One would think that women would have broken through the gender barrier in all sports when Title IX was introduced in 1972. The law simply states: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Certainly women have made inroads into sports, though this is predominately for girls under the age of 12 and mainly because of Title IX. There is something about a girl who begins to grow breasts, or the forbidden knowledge that she may be having a period - she suddenly becomes unclean. Consider the edict handed down the other week to20a fourteen year old girl in Georgia. She was booted off her team even20though she had led them to victory the year before. She was told she could not play football because she was female.

But even higher education has issues in accepting female sports contenders. Funding is the most difficult hurdle. The more private the educating institution is, the easier it becomes to hide the fair play rules that Title IX was meant to preserve and protect. My take, right or wrong makes it an elite ruling and does not help the barriers that still exist that were in my Aunt’s lifetime (who played professional baseball); in mine, in my older daughters, and the youngest, who are 16 and 17.

The sad part is that few people realize that Title IX is mandatory in every school district in the US and that it is in place not just to allow equal opportunity of gender in sports. The law also includes discrimination in fields such as science, math education, and other aspects of academic life — such as access to health care and dormitory facilities. The law can apply to non-sport activities such as school bands, cheerleaders, and clubs, but no t gender specific groups.

As Shakespeare would say – “Aye – there’s the rub.” Infractions are hidden when activities are specified, girls only or boys only within institutions who receive Federal funds. Call this a loop hole. Every law has a loop hole and if there isn’t one, there’ll be one soon.

Now in an effort to provide a loop hole where women can no longer make the medical decision in determining what is right for her body or herself, a new law allows anyone in the medical profession – anyone to walk away if the decision is against his/her principal.

Anyone – from the receptionist to the doctor who treats you.

In reality, women can do anything and play any sport - often better than a male counterpart. Take for instance the ‘Lingerie Super Bowl’ event played on a pay-for-view channel during Super Bowl halftime. Go on – take a look, Google, study, and then post your comments. Tell me why or why not you think these women shouldn’t become the new figures for the war between the sexes – all genders=2 0(though I would not mind if the new official male sports uniform made it mandatory for string bikinis 3 but this is another story).

I spent five years researching “The Heretic’s Daughter”, reading transcripts of the trials, talking to historians and traveling through Massachusetts and Connecticut, collecting local lore. I wove as much historical fact as I could into the Carrier family legends to give the story an authentic feel. I read letters and sermons of the day to give the words a rhythm and cadence of the times, but tried to balance archaic speech with more modern usage so the language was not too cumbersome for the modern reader. The descriptive passages of time and place were important to give a sense of life in Colonial New England, and to me one of the most important elements was the dialogue. I used my grandfather, Hobart Carrier, as a model of a man reared to rural husbandry and who spoke with the deliberate slowness and careful speech of his forebears.

* * * * *

Kathleen Kent is the author of  The Heretic’s Daughter  now available from Little Brown and Company.  See Kathleen talk more about the facts behind the book by catching her video on YouTube.

BUT, there’s a catch.

Colleen will be reading responses to this post, and she’ll be selecting the winner, so if you want a copy of As Shadows Fade, you have to leave a comment telling us why you think vampires are popular/sexy/cool, etc.

The deadline for your comments? Why, October 31st, of course.

(Don’t forget to visit Colleen’s website: ColleenGleason.com)

At the end of the day, I was told that my position was being entirely “abolished”.  I stumbled home, stunned and yet relieved - I had been shoring up against the inertia and the growing resentment and frustration I had at being under-employed and at the lack of stimulation or ability to truly give myself to the position.

Today I find myself frantically scouring want ads, while at the same time reminding myself that there is absolutely a silver lining:  my kids need me to be really present for the first days of their new schools in their new city.   I’d even say that I need to be really present for their first days of their new schools - I sorely missed that pleasure while they were living on the other side of the continent for the last year and a half.  Now it’s come back to me unexpectedly.

Come to think of it, most everything that has been miraculous in my life has happened without preparation or planning.  Separation and divorce, three years ago, brought me to Montreal with the love of my life - something I had desperately wanted since I was 17 years old, and drifted from bit by bit over the years.  And that is only one example.

Some of the people that have known me longest have considered me impulsive and unpredictable;  I certainly feel that some of the circumstances of my own life have been characterized by upheaval.  And yet, it always seems to shake things down to the strongest foundations:  love, creativity, family, freedom, inspiration, survival, energy.  I lost my job yesterday, and you’d better believe I need the money.  But today it’s strangely exhilarating - and I have this uncanny sense that anything is possible.

I am a great deal closer to inspiration and vision right now than I was 24 hours ago.  Fascinating how that works.

Your turn:

What catalysts have occurred in your life that have brought about unexpected miracles?

There is a new interview over at Lummox Journal about “Healing Writing” with Patricia and I just wanted to share!

Eglantyne Jebb was born in 1876 and was one of six children. Forty-three years later she and her sister Dorothy, co-founded the Save the Children charity. In between these times she went to study at Oxford, which was quite unusual for women in 1895. She not only enjoyed political science lectures from A.L. Smith, but also became friendly with the great niece of the poet Wordsworth, who was the principal of Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford University.

Eglantyne came from a talented, influential and well-off family. As a child she was a tomboy and entertained her siblings by telling stories. Later she edited the family newspaper.

After attending University in Oxford she became a teacher following Froebel’s theories in a school in Marlborough in Wiltshire. This was very progressive teaching at the time and Eglantyne became popular with the children because she took them out of the classroom.

In 1903 Eglantyne began to work for a charity in Cambridgeshire. Charity work at this time was largely centred within individual countries. Eglantyne, a pacifist, realized that the effects of the First World War were causing extreme hardship to children, particularly in places like Austria and Serbia. In 1919 she and Dorothy started the Save the Children Charity and were met with some resistance from the allied countries, who were reluctant to help children from countries they had fought in the war. In response Jebb said that, “ A child is a child whether red or white, brown or black.” (Jebb quoted in Wilson 1967 – Rebel Daughter of a Country House: the life of Eglantyne Jebb, founder of the Save the Children Fund, published by Allen and Unwin – currently out of print.) Eglantyne recognised that war and poverty were the enemies of children and did all she could to halt the effects.

Eglantyne helped to establish that children had basic human rights in the same way as adults. They had the right to be fed and sheltered and this was the basis of the early interventions of her charity. Her work led directly to the Declaration of Geneva, which was about giving children rights of provision, shelter, the right to receive relief in times of distress and to protection against exploitation.

The Declaration of Geneva led to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. All countries of the world have signed this except America and Somalia, presumably because these countries have their own legislation for children’s rights.

Nowadays most charities, including the Save the Children Fund, have moved on from merely rescuing children, where children are seen as ineffectual, to helping children participate in decisions about their futures, where children are seen as powerful. It is Eglantyne Jebb’s work that has been the force in establishing that children, like adults, have basic human rights.

Eglantyne Jebb had a vision that poverty and war were particularly detrimental to the children of the world and that as human beings we have duties to the next generation, wherever they live. She was a leader whose ideas were way ahead of her time.

You can find more about Eglantine Jebb and the Save the Children Fund by visiting their website. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/

A few tips for anyone who wants to get in the pool and keep their hair soft and shiny:

1. Wear a swim cap. This is one of the easiest and best ways to protect your hair. My gym requires a swimcap so it’s an easy answer for me, but I know some folks battle with the idea of wearing a cap. Trust me, anyone who does a lot of swimming wears a swimcap. Yes, it’s not an entirely flattering accessory, but you are there to swim, not flirt.
2. Wet your hair before putting the cap on.This was a new one to me and it is amazing how well it works. Your hair is very absorbent so wetting it in the shower before you put your cap on will allow it to absorb natural water before it has a chance to absorb any chlorinated water. I didn’t really think this would make much of a difference since I had the swimcap on anyway, but boy did it! Don’t miss this step.
3. Condition well. If you are not already using a good conditioner, get your hands on one.  Also consider trying some leave-in conditioners. I would recommend the Amlika Leave In Conditioner from The Body Shop or try the Brazil Nut Moisture Mask. (FYI, The Body Shop does not test on animals so these are great options for anyone concerned about animal testing).
4. Deeper conditioning. Every so often, do a deep conditioning treatment on your hair to help it along.

As you scroll through the virtual pages of the fifth 2008 issue of All Things Girl, I hope you appreciate the lovely and joyful offerings.   There is a feeling of hope and zest for life throughout.  First, our classics and representative of our theme: Writings & Arts. In Writings you will find poignant and lovely short stories and poems. I know you’ll recognize some names here in Writings….and will be thrilled at the discovery of some new talent as well.   Grab a fresh cup of tea - or in keeping with the season, maybe a cup of warm cider - and indulge in the amazing pieces!   And what can I say about Arts? Art is a feast for the senses…. Everything Girl is, as always, wonderful. You will find a brief interview with the amazing Shelia Weller (expect more from this incredible woman in our mid-issue update come October 1st!) as well as a peek into the mind of our  Man of the Moment, Derek Powazek.   In addition, you will find  wise words and thought-provoking ideas from our regular columnists (including new columist Bev Hamel!).  And let’s not forget Reviews. You’ll find DVD reviews, book reviews, product reviews and even a restaurant  review by new staff member, Michelle  Sliwa.

As always, keep an eye on The Blog. You never know what you might find as the editors and columnists share what’s on their minds.  We also have some guest blogs coming this month!  Also, there is still a chance to win a book by August Man of the Moment George Pelecanos by the way!
We’re still taking submissions for “Harvest” by the way, but you need to be quick. We’ll have a mid-issue update October 1st and will be adding a few items here and there… If you are inspired to share your talents, submissions are open for future editions of All Things Girl – and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

I hope that you spend some time planting seeds where it matters to you,  as it is the only way to reap a bountiful Harvest.  Don’t forget to snap a photo or two - and tell us a tale - about the fruits of your labor.

A friend of mine mentioned Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars on Twitter while I was away earlier in the month, and on our first grocery shopping trip after I got home, I had to buy some so I could see what all the fuss was about. I picked the peanut flavor, as both my husband and I are peanut butter fans.

From the first bite, I was in love with these granola bars, which live up to their name. They’re crunchy without being tooth-breakingly hard, sweet without being cloying, have just the right degree of saltiness, and have visible nuts evenly distributed throughout the peanut butter-covered bars. Despite being neither chocolate nor cheesy, they are the perfect snack.

Nutritionally, they’re not awful - more calories than a container of yogurt, but more nutrition than a candy bar. The peanut variety has 170 calories, and 9 grams of fat, but zero trans-fats, and also offers 4 grams of protein. Paired with a glass of non-fat milk, a cup of coffee or tea, or a bottle of water, they make a decent snack to fight the post-lunch slump that so many of us slide into around three in the afternoon. Add a piece of fruit, and you’ve got a quick breakfast that’s better than almost anything you can get wrapped in paper and ordered from your car.

I’m a granola bar fan, so these are great for me, but my husband, who tends to favor snack foods that come in scary variants of the color orange, also liked them. In fact, he liked them enough to stand in the doorway, smugly eating the last one, and asking, “Could we buy more of these.”

If you, like me, are into the sweet/salty flavor combination, you have to try these.

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars also come in almond, cashew and roasted mixed nut, and are available at most grocery stores. For nutritional information, see Nature Valley’s website, or read the back of the box!

The One Hundred (A Guide to The Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own) by Nina Garcia is a fabulous treasure of a book.  The witty text by Project Runway’s Nina Garcia and the illustrations by Ruben Toldedo provided me the perfect indulgence for a woman on the go and as I traveled over the Rocky Mountains from Dallas to Tucson, I silently congratulated myself as I discovered items I owned, sighed when I discovered items I should have in my closet, and made a face at a few items I can’t imagine ever owning.  Reading the forward, though, made me realize the book hitting me just as Ms. Garcia had intended:  “Thus if you are not altering each or some of the items on this list to suite your personal style, you are not playing the style game correctly or for yoru benefit.”

Samara O’Shea’s  Note to Self:  On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits resonated not only with my brain, but also with my heart.  O’Shea  gives us encouragement to keep a journal for ourselves.  In a world that seems to be all about work, what other people need from you, and visits to therapists, O’Shea reminds us that sometimes the most insightful therapist in the world is truly yourself.   With chapters about Love, Daily Life, Passion, Hearbreak and more, each word made me want to record these aspects of my life so that, years from now, I can find wisdom within my own heart.  While many books in this vein almost shame the reader into shoulds, Note to Self encourages you to write when you can, even if it’s only on January 1st when you start a new resolution to write more.  Be sure and visit O’Shea’s Website fabulous as well.

If you don’t want to wait for a girlfriend to gift you with one of these fabulous books, then indulge yourself and gift them to yourself.

A little while ago our editor Deb, wrote an Inspiring Women blog on Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorissa told us about the following quote from this insightful lady: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” As a young woman I felt inferior to everyone, but as I grow older I find that not only can I value that everyone is different I can also see that nobody is better or worse than anyone else. We all have good and bad points and that includes me. When someone plays the, “I am richer/ better/ more intelligent, than you card,” it no longer means to me that they are a more valuable person. Most of the things that I treasure you can’t actually buy, like a chat with family, a meal with friends or a walk on the beach.

The same goes for when someone criticizes you. I used to take every criticism and be wounded by it but nowadays I analyze it. Obviously sometimes someone is telling you something you can learn from, but if someone cares enough to try to help you they probably care a great deal and that’s rather special. If the criticism is something that you don’t agree with you can ignore it. It’s not important, so you don’t need to waste time thinking about it. If someone criticizes for a nasty reason (like jealousy) that’s their problem and you can certainly ignore that. So age helps me be more reflective about the meanings behind how people behave.

This means that you only lose sleep about things that you should lose sleep about and not all the other rubbish that may be thrown your way. In my forties I learned not to take on board negative comments unless they were helpful or by someone I really loved and in my fifties(the new forties) I’ve learned to say no to people who dump work on me unreasonably. OK I would like to be three stone lighter, not have to wear glasses or have to cover up the black rings under my eyes but I rejoice in the fact that I can recognize good, kind people and I appreciate the amazing talent and diversity in the world, which I’m sure I didn’t think about twenty years ago.

Your Turn:

So what have you learned as you’ve become older that you can share? (I know most of you aren’t as old as me!) But what makes your life easier; more enjoyable or more valuable? I’d love to know.