blog soup 02.08.2012
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Wednesday’s Women: A Celebration of Woman
by Stan Faryna
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Ella Fitzgerald, Feelings
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1. Bonnie Greer on Yes: Re-evaluating ideas of history by Bonnie Greer
Writes Greer:
I saw a tiny item in the London Evening Standard about the historian David Starkey which said that he said British school children should learn something about their “own culture”. When it was put to him that Britain was “rather diverse”, he was quoted as saying: “No, it’s not. Most of Britain is a mono-culture. You think London is Britain. It’s not.” He wants our “island story” to be taught.
If there is a story that doesn’t talk about immigration – from incomers, invaders, etc – does Starkey even play a part in it? His own mother’s name-”Lyon” is possibly a place name: the city of Lyons, France.
My comment:
Bonnie Greer is tough as nails. But that’s not all – she’s as clever as she is brilliant.
I remember, David Cohen quoting Bonnie Greer in his interview, When Bonnie Greer met Nick Griffin:
I was the last to emerge [from the BBC dressing room] and when he [British National Partyleader Nick Griffin] saw me, he turned and smiled his greasy smile and clumsily half extended a hand. I ignored it and thought to myself: what are you about? Are you forgetting I’m black? Are you forgetting you called me a black history fabricator? Are you trying to show me you aren’t racist?
I spent the entire night with my back turned to him. At one point, I had to restrain myself from slapping him. But it was worth it,” she insists, “because he was totally trounced. I had thought we’d face a formidable orator, somebody who knew his facts and had his ducks in a row but the guy was a mess!
From the moment the audience began shooting questions, it was a case of the Emperor’s new clothes. He was completely exposed as an evasive liar who couldn’t even stand up his own quotes and looked like a buffoon.
Tough as nails. Or rather, as fierce and brilliant as sunlight.
Bonnie’s strength reminds me of the strength of the woman painted by Gwendolyn Brooks poem, My Dreams, My Works, Must Wait Till After Hell.
I hold my honey and I store my bread
In little jars and cabinets of my will.
I label clearly, and each latch and lid
I bid, Be firm till I return from hell.
I am very hungry. I am incomplete.
And none can give me any word but Wait,
The puny light. I keep my eyes pointed in;
Hoping that, when the devil days of my hurt
Drag out to their last dregs and I resume
On such legs as are left me, in such heart
As I can manage, remember to go home,
My taste will not have turned insensitive
To honey and bread old purity could love.
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Need more Bonnie Greer? Check out the following:
Bonnie Greer: ‘The Help has caused controversy but it’s a heart-warming story’
An American Expat’s Take on the UK Riots
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Edith Piaf, La Vie En Rose
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2. Why Are These Bloggers So Weird? by Jayna Locke
Jayna curates six bloggers and social media curators:
Martha Giffen
Twitter: @MarthaGiffen
Recent blog post:
Do Blogs Really Matter? These Do!
Christy Birmingham
Twitter: @christybis
Recent blog post:
Backward Speak
Anne Marie Dwyer
Twitter: @AnnMarieDwyer
Recent blog post:
Leaving on Platform 12
Knikolette Fahrendorf Church
Twitter: @knikolette
Recent blog post:
Benefits of On-line Communities
Keri Francek Jaehnig
Twitter: @connectyou
Recent blog post:
How sales reps can use social media…
Fabrizio Faraco
Twitter: @fabriziofaraco
Recent blog post:
When is the right time? NOW!
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My comment:
But why does that make them weird? [grin]
Does that mean self-serving envy and contempt is the norm? Or worse, best practice?
Perhaps, wonderful would be the better adjective!
If you are not curating people in one out of four blog posts, one out of ten tweets or shares, etc. – you really do have no clue what social media is about. Because it ain’t 2008.
Get with the program, people!
For example, you will notice how I have amplified and enriched Jayna’s curation by providing Twitter and blog post links to all the people mentioned.
Good job, Jayna. Make this curation thing a weekly foundation of your blog! I’m betting that the results will be worthwhile within three months.
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Subscribe to Jayna’s blog.
Need more Jayna Locke? Check out the following:
A Small Business Success Story and a Young Writer Debut
Content Marketing Meets Magic Beans
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Louis Armstrong, You’ll Never Walk Alone
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3. Christianity Needs Better Believers by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Writes Yasmin:
If Britain were a more Christian country its people would not tolerate the rich ruling elite punishing the most disadvantaged with harsh laws and unfair rhetoric. They would revolt against the state-created poverty now upon us. They would want to preserve the welfare state – born at a time when the country was more Christian and understood mutuality and societal obligations.
Too many [Brits]… [are] part-time Christians of convenience living for stuff and mammon who use their religion as a weapon against those they despise- the poor, helpless, ‘alien’, all those embraced by Jesus Christ in his time.
My comment:
Yasmin, self-admittedly, is not a Christian. She’s a Muslim. And yet she has a fine grasp of what a Christian should be. To be sure: more Christ-like – not less.
Most of my blog readers, of course, may not know Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
Therefore, allow me the pleasure to illuminate the achievements of this thought-provoking lady.
As a journalist, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has written for The Guardian, Observer, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and The Evening Standard.
She is also an author: Imagining New Britian, The Settler’s Cookbook, etc.
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Subscribe to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s blog.
Need more Yasmin Alibhai-Brown? Check out the following:
For the Sake of the Children
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Buena Vista Social Club, Chan Chan
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4. Celebrating 25 Years Today: Some Thoughts About Relationships and Networks by Beth Kanter
Reminiscing on her 23rd anniversary, Beth describes the ingredients of good relationships that stand the test of time: listening, engaging, paying attention, loyalty, acknowledging, honesty, balance, and love.
Writes Beth:
Good relationships are also the glue of building your network and community and those same ingredients are needed.
My comment:
Are you listening to, engaging, paying attention to, showing loyalty to, acknowledging, speaking honestly with, and loving the people in your online world?
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Subscribe to Beth Kanter’s blog
Need more Beth Kanter? Check out the following:
That Was A Spectacular Failure!
Using Social Media To Accomplish More With Less
Power and Light: Transparency and Effectiveness
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Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, Quizas Quizas
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5. News Flash: Pinterest Isn’t Just For Girls Anymore by Aaron Biebert
Aaron Biebert believes Pinterest is going to be BIG. Perhaps – at the risk of his men’s club membership card. [grin]
Aaron’s not the only one either! Gini Dietrich says wonderful things about Pinterest. Paul Sutton sneers. In the same blog post! I love how that is done.
Send Aaron an invite request on Twitter (@Biebert) if you want in on the Pinterest party.
My comment:
Ok, so let’s make this official here and now. I’m going to feature you and this blog post in the upcoming Wednesday’s Women of blog soup.
‘Nuff said, soul sista!
P.S. Receive the honor with great humility and appreciation. You are listed with extraordinary women!
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Subscribe to Aaron Biebert’s blog, The 8pm Warrior.
Need more Aaron Biebert. Check out the following:
When You Have Someone’s Attention: Don’t Waste It!
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Previous Celebrations of Woman:
Wednesday’s Women (ww003)
@wordsdonewrite @bonnie67 @girlygrizzly @atugend @careyfuller
Wednesday’s Women (ww002)
@brenebrown @carpathia16 @Nisha360 @Sandra305 @SusanMazza
Wednesday’s Women (ww001)
@connectyou @JaneofAustralia @ElizabethKCross @MargieClayman @ginidietrich
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Feedback
If you think that this blog post sucks, let me know in your comment and don’t forget to include a link to YOUR favorite blog post.
If you think this blog post rocks, tell me why it rocks in the comment. “Awesome,””Great post,” etc. works for me. Don’t forget to include a link to YOUR most recent blog post.
Subscribe to this blog if you would enjoy keeping up with my thoughts and commentary.
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Stan Faryna
08 February 2012
Bucharest, Romania
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P.S.
No fairies were harmed during the writing and publishing of this blog post.
Follow me on Twitter: @Faryna
The unofficial blog of Stan Faryna 
I love this. Nothing better than finding a great blogger’s list of great bloggers. And, by the way, nice to meet you!
Since everyone does, call me,
Red
Check out: Oh, Facebook!
http://mommasmoneymatters.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/hate-fb-timeline/
Hey Red! Thanks for your encouragement! It’s very nice to meet you.
I enjoyed your blog post about the horrors of the Facebook timeline. I haven’t changed mine. Nor has it been converted. Yet. But it is just a matter of time, I know.
Resistance is futile. All will be assimilated
The challenge of Google Plus may have fueled some of these changes, but not for the reasons we might assume. My guess is that the timeline will provide them with more detailed tracking of trends and preferences. Facebook’s business model is advertising and, yes, selling intelligence and information about you and me. There may even be dot gov interest driving the new emphasis on better profiling us. Of the big brother kind.
Each of us is like a pound of peas. They may put us in a can, a jar, a tetra-pak box, or a plastic freezer bag- what counts is how fast they can move the product. Intelligence and information about us. Even if you delete your account, be sure that your information will remain with them.
Commoditizing people. That’s the business of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. It was never about us. Our satisfaction (if any) was an unintended byproduct of the process. But, hopefully, we’re getting something out of it. Fun. Connection. Whatever.
Get as much as you can!
There is no irony lost on me: My primary reason for keeping Facebook around is mining information. I do not do it with widgets and feeds, but the old fashioned way…I ask questions. All the peas in the jar come right over to the glass when you ask their opinions.
And you are correct about the deleting of accounts. One of my sisters “deleted” her account. A little over six months later, decided to try it again. When she “created” the login, it asked her if she would like to restore her profile.
Meanwhile, I weather the unwanted changes. I gave up being in alpha and betas for them, as they do not listen to the testers any way.
As to the soup, continue. You are doing a very good job of it.
Red.
Stan, this blog post is such a delight. Thank you for including me in your Wednesday’s Women post. I am glad you liked my tongue-in-cheek post about those “weird” bloggers who go around promoting other bloggers and pushing them into the limelight. I think it’s a lovely trend. And by the way, you are now a card carrying member of the club, my friend!
Jayna
Thanks for your encouragement, Jayna! It means a lot to me.
It’s almost six months now since I started doing blog soup. I originally proposed the concept to Dino Dogan as a way to help Triberrites get to know each other. Dino liked the idea of blog soup but we just didn’t get the collaboration together on it. Meanwhile, I kept on keeping on with it.
Wednesday’s Women and Mixed Ephiphanies for Monday are recent variations on the blog soup theme. This celebration is the fourth of its kind.
Do you think it’s something I should keep on doing?
Did you get your Pinterest invite??
I just got the invite in my inbox a few hours ago, Gini!
I’m looking forward to diving in to it. Soon.
Stan,
Your celebratory posts are terrific – How very kind-hearted of you. The month of Valentine’s Day – I suppose it might be appropriate. 🙂
Jayna is a sweet lady, and I appreciated her including me in her post — I see you have noted me above here too.
I appreciate learning more about people I see online — Thank you for all you do!!!
~Keri
Thanks Keri! Your encouragement means a lot to me.
I’m thrilled that you get it about blog soup. Blog soup is about curating people, helping them to be heard as themselves, and doing all that within a socially meaningful context.
One day, it may even be a cornerstone in building a sustainable online community. My fingers and toes are crossed. [grin]
Awesome, great post!
So proud to be the first man featured as a Wednesday Woman. 🙂
I need to work on a special badge for you, Aaron. [laughing]
[…] last week’s blog soup (Wednesday’s Women), I write about Bonnie Greer. She confronts lies and confusion with certain savvy and warmth in her […]
[…] Wednesday’s Women (ww004) […]
I agree with what you say about Bonnie. I only wished she had continued with the creative writing course at the Marcus Garvey Centre at Haringey but then that’s another issue. I remember the time when she was on Question Time (wrote of it in my own blog) and how she handled Griffin and then The Sunday Times wrote rudely of her and said ‘she was there to be black’. When she came to the Garvey centre, I asked whether she had responded to this attack. Her response was there was no need. The journalist was expecting a response but she wouldnt give them that pleasure. I liked that!
As for Yasmin, well, at times she rubs me up the wrong way!
[…] Wednesday’s Women (ww004) […]