Articles in Category: Amazing Susan's Blog

Asmaa Mahfouz Sets An Entire Nation On Fire

Update February 18: Asmaa Mahfouz is safe and praying in Tahrir Square today :)

Susan notes: it's February 6, 2011, and 26-year-old Egyptian activist and prolific vlogger Asmaa Mafhouz hasn't been seen online for several days. Friends and supporters are worried for her safety. Why? Because she spoke directly to the heart and soul of a nation in pain. This is one of the best pieces of public speaking I've heard in a long time. Learn more about the history behind the vlog here.

Translation by: @iyed_elbaghdadi (Visit his video channel here to see more of Asmaa Mahfouz's vlogs with English translations as well as other related videos)
Vide tagging by: Ammara Alavi





Yes, Don Hazen, You Can Be A Feminist Too


In many quarters, "feminism" is a still dirty word with lots of negative baggage attached to it.

Most men, at least in my experience, seem to feel threatened by feminist ideology, and by feminists themselves. Even other women lash out against those of us who fight for gender equality, gender parity and a world in which women are not trafficked, abused, beaten, raped, tortured and murdered simply because we were born female.

Being a feminist can be a tough row to hoe.

don_hazen.jpgSo when I opened the email below from Don Hazen (left), I have to tell you, it made my day. As I read it, I thought to myself: here's a guy who really "gets it.”

Hazen is executive director of the Independent Media Institute and executive editor of AlterNet, an award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources.

AlterNet’s aim is to inspire action and advocacy on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, health care issues, and more. Hazen is also the former publisher of Mother Jones magazine, an accomplished book editor.

He holds an MA in counseling from the University of Massachusetts and a BA in politics from Princeton University.

Here's what he has to say about the state of women in journalism:

Don't Send A Man To The Grocery Store (And If You Do, Check Your List Twice)

jeanne_robertsson3.jpgWhen you’re not from the southern United States, for some reason there’s something inherently funny (not to mention charming!), about a Southern drawl - and  amazing comedienne Jeanne Robertson makes the most of that something.

What’s more, she’s tall (6 foot 2 inches or 188 cm depending on how you measure things), she’s gorgeous, she’s warm, engaging, clever and gracious. An amazing woman after my own heart.

Even better? She’s got hair just like mine! Same cut, same colour, same “au naturel.” Seems we were destined to meet one day. If not in person, then surely online…

Tags comedienne Fun humour success