The Official Website of Author Yvonne Navarro
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A Message for all my Sisters in the United States of America
These few paragraphs retell a story about our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. It was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. The women of which I speak were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.
And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.
Forty prison guards wielding clubs and with their warden's blessing went on a rampage against 33 women convicted, for lack of a better charge, of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'
They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. Realistically, it's not hard to imagine the things that were left unsaid in those same affidavits.
Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on November 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.
For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food-- all of it colorless slop-- was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
So, tell me again, why some women won't vote this year. Because we have car pool duties? We have to get to work? Our lunch hour isn't long enough and we have other errands to run? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?
If you get the chance, watch HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that each and every woman in America can pull the curtain at the polling booth and have her say. Listen as Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she
could be permanently institutionalized. And be inspired when the doctor refuses. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity," said the doctor. Do we need this film to remind us of the value of voting? Of the cost? Sadly, yes.
Don't ever let the act of voting become something impersonal, something you take for granted. It is not an obligation. It is a privilege. Treat it like one. Treasure the fact that you can vote, revel in your American freedom. 91 years ago, the women in the United States did not have that right, and now we do. When you assume this is the way it should be, or when you think that taking the time to vote is inconvenient, look at the women today, right NOW, in the Middle Eastern countries, in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. Then look at us. Be grateful, and use that right well.
Do not make what our foremothers suffered be in vain. Honor them, honor yourselves, and honor your daughters by going out next Tuesday and casting your vote. Because while this is, indeed, the story of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, ultimately, this is the story of US.
Both photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The first photo is of Alice Paul, circa 1901. The second is of Lucy Burns during her imprisonment in the Occoquan Workhouse, November 1917.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Things Humanity does to Humanity
Sunday, October 26, 2008Please Help a Mother Recover Her Child's BodyThis is no internet rumor. I know the people involved, and the tragedy is real. There is a paypal account near the bottom for donations. Please pass this along to those who might care to help. Thanks for reading. -- Steve Sullivan * To our friends -- Please pass this around and help if you can -- Our closest friends have heard of MICHELLE CALANOG PRINCIPE. But you haven't heard the rest of it: Michelle works in the comics industry abroad and is quite involved in many of the comics being published. She manages Glass House Graphics Asia and Studio Sakka, a creative agency and manga studio, respectively, coaching and guiding dozens of artists and colorists across the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, and even India. What's more, she oversees bunches of free seminars each year, bringing in experienced talent to teach hopeful young artsts about the comics biz. Among her talent roster: Bong (Star Wars) Dazo; Carlo (Hulk) Pagulayan; Stephen (Wolverine: Manifest Destiny) Segovia; Lui (New Terminator) Antonio; Noah (Red Sonja) Salonga; Patrick (Avengers/Invaders) Berkenkotter; Harvey (Avengers: The Initiative) Tolibao; Jonathan (Battlestar Galactica) Lau; Anthony (Bratz) Tan; Wilson (Wolverine Manga) Tortosa, Tina (Space Ace) Francisco, and plenty of colorists for Marvel, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Dabel Bros., and so on. She's also been a comic book character. Michelle is the sister of Jinky Coronado (artist of TokyoPop's Avalon High series and writer/artist of her own series Banzai Girls). Michelle has been a character in every issue of Jinky's comic book. And the two of them even appeared together in FHM Philippines. So Michelle's overall ties to the comics industry go pretty deep. Married at the beginning of the year to her college sweetheart Rhene Principe, Michelle had a baby exactly one month ago. That should be cause for celebration, and it was. But within 12 hours of taking home newborn Reinee, Michelle found him not feeding and unresponsive. Back at the hospital, doctors discovered what they thought were blood clots in his brain. A catscan and surgery further revealed them to be inoperable deposits of calcification in his brain. Soon they also learned the baby had multiple hernias -- intestines pushing through muscle walls -- and areas of bowel that were not processing food. Young Reinee went through four weeks of painful surgeries, spending nearly every day in ICU. Born September 26, 2008, Reinee Jaden Principe died today, October 26, 2008. But every mother's worst nightmare HASN'T ENDED. Although Michelle and her husband emptied their savings account on hospital expenses, and Glass House's head honcho David Campiti and Jinky Coronado (they are married) have each donated thousands of dollars toward Reinee's medical expenses, the hospital wlll not release Reinee's body to Michelle for burial until she pays the remaining $9,000.00+ in medical costs. What's more, they now have funeral expenses to worry about. Jinky is trying to help her sister to raise the remaining money. Help from anyone -- a dime, a dollar, $10, whatever -- is greatly needed in a hurry, and appreciated. Michelle and Rhene need to bring some closure to their heartbreaking situation and, literally, put him to rest. She has set up a PayPal donation Email specifically for this -- banzaigirlmc@gmail.com For any generous individuals donating $1,000.00 or more, Jinky will illustrate and personalize a custom cover-quality illustration of whatever characters they want. Your help for Michelle and her family is appreciated. -- David |
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Something I got from quietspaces's LJ and thought was fun:
Linguistic
41% Logical, 45% Spatial, 51% Linguistic, 31% Intrapersonal, 14% Interpersonal, 6%
Musical, 25% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 31% Naturalistic!
"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are
typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are
also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and
recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.
Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and
teachers." (Wikipedia)
Personal Comment:
I just have to point that people with good memories are cursed, because when they remind people of stuff, they get labeled as nags, and that really bites.
Goblin is in kind of a kissy mood today. Who stole my grumpy old Great Dane? :)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Book Signing Today!
Anyone reading this thing???
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Some Progress...
Not as much as I'd hoped to get done, but it's moving along.
By the way, on this day in 1992, my then-agent sold my first novel. Boy, where did the last 16 years go??!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Harry Fassl, RIP
Gosh, I'm just so sad. Sleep well, Harry. We'll miss you terribly.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
HIGHBORN-a-Thon!
But I shall not rest.
HIGHBORN awaits. And I will make a huge jump ahead in this novel.
The count, as of this morning:
Here goes!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Why I Love Great Danes
An especially good month. Click on the above link only if you want to smile for a little while, no downloading required.
Blogs You Can't Live Without
-
Celebrate ALIEN: ROMULUS Hitting Digital With Brand New Bonus Clips - To celebrate ALIEN: ROMULUS hitting digital today (and 4K UHD in December), here's a host of brand new bonus clips that show how Fede Alvarez and crew boug...57 minutes ago
-
The Nephilim’s Fate by Eliza Hampstead - *The Nephilim’s Fate* *War of the Nephilim Series* *Eliza Hampstead* Genre: Fantasy Romance Date of Publication: 16. August 2022 ISBN: 979-8837459108 AS...12 hours ago
-
‘Alien: Romulus’ Giveaway: Win A Digital Copy Of The Latest In Xenomorph Terror - Coming to digital on October 15, 2024, from 20th Century Studios is Fede Alvarez’s latest in blood-soaked terror, Alien: Romulus. […]23 hours ago
-
The October READ THIS! Author Q&A, the Long-Awaited Recap, Halloween Fun, & More! - *So much closer to Halloween!* *I'm looking forward to the spookiness, and, in fact, there's some spooky happenings if you scroll on down that including ...1 day ago
-
Official Trailer for Giallo film, “Monkey Boy” Coming Soon from Bayview Entertainment - Italian horror film “Monkey Boy” from director Antonio Monti and starring Giampiero Bartolini, Gianni Fantoni, Giovanna Gardelli is coming to Bayview Ent...1 day ago
-
Review of The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean - As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Book Description: Set in a magical zoo teeming with mythical beasts from...4 days ago
-
Review and Blog Tour: A Reign Of Rose by Kate Golden - Where did you get the book: Arc from the publisher. Publisher: Berkley. Publishing date: October 8th From Kate Golden, author of viral phenomenon A Dawn of...1 week ago
-
2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight #6 - * Welcome to the Monthly Spotlight for the 2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge! Each month I highlight some of the reviews shared for the challenge in the lin...3 months ago
-
Understanding and Interpreting Classic Literature To Write Better Homework Assignments - Imagine stepping into a world where each word and phrase opens doors to new insights and perspectives. That’s the adventure classic literature offers. It...8 months ago
-
Konrath Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Kindle Bundle Sale - *Get all of my ebook box sets on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents each, November 23 - 28.* *THAT'S 33¢ PER BOOK!* Almost my entire backlist of fifty-four ebooks...10 months ago
-
Dewey's Readathon - My TBR for today *Opening Event Survey:* *1. Which part of the world are you reading from today?* Oakville, Ontario, Canada *2. Which book in your stac...11 months ago
-
Say Goodbye to this Blog - My new website is up at jeffmariotte.com, and it includes blog capabilities. If you've bookmarked this blog site, please visit the new one and save that: h...2 years ago
-
BBQ Low Country Shrimp and Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Peaches - Recipe - BBQ Low Country Shrimp and Cheddar Jalapeno Grits with Peaches Low Country cuisine usually is reserved for South Carolina and Georgia coastal cuisines. T...4 years ago
-
The Making of Brian Keene’s FAST ZOMBIES SUCK - By now I’m sure you’ve all seen FAST ZOMBIES SUCK — a short film that came out several years ago, based on my short story of the same title. (If you haven’...5 years ago
-
UPDATE! Faith Hunter's SOULWOOD SERIES - *UPDATE!* *I have just updated an ongoing review post for Faith Hunter's SOULWOOD SERIES by adding a review of Flame in the Dark, the third novel in the ...6 years ago
-
-
We've Moved! - My new website is up! For all the latest information on myself and my books, go to www.hockingbooks.com. All my old blogs from here have been moved over t...9 years ago
-
We've moved - *shakes head* You know if you'd followed us on twitter like your Mum told you to we wouldn't be having to have this conversation. The thing is this blog ...9 years ago
-
THE LES DANIELS BLOG TOUR: Getting Graphic: What Les Daniels Did (and Meant) for Comic Books - Guest Blog by Matt Bechtel of Necon E-Books Our host today, Christopher Golden, has been amazing in his support of our Blog Tour and has gone out of his wa...10 years ago
-
2 New Reviews: The Twenty-Year Death & The Red Scarf - THE TWENTY-YEAR-DEATH by Ariel S. Winters A brazen, bold, innovative 3-novels-in-1 saga. Three shorter novels comprise the entire story of American write...12 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-