Pamela Leavey

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Category: Politics

Film Review: The Celluloid Closet

We tend to watch films without much thought about how politics effects film-making. The documentary The Celluloid Closet gives an insight into world of film-making, politics, censorship and equality.

The documentary film The Celluloid Closet is based on the groundbreaking 1981 book, The Celluloid Closet, by Vito Russo, about the history of the depiction of gays and lesbians in the movies. Through film clips, interviews and narration, The Celluloid Closet takes us on a captivating journey back in time to show the audience the various stereotyped roles gays and lesbians played in film and how Hollywood censorship played a part in film making.

Narrated by Lily Tomlin, in the opening scene of the movie, Tomlin tells the audience, “For 100 years, laugh at, pity or fear, Hollywood taught straight people what to think about gay people and what gay people should think about themselves.”  Film critic, Susie Bright said, of the roles played by gays and lesbians if you were gay, “you felt invisible.” Hollywood relied on stock characters to portray gays and lesbians in film and those characters never showed realism. (more…)

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Nelson Mandela Dies at 95

The world lost a great citizen today… Nelson Mandela passed away today, he was 95. Mandela was a “freedom fighter, statesman, moral compass and South Africa’s symbol of the struggle against racial oppression,” who “emerged from prison after 27 years to lead his country out of decades of apartheid.”

U2 recently released this video for the film “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”:

Watch the trailer for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

The world mourns a very bright light that will shine forever in the heavens…

 

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Narrative Essay: The Day I Met John Kerry

The Day I Met John Kerry

On a cloudy and rainy day, I find myself reflecting on my life, searching for an experience that changed who I am in the world. I have had more than a few life-altering experiences in my 56, almost 57 years that have influenced my life in many profound ways. As a woman of many stories to tell, that all seem to intertwine in the narrative of my life, the one that stands in clear alignment when I map them all out, is the day I met John Kerry for the first time, ten years ago this month, September 2003.  For that day ultimately empowered me and changed my life in many ways. (more…)

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Women and the Presidential Election

Baby boomer aged women, including myself are struggling more in the recession than others, NBC News Economy Watch reports:

A generation of women who flooded the paid labor force in the 1970s has spent the past four decades overcoming a host of obstacles to win its fair share of the American economic pie.

But for many women now approaching what was to have been the end of their careers, the Great Recession has turned out to be the biggest obstacle of their lives.

The recession has been particularly hard for single boomer women like myself:

Incomes for single boomer women have lagged even further behind other households. Since 1970, median incomes for married couples with both spouses in the paid work force have risen steadily – up more than 40 percent to nearly $86,000 (as of 2009). One-income couples and households headed by single men saw little improvement, with median incomes rising to less than $50,000. For single women, the median income, after rising slowly since 1970, barely hit $29,000 in 2009.

While both candidates are working hard and heavy to court the woman’s vote, I personally believe that the candidate that will deliver more for women, including income equality, jobs, education, the right to choice, privacy and health care, is Barack Obama.

Mitt Romney will turn back the clock on women’s issues, and we boomer women can’t afford to go back to the 50’s.

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Daily Affirmations: Common Sense

Common sense tells me to respect the boundaries and opinions of friends and family in my life. I tread carefully, I remember that we don’t all have the same views when it comes to religion or spirituality, or politics. Life, love, friendship are all precious and in that I work every day to use common sense in my communication with others. ~~ Pamela J. Leavey

(Photo: Great Blue Heron on the Fall Colored Salt Marsh ~ c. Pamela J. Leavey 2012)

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Springsteen: “American Skin (41 Shots)” Live in Tampa, FL

From his new Wrecking Ball tour, Springsteen is performing an updated version of “American Skin (41 Shots)”.  “This is for Trayvon,” Springsteen said last night in Philly…

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