HomeHomeFebruary 2004
"All you need is love"
--The Beatles
This month, we’ve heard and seen a lot about the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964. For those who were not around at that time, the impact of that performance is hard to understand. How could four individuals kick off a British Invasion, and launch the Swinging Sixties? The secret was in their timing, which was exquisite.
Although the band had labored in obscurity for many years, playing in tiny clubs in Hamburg and Liverpool, their breakthrough moment was dazzling. John, Paul, George and Ringo showed up in America about two and a half months after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination–a time when the nation and the world needed cheering up.
If you look at those old tapes from the Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles’ sound seems quaint–innocent lyrics with an almost "tinny" quality to the music. However, one fact is indisputable. The boys were having a hell of a good time. They were fun–pure and simple. They were four young men who were in the right place at the right time with a new sound, and they joyfully played their music. Their love of music and passion was fascinating, and audiences loved watching them. They played with their hearts fully engaged in their music and audiences responded in kind.
These days, with so many of us struggling to raise families, keep jobs, find jobs, or maintain our standard of living, finding the love or passion in our lives seems incidental to simply surviving in a fast-paced world. However, putting our hearts into any endeavor that we truly love will make all the difference in the quality of the lives that we lead.
Inspirational writer Norman Vincent Peale discussed the importance of having passion in his classic book, The Power of Positive Thinking (1952, Ballantine Books, New York).
Peale said:
"Expecting the best means that you put your whole heart (i.e. the central essence of your personality) into what you want to accomplish. People are defeated in life not because of lack of ability, but for lack of wholeheartedness. They do not wholeheartedly expect to succeed. Their heart isn't in it, which is to say, they themselves are not fully given."
Though there are many circumstances in life over which we have no control, there is a certain amount of truth to Peale’s words. Having a passion in life keeps us healthy and happy, and might even lead to a longer life. Whether that passion is for another human being, a job, a hobby, an avocation, a calling, a pet, or life itself, it’s important to have something positive to keep us going in good times as well as rough times.
Those are thoughts to ponder as we remember the joyfulness in the Beatles’ historic performance. Love made all the difference, then and now. And that’s why we love John, Paul, George, and Ringo still.
Teresa
tcallies@hotmail.comNews from WITNE Friends:
Storyteller Noa Baum, an Israeli woman who "began a heartfelt dialogue" with a Palestinian woman while living in the United States, weaves together their memories and their mothers' stories. She creates a moving testimony illuminating the complex and contradictory history and emotions that surround Jerusalem for Israelis and Palestinians alike." Ms. Baum visited the Twin Cities last year, and her performance had quite an impact. She wrote to tell us about an upcoming performance in the DC area on Saturday, March 20th of "A Land Twice Promised" which will benefit two organizations working for peace in Israel:
Israeli-Palestinians Bereaved Families for Peace and
Last year, we heard from Lorraine Rovig, Jobline Contact at the National Federation of the Blind:
America's Jobline is an audio version of America's Job Bank providing job searching and electronic resumes. Anyone, including those who do not have ready access to computers or do not know how to use a computer, may locate and apply for jobs across the United States via telephone at no cost.
To try it yourself, call 1-800-414-5748 and follow the voice prompts.
"America's Jobline" is a project of the National Federation of the Blind, the largest organization of blind people in the United States. We pioneered in developing the technology to access and search computer files bytelephone. Jobline is now available throughout the United States and Puerto Rico (to sighted and blind job seekers) free of charge."
THE BASIC FACTS:
* Jobline is an audio version of America's Job Bank(r) featuring its nearly one million job announcements and electronic resumes.
* Jobline is operated by the National Federation of the Blind with assistance from the United States Department of Labor and state workforce development agencies.
* Jobline is available to anyone.
* Jobline's resume function produces resumes by telephone and sends a print copy by fax or e-mail to employers.
News, Resources, and Other Tidbits
February is African-American History Month, and the following is just a small sample of the many interesting resources available on the web:
Duke University has a site for African American Women
Princeton University offers "African American Faces in the Sciences"
Education Central offers some information on African American Women Inventors
Black Women’s Health aims "to be the premier Internet site dedicated to promoting the physical, mental and spiritual wellness of today’s African American woman."
In Case You Missed It...
Back in mid-January, a column by Eileen Macnamara from the Boston Globe titled "Dean’s M.D. wife gets roasted for being real" was reprinted in the January 16th Minneapolis Star Tribune. She discusses what often happens to spouses of Presidential candidates during election years–namely, the tendency to turn them into political liabilities unless they fit a certain culturally-accepted standard.
Mcnamara wrote that "Steinberg’s eccentricity, according to experts quoted in a front-page report in the New York Times Tuesday, turns out to be her preference for seeing her patients in Vermont over watching her husband campaign in Iowa. What would seem to many of us to be a sensible choice for a woman with a medical practice winds up sounding like a potentially fatal political flaw for her man with a nomination to win."
Macnamara adds, "…But what are we to make of the revelation that Steinberg wears sensible shoes and avoids makeup and earrings? The woman lives in rural Vermont, where the low temperature Tuesday was minus 15 degrees with blowing snow. She should wear Jimmy Choos under her boots? Revlon over her lip balm? Diamond studs under her knit hat?" Though Dean is now out of the running, and the pressure is off Dr. Steinberg, let’s hope we don’t see any "Stepford wife"-style transformations before the November election!
Also in mid-January, the Sydney Morning Herald printed an article titled "Female, forty and furious," the contents of which were originally printed in the London Telegraph. The news is that several female Hollywood stars are banding together to condemn "sexist" film moguls for "failing to find roles for women over forty." Rosanna Arquette is working on a documentary to be screened in Britain this summer called "Searching for Debra Winger". Oscar-nominated actress Winger announced she was quitting in 1996, at the ripe old age of 40. The actresses quoted in the article discussed the difficulty in finding work at the mid-point of life. It’s interesting to note this sad fact, because there are now 40 million plus Baby Boomer women in this age range–the point where women have some really fascinating stories to tell about their lives.
And, speaking of interesting stories, Australian Molly Craig Kelly passed away last month. Kelly was a symbol of Aboriginal resilience. As a child, Molly, her sister and cousin were taken from their home in Jigalong, Western Australia, and sent to a settlement on the Moore River, north of Perth, where "half-caste" Aboriginal children were trained to be domestic servants. The three girls escaped and spent nine weeks walking home -- a distance of nearly 1,000 miles. Her life inspired the 2002 movie, "Rabbit-Proof Fence." We mentioned the book in a previous WITNE column, and also heard from Sue Abbey at University of Queensland Press last year, which published the book. Ms. Abbey told us that UQP has the largest list of books written by Aboriginal authors.
Copyright © 1995-2007 Gary Johnson Communications. All rights reserved. BraveNewWorkWorld, NewWork, NewWork News, Careers in the NewWork World, NewWorld Trends, WITNE, and WITNE: Women in the New Economy are trademarks of Gary Johnson Communications.