The Globalisation Of The Rastafari Cultural Studies Essay

The Globalisation Of The Rastafari Cultural Studies Essay Globalization of Rastafari is a highly rich historical and ethnographic work exploring Rastafarian from its origin in the early twentieth century to the world today. The book analyses the political, cultural, spiritual, geographical, political, sociological and psychological aspects of globalization on the rastafari movement, and provides a carefully weighed and richly illustrated assessment of the benefits and ills that have flowed from globalization as well as suggestions for steering it towards more positive outcomes in the future. It highlights the pursuit for change among an oppressed people and how they settled in other countries. This literary work serves to show how the Rastafarian movement created their own dogmatic ideology. The articles in the book focus most particularly on the latter two concerns: first, how does the global context of Rastafari affect the dynamics of the movement and the forms the movement takes? Second, how do we understand the potential impact of Rastafari on the larger world when we view it in a global light?  [1]   As we link the inception of the Rastafarian movement in the 1930s to todays time, it can be implied that they are still trying to get global recognition of their unique syncretic religion. There is still a struggle even now to regain their African heritage and cultural identity and ideologically distance themselves from what many perceive to be the misguided and unjust societies in which they live.  [2]   The first chapter seeks to give an overview of the general content of the collection of articles that were used to create this literary work. R.C. Slater through his methodology gives us a very lucid explanation of the term Globalization as relates to the Caribbean and the wider world. He shows that since the time of Columbus, the population of the Caribbean has been a truly global population, comprised of Africans, Asians, Native Americans and Europeans.  [3]   He postulates that Rastafari is a syncretic religion derived from Christian and African sources continues to expand globally via foreign missionaries and as believers participate in a new Diaspora in search of work and livelihood. Not only do these religions spread religious ideas and practices, but they also have become sources of inspiration for art, literature and music around the world. He introduces the term Babylon, which can be definitively traced to Marcus Garveys teachings, which liken the Afro-Caribs in the West to the Jews Exile into Babylon. The institution of slavery created tremendous suffering for those that were enslaved in both of these cases. The term Babylon is used in Rasta terms with much negative connotations. It is something that they are radically opposed to. Corruption, politics, police, laws, and cities are often referred to as Babylon  [4]   In chapter two, Richard Slater seeks in defining Who are the Rastafari? stating the negative connotation that the world at large may label them. He writes that despite the many and confusing answers to the question, it is undeniable that people who identify themselves as Rastafari exist. He stresses the difficulty in defining Rastafari and states, I do not believe it is possible to present an all-encompassing definition of Rastafari, but a workable minimum characterization of it will be helpful. My focus here will be on Rastafari I-consciousness as an element of the movement.  [5]  He goes on to show how this I indicator relates to the Rastafari identity and that the central features of Rastafari are not necessarily found in either beliefs or practices, but a set of unorthodox religious practices when compared to established religions. He further mentions that there are major differences in the Rastafi core belief system with respect to Leonard Barretts six tenets of Rastafarian beliefs. He writes, I met many people who identified themselves as Rastafari, but who did not acclaim Haile Selassie to be the living god, others considers Selassie to have been a corrupt sham.  [6]  ; and also , no Rasta whom I have ever met would claim that it is by virtue of smoking ganja that one is a Rasta. In fact, if one is reliant on ganja if one cannot exist without it one certainly has been trapped by Babylon. In chapter four, Slater interviews Mutabaruka, who is a DJ for Jamaicas IRIE FM radio station, a poet and some consider him as an international emissary of Rastafari. Matabaruka is very unorthodox in his beliefs, he openly states, As a matter of fact, you will hear purely negative things about Jesus when you come to I. Because I and I dont have anything good to say about Jesus, because Jesusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because Jesus became like the Devil.  [7]   Mutabaruka meticulously answers the questions put to him by Slater, and very candidly allude to the fact that the majority of Rastafari have deviated far from Rastafari true essence and way of life. Mutabaruka attribute the spread of Rastafarism out of Jamaica is via the reggae music and that many reggae artists can only articulate Rastafari in the music but not outside the music. Also the culture of Rastafari can spread, can be identified with, can be lived true by anyone who identifies with oppression and anyone who feels disenfranchised by the colonial system or white supremacist system that maintains itself all over the world would gravitates towards Rastafari. Mutabaraka does not foresee Rastafari being decentralised from Jamaica due to globalization but rather he thinks Jamaica is almost like Jerusalem when it comes to experiencing Rastafari. He argues that Rastafari is not a religion but its a way of life. In chapter five, the article by Jan DeCosmo explores the shape Rastafari identity has taken in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, from its introduction through reggae music and its revaluation of African heritage, to its ambivalent relationship to Afro-Bahian spirituality.  [8]  DeCosmo shows that amidst the racial discrimination that Afro-Brazilians face in line with poverty, oppression, and social injustice, they still manage to keep alive their Rastafarian culture via the reggae music. Such poverty, constructed on the shoulders of a colonial and racist history, and supported by continuing legacies of that colonial and racist history, is one context in which Bahias Rastafari community has arisen to resist oppression, to call for justice, and to revalorize Bahias black African heritage.  [9]  DeCosmo writes that some of the Rastafarians she interviewed were proud of having rejected the globalized world, or what they call Babylon and replace it with a divine order, an order of spirit, of love, of African roots. As such, Rastafari identity continues to be linked with cultural resistance and a desire to radically change the world. DeCosmo further writes that there are differences between Bahian and Jamaican Rastafari. Thus, there are two differences between Bahian Rastafari and Jamaican Rastafari that deserve attention. First, among Bahian Rastafari there is much less emphasis placed on physical repatriation to Africa than in ideal typical Jamaican Rastafari especially in its early stages. Second, Bahian history has given Rastafari there a special relationship to the religion and culture of the orixas.  [10]   With respect of the connation globalization of the Rastafari as it applies to Bahian Rastafari, we observe the prevalence of distinctly African cultural practices in Bahia. One of the interesting differences between orthodox Rastafari and cultural Rastafari is the different levels of tolerance each has for the religion and culture of the orixas. Unlike cultural Rastafari, the orthodox stand opposed to indigenous forms of Afro- Bahian religion and culture, such as Candomblà © and Carnival. Thus the globalized Rastafari in Bahia is far from being achieved since each group see their roots in a distinctively different location. In chapter seven Michael Barnett explores from a Jamaican diasporic perspective, the impact that the migration of Jamaicans to England, the United States and Canada has had on the globalization of the Rastafari movement. Barnett gives a clear picture of the reality that the Jamaicans faced when they migrated to England as recruits to help to rebuild England and its economy after the devastation it suffered during World War II. They were to be given the opportunity to improve and develop their social and economic life but they were greatly deceived. As Barnett writes, There were in fact no institutions established in England to welcome and process the Jamaican newcomers. As a result Jamaicans had to learn to cope on their own in their new home, against a background of racial discrimination and prejudice. Notting Hill, West London was the scene of major race riots in England and gave birth to the now famous Notting Hill Carnival.  [11]  It is said that this incident gave birth to the Rastafari movement in England in 1950s. Black power movements soon developed over the next few years where we saw many Black power leaders emerged and some were imprisoned for inciting racial hatred after making what w ere considered inflammatory speeches to their audiences. After years of struggle, reggae had experienced its definitive breakthrough into the mainstream pop culture of England mainly due to effective marketing of Bob Marleys music. The popularity of reggae music during the seventies served to secularize the Rastafari movement, with many youths embracing the political, social and cultural message of Rastafari, and not necessarily the religious beliefs of the movement. With respect to Rastafari groups in Canada,during the late sixties the Civil Rights struggle in the USA spread across to Canadian Blacks This helped to fuel the growth of the Rastafari movement. Rasta was seen as a bizarre cult and faced the same hardship as was in England. Two distinct Rastafari group emerged,the more politically oriented Rasta tended to participate in the general struggles of the Black community while those Rasta more steeped in religiosity tended to remain as mere spectators on the sidelines. In the USA, the presence of the Rastafari movement is due to Caribbean migration. The Jamaicans have infiltrated the USA whereby in Brooklyn in New York is frequently referred to as Little Jamaica. They are well established having regular reggae concerts and setting up clothing and record stores. And similarly to the other countries, the Rasta is seen as criminals, thugs etc. Barnett ends his article by mentioning two Rastafari services, Nyahbinghi Rastafari binghi and the Boboshante binghi. At the Nyahbinghi Rastafari binghi, the core of the activity was significantly at the Tabernacle where the drummers pounded away incessantly but rhythmically, lulling much of the crowd into a semi-hypnotic trance. The air was thick with the smell of ganja,and just in front of the tabernacle a group of brethren smoked their spliffs as they observed the proceedings. At the Boboshanti ceremony, they read Psalms from the bible, whereupon after every verse or so, everyone would say, Holy Emmanuel I, Selassie I, Jah Rastafari with the accompaniment of drums. Barnett commended the Binghis at both mansions for their authenticity and their Jamaican-ness., and it is fair to say that one could not tell that one was not in Jamaica. The exposition and general discussion throughout the book have established and did justice to the term, Globalization. We can clearly get an insight into how the Rastafarian movement has managed to extend its reach and influence throughout the Caribbean, from England to Zimbabwe and also as far north as Canada and as far south as Brazil and South Africa. The book is well worth the price and I strongly recommend this book to anyone desirous of getting a deep insight into the historical development from early stages to modern times of the Rastafari and their struggle through racism, labelling, oppression and all such negative conations. The book clears any misconception that one may have about their rituals, beliefs, culture and most of all their music, reggae, which seems to be the one thing that formulates this whole idea of a globalized Rastafari.

Disney World: A Family Vacation Essay -- Personal Narrative Traveling

Disney World: A Family Vacation Everyone who has ever been to Disney World thinks it’s going to be the vacation of a lifetime but when we went it was the vacation from Hell! My dad is one of those people that Murphy’s Law applies to. That is, if anything is going to go wrong then it is going to go wrong for my dad. My family started on this trip with great expectations. It was going to be our first trip to Disney World and we were all very excited. Everything seemed to be going smoothly that morning. Dad loaded the luggage and packed the cooler. He even packed the extra pillows. My family was very happy as we prepared for our trip. I was twelve years old and my brother, Jobie, was ten. My dad had told us for years about his first trip to Disney Land in California when he was a young Marine. He told us about all the great rides and how he had to go on It’s a Small World with a fellow Marine. He said all the boats were full of families or with couples in love, and there he was stuck in a boat with another Marine. That very day he swore that he would come back some day and take his wife and family back to Disney Land and ride It’s a Small World. At that time Disney World hadn’t been completed. Dad thought he would be returning to California. Since then Disney World has been completed and is located in Florida which is a lot closer of a drive for us since we live in Tennessee. Once we got on I-81, we headed toward Asheville, North Carolina. That’s when Murphy’s Law went into effect. My dad always had trouble missing the I-26 exit in Asheville and today would be no exception. As luck would have it he took the wrong turn. Instead of taking the... ...checked the engine, the hoses, and finally found the problem. He said â€Å"I bet when the car caught on fire it weakened the battery.† The security guard hooked up battery cables to the car and it started right up. Dad tried to give the guard twenty dollars, but he refused. Dad shook his hand and thanked him several times. I could go on and on about the rest of our trip but it would take another twenty pages. Unfortunately this was not the last outburst my father had at Disney World. I can tell you one more thing. Through the chaos Dad finally made it to It’s a Small World with his family. It was the biggest smile he showed through the whole trip, but it wasn’t his last. We have been to Disney World twice since then. We still always ride It’s a Small World and I always bring cotton balls for my ears. The cotton keeps my arms from getting tired.

Team Importance Week 3 Hcs 325

Introduction No management position is easy these days. There are many rules and regulations to follow, as well as many responsibilities that grow more over time. One of the responsibilities as a manager is to improve efficiency of the company and extend customer satisfaction. Not only does this take money, but time, skill, and teamwork. As the manager of a busy call center, the call volume has increased so much that there is an extra $20,000 to spend on improving customer satisfaction and efficiency. How can this be spent wisely to reach these goals? Teamwork is top on the list of importance because without a team, there is no business.Teams provide many things to a health care facility, as well as any other successful business. Teams are used in many different ways in other industries, such as the military, for example. This sets examples for the health care industry as to how teams might be used similarly there compared to somewhere like the government jobs. However, nothing is ea sy like saying the alphabet. In any industry, conflict does arise, and having the knowledge of problem solving is very good to have in order to make an educated decision for the health care organization. GoalsIn the call center, there is an extensive amount of money to be used for improving the quality of care, and customer’s satisfaction. Goals need to be set in order for the $20,000 to be used wisely. Teamwork is the answer to this. To improve quality of the product, and to increase customer satisfaction, everyone has to be able to work together very well to reach the goals of the company. So far because of this teamwork, the call volume has increased immensely. Managers in the call center have a process they follow, called the Five Step Planning process, which enables them to improve teamwork, which solely improves quality and satisfaction.Five Step Planning Process â€Å"At its most basic, planning is decision making†. (Donald J. Lombardi, John R. Schermerhorn, Bri an Kramer; 2007, John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). The five step planning process is used in order to make the best decisions possible when making decisions within an organization, as well as help out with any conflicts that may arise during the process. It is a support system for problem solving and breaks down how to do it with as little conflict as possible. Step one of the process is to identify and define the problem.This is where information is gathered, evaluated, and is deliberated. Doing so defines any problems correctly and can be taken care of efficiently without complications along the way. Step two of the process is to generate and evaluate possible courses of action. In this step, managers â€Å"can begin formulating one or several potential solutions†. (Donald J. Lombardi, John R. Schermerhorn, Brian Kramer; 2007, John Wiley & Sons Inc. ). More information may need to be gathered and analyzed before going to the third step of the process, which is choosing a preferred plan of action.In the third step, a decision is made with selecting a specific course of action. In the fourth step, implement the planned course of action, actions are established and implemented to meet the final goal. Nothing new is able to happen unless action is taken. Managers should have the ability to be able to have the determination and be creative in order to implement the planned course of action. Finally, the fifth and final step of the process is evaluating the results. What happens is the accomplishments with the original objectives are compared to what has been come up with.Both the positive and negative sides should be kept in an open mind, before a final decision is made to stick. Look Outside the box Looking at how other businesses are ran and how the make teamwork better is a way to improve customer satisfaction. Teamwork is used in different ways in other industries, such as the military, for example. They use teamwork to the full extent because in their world, it may mean life or death. Jane Dyer, a veteran, states â€Å"Teamwork is a fundamental lesson in the military. At basic training, you learn about being the member of a unit†.She also states that after you leave that basic training, you are still responsible for your unit and whether or not you like a team member, you will still honor and protect each other. The military is so tightly compact, they are like a family. This sets examples for teamwork in the health care organizations because whether or not you like a team member, that does not mean you cannot help the company you work for succeed along with yourselves. The military’s company is the United States. Should they not work together well, they could die and others lives would then be at stake.It is the same concept with businesses. Should the team not work together well and improve, then one, the company ends up dying, then everyone working loses their jobs. Just because one industry is different than the other, they could very well learn important lessons about team work from each other. Conclusion Industries around the world are very different but also alike in so many ways. The military is a great industry to look at for things like team work, because the health care industries can learn how to improve their quality of care and customer (patient) satisfaction.Having that extra money can benefit the companies when they focus on improving team work alone. Lessons are learned all around. References: Donald J. Lombardi, John R. Schermerhorn, Brian Kramer; 2007, John Wiley & Sons Inc, â€Å"Managerial and Supervisory Planning: Preparing for the Road Ahead†; retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader. aspx Jane Dyer, 2010, â€Å"The military shows the importance of teamwork†; retrieved from http://www. mydd. com/users/jane-dyer/posts/the-military-shows-us-the-importance-of-teamwork

Jane Fonda in North Vietnam - Myths of Womens History

They started coming in the winter of 1999: emails asking me to do something about the book, written by Barbara Walters, already published and the basis of a television special reviewed on this site: 100 Women of the Century. (Ive never been clear how one does something about a book thats already been published and sold. I dont think these people really wanted to seize and destroy all copies, did they?) The protest was over the inclusion of Jane Fonda in the book and special. Id quoted Fonda in my review, this way: Who did Jane Fonda say popped into her mind as the most influential woman of the century? Coco Chanel! Fonda explains: And heres why: She freed us from the corset. Frankly, I thought anyone reading that quote was likely to come away with this conclusion: Jane Fonda was not exactly the brainiest commentator on the history of women in the 20th century, and not exactly a prime candidate for selection as one of the 100 most influential women of the century! But, I guess because I included Jane Fonda in that review, these Jane Fonda emails started to pour in. There are fewer of them now, though they continue to come, and unfortunately I suspect Ill get more after publishing this article, from correspondents who dont read carefully. An example of one I received, after writing the above words, from a Carl R. Brucker, includes these words: How can a woman who patronized the Vietnamese Army during war time be honored? You media publicicts need to have your heads examined and your patriotism questioned, maybe even your citizenship! What upset these writers so much? Heres the email that they sent to me - its also reproduced in many places on the web: Jane Fonda is being honored as one of the 100 Women of the Century. Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during Vietnam. Part of my conviction comes from personal exposure to those who suffered her attentions. The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot. The pilots name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat. In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho Lo Prison — the Hanoi Hilton. Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJs, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American Peace Activist the lenient and humane treatment hed received. He spat at Ms. Fonda, and was clubbed and dragged away. During the subsequent beating, he fell forward upon the camp Commandants feet, which sent that officer berserk. In 78, the AF Col still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended his flying days) from the Vietnamese Cols frenzied application of a wooden baton. Col Larry Carrigan was in the 47FW/DO (F-4Es). He spent 6 years in the Hilton — the first three of which he was missing in action. His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned/fed/clothed routine in preparation for a peace delegation visit. They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they still survived. Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his SSN on it, in the palm of his hand. When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a camera man, she walked the line, shaking each mans hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: Arent you sorry you bombed babies? and Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors? Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their slivers of paper. She took them all without missing a beat. At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge... and handed him the little pil e of papers. Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Col Carrigan was almost number four. But he survived... which is the only reason we know about her actions that day. I was a civilian economic development advisor in Vietnam, and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in 1968 and held for over 5 years. I spent 27 months in solitary confinement, one year in a cage in Cambodia, and one year in a black box in Hanoi. My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Ban me Thuot, South Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border. At one time I weighed approximately 90 lbs  Ã¢â‚¬â€ my normal weight is 170 lbs. We were Jane Fondas war criminals. When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with Jane Fonda. I said yes, that I would like to tell her about the real treatment we POWs were receiving, which was far different from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by Jane Fonda, as humane and lenient. Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees with outstretched arms with a large amount of steel placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane every time my arms dipped. I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda for a couple of hours after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She did not answer me. This does not exemplify someone who should be honored as part of 100 Years of Great Women. Lest we forget...100 Years of Great Women should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots. There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Janes participation in blatant treason is one of them. Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can. It will eventually end up on her computer and she needs to know that we will never forget. For starters: any email that says Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can is probably at best an exaggeration, at worst an outright scam. (I always check similar emails at  http://urbanlegends.about.com  before passing them along, and I check out allegations of viruses at  http://antivirus.about.com  as well. Most of those panicked forward this everywhere emails are hoaxes or long-expired petitions.) Checking It Out When I started getting these Jane Fonda emails, I forwarded one to David Emery, Abouts Guide to Urban Legends.  David carefully checked out the stories  in the Jane Fonda  email,  and discovered that  the first two are false  Ã¢â‚¬â€ the ones where servicemen actually died. I repeat —  those stories have been debunked, and their falsehood confirmed by the supposed sources of the stories. The last one — where a serviceman was beaten because he said hed meet with Jane Fonda and tell her honestly about conditions in a POW camp — is confirmed as  true,  but did not involve Fondas direct action at all. Its fascinating, though, to see how persistent these Jane Fonda legends remain, despite the attempts of Davids site and others to debunk them. I vividly remember Jane Fondas trip to North Vietnam, as reported in the media. I remember proponents and opponents of the war alike finding her actions distasteful, ill-thought-out, and profoundly disrespectful of Americans serving in Vietnam. But I certainly didnt think that her act would generate such energy nearly thirty years later. When I wrote the review of Barbara Walters book in 1999, I thought that including Jane Fonda as one of the most influential women of the twentieth century was rather silly, an example of the preference for entertainers that Walters showed in her selections. Barbara Walters included several women even more notorious than Jane Fonda: Madame Mao and  Leni Riefenstahl, for instance. The book was about influential and important women — not simply wonderful women who should be held up as role models. Walters says in the book that she included Fonda for her contribution to bringing exercise into wide practice among women — not for her political views! Nevertheless, I didnt think Jane Fonda deserved inclusion as one of the 100 most influential women of the century. But the persistence of this Jane Fonda email, and the clear passion of the many who continue to distribute it and who continue to believe that Jane Fonda should be tried for treason for her trip to North  Vietnam,  have convinced me otherwise. Jane Fonda is influential far beyond what Id  thought,  if she can continue to generate this level of activity! The  whole  story on this email legend and why the first two-thirds is not believable:  Hanoi Jane Rumors Blend Fact and Fiction Update As of this writing, several years after first publishing this article, the waves of distribution of the Jane Fonda email have diminished somewhat. Perhaps this article has been able to play a part in getting people to think more carefully about an issue that carries a lot of emotional  weight. But whenever Jane Fonda is in the news, the erroneous emails return. To use the example of Mr. Brucker, whose email I excerpted on page 1 of this article: Hes still apparently convinced that Im honoring Fonda despite reading an earlier version of this article, failing to understand the difference between writing about someone and honoring them (or still being confused about the difference between myself and the author of a book I mentioned). Worse than his misunderstanding is the implication that anyone who publishes something about Fonda may need to have their citizenship questioned. What an insult to those people who have served in Americas military, thinking they were doing so to promote a free society, in which dissent is possible, and certainly where the writing about a controversy isnt reasonable grounds for challenging ones citizenship or patriotism. Whats next? Burn Barbara Walters book, bringing to mind  Fahrenheit 451? Burn Barbara Walters, bringing to mind medieval witch hunts or the Inquisition? I wish I could say that Mr. Bruckers tirade was unusual, and indeed some correspondents do read and write more carefully and without advocating closing down free speech. But unfortunately, too many seem to have difficulty understanding two major points: (a) listing several people as influential is not necessarily an honor, much less mentioning that a book listed someone as influential;  and in this case  the continuing venom only demonstrates Fondas continued influence; and(b) even if someone did honor Fonda for her other achievements, proposing to punish disagreement with the authors perspective by removing a writers citizenship or shooting the writer is not exactly in keeping with the reasons that many served bravely in Americas wars. On the other hand — whether Jane Fondas actions in North Vietnam fall into the realm of treason is still a matter of debate. The 2002 book  Aid and Comfort: Jane Fonda in North Vietnam,  by attorneys Henry Mark Holzer and Erika Holzer (compare prices) comes down on the side of yes. Fondas had few defenders recently — her fitness videos of the 1970s and 1980s (compare prices) have largely been replaced by newer videos by new fitness gurus, and Thomas Kiernans 1982 biography,  Jane Fonda: Heroine for Our Time  (compare prices), is out of print. Barbara Walters 1998 book,  100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century  (compare prices), in which Jane Fonda plays a minor role, is still a readable if light version of 20th century womens history, in which celebrities play a disproportionate role and which includes a few women who were influential but not exactly positive role models (Madame Mao and  Leni Riefenstahl, for instance). A Later Update This story has unfolded over many years.  I get far fewer emails now — because the email has morphed since the 2008 election into a story about Barack Obama instead of me co-writing this book with Barbara Walters.  I think I should be honored to be transformed into a President.  Dont believe that Obama is responsible for this, either.  Its you who will look ignorant.