women) is the subtle, residual culture of misogyny that can (though does not always) still haunt these subjects and occupations. Educating the boys from a young age in the great achievements of STEM women, therefore, is just as important.
And so I've started taking my WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) slides to all the schools I visit and prefacing all my talks with this message:
At no point in history have there not been great female scientists and engineers to equal - and often better - the work of their male peers. We have always been there, often behind some of the biggest breakthroughs to shape our society. Unfortunately, not a lot of people know that.
Sometimes, the scientists or engineers in question have been modest and unassuming or their work has been overshadowed by similar advances in the same field; and so their names have passed into obscurity naturally, as is sometimes the case in all fields and for all people, male or female. Often, however, these incredible people have been direct victims of a prejudiced society: most have had to fight incredibly hard be able to do their work in the first place, as well as to have it even read - let alone accepted - by their contemporaries, and after all that, more often than not the credit has intentionally gone to a male colleague, sometimes one without a fraction of the their skill or knowledge.
This is a problem that is slow to change. A recent careers special in the New Scientist magazine shows that women are still likely to earn an average of £2k/year less than men in all STEM occupations other than 'Subjects allied to medicine' and 'Education'. (Page 8.)
It's time for this to stop. It is widely acknowledged ([1] [2] [3] for example) that the STEM gender gap is detrimental not only to women but to society as a whole. Imagine all the great inventions, technological developments, solutions to everyday problems that we are denying ourselves by discouraging 50 % of our potential scientists and engineers from ever entering their fields. How far would we have advanced already if we hadn't been suffering from this social disease for so long? (This of course also applies to the the equally important issues of economic and racial segregation that still shockingly exist in these areas too.)
But enough from me - the point of this blog is not to rant but to celebrate as many great achievements as possible, to publicise the previously unpublicised and give voice to some of the many unsung heroes of our society.
So let us now embrace the positive, rather than the negative, of women in the STEM world. Read on with the optimism that we are on the road to change [4] rather than the pessimism that this post may have accidentally engendered (no pun intended in this case).
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of the people I'm about to mention, not only for your fantastic contributions to the world - without most of which I wouldn't be sitting here now, with a laptop, sharing this information wirelessly over the internet - but also for the message you personify:
No matter what anyone says, or what society suggests - you can change the world too.
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Guest Post - and a Tennis Tribute
Many thanks again to our guest blogger Ellie (of Apartment 4H) for another great insight into another world which she knows a lot more about than me!
As we enter the new year and reflect on the main events of 2013, Andy Murray's Wimbledon success will be enjoyed and celebrated anew in which he became the 5th Brit to win the Wimbledon in 77 years - that's right, the 5th! So let's take a moment to remember his lesserknown predecessors:
Virginia Wade, British, Wimbledon Singles Champion 1977
Ann Haydon Jones, British, Wimbledon Singles Champion 1969
Angela Mortimer Barrett, British, Wimbledon Singles Champion 1961
Dorothy Round Little, British, Wimbledon Singles Champion 1934 and 1937
Hungry Women welcomes guest posts and contributions from everyone - all of which will of course be duly credited - so get in touch if you have any ideas!
A Sporting Chance
We were discussing our first footballing memories in the pub. Gazza crying at the World Cup in 1990; missed penalties at Euro ’96. For me it was France ’98: eighteen-year-old Michael Owen bursting onto the scene and scoring that fantastic goal against Argentina. My sister had a crush on him; I wanted to be Michael Owen when I grew up. At eleven, it didn’t occur to me that, as a girl, growing up to be a professional footballer worshipped by millions wasn’t an option. I played with the boys in the school team, had a full West Ham kit and my own boots and posters from my Match magazines all over my claret and blue bedroom walls.
A Sporting Chance
 |
| Me, circa 1996 |
Then puberty hit, and I wasn’t allowed to play with the boys anymore. My school didn’t have a girl’s football team – it was hockey or nothing. It was sort of ok for girls to support a football team, but wanting to play football was seriously weird. I changed my mind about wanting to become a footballer, opting instead for the security of becoming a writer (or, as my failsafe backup, a musician). But I still wanted to play football, as a hobby. At University, if you weren’t good enough to play for the Uni team, there were no opportunities for women. Every year I signed up for the intra-mural football teams, only to be told that as I was the only name on the list, there wouldn’t be a team this time around. Many of my male friends played in amateur leagues every weekend during the winter.
I haven’t played football for several years now. My football sits unloved and deflated under the stairs. For guys who want to play amateur football there are a wealth of local Sunday leagues, Saturday leagues, pub leagues, 5-a-side games – if you can scrape together enough friends who want to play, you’re in. I don’t know of any similar leagues, but even if they exist, I know I don’t have any female friends who would want to play.
Despite some improvements, women’s professional sport still takes a backseat to men’s. The prize money is less, the coverage minimal and the recognition barely existent. Women in sport have to face comments about their appearance and their sexuality that men do not. If this is the way professional sportswomen are treated, is it any wonder that the availability of grassroots and amateur sport for women is so limited? Competitiveness and physicality are not seen to be feminine. The women who have risen to the top of their sport need more recognition, to be treated on equal footing as men, to show those girls who are told they have to stop playing football, or rugby, or mountain biking, or underwater hockey with the boys, that they can keep on playing, just for fun. Sport is hugely beneficial for us –for our physical and mental health and for meeting and bonding with new friends.
I had a bit of trouble deciding on the women to include in this blog. There are so many – from ground-breakers to record-breakers, famous Olympians to lesser-known athletes. In the end I turned to the BBC Sport website for inspiration, picking the top six sports on their homepage – sports from which even the most disinterested person could probably name a male sportsman – and featuring the top women in them. Highlighting the achievements of the six women below is my small contribution to fighting the social stigma attached to women playing sport and may encourage more women to give traditionally male sports a go.
Stafanie Taylor
Cricket, West Indies
At 22-years-old, the West Indies’ all-rounder Stafanie Taylor has become the first player, male or female, to hold the batting, bowling and all-rounder number one spots in ODI cricket at the same time. Taylor made her debut for the West Indies at just 17 on their tour of Europe in 2008. Her impressive Twenty20 debut against Ireland saw her hit 90 off 49 balls. She has been named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for the past two years and was also awarded the West Indies’ Women’s Cricketer of the Year. An explosive right-hand batter with a right-arm off-break, in 67 ODIs for the West Indies, Taylor has made 2626 runs at an average of 45.27, scoring 5 centuries and 16 half-centuries in the process, and taken 91 wickets at an average of 16.30. At only 22 and with some arguing that she would not be out of place in the men’s game, Taylor surely has many more years of success ahead of her.
Marta
Football, Brazil
Though it might not appear so in the British media, women’s football, or soccer, enjoys a lot of success abroad, particularly in the US and South America. Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known as Marta, has achieved celebrity status in her home country of Brazil. 27-year-old Marta is a forward for Tyresö FF of Damallsvenskan and the Brazil women's national football team. She was named FIFA World Player of the Year five consecutive times, from 2006-2010. She won a silver medal with the Brazil team in the 2004 and 2008 summer Olympics and is joint top of the all-time Women’s World Cup goal scorer list. Hailed as the Pele of the woman’s game, Marta is also a passionate advocate of female participation in football.
Emily Scarratt
Rugby Union, England
Emily Scarratt burst onto the International scene in 2008 with 12 tries in 12 games. Scarratt first played rugby at the age of five, but could easily have gone on to represent England at hockey, rounders or even basketball (she was offered a US Basketball Scholarship when she was 16). Wearing 13 or 15 on her back, Scarratt has scored 25 tries and 192 points for England, and at 23 is likely to score many more. She plays club rugby for Lichfield, represents England in Rugby Union and Sevens and was named the 2013 Women's Rugby Player of the Year. Oh, and she is also a PE Assistant in her spare time.
Susie Wolff
Formula One, Britain
Motorsports are a notoriously testosterone-driven arena. Scottish racing driver Susie Wolff has had to battle the ridiculous stereotype that women make terrible drivers, whether they’re in a Ford Fiesta or Formula One car to become a development driver for the Williams Formula One team in 2012. Women have competed alongside men in Formula One, but not for forty years, and Susie is determined to become the first British woman to drive in a Formula One race. The critics have been lining up to claim that women can’t compete at the pinnacle of the racing world, and Wolff has plenty of tales to tell of the sexism she faces. But she hopes that she will be able to inspire girls to get into the sport: “People tell me that their daughters didn’t realise that girls could even race until they had heard of me.”
Serena Williams
Tennis, US
Despite its popularity being troublingly tied up with the marketability of the women who play it, women’s tennis fares a little better than many other sports, with equal prize money handed out at all four Grand Slam tournaments since 2007. The Williams sisters can be credited with raising the profile of the women’s game and becoming household names in the process. Whilst Venus Williams has not sustained her initial level of success, her younger sister has been consistently at the top of the game since she won her first US Open in 1999, at the age of 18. Since then, Williams has notched up 16 more Grand Slam wins, across all surfaces, as well as an Olympic Gold. Now 32, in 2013 Williams has regained the WTA’s Number One ranking for the sixth time in her career, indicating that there may well be more titles to come.
Inbee Park
Golf, South Korea
25-year-old South Korean Inbee Park has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings since 15 April 2013. Having started playing golf at the age of 10, Park turned professional at 18,as soon as she was allowed under the LPGA rules. Park has won four major championships in her career, including three consecutive major wins during the 2013 season, becoming only the fourth LPGA Tour player to win three majors in a calendar year. She is also the youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Open. Awarded the LPGA's Player of the Year, Park's successes in 2013 have brought a lot of publicity to women's golf.***
More Great Musical Folk
In 1957, a 16-year-old Joan Baez bought herself a Gibson acoustic guitar. In 1958 she gave her first concert at the Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts - the start of a 50-year residency - and 1959 saw her play at the first Newport Folk Festival.
'Folk' is an incredibly appropriate word when looking at Joan Baez. If anyone is a person 'of the people' then I think it's safe to say that Joan definitely earns that title. Musically she plays songs under the all-encompassing umbrella of 'Folk' which is best defined as music that tells stories about people; and as varied as people are, so are the songs of this genre - ballads and blues, lullabies and cowboy tunes, songs of freedom and songs of the people that fight for it. And they were not empty words that she sang (which she did in 6 languages, including English and Spanish, both of which she spoke fluently). Joan acted on every one of them, whether standing in fields alongside migrant farm workers striking for fair wages, withholding income tax from the IRS to protest against military spending or, as was seen in the recent anniversary documentary (here), performing at the legendary 1963 March on Washington, a pivotal point in the american Civil Rights Movement - the same year that she began touring with Bob Dylan. She opposed the death penalty and fought for LGBT rights, she took on a whole host of environmental issues as well as global poverty, she occupied Wall Street and Amnesty International created the Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. More information about her social and political activism can be found here.
So not only was she a fantastic musician (as can be seen from the taster links below and the respect she commanded of her peers) but she truly used the full potential of music as a social instrument: to carry a message across states and continents; to share a sentiment and inspire generations; to tell a story; to change the world...
'The Lily of the West'
'We Shall Overcome' (Woodstock, 1969)
Footage from the 1963 March including Joan Baez and Bob Dylan
In the dawn of the I.T. industry, before the first calculating machines or 'electronic brains' were used for commercial applications, rows of workers would write programs to carry out scientific calculations - and it would not be unusual for the majority of them to be women; and before the term 'programmers' was commonly used, they were known as 'computers' (those who computed things).
Women have been at the forefront of the computing industry since Ada Lovelace attended a talk by Charles Babbage on the Analytical Engine. She was the first person to see that it could be used for more than numerical calculations, going on to write the first algorithm for the machine and becoming what is now considered to be the world's first programmer.
As computers (the machines) developed, so did the role of computers (the people). Although most sciences remained male-dominated at the turn of the previous century, more and more women were pushing boundaries in mathematics which then opened the door to the more technological domain of computing. In this brand new field initially untarnished by a society still steeped in prejudice, women established themselves as pioneers and intellectuals without the otherwise unavoidable fight.
Unfortunately, in the 1960s, nearly 100 years after a woman laid the foundations for the industry, it began to turn against its female constituents. Men just entering the industry began to earn the same salary as the women who had pioneered it; the culture of the age denied women the opportunity to both work and have a family; the computing workplace became, like so many others, yet another preying ground for 'rampant sexism'. The number of women remaining in the industry was dwindling - and said industry was suffering for the loss of their experience and innovation. Dame Stephanie Shirley, herself an early programmer and entrepreneur, not only founded one of the world's first software companies, Freelance Programmers, but also saw it as her public duty to retain these great minds in the field they had already given so much to; and so, until the otherwise highly beneficial and long-awaited Sex Discrimination Act of 1975, her company employed only women, the majority of whom were able to work from home - something many professionals today take for granted.
Not only was it one of the first software companies, Freelance Programmers was one of the most prestigious, winning contracts for highly complex and often top secret applications, from the Polaris nuclear weapons program and scheduling national transportation operations to the programming of the black box flight recorder for Concorde.
Dr. Ann Moffat, who wrote the Concorde programs, tells her story here in a great BBC Radio 4 documentary, presented by Martha Lane Fox (one of our Intrepid Entrepreneures). In less than half an hour you'll meet Ada, Dame Stephanie (also known as 'Steve'), Ann and other programmers including Mary Coombs, the first woman to program the world's first commercially available business computer: the Lyons LEO. Definitely an inspiring listen a great idea for a forthcoming post!
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Guest Post
A big thank-you to our guest blogger Ellie for writing a superb post on women in politics. So many great people to read about - and hopefully there'll be a sequel (like she says, there're too many people to whittle down to one list so hopefully there'll be some more!). In the meantime, her political history blog Apartment 4H is equally amazing so check it out!
Hungry Women welcomes guest posts and contributions from everyone - all of which will of course be duly credited - so get in touch if you have any ideas!
Perhaps one of the most famous women in history, Emmeline Pankhurst was born into a radical political family in 1858 and formed the Women’s Franchise League in 1889 with her husband Richard, a supporter of women’s rights. However, frustrated by the lack of progress being made on women’s suffrage, Pankhurst formed the more militant Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903, whose members, commonly known as the suffragettes, shocked society and male politicians with their violence and hunger strikes. Women over 30 were given the vote in 1918, and were finally granted equal voting rights in 1928, shortly before Pankhurst died. Whilst there is some debate over the impact of Pankhurst’s individual contribution to the movement, specifically whether her militancy hindered or helped advance the cause of women’s suffrage in Britain, she has become synonymous with fighting for women’s rights and given inspiration to oppressed women around the world. She has a statue in Victoria Park Gardens, was placed Number 27 on a list of most important Britons and was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most important people of the twentieth century. Read an interesting collection of articles and speeches on and by Pankhurst here.
The first female leader of a Muslim country, Benazir Bhutto, known as B.B., was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996. However, she is woman who left a controversial legacy. Admired for her charisma and political savvy, she was also criticised for her deregulation of the financial sector, which many cite as the cause of Pakistan’s recession of the mid-nineties, and was plagued by corruption charges. History may treat her more kindly than her record in office deserves, but there is no doubt that Bhutto raised the profile of women in a male-dominated society and paved the way for the acceptance of women in Pakistani politics.
Forbes currently ranks German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the second most powerful person in the world, second only to the President of the United States and the highest ever ranking for a woman. Whether or not you agree with how she has achieved it, Merkel has to be given enormous credit for overseeing one of the world’s most stable economies during rocky financial times. She also wields considerable influence within the European Union and the G8. Trained as a chemist, Merkel entered politics following the reunification of Germany in 1989, became the first female leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2000 and was elected the first female Chancellor of Germany in 2005, a position she has held ever since. Germans will go to the polls in September to decide whether Merkel will remain as Chancellor, but her handling of the economy has boosted her popularity and polls suggest that the CDU will win, even if with a minority. Merkel is a strong, steady head of state, avoiding the criticism often levelled at female leaders, and demonstrates that it is possible to lead a strong economy without your gender being added into the equation.
As visible women go, they don’t get much more so than Hilary Clinton. Overshadowed at times by her husband, since leaving the White House, Hilary Clinton has forged her own career in politics. She served as Senator for New York from 2001-2009 (the state’s first female senator) and was a leading candidate for the US Presidency in 2008, winning more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in history. But for the competition of a charismatic African-American, America could have seen its first female president. Instead, Clinton was appointed as Obama’s Secretary of State for his first term, one of the most prestigious positions in the US Government. Until she stepped down in December 2012, she was the most widely-travelled secretary of state and has championed women’s rights around the world. Although she has stated that she does not want to run for office again, she is currently the overwhelming favourite amongst Democrats for the 2016 nomination. Clinton may just have managed to transcend gender in order to be viewed as a politician first and a woman second.
Educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Harvard Law School, Mary Robinson entered politics in 1979, and in 1990 became the first female President of the Republic of Ireland. She was an immensely popular President and revitalised a position generally viewed as little more than a figurehead. She gave a voice to groups who had traditionally been excluded from politics, such as LGBT organisations, made unprecedented visits to Britain and Northern Ireland and brought international focus to Somalia and Rwanda, being the first head of state to visit the latter state following the 1994 genocide. She fought for women’s rights during her time in office, and has continued to do so since resigning as President in 1997. After her resignation, Robinson was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a post she held from 1997-2002, and now runs the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice, a centre for education and advocacy of sustainable development in the world’s poorest countries. She co-founded the Council of Women World Leaders, a network that mobilises women leaders at the highest levels to promote democracy and gender equality.
Trained as a medical doctor, Gro Harlem Brundtland began her political career in Norway’s Ministry of Health, and served as the country’s Prime Minister on three separate occasions - in 1981, 1986-89 and 1990-96. She is Norway’s first, and to date, only female prime minister. Brundtland was enrolled as a member of Norway’s Labour Party by her father at the age of 7, and has remained a member ever since. Brundtland has forged an important international career as well. In 1983, she was asked by the UN Secretary-General to establish the World Commission on Environment and Development, now known as the Brundtland Commission. After leaving office as Norway’s PM, she served as Director of the World Health Organisation (1998-2003), where she spearheaded the movement to abolish cigarette smoking. She is currently UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy on Climate Change and, like Mary Robinson, is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders.
Born in 1872 in St Petersburg, Alexandra Kollontai was fascinated by history and politics from a young age, and became interested in radical Marxism whilst studying at the University of Zurich. In 1917, learning of the Tsar’s abdication, Kollontai returned to Russia to join the revolutionary movement. The first female cabinet minister in the world, Kollontai became People’s Commissar for Social Welfare and, in the Marxist tradition, was an advocate of women’s equality and fought hard on the issues of female education and equal working rights. She also promoted the concept of free love, believing that the traditional institution of marriage resulted in the exploitation of women and that the only way to achieve true equality was to eliminate bourgeois attitudes towards sexuality. Dying in 1952, Kollontai remains an icon of gender equality to this day.
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Deeds Not Words
In the grand scheme of things, women have come a long way in politics. Less than a hundred years ago, women couldn't even vote in the UK. Now a quarter of all MPs in the House of Commons are women. But, hang on – shouldn't that be half?
Politics is unquestionably a male-dominated world. From the top echelons down, women are woefully underrepresented. When the Labour party introduced all-women shortlists to redress the balance, the number of female MPs doubled from 60 to 120 in the 1997 General Election. However, despite these advancements, whenever a woman reaches a position in power, her performance is judged against her gender in a way that no man’s would ever be. Take for instance Julia Gillard, who as Prime Minister of Australia had to endure the most vicious of sexism. Her attack on the leader of the opposition was widely praised, but at the same time it highlights the hurdles that women have to leap in order to be taken seriously in politics. Even grassroots political activism is somehow seen as unfeminine, not fitting with society’s view of the things a woman should be interested in. (Women – Know Your Limits!). Representation at all levels should be evenly spread across both genders and this is best achieved through the prominence of female politicians. As Chelsea Clinton, who has joined her mother in campaigning for women’s rights, said: “it’s really hard to imagine yourself as something you don’t see.”
Here are a few women who have shattered the ultimate glass ceiling, and done a damn fine job of it too, providing inspiration for women across the world.
Emily Pankhurst
Benazir Bhutto
The first female leader of a Muslim country, Benazir Bhutto, known as B.B., was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996. However, she is woman who left a controversial legacy. Admired for her charisma and political savvy, she was also criticised for her deregulation of the financial sector, which many cite as the cause of Pakistan’s recession of the mid-nineties, and was plagued by corruption charges. History may treat her more kindly than her record in office deserves, but there is no doubt that Bhutto raised the profile of women in a male-dominated society and paved the way for the acceptance of women in Pakistani politics.
Angela Merkel
Forbes currently ranks German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the second most powerful person in the world, second only to the President of the United States and the highest ever ranking for a woman. Whether or not you agree with how she has achieved it, Merkel has to be given enormous credit for overseeing one of the world’s most stable economies during rocky financial times. She also wields considerable influence within the European Union and the G8. Trained as a chemist, Merkel entered politics following the reunification of Germany in 1989, became the first female leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2000 and was elected the first female Chancellor of Germany in 2005, a position she has held ever since. Germans will go to the polls in September to decide whether Merkel will remain as Chancellor, but her handling of the economy has boosted her popularity and polls suggest that the CDU will win, even if with a minority. Merkel is a strong, steady head of state, avoiding the criticism often levelled at female leaders, and demonstrates that it is possible to lead a strong economy without your gender being added into the equation.
Hilary Clinton
Whilst we need these high profile women to act as role models, there are many more less well-known women who have made hugely significant contributions to politics and to the advancement of women in the political sphere. Below is just a small selection of these women.
Millicent Garrett Fawcett
Millicent Garrett Fawcett’s contribution to women’s suffrage in the UK is often overshadowed by the more visible actions of Emily Pankhurst and the suffragettes. Fawcett was a suffragist, rather than a suffragette, who believed that women would gain the vote through constitutional change and that violence would only serve to fuel the stereotype of women as irrational and hysterical posited by men as evidence to deny them the vote. Fawcett was the seventh of ten high-achieving Garett children (her older sister Elizabeth was the first female doctor). Fawcett was passionate about furthering women’s opportunities throughout the whole of society, especially in higher education and in repealing the Contagious Diseases Act, which legislated for horrendous double standards. A pacifist, Fawcett led a strong and well-reasoned campaign, and the inscription on her and her husband Henry’s memorial in Westminster Abbey credits her with winning “citizenship for women.” (Listen to an interesting Radio 4 programme on Fawcett here.)
Mary Robinson
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Trained as a medical doctor, Gro Harlem Brundtland began her political career in Norway’s Ministry of Health, and served as the country’s Prime Minister on three separate occasions - in 1981, 1986-89 and 1990-96. She is Norway’s first, and to date, only female prime minister. Brundtland was enrolled as a member of Norway’s Labour Party by her father at the age of 7, and has remained a member ever since. Brundtland has forged an important international career as well. In 1983, she was asked by the UN Secretary-General to establish the World Commission on Environment and Development, now known as the Brundtland Commission. After leaving office as Norway’s PM, she served as Director of the World Health Organisation (1998-2003), where she spearheaded the movement to abolish cigarette smoking. She is currently UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy on Climate Change and, like Mary Robinson, is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders.
Alexandra Kollontai
Born in 1872 in St Petersburg, Alexandra Kollontai was fascinated by history and politics from a young age, and became interested in radical Marxism whilst studying at the University of Zurich. In 1917, learning of the Tsar’s abdication, Kollontai returned to Russia to join the revolutionary movement. The first female cabinet minister in the world, Kollontai became People’s Commissar for Social Welfare and, in the Marxist tradition, was an advocate of women’s equality and fought hard on the issues of female education and equal working rights. She also promoted the concept of free love, believing that the traditional institution of marriage resulted in the exploitation of women and that the only way to achieve true equality was to eliminate bourgeois attitudes towards sexuality. Dying in 1952, Kollontai remains an icon of gender equality to this day.
There are many more inspirational women who have successfully conquered stereotypes and made invaluable contributions to politics. It was a challenge to whittle it down to the few I’ve chosen, and the list goes on and on but it should be much longer. More strong women like those above are needed as role models in politics, across the whole political spectrum, so that women’s performances as leaders are judged on the same terms as men’s.
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Quick! Before it goes!
Was a little bit late in posting this but Sarah Howells, Australian DJ and host of the brilliant Roots'n'all show on triple j radio, did an entire show dedicated to great female artists last week. She normally has a great mix of music and a good male-female balance so is always worth checking out (am planning a 'Going Wireless' post soon which will include her, of course!) but in the meantime try and listen to the 'Ladies' Night' show from 1st August 2013 - not sure how long it'll be available for! (If you miss it, check out the playlist when it comes up and look everyone up.)
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'Curiouser and curioser!' said Alice
Although none of these people are called Alice. But they are all amazing engineers and scientists working on the Mars Curiosity Rover Mission and have been answering questions about it here, as it has just been shared with me. Thanks, Tom, for the link and thanks, everyone below for the science!
Joy Crisp, MSL Deputy Project Scientist
Anita Roddick became both a cultural and entrepreneurial role model after showing immense commitment not only to her business but also the human- and animal-rights campaigns and ideals that it came to support and stand for. In the face of bigoted bank managers, leaky roofs, a society fast becoming materialistic and compassion-less to the extreme, and a growing family to support, she built from scratch the first high street store with a conscience. [1] [2]
For some people fighting against both racial segregation and sexism in order to establish a successful career for yourself would be enough of a challenge (and already deserves substantial recognition). However, for Madam Walker (born Sarah Breedlove) this was not enough. After inventing and establishing her own hair care product range and travelling across the USA to promote it, she then used it as a springboard for encouraging other women to do the same. She taught other women from similarly poverty-stricken backgrounds to her own business and sales skills, as well as setting up and running a beauty training school from 1908-1910. [5]
After more or less running the family printing and publishing business which was officially in her brother's name for 13 years, Mary Goddard was formally recognised as both editor and publisher in 1775, the same year she became Postmaster for Baltimore, probably being the first woman in America to take on such a role.
After co-founding ‘Lastminute.com’, Europe’s largest travel and leisure website [12] which was valued at £667 million in 2003, Martha took the £18 million she received when it was sold to Sabre Holdings as self-earned capital to invest in her new ventures. [13]
From a moment of inspiration to a successful enterprise which claims to save the engineering industry £6.5 million in down time, Sharon Wright is a shining example of an entrepreneur in the truest form. Working 16-20 hours a day, seven days a week, whilst single-handedly bringing up her 12-year-old daughter, she demonstrates both commitment and courage, but it is her communication skills that single her out from the rest. [16]
Megan Richardson, Mechanisms Downlink Engineer
Louise Jandura, Sampling System Chief Engineer
Tracy Neilson, MER and MSL Fault Protection Designer
Jennifer Trosper, MSL Deputy Project Manager
Elizabeth Dewell, Tactical Mission Manager
Erisa Hines, Mobility Testing Lead
Cassie Bowman, Mars Public Engagement
Carolina Martinez, Mars Public Engagement
Sarah Marcotte, Mars Public Engagement
Courtney O'Connor, Curiosity Social Media Team
Who would have thought that a seemingly pointless, mandatory Management module in the 3rd year of an engineering degree would have introduced me to some really quite inspiring figures? Especially since I'd never previously found the world of business (can't help but think of this when I write 'The World of Business' - about 50 seconds in) particularly inspiring! However, the following people stand out not only for their impressive entrepreneurship but also for using their skills to support causes (from environmental issues to fighting poverty) whilst having to fight against various social prejudices themselves.
In particular Anita Roddick, Madam C. J. Walker and Mary Katherine Goddard stand out and, while it was tempting to give them posts in their own right, instead I've tried to summarise some key points of their lives and achievements with links to where to find out more.
Anita Roddick (1942-2007)
Health & beauty products, human & animal rights activism (‘The Body Shop’, ‘The Big Issue’)
Anita Roddick became both a cultural and entrepreneurial role model after showing immense commitment not only to her business but also the human- and animal-rights campaigns and ideals that it came to support and stand for. In the face of bigoted bank managers, leaky roofs, a society fast becoming materialistic and compassion-less to the extreme, and a growing family to support, she built from scratch the first high street store with a conscience. [1] [2]
‘The Body Shop’, now a successful franchise, sold products based on the knowledge she had gained from her travels all over the world, mainly to small, isolated fishing communities, and combined these with her passion for environmental, animal-rights-based and humanitarian causes. Respected globally for her unceasing hard work and commitment, her motivation in the face of adversity and her intrinsic enthusiasm, she will be remembered not only as one of Britain’s most successful businesspeople but as one of the few, talented people who managed to use the corporate system to truly make a difference. [3][4]
Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919)
Promoting financial independence for early-20th century american women, health & beauty product invention & development, civil rights activism (‘Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Laboratories’, ‘Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company’)
For some people fighting against both racial segregation and sexism in order to establish a successful career for yourself would be enough of a challenge (and already deserves substantial recognition). However, for Madam Walker (born Sarah Breedlove) this was not enough. After inventing and establishing her own hair care product range and travelling across the USA to promote it, she then used it as a springboard for encouraging other women to do the same. She taught other women from similarly poverty-stricken backgrounds to her own business and sales skills, as well as setting up and running a beauty training school from 1908-1910. [5]
Whilst travelling she gave speeches on political, economic and social issues. She was a key member of several influential civil rights movements organisations (NAACP, NACWC) and an important figure in their anti-lynching campaigns. More than that, she was clearly more forward thinking than many people of influence even today, investing heavily in educational scholarships and homes for the elderly as well. [6] [7]
Generally attributed as the USA's first female self-made millionaire, she was and remains a great inspiration to men and women of all races and nationalities. It is only unfortunate (and a little depressing) that 100 years after she began fighting for such causes, there is still so much work to do.
Mary Katherine Goddard (1736-1816)
Printing industries and postal service, independence activism, freedom of press (‘Providence Gazette’,‘West's Almanack’, ‘Pennsylvania Chronicle’, ‘Maryland Journal’, ‘Baltimore Advertiser’)
After more or less running the family printing and publishing business which was officially in her brother's name for 13 years, Mary Goddard was formally recognised as both editor and publisher in 1775, the same year she became Postmaster for Baltimore, probably being the first woman in America to take on such a role.
This was also the year that the American Revolutionary War began in which the 13 colonies of British America began fighting for independence from the British Empire. A year later, representatives of these colonies had drawn up a Declaration of Independence, stating that they considered themselves independent of Great Britain and that they intended to form a new nation. An estimated 200 copies of the document were first published as the Dunlap Broadside - printed in somewhat of a rush on the night of the 4th of July 1776. By early 1777 it was decided that the document should be more widely distributed and, despite it being a treasonable offence to print the document, they needed a publisher to volunteer. Mary Goddard took her roles in the publication and distribution of the printed word seriously and considered them a responsibility to the american people. She was the first publisher to offer the use of her press to the Continental Congress and so in January 1777 a second copy of the Declaration of Independence was published as the Goddard Broadside. It was this copy that was the first to include the names of all the signatories - and so from this copy that the american public first learned these names - and it was this copy that was the first to contain the famous signature of John Hancock which was missing from the Dunlap Broadside.
However, she was soon let down by the nation she had unquestioningly put her life in danger for and played such a key role in building. In 1789 the Postmaster General decided to replace her with John White, stating that given that Baltimore was to become the new regional headquarters, being a woman, she would no longer be able to manage the frequent, long-distance travels this job would now entail - and not stating that White was in fact his political ally, which may have had something more to do with it. Despite 230 residents signing a petition to the newly elected president George Washington and an appeal to the U.S. Senate, White took her job.
Though some would have lost faith in the new system they had fought to build, Goddard stayed true to her beliefs. In 1812 she pulled her many resources to free a woman named Belinda from slavery to whom she bequeathed all her possessions and property.
Martha Lane Fox (b. 1973)
Management (‘Lastminute.com’, ‘Lucky Voice’, ‘Antigone’, ‘Reprieve’, ‘Marks & Spencer’, ‘Channel 4’, ‘MyDeco.com’); Also ‘Champion for Digital Inclusion’
After co-founding ‘Lastminute.com’, Europe’s largest travel and leisure website [12] which was valued at £667 million in 2003, Martha took the £18 million she received when it was sold to Sabre Holdings as self-earned capital to invest in her new ventures. [13]
As well as becoming a trustee of registered charity ‘Reprieve’ and setting up her own grant-making trust ‘Antigone’, she has started the growing company ‘Lucky Voice’ which provides private karaoke rooms in an increasing number of bars and restaurants around the country. [14]
As government-appointed Champion for Digital Inclusion, she led the team charged with the task of ensuring that everyone in the UK could afford access to the internet. [15]
Sharon Wright
Engineering Tools - Cabling Installation Tools (‘Talpa Products Ltd.’, manufacturer of ‘Magnamole’)
From a moment of inspiration to a successful enterprise which claims to save the engineering industry £6.5 million in down time, Sharon Wright is a shining example of an entrepreneur in the truest form. Working 16-20 hours a day, seven days a week, whilst single-handedly bringing up her 12-year-old daughter, she demonstrates both commitment and courage, but it is her communication skills that single her out from the rest. [16]
The testimonials displayed proudly on the website and the support she received from Schneider Electric distributors show not only the strength of her customer and other professional relationships but also how much she values them. [17]
What’s more, after an appearance on BBC’s ‘The Dragon’s Den’ where she was famed for giving the “perfect pitch” [18] she left with a better deal than she had entered for and her presentation and communication skills have been heralded as an example to others. [19]
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Guitar Heroes - More Recommends!
Thanks again to Abie Budgen and also to Dan Wilkins for recommending the following folk to add to the Guitar Heroes post!
Rocking out a hot guitar solo about 4 mins 30 secs into the following video clip is none other than Mary Osborne, jazz guitar pioneer: Art Ford's Jazz Party: Part 1 The Round Table. I particularly like this clip for showing her playing, respected and accepted, with her contemporaries - who happen to be male. It reflects the philosophy of this blog, that there are, will be and have always been female peers for all the esteemed male artists, scientists, sportsfolk etc.; and that, in an ideal world, there would be no segregation in the celebrating of their achievements. Read more about Mary here, in this Vintage Guitar article. It's a good read but the fact that it calls her "the only female guitarist to realize a significant impact on jazz in the 1940s and ’50s" backs up the need to have something like this blog!
As I read more and more about these heroes, I'm starting to sense a theme - prodigality: Mary Osborne was playing guitar by the age of four; Sister Rosetta was playing guitar at four and touring by the age of six; and our next artist also picked up those infamous six strings tied to a box when she was only four years old. Now famous for taking the ukulele (and resonator uke) to a 'new level of musicianship', Del Rey is not only a fantastic musician in her own right but could probably give me a few tips for this blog with her talks on Women in American Music. I'll be looking up her recommends! Here are some tracks to whet your appetite:
Here's her profile on that great wee website I found and put in the 'On it's way...' post: Rosalind Franklin on Science Women. Will be sure look her up and add her to the Quantum Leaps post to come! (Or possibly create separate posts specialising in physical and biological sciences.)
Thanks, Google for the recommend! (Turns out giant, evil corporations have their uses!)
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Guitar Heroes Update - Forgotten Heroes!
Firstly, thanks for all the great responses to the blog so far! And especially thanks for suggestions - the more great 'hungry women' that can be publicised the better, hence turning to the World Wide Web for this project, it being the perfect tool to do so. I do love it when a plan comes together :)
So who have I missed? Many, many people, clearly, but in particular the iconic Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Singer, song-writer, guitarist, cyclist, maverick. Well, I'm not sure about the cyclist bit but she was one of the first performers to bring Gospel music to the popular music scene, spanning the genres from Gospel to Blues, and one of the pioneers of rhythmic guitar and early rock music. Little Richard cites her as his favourite artist when he was growing up and her guitar style is said to have inspired Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, among others.
And wasn't just musical boundaries that she broke. From the age of four, encouraged by her mother who was also a singer and mandolin player, she was performing (singing and playing guitar) at the Church of God in Christ, one of the few religious groups at the time (and, today, in fact) that allowed women to preach. More than just a guitar hero!
So here are some clips from 'Little Rosetta Nubin', who had been touring the USA since the age of 6. Crikey. Enjoy!
Lastly, I couldn't end this update without mentioning another guitar hero of mine - the person, in fact, who pointed out my heinous crime of having missed out Rosetta in the first place. One of those annoying people who can get a decent sound out of almost any instrument they pick up, from guitar to drums, to washboard, to banjolele - and including things that aren't really meant to sound good but somehow do when she plays them, like mouth trumpet and kazoo - she's also got that rootsy, bluesy voice to match. And writes great songs. And traveled in India learning local, traditional and contemporary music from the people she met on the way. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit jealous...As we all are, I think, with all our heroes. Here are some clips of the and only Abie Budgen in action...
Future posts being planned are:
Quantum Leaps
Scientific breakthroughs and their discoverers, including:
- Lene Hau and Quantum Computing
- Ida Noddack and Nuclear Fission
- Lise Meitner and Nuclear Physics/Radioactivity
- Marie Curie - one of only four people in the world to have received two Noble Prizes and the only person to have ever received them both in Sciences!
Stumbled across a great looking site while checking my facts for you to enjoy in the meantime:
Intrepid Entrepreneures
Creative, resourceful and determined women, often fighting against the odds - not just to be successful in business but often for a cause - including (among others):
- Anita Roddick
- Martha Lane Fox
- Sharon Wright
To Boldly Go...
This will probably become two posts, or possibly three, based on early explorers, record-breaking travelers and pilots. More details to follow!
***
Guitar Heroes
I was lucky enough to grow up with a wealth of music of all varieties around me in the form of records, tapes and CDs being constantly played, jam sessions with friends and family, and being very much encouraged to get out and see live music wherever possible; including being taken to see some very sophisticated musicians from a young age. With all this in mind, it's hard to say definitely which musicians were the first to make the biggest impact on me. Probably the closest I had to a first musical idol was Gabriela Quintero of Rodrigo y Gabriela. Not only did she play a classical guitar (like me) and strum with her thumb rather than a plectrum (like me) but she's probably the best rhythm guitarist I've ever heard. And she was one of the first people I ever saw use the guitar body percussively. And she can seriously rock!
Next in line of heroes that I discovered is an artist who probably still remains my all-time favourite musician to this day. I first saw her on a Nick Drake tribute concert on BBC iPlayer. I was listening to it while writing up my research project in one of the university computer rooms which had become a second home at that point. Most of the other acts faded into background music as they performed pleasant but not especially ground-breaking versions of the musical genius' songs (look up Nick Drake too, you won't be disappointed!). However, when Krystle Warren started to sing 'Time Has Told Me' I knew there was something special going on. She grooves. There's not many times when a cover manages to go further than an original but this may just be one of them (the pianist Zoe Rahman was pretty phenomenal too). You'd be hard pushed to find a singer more soulful and an artist who gives more in every performance.
Thus my great Krystle journey began. Her album 'Circles' with her house band The Faculty became standard listening - and each time I found something more in it. Through Spotify I found her collaboration with Eric Legini & The Afro Jazz Beat, 'The Vox' which again blew me away and proved how versatile her voice was. Although she's often pictured with a guitar, I was as yet not aware of her talent outside of vocals. But earlier this year I was lucky enough to discover this first hand - and boy, can she play! Her tour promoting a second album, 'Love Songs - A Time We May Embrace' finally brought her to our green & pleasant land. At the Komedia in Brighton she enchanted the entire room, just her and her guitar and...well, words, don't really describe it! Here's an example or two...
'Year End Issue' from the album 'Circles' on Jools Holland
'Eleanor Rigby' cover, live
One last thing about Krystle - she doesn't do things by halves. Love Songs came about when she decided to record an album entirely live; all the musicians playing each track together, all the way through. And it works...Watch all the videos! But especially this one - if it doesn't move you, and convince you that you're watching one of the most phenomenal musicians of our generation, I don't know what will!
'Buddy' from the Love Songs Sessions
Another great story-teller and fantastic guitarist to come from the USA is Suzanne Vega. You're probably familiar with her hits such as 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner' (which is, incidentally a useful tool for teaching English as a foreign language!). But her real genius comes out with her trusty acoustic guitar on stage, for example: 'Gypsy', live (with Richard Thompson - a folk music guitar hero!). What's more her story telling isn't only enthralling when set to music, as is seen (or heard) in her entry on the fantastic site 'The Moth', here: Stage Fright.
Over this side of the Atlantic is probably one of the best guitarists of our generation: Anna Calvi. Master of reverb and with a fluidity unparalleled in anyone I've yet seen, her self-titled album has the same feel as Jeff Beck's keystone album 'Grace' but with her own unique style. Furthermore...she ROCKS. Some tracks of choice:
'Rider to the Sea'
'Blackout'
'Year End Issue' from the album 'Circles' on Jools Holland
'Eleanor Rigby' cover, live
One last thing about Krystle - she doesn't do things by halves. Love Songs came about when she decided to record an album entirely live; all the musicians playing each track together, all the way through. And it works...Watch all the videos! But especially this one - if it doesn't move you, and convince you that you're watching one of the most phenomenal musicians of our generation, I don't know what will!
'Buddy' from the Love Songs Sessions
Another great story-teller and fantastic guitarist to come from the USA is Suzanne Vega. You're probably familiar with her hits such as 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner' (which is, incidentally a useful tool for teaching English as a foreign language!). But her real genius comes out with her trusty acoustic guitar on stage, for example: 'Gypsy', live (with Richard Thompson - a folk music guitar hero!). What's more her story telling isn't only enthralling when set to music, as is seen (or heard) in her entry on the fantastic site 'The Moth', here: Stage Fright.
Over this side of the Atlantic is probably one of the best guitarists of our generation: Anna Calvi. Master of reverb and with a fluidity unparalleled in anyone I've yet seen, her self-titled album has the same feel as Jeff Beck's keystone album 'Grace' but with her own unique style. Furthermore...she ROCKS. Some tracks of choice:
'Rider to the Sea'
'Blackout'
Another master of the hammer-on/pull-off technique and all round inspiring guitarist is Kaki King. Seriously impressive! As much so as Anna, though on an acoustic guitar (a very lovely Ovation, in fact, and now her own signature guitar) as opposed to Anna's kick-ass beaten-up Telecaster. So many tracks to choose from, but here's an example of what she can do: 'Bone Chaos in the Castle'.
A quick word about a recent discovery: Dota Kehr. I haven't been able to find out too much information (will have to brush up on my German!) except she originally learned to play the saxophone before turning to Bossa-style guitar, has a degree in Medicine and is known for her controversial lyrics - what's not to like?! Playing under the name 'Kleingeldprinzessin' ('Little Change Princess') with a band she calls the 'Stadtpiraten' ('Urban Pirates') in an impressive array of languages, here's a track from her live album 'Taschentöne', 'Kleingeldprinzessinnen'.
To finish, a tribute to some of musicians to which we are all indebted ,whether we realise it or not. I have a theory that all good music has it's roots, however deep, in the Blues (or Jazz which developed around the same time). One of the pioneers of Blues guitar is a name that is often missed when rolling of the list of those normally attributed to the roots of the genre - Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton etc. - but worthy of being placed among her peers as can be seen in tracks such as her 1930 single 'Bumble Bee'. This is none other than Memphis Minnie - now you know her name, make sure you add it to the list!
Finally, a Blues musician and activist against racism, sexism and homophobia, Gaye Adegbalola. The more you read about her, the more inspired you'll be. And then you'll listen to her play slide on a steel guitar -and you'll wonder why some people in this world seem to have all the talent...She is one of the main inspirations for creating this blog, and the composed of the song which is the source of it's name, 'Hungry Woman'. Thanks, Gaye, I owe you one!
A quick word about a recent discovery: Dota Kehr. I haven't been able to find out too much information (will have to brush up on my German!) except she originally learned to play the saxophone before turning to Bossa-style guitar, has a degree in Medicine and is known for her controversial lyrics - what's not to like?! Playing under the name 'Kleingeldprinzessin' ('Little Change Princess') with a band she calls the 'Stadtpiraten' ('Urban Pirates') in an impressive array of languages, here's a track from her live album 'Taschentöne', 'Kleingeldprinzessinnen'.
To finish, a tribute to some of musicians to which we are all indebted ,whether we realise it or not. I have a theory that all good music has it's roots, however deep, in the Blues (or Jazz which developed around the same time). One of the pioneers of Blues guitar is a name that is often missed when rolling of the list of those normally attributed to the roots of the genre - Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton etc. - but worthy of being placed among her peers as can be seen in tracks such as her 1930 single 'Bumble Bee'. This is none other than Memphis Minnie - now you know her name, make sure you add it to the list!
Finally, a Blues musician and activist against racism, sexism and homophobia, Gaye Adegbalola. The more you read about her, the more inspired you'll be. And then you'll listen to her play slide on a steel guitar -and you'll wonder why some people in this world seem to have all the talent...She is one of the main inspirations for creating this blog, and the composed of the song which is the source of it's name, 'Hungry Woman'. Thanks, Gaye, I owe you one!
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