March 8 - International Women's Day

Today, we stand together to celebrate women around the world. We take a justified pause to acknowledge and honor women who are making strides, breaking glass ceilings and achieving great things. But even as we acknowledge them, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must work together to inspire change, to take it a step further and provoke change, so that in the years to come, we will have many, many more women to celebrate. (Mo Abudu)

International Women's Day - March, 8

‘March days return with their covert light’

'March days return with their covert light,
and huge fish swim through the sky,
vague earthly vapours progress in secret,
things slip to silence one by one.
Through fortuity, at this crisis of errant skies,
you reunite the lives of the sea to that of fire,
grey lurchings of the ship of winter
to the form that love carved in the guitar.
O love, O rose soaked by mermaids and spume,
dancing flame that climbs the invisible stairway,
to waken the blood in insomnia’s labyrinth,
so that the waves can complete themselves in the sky,
the sea forget its cargoes and rages,
and the world fall into darkness’s nets.'

Pablo Neruda

FEMEIA CARE A FUGIT DIN ZID

Era aproape gata manastirea
Si te zidisem lacrimand in ea,
Si hotarasem sa gasesc pretextul
De a muri si eu, AICI, candva...
Stiam ca savarsisem o eroare,
Punand in zid tot ce aveam mai sfant,
Dar si ca nu se face fara jertfa,
In veci, nimic durabil pe pamant.
Ma si mandream, ma si uram de toate
Si cred ca sangele mi-era amar,
Cand am crezut c-aud cum plange, trista,
Femeia mea ce devenea altar.
Si o iubeam mai mult ca niciodata,
Simtindu-ma o umbra de barbat,
Si-acolo unde am cazut, izvorul,
De lacrimile mele e sarat.
M-as fi intors sa regandesc proiectul,
Portret al obsesivelor idei,
Sa scot din zid fiinta adorata,
Sa ma zidesc pe mine-n locul ei.
Dar, dintr-odata, a venit cosmarul,
Rasplata pentru tot cinismul meu,
Femeia MEA din caramizi plecase,
Strigand ca-n zid acolo-i este...GREU.
Si eu care-o facusem manastire
Si m-aruncasem de pe schele jos,
Ca sa ma aflu langa ea, prin moarte,
Simteam mortar uscat, la mine-n os...
Un scancet de copil urca prin ziduri,
Un clopotel inchis in clopot mut,
Murea neprotejat, copilul nostru,
Nefericitul nostru....nenascut.
Si manastirea a cazut deodata,
Altarul sacru devenea moloz
Si adorata trancanea in lume,
Ridicola c-un fel de doliu....ROZ.
Aceasta e legenda aberanta,
In care alte taine se inchid,
Despre zidarul ce, si mort, ADORA
IUBIREA lui care-a fugit din zid.
Iar EL devine NU zidar, ci....ZID !

(Femeia care a fugit din zid - Adrian Paunescu)

Historical Events on 8th March

1586 - Johan van Oldenbarnevelt becomes Dutch chief legal advisor
1658 - Peace of Roskilde between Sweden & Denmark
1702 - England Queen Anne ascends throne upon death of King William III
1706 - Vienna's Wiener Stadtbank established
1711 - Antoin de Guiscard tries English premier Haley for murder
1722 - Afghan monarch Mir Mahmud occupies Persia
1746 - Cumberland's troops occupy Aberdeen
1754 - Marquis of Ensenada becomes premier of Spain
1766 - Willem V (18) becomes governor of United Provinces
1777 - Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.
1782 - Gnadenhutten Massacre - Ohio militia kills 90 indians
1801 - British drive French forces from Abukir, Egypt
1813 - 1st concerto of Royal Philharmonic
1817 - The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
1838 - US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
1844 - King Oscar I ascends to the throne of Sweden-Norway.
1854 - US Commodore Matthew C Perry's 2nd trip to Japan
1855 - 1st train crosses 1st US railway suspension bridge, Niagara Falls
1861 - St Augustine Florida surrenders to Union armies
1862 - Battle of Elkhorn Tavern ends with Confederate withdrawal
1862 - Confederate ironclad "Merrimack" launched
1862 - Naval Engagement at Hampton Roads, VA CSS Virginia, Jamestown & Yorktown vs USS Cumberland, Congress & Monitor
1865 - Battle of Kingston, NC (Wilcox's ridge, Wise's Forks)
1884 - 1st performance of Edward MacDowell's 2nd Piano suite
1884 - Susan B. Anthony addresses the U.S. House Judiciary Committee arguing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. Anthony's argument came 16 years after legislators had first introduced a federal women's suffrage amendment.
1887 - Everett Horton, CT, patents fishing rod of telescoping steel tubes
1894 - The state of New York enacts the nation's first dog-licensing law.
1896 - Volunteers of America forms (NYC)
1898 - Richard Straus' "Don Quixote," premieres in Keulen
1900 - NL decides to go with 8 teams They exclude Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville & Washington (in 1953 Boston Braves move to Milwaukee)
1902 - 1st performance of Jean Sibelius' 2nd Symphony
1904 - Hugh Trumble takes a hat-trick in his final Test Cricket match
1906 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Smiths Falls (Ont) in 2 games
1908 - Dutch utopist Frederick of Eden speaks in Carnegie Hall, NY
1910 - Baroness Raymonde de Laroche of Paris is 1st licensed female pilot
1911 - 1st International Woman's Day
1911 - International Women's Day is launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany.
1913 - Federal League organizes with 6 teams
1913 - Internal Revenue Service begins to levy & collect income taxes
1915 - 1st US navy minelayer, Baltimore, commissioned
1916 - US invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime
1917 - Russian revolution breaks out [OS=Feb 24] (in Petrograd)
1918 - The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating worldwide pandemic.
1920 - Denmark & Cuba join the League of Nations
1921 - Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.
1924 - Coal mine explosion kills 171 at Castle Gate Utah
1927 - Pan American Airlines incorporates
1929 - US worker union commission reports of slavery in Liberia
Pacifist and Spiritual Leader Gandhi 1930 - Mahatma Gandhi starts civil disobedience in India
1930 - Babe Ruth signs 2-year contract for $160,000 with NY Yankee GM Ed Barrow, wrongly predicts "No one will ever be paid more than Ruth"
1934 - Edwin Hubble photo shows as many galaxies as Milky Way has stars
1936 - The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1939 - Lenore Coffee & William Joyce Cowan's "Family Portrait," premieres
1941 - 1st baseball player drafted into WW II (Hugh Mulcahy, Phillies)
1942 - Japanese forces captures Rangoon Burma
1942 - KNIL, Dutch colonial army on Java, surrenders to Japanese armies
1943 - 335 allied bombers attack Neurenberg
1943 - Limited gambling legalized in Mexico
1943 - US Ladies Figure Skating championship won by Gretchen Merrill
1943 - US Mens Figure Skating championship won by Arthur Vaughn
1944 - US resumes bombing Berlin
1945 - "Kiss Me Kate" opens in Britain
1945 - 53 Amsterdammers executed by nazi occupiers
Astronomer Edwin Hubble 1945 - International Women's Day is 1st observed
1945 - Phyllis M Daley is 1st black nurse sworn-in as US Navy ensign
1946 - 1st helicopter licensed for coml use (NYC)
1948 - Supreme Court rules relg instructions in pub schools unconstitutional
1949 - WAGA TV channel 5 in Atlanta, GA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1949 - WBAP-FM, Fort Worth Texas, begins broadcasting
1950 - 1st woman medical officer assigned to naval vessel (BR Walters)
1950 - Marshall Voroshilov of USSR announces they developed atomic bomb
1951 - Intl Table Tennis Federation bans Egypt (for refusing to play Israel)
1952 - Antoine Pinay forms French government
1953 - "Two's Company" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 90 performances
1953 - Census indicates 239,000 farmers gave up farming in last 2 years
1953 - KSWO TV channel 7 in Lawton, OK (ABC) begins broadcasting
1953 - Patty Berg wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1953 - WFMJ TV channel 21 in Youngstown, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1954 - Herb McKinley sets quarter mile record of 0:46.8 in Melbourne, Australia
1957 - 1st performance of David Diamond's 6th Symphony in Boston
1957 - Israeli troops leave Egypt; Suez Canal re-opened for minor ships
1957 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1958 - Silky Sullivan comes from 40 lengths back to win by 3 at Santa Anita
Author and Nobel Laureate William Faulkner 1958 - William Faulkner says US school degenerated to become babysitters
1959 - Groucho, Chico & Harpo's final TV appearance together
1959 - KUAT TV channel 6 in Tucson, AZ (PBS) begins broadcasting
1959 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1959 - Pro-Egyptian coup fails in Mosul Iraq
1960 - "Greenwillow" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 95 performances
 - Jean Kerr's "Mary, Mary," premieres in NYC
1961 - US nuclear submarine Patrick Henry arrives at Scottish naval base of Holy Loch from SC in a record underseas journey of 66 days 22 hrs
 - Beatles, with Pete Best, TV debut (perform "Dream Baby" on BBC)
1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
 - Syrian Arab Rep Revolution Day - Military coup in Syria
- Malcolm X leaves Black Muslim Movement
 - 1st US combat forces arrive in Vietnam (3,500 Marines)
 - "Golden Boy" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 569 performances
1966 - An IRA bomb destroyed Nelson's Column in Dublin
African American Activist Malcolm X 1966 - Casey Stengel elected to Hall of Fame
1967 - New Orleans Saints begin selling season tickets (20,000 sold 1st day)
1968 - 6 year old Tommy Moore scores hole-in-one in golf (Hagerstown, Md)
1968 - Fillmore East opens
1968 - Students demonstrate in Warsaw
1970 - WTCI TV channel 45 in Chattanooga, TN (PBS) begins broadcasting
1971 - Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali in 15, retains heavyweight boxing title
1971 - Milwaukee Bucks win their 20th straight NBA game (team record)
1971 - Radio Hanoi broadcasts Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner"
1971 - Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Sq Garden
1972 - 1st airship flown over Britain in 20 years (Europa)
1972 - 1st flight of the Goodyear blimp
1973 - Eisenhower Tunnel, world's highest/US longest, opens
1973 - Paul & Linda McCartney are fined £100 for growing cannabis
1973 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Heavyweight Boxing Champ Muhammad Ali 1974 - Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France
1975 - Royal Canadian Mint announces branch opening in Winnipeg Manitoba
1976 - 1,774 kg (largest observed) stony meteorite falls in Jilin, China
1977 - Henry L Marsh III elected mayor of Richmond
1977 - Princess Anne announces she's expecting her 1st child (Peter)
1978 - The first-ever radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.
1979 - 1st extraterrestrial volcano discovered (Jupiter's satellite Io)
1979 - 5th People's Choice Awards
1979 - China withdraws invasion troops from Vietnam
1979 - Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) transported 38 miles overland from Palmdale
1980 - Greg Chappell 235 & Yallop 172, for 217 stand at Faisalabad
1980 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1980 - The first festival of rock music kicks off in the Soviet Union.
1981 - "Shakespeare's Cabaret" closes at Bijou Theater NYC after 54 perfs
1981 - Dennis Lillee ct by Qld 12th man Dennis Lillie in Shield game
Author Douglas Adams 1981 - Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Arizona Copper Golf Classic
1983 - House Foreign Affairs Com endorses nuclear weapons freeze with USSR
1983 - IBM releases PC DOS version 2.0
1983 - Pres Reagan calls the USSR an "Evil Empire"
1985 - Ice Dance Championship at Tokyo won by Bestemianova & Bukin (URS)
1986 - 4 French TV crew members are abducted in west Beirut Lebanon
1986 - Japanese probe Suisei passes Halley's Comet at 109,800 km
1986 - Martina Navratilova is 1st tennis player to earn $10 million
1987 - 17th Easter Seal Telethon raises $35,184,425
1987 - David Hookes (306*) Wayne Phillips make 462 stand for S Aust
1987 - FBI apprehends most wanted Claude L Dallas, Jr in Calif
1987 - Jane Geddes wins LPGA GNA/Glendale Federal Golf Classic
1987 - Nelli Cooman becomes world champion 60m indoor
1987 - "A Team," last aired on NBC-TV after 4 years
1989 - "Heidi Chronicles" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 621 performances
Tennis Player Martina Navratilova 1989 - Roger Kingdom runs indoor world record 60m hurdles (7.37 secs)
1990 - NYC's Zodiac killer shoots 1st victim, Mario Orosco
1991 - 17th People's Choice Awards: Julia Roberts, Bill Cosby, Pretty Woman
1991 - Harry Hamlin & Nicollette Sheridan wed
1991 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1991 - Planeloads of US troops arrive home from the Persian Gulf, Iraq hands over 40 foreign journalists & 2 American soldiers it captured
1992 - 22nd Easter Seal Telethon
1992 - Judy Dickinson wins LPGA Inamori Golf Classic
1993 - Katharine Hepburn released from the hospital after exhaustion
1993 - Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested again on suspicion of murder
1994 - 20th People's Choice Awards
1994 - B737 collides with Ilyushin-86 in New Dehli, at least 8 killed
1994 - Defense Department announces smoking ban in workplaces
1994 - Train accident at Pinetown, Natal kills 47
1995 - -26°F (-32.2°C) in Bismarck, North Dakota
Actress Julia Roberts 1995 - -44°F (-42.2°C) in Chosedacharad, Komi-district, on 67°N
1995 - Costis Stephanopoulos becomes president of Greece
1995 - Dutch Liberal Party wins Provincial-National elections
1999 - The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the murder convictions of Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.
2004 - A new constitution is signed by Iraq's Governing Council.
2012 - Greece secures debt-restructuring deal with private lenders

 

International Women's Day - 8 Martie

“With a chaste heart
With pure eyes I celebrate your beauty
Holding the leash of blood
So that it might leap out and trace your outline
Where you lie down in my Ode
As in a land of forests or in surf
In aromatic loam, or in sea music
Beautiful nude
Equally beautiful your feet
Arched by primeval tap of wind or sound
Your ears, small shells
Of the splendid American sea
Your breasts of level plentitude
Fulfilled by living light
Your flying eyelids of wheat
Revealing or enclosing
The two deep countries of your eyes
The line your shoulders have divided into pale regions
Loses itself and blends into the compact halves of an apple
Continues separating your beauty down into two columns of
Burnished gold
Fine alabaster
To sink into the two grapes of your feet
Where your twin symmetrical tree burns again and rises
Flowering fire
Open chandelier
A swelling fruit
Over the pact of sea and earth
From what materials
Agate?
Quartz?
Wheat?
Did your body come together?
Swelling like baking bread to signal silvered hills
The cleavage of one petal
Sweet fruits of a deep velvet
Until alone remained
Astonished
The fine and firm feminine form
It is not only light that falls over the world spreading inside your body
Yet suffocate itself
So much is clarity
Taking its leave of you
As if you were on fire within

The moon lives in the lining of your skin”

― Pablo Neruda