Morning Commute

            Please forgive me, dear readers, for my absence in postings.  I have recently joined the ranks of the commuters having secured a new position in Cambridge, MA.  It’s a challenge rising at 5:00 am in order to catch the train.  However, I love the city and being surrounded by the buildings as I ride in on the commuter rail.  The day starts early as I watch the sun rise from the train.  The very first ride to work, I watched the sky change color slowly as a mist hovered over a field and nestled gently between the trees.  The foliage was spotlighted as the sun rose.  It was lovely.  I wish I had a proper camera to capture this image as I flew by on the train. 

        Getting adjusted to this time change has been the biggest challenge for me.  I have never been a morning person.  Now I watch the sky gently let go of the night like it is releasing a warm hug.  It’s twilight, a time I used to sleep through but now I get to enjoy its beauty daily.  As I write the sky is turning pink as the sun begins to rise.

        I truly enjoy the ride in and always smile at the gorgeous Boston skyline glowing in the sunlight.  As I cross into Cambridge, I take in the scene off the red line. There are still sailboats out on the Charles, the Pru stands tall and glistening and the architecture of the bridge close to the TD Center is a stunning addition to the city’s beauty.  Boston is the city I grew up in and went to college in.  It will always have a place etched in my heart.  As lovely as Rhode Island is and as am happy as I am to live there, Boston will always own a small piece of me.

Open Letter to Yahoo

            Dear Yahoo Executives,

            Your email system and search engine have been failing as of late.  Articles about email hackers targeting Yahoo accounts have been popping up throughout the year (Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, PC World, etc.).  This confirms my suspicions along with the endless amount of spam emails that suggest I spend my money on a wide variety of pharmaceuticals.   Perhaps this stems from a flaw within your system for hackers to utilize or perhaps it stems from the pool of advertisers you accept as paying customers.  Consider this – I often find deceptive advertisements from questionable sources in flashing boxes on your news pages. People are attacked by these ads as they are often animated, feature a celebrity name or image and are disruptive to the news story page they are posted on. They often feature famous faces and claim to support a product or disclose a “secret”. The two most common names/faces found are that of Dr. Oz and Ellen DeGeneres.

How often have we seen Dr. Oz stating on his program that any advertisement featuring his name endorsing a product are not true and to report it to his people via his webpage?  Yet, everyday that I log on to Yahoo I see this type of advertisement.  Why is that?

Either your sales department is working overtime to meet quotas and take advertising funds from questionable sources or, is it possible, that the Yahoo system has been hacked and these ads have been placed?  It’s time for you all to reevaluate.

Flu Bug

     I’ve spent the majority of a week sick with flu-like symptoms after getting the flu shot.  It’s been a less than enjoyable experience as I lay in my bed with chills, fever, cough and congestion.  This particular bug causes a great deal of phlegm to build up.  The coughing has been monumental and continuous.  It’s been an incredibly uncomfortable week. 

     It has made me wonder how many people this happens to. I posed this question to a variety of local people and found the results interesting. I’ve heard from people that have a genuine fear of the flu shot.  One woman stated that she refused to receive one after her mother had one many years ago, developed phenomena and died within weeks. Others stated they felt the government was using us as test subjects against our knowledge.  There are those who believed the shot included a live version of the virus, some believed it was dead and others weren’t sure. 

     I’ve done a bit of research on flu symptoms and vaccines online and found official information on the CDC as well as medical websites and magazines.  I found that the information listed by Harvard Medical School to be the easiest one to follow.  The link is http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu-resource-center/10-flu-myths.htm for those of you that would like to read more. 

  

     I’m beginning to bounce back to complete health. While the cough is still lingering the other symptoms have gone.  I fell behind in so many things and truly miss going to my favorite workout class early in the mornings.  It’s going to take time for me to catch up, but I’m sure I’ll be back on track by the end of this new week.  I plan on increasing my writing time as well so be sure to keep an eye open for additional posts to Tales of a Little City.

Distant Lands

             I traveled with a friend to a resort in the Republic of Cape Verde earlier this month.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Republic of Cape Verde is a cluster of ten volcanic islands off the northern coast of Africa.  Nine of these islands are inhabited and have become a holiday hot spot for Europeans.  The tropical climate, beauty and close proximity attracts large numbers of tourists from the UK, Portugal, Germany, France and Italy. This isn’t the case for Americans. I was greeted with a certain amount of surprise when I disclosed my country of origin with one person even exclaiming, “wow, you are really far away from home.”  Yes, yes, I was.

            Cape Verde has only been an independent country for the past 39 years.  I was told that the changes that have taken place during these years have been positive.  Residents were happy to discuss the beauty of their country and how much better it got every day.  The government is growing and developing, but as with all countries, there are still a few issues that should be addressed.  I am sure changes could be implemented on each island.  However, I’d like to focus on the one I spent the most time on: Boa Vista. 

            As a tourist advised not to drink local water, I was very pleased to see that bottled, clean drinking water was readily available on the RUI resort.  Better yet, the Coca-Cola Company was one of the beverage corporations providing the product.  I felt secure in drinking their product.  However, I was saddened to see that bottles were disposed of randomly about the island outside of the resort.  I was told by members of the hotel staff that there were no recycling programs on the island. This was truly evident. Litter was seen for miles along the streets, on the public beaches and in the ocean.  Couldn’t @CocaColaCo begin a dialog with President Jorge Carlos Feonseca @presidenciaCV and their government to establish a recycling program to benefit the people and environment of Cape Verde? It broke my heart to see so much trash discarded on the beach and in the water.  The beauty of Boa Vista was blemished with trash.

            Within the RUI resorts, there were several stray cats and dogs that were cared for by guests as well as the hotels.  The hotel employees advised us that they had vets treat the animals to prevent guests from being exposed to potential disease.  However, none of these animals were spay or neutered so the stray population rises.  Perhaps a program can be established with prominent veterinary schools to help create spay/neuter clinics throughout the country? With this in mind, I’m hoping this blog entry gets the attention of a few organizations and people who may be able to help implement change and develop the proper relationships to help bring these changes to fruition.  People such as @cesarmillan @rickygervais and organizations like the @ASPCA @HumaneSociety - is there any way this can be addressed? Are there international organizations that can intervene?

            I see a great deal of opportunity to improve the quality of life on the island of Boa Vista in Cape Verde by addressing these two issues.  If a strong recycling program is introduced and funds are given for each water bottle and glass bottle then littering will decrease.  If animal welfare groups help to establish a spay/neuter program then there will be fewer starving stray cats and dogs in the streets. 

            I know, I am one American woman who brings her views and ideals to a very different culture.  I understand that not everyone in the world sees things in the same light. Still, wouldn't it be wonderful if pollution didn't exist and animals were all healthy and loved? Perhaps I'm describing Utopia.

Off the Grid

     If you read this blog, you may have noticed that I've been inactive for a bit over a week.  I took my vacation and traveled out of the country going off the grid.  I was completely unplugged from the USA and any news of my country. It was both a nice change and completely alarming.  I have felt a bit lost upon my return home.

     As I get my bearings and gather my thoughts (I did a lot of writing while I was away) I plan on posting a more detailed entry.  Meanwhile, enjoy the beginning of fall which is fast approaching.   

A Women's Place

            I must confess that I am completely baffled by the anti-feminist movement. Why would any woman be against feminism?  I did a bit of research and came across an article in the Washington Post titled Is this what an anti-feminist movement looks like?  It includes the Tumblr account with the photos I’ve seen going around on social media holding up signs that have anti-feminist statements. 

I have noticed that the word feminist is being poorly received by some young women. I believe the negative connotations stem from a misinterpretation of the word as well as a misrepresentation of the word by certain conservative groups.  A feminist is not anti-man; a feminist supports the rights and equality of women in all things and in all places. 

As a leader in the feminist movement, Gloria Steinem has been talking about the value of women for decades.  She raised her voice and helped us gain perspective on who we are, what we deserve and what we are capable of.  In fact, earlier this year she had a conversation with Jennifer Aniston on the subject. If you aren’t aware of her work please visit www.gloriasteinem.com and learn more.

Young American girls today may not realize how many limitations were placed on women in the past.  Because of the work of feminist women we have the right to vote, to work and to have an education.  It’s not like that in every country. Do you believe that Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban for going to school, would be anything other than a feminist?  Young girls like Malala Yousafzai and women like Gloria Steinem help pave the way for the rest of us so that a women’s place is anywhere she wants it to be. Learn more about all of this before taking up any sign. 

Uncomfortable Conversations

            I generally spend the early morning getting ready for work and watching the Today Show.  This morning, I was impressed and touched by the interview that Jennifer Aniston gave to Carson Daily.  She shed light on something that I have been experiencing for years – our society’s judgment of a woman’s value being based on marital status and procreation.  This was so poignant that Tamron Hall continued the discussion.  While our career paths are vastly different, all three of us – Jennifer Aniston, Tamron Hall and myself – are women in our 40s who are single and childless.  I can only imagine the amount of questioning and scrutiny that both of those women experience.  They are both public figures, well recognized and followed by fans.  I am blissfully one of the masses in our society, a face in the crowd, able to come and go to my local supermarket at any time.  Yet, it’s comforting to know that we share in the same uncomfortable conversations with strangers and acquaintances.

Personally, I find that the critical eye of society judging my single/childless status is worse in the suburbs than it is in the city. Perhaps, it’s because the majority of people I am surrounded by in the suburbs of Rhode Island have married and had families.  Large cities have more diverse populations that include women like myself.  The balance of both lowers the ratio of uncomfortable conversations with strangers asking about my personal life.  I actually discussed this previously in Tales of a Little City in my first essay titled “The Age of Singleness” posted June 26, 2014.  Therefore, I won’t repeat myself with a second in-depth essay on the same subject.

In conclusion, it was a pleasant surprise to see women in high profile positions express the same concerns I have.  As part of the interview, Jennifer Aniston mentioned discussing this subject directly with Gloria Steinem.  The two women participated in an open discussion this past February at the inaugural MAKERS Conference.  While she didn’t go into detail about the conversation on television this morning, I was able to find the interview online.  If you are interested in learning more visit www.makers.com.