Living in the Heartland

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• Woman Conquers Antarctica on Her Own
  It’s one thing to accept total responsibility for yourself, but there’s far more self-reliance and strength of character involved when you’ve undertaken an adventure nearly two months long, alone, and trekking nearly blind in the vast, cold region of Antarctica. In January Felicity Aston became the first woman to ski across the southernmost continent. Even [ […]
• Homeless and Still a Winner – A Teenager’s Story
  17-year-old Samantha Garvey is in the running for a national prestigious science award. 300 teenagers across the country have been named this year as semifinalists in the Intel science competition; so Samantha is, indeed, a member of a select group. But I wonder how many of these intelligent, dedicated, and creative kids also have been […]
• Too Thin or Too Fat? What’s Your Measurement of Beauty?
  PLUS Model Magazine, according to an article by Tamara Abraham for the United Kingdom-based online blog Daily Mail, has sparked controversy. See if you can guess what the controversy is from the accompanying photograph. This photograph is meant to illustrate the magazine’s claim that most runway models meet the criteria for anorexia based on their […]
• Passion and Purpose can Transform a Woman: Lateefah Simon’s Story
  As a young teenager Lateefah Simon seemed to be going nowhere. She dropped out of school and worked full-time at a Taco Bell. She was on probation for shoplifting. Then someone offered her a different path. She changed directions and has ever since been paying off her indebtedness for this opportunity with hugh INTEREST. Lateefah’s […]
• This Woman is Pleased If You Call Her a Dog
  I overheard a woman say, “Girls can be SO catty.” The woman she was talking to responded, “They ARE, aren’t they!” It was a lesson my mother taught me. Her point was: “Don’t trust girls, they’re out to hurt you.” Any message that encompasses all members of a group, as in the global use of […]
• 2011 Women of the Year: A Short List
  As 2011 comes to a close,I offer a short list of women who made 2011 an extraordinary for women’s accomplishments. Above is a photo of Karen Freeman-Wilson. In  November Gary, Indiana voters chose Freeman-Wilson as their city’s first female mayor and the state’s first African-American female mayor. Karen is a Harvard-educated lawyer. She served as […]
• Skip the Beauty Talk: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Tell Her How Beautiful She Looks.
  A friend sent me a link to an article on The Huffington Post Web site. I thought Lisa Bloom’s post offered a great model for how people especially women can take action to break the cycle of girls growing into women who see their worth in terms of their image. Bloom demonstrated the power of […]
• Unlike Santa This Woman Provides a Treasure Trove of Toys for Children Year Round
  It’s a good thing Angela Addington is a database geek. It comes in handy as she matches a storehouse of toys, clothes and furniture with deserving children. Angela took on this challenge back in 2001 when she founded Hannah’s Treasure Chest, a charitable organization named after her daughter Hannah. Angela who lives in Ohio collected […]
• Midwifes for Haiti: Saving Lifes One Mother and Child at a Time
  Erin Curtiss is a midwife in Seattle who operates her own home birthing business.  She was intrigued when she learned about an American-based, nonprofit organization called Midwives for Haiti. Haiti has a desperate need for so many things. Midwives are one item on a very long list of needed services. Women in Haiti are fifty […]
• Elouise Cobell: She was no legend. She was the real deal.
  The fall is a time of harvest celebrations. It is a time of feasting and family gatherings. It is also a time of storytelling – some about families, others about American history. One of the biggest of these stories is played out every November in elementary classrooms across the United States. It involves costumes. Typically, […]