Dear Followers, This year is the 100th anniversary of the Girl Souts, which makes this a perfect time to introduce you to the woman who founded The Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. in 1912. Juliette Gordon Low was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1860. and even though she never had children and was almost completely deaf, she had a profound effect on the lives of girls everywhere. Her father was a Captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, About eight years ago, researchers who were working on a book about Louis Comfort Tiffany made a startling discovery. While they were at the Queen's Historical Society they found a cache of letters written by Clara Driscoll to her mother and sister, which outlined her work as a glass cutter and designer of the much-valued classic Tiffany lamps. Their 2007 book tells the story of young Clara Driscoll and the 35 "Tiffany Girls" who … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, Today's profile is of a 42 year old, Harvard-educated executive who is expected to become - probably next month - one of the richest women in America. Sheryl Sandberg grew up in Florida, where she was "always at the top of her class" (10: The Critic Within). Her aerobic students (she taught when she was in high school) would probably be astounded that the teenage girl in Spandex grew up to become a $ 1.6 Billion Woman. While at … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, Today's post is not about an individual woman, but about a movement designed to allow us to help Afghanistan's girls. Last week, I attended a luncheon with my friend, Sonia Cooper (pictured above wearing the bright pink scarf), which was designed to introduce people to AFCECO (Afghan Child Education and Care Organization) [email protected]. This organization is designed to house and educate Afghan children in need, and to … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, There are so many amazing women today who are accomplishing great things that - if I had a magic wand - I could easily post a blog a day. But in the midst of all the exciting events of today's world, every now and then it's nice to take a look backwards and salute a true pioneer. Two weeks ago, Frederica Sagor Maas died at the age of 111 years and 183 days. She was known as one of the rare supercentenarians, which means a … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, Sadly, gender extremism seems to exist everywhere, and lately it has reared its ugly head in Israel. The picture above is of an eight year old little girl (Naama Margolese, who is the daughter of American immigrants), and lives in Beit Shemesh, a city that was established in 1950, and is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Naama is an innocent second grader at a local elementary school, but - unfortunately - she is now afraid … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, One of my favorite holiday greetings was a reminder about the importance of gratitude. And all of us, no matter what challenges we face here at home, are remarkably fortunate in comparison to many of our sisters around the globe. This is the time of year (in America) when many of us decide to spend that extra Christmas cash on department store sales or other bargain "finds." But in the spirit of honoring remarkable Self-Empowered … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, There has been a lot of media attention focused on North Korea the past few weeks because of the death and state funeral of dictator Kim Jong Il, and the new ruler, his son, Kim Jong Eun. But today's blog is about a situation in Seoul, South Korea that, unfortunately, is receiving far less attention. The photo above is of several elderly women and a bronze statue (named The Peace Monument) that sits on a street in central … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, Later this month, a new movie (The Iron Lady) that is already generating Oscar buzz and stars Meryl Streep in the role of Margaret Thatcher, will be released. Those of you who know me well, are already aware that I have both a personal and professional (i.e., emotional) connection to Mrs. Thatcher. The late Sir Gordon Reece, who was an intensely dear friend of mine, was instrumental in transforming her from a Conservative … [Read more...]

Dear Followers, Today's post is about an amazing woman who was born in 1838, and 63 years later became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Annie Edson Taylor was born in Auburn, New York and her father (who left behind enough money to support his widow and eight children) died when she was twelve years old (1: No Paternal Safety Net). As a teenager, she attended a four year course in order to become a school … [Read more...]