~ White House has adviser on violence against women

Lynn Rosenthal named White House advisor on violence against women. Read Washington Post story here: http://tinyurl.com/prwabd

~ OK Houe of Reps Sets Interim Study Topics

CONTACT:

Jennifer Monies, Press Secretary
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Office of House Speaker Chris Benge
Office: 405-962-7679
Email: jenniferm@okhouse.gov

House Interim Studies Announced

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 26, 2009)—House Speaker Chris Benge announced the approval today of 120 interim studies that will be conducted over the summer and fall prior to the next legislative session.

The studies cover a breadth of issues, including government modernization, health care, public safety, education and economic development.

“Interim studies give members an opportunity to delve deeper into an issue and give thoughtful study to a topic prior to writing and working to pass law,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “This year we have a good set of studies that will help to find ways to make our government more efficient all while providing vital government services to the people of our state.”

The House Republican effort to improve government services by better utilizing technology and spending each taxpayer dollar as efficiently as possible will continue with numerous interim studies on the issue this summer.

Benge noted that taxpayers expect their elected officials to be good stewards of their tax dollars, which includes a continual study of how government is spending the peoples’ money.

“These studies will help ensure our taxpayers are getting the most out of their money in government services and programs,” said Benge. “As legislators, we must continually look at all government expenditures with a critical eye.”

The House legislative studies on government modernization approved this year include the following, among others:

• A study to analyze possible consolidation of state government licensing and permitting functions, requested by Reps. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, and David Derby, R-Owasso.

• Efforts to use new technology to enable better purchasing processes and transparency in government, requested by Reps. Murphey and Derby.

• A study will analyze other government entities’ usage of open source technology products and consider possible application to Oklahoma state government in order to realize savings, requested by Reps. Murphey and Derby.

• A study to determine the potential effect of passage of State Question 744, the “HOPE” petition, requested by Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tuttle.

Lawmakers will also focus on several health care and public safety proposals in the coming months.

The House health care and public safety legislative studies approved this year include the following, among others:

• A study on using tax relief (deductions, credits, exemptions) to help more Oklahomans purchase health insurance, requested by Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City.

• A study to review emergency medical services, requested by state Reps. Doug Cox, R-Grove, Phil Richardson, R-Minco, and Paul Roan D-Tishomingo.

• Efforts to reduce the number of “shake ‘n bake” meth labs in Oklahoma, requested by state Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa.

• A study to consider the cost benefits and best practices for preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome, requested by Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow.

• Efforts to reduce cell phone use/texting while driving, requested by Reps. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, and Danny Morgan, D-Prague.

• Possible increased privatization of foster care and welfare services to both reduce costs and improve results, also requested by Nelson.

“I believe state government should focus on a few core functions while empowering private citizens as much as possible,” Benge said. “These legislative studies will help us accomplish that goal by seeking new ways to make health care affordable and accessible, target crime, promote safety and provide efficient delivery of services.”

Other interim studies of note include:

Education:

• Assessing quality and costs in higher education, requested by Rep. Todd Thomsen, R-Ada.

• A study to consider the potential benefits/downside of allowing schools to offer an extended school year, requested by Rep. Eddie Fields, R-Wynona.

• A study of KIPP Charter School Teacher Preparation/Student Teacher Prep, requested by Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton.

Economic Development:

• Worker’s compensation reform, requested by Reps. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, and Eddie Fields, R-Wynona.

• A study on the economic impact of the film industry on the state budget, requested by Rep. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow.

• Consider creation of a Market Oklahoma program to conduct outreach and recruitment of out-of-state persons/businesses to promote Oklahoma as a place to live and to do business, requested by Rep. T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton.

For a full listing of the approved interim studies, please visit: http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/ShowInterimStudies.aspx

~ Jen's wonderful eBook

jenx67 has given me permission to post the link to her wonderful eBook on this blog. Check it out at
http://www.jenx67.com/2009/06/some-stories-take-courage-to-tell-this.html.

(I'll bet we can all remember a time when - looking back - we wish we had stepped forward, said something, done something but held back. It is too late to be timid now. We all need to speak out when we encounter injustice.)

Thank you, Jen, for sharing this.

Visit women's history sites this summer!

Will You See Women's History Sites This Summer? If you are planning any kind of road trip, this summer, be sure and check the newly expanded, 2nd Edition of Guide to Women's History Sites and Resources.

This wonderful, unique guide produced by National Collaborative for Women's History Sites profiles 40 historic homes, museums, and research centers across the country that honor and interpret women's lives. The homes of women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mary McLeod Bethune, Alice Paul, Pearl Buck, and many others are included.

In addition, there's the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in California, the Arizona Women's Heritage Trail, and the Chicago Women's Liberation Union Herstory Project, as well as other research and archival centers, archeological sites, and National Park facilities.

Each double-page, illustrated spread covers the Facilities, Programs and Collections at each site, as well as websites and contact information.
This great new book also features 50 pages of Resources for travelers and teachers, including Women's History Travel Itineraries and Tours, plans for Teaching with Historic Places, and lists of useful books and websites.

Order today, and enjoy it this summer. Women's history is all around us!
Guide to Women's History Sites and Resources 144 pages, 5½ x 8½" paperback, 4-color cover, over 100 photographs $8.95
Click here to order: Guide to Women's History Sites and Resources

National Women's History Project
3440 Airway Dr Ste F
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
http://www.nwhp.org
(707) 636-2888
nwhp@nwhp.org

- Converting OK Women's Network Blog to "v 2.0" (Ideas welcome)

Mashable has a good post on journalism and the use of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. I'm sensitive to this topic after my post about portrayal of violence against women in the Sotomayor cartoon went national/viral.

Every story - Huffington Post, AP, et. al. - began by identifying me as Chair of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition. I wasn't speaking on behalf of the Coalition but I am chair of the Coalition and last Wednesday I was re-elected to serve as chair for another year -- so this is an issue for me.

Even though I am not a journalist in the traditional sense, Kelly McBride, an ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, has some good suggestions we all should consider:

1. Use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook because familiarity with the tools is important.

2. Always be mindful that you represent more than just yourself. Even if you are an individual journalist, the stakes are higher than with other professions.

3. Presume your tweets, status updates or other content on these sites will go further in terms of reach than you intend for it to go.

4. Ask your boss to follow you on Twitter because it’s a good accountability measure.

Problem is, if I waited until my board reacted to another post like the S-cartoon one, it would be a little late. And don't tell me to just "be more careful" or "control myself" as that, obviously, isn't always going to happen. (Yup; I'm human.)

I think I just need to stop blogging while I am chair of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition.

But I'd like the Oklahoma Women's Network website and blog to continue - just without me.

I've thought about transferring management to a team of Oklahoma women bloggers to maintain for the next year. They could post under their own names and/or invite other Oklahoma women to submit guest posts. I'd hope they'd do a better job than I have of limiting this blog's scope to OKLAHOMA + WOMEN topics.

Think anyone would take on the task? Got a better idea? If you have any suggestions for how to transition the Oklahoma Women's Network Blog over to "generation 2.0" I hope you'll leave a comment. Thanks!

Happy Juneteenth, everyone!

Happy Juneteenth!

- Okahoma women to compete in 2009 Air Race Classic

Cross your fingers for Barbara McClurkin and the other four University of Oklahoma women pilots who will be competing June 230June 26 in the 2009 Air Race Classic. Read about it here.

-- the book "Florence of Arabia" inspired by Oklahoma's Fern Holland

I had the pleasure of working with four college interns this past year. One of them, Erin Campbell, graduated from Southern Nazarene University last month and is now back home in Kansas City. She sent me a newsy email today and I wanted to share with you one paragraph from that email. Enjoy.

I've had some time to do some reading, and my mom suggested a novel called "Florence of Arabia" by Christopher Buckley. It's political satire meets spy novel meets feminism meets the Middle East. It's hilarious and entertaining. I got to the end and read the acknowledgments and discovered the story was inspired by a real woman named Fern Holland from Oklahoma! I'm betting you've heard of her, but I googled her and was amazed by what I found! Here's an article from the NY Times Magazine a few years ago about her: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/magazine/19WOMENL.html . It only made the book better to discover it was based on a true story about an Oklahoman Woman. I'd highly recommend it!

-- Will smoking get tougher for Oklahomans?

The US government has put oversight of nicotine under the US Food and Drug Administration. Watch this brief Fox News video clip for the Oklahoma spin (good job, Marilyn Davidson with the Oklahoma Heart Association). Representative Dan Boren and Representative Mary Fallin were the only two members of Oklahoma's Congressional delegation to vote for tighter controls on tobacco products.

-- OU's Taylor Treat of Ada is Miss Oklahoma

Taylor Treat, recently crowned Miss Oklahoma, selected as her "platform" service learning. You go, girl. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on community service - including service learning. Good topic. Go forth and spread the word. Read more about Taylor by clicking here.

- OK's child abuse and neglect numbers declining

The Oklahoma Policy Institute has looked at the trend in the annual number of confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma and reports that "the news is decidedly encouraging."

Why are the numbers down? The OPI analysis suggests a combination of policies, practices, and economic circumstances including new prevention programs like Children First, Healthy Start and Safe Care; DHS Child Protective Services' new emphasis on assessments rather than investigations; and Oklahoma's recent strong economy.

The downward trend is NOT due - they argue - to a decline in the effort to report and investigate suspected abuse since reported cases of abuse and neglect that have been investigated have remained steady in recent years.

I appreciate OPI producing this helpful brief. You can read their report here.

-- Margo MacRobert awarded RWJ Foundation grant

Congratulations to Margo MacRobert with OU's College of Nursing. She has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study ways to reduce injuries sustained by seniors when they fall. Click for more.

-- Becky Felts & Linda Hampton to lead OEA

Members of the Okahoma Education Association recently elected a new president (Tahlequah teacher Becky Felts) and Vice president (Pleasant Grove teacher Linda Hampton). Click for more.

DDI Global Releases Study on "Holding Women Back"

A recent study entitled "Holding Women Back" found that lack of leadership training programs keeps women executives from advancing. Read more about the study here.

Lawmakers Seek Judge’s Removal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Mike Ritze
Capitol: (405) 557-7338

OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers may consider removing a judge from office following a controversial sentencing decision.

House Resolution 1065, by state Reps. Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds, calls for the Oklahoma House of Representatives to petition the Trial Division of the Court on the Judiciary to assume jurisdiction and institute proceedings to remove District Judge Thomas Bartheld, Pittsburg County Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District, from office.

The resolution cites “gross neglect of duty” as the reason for removal.

“The people in Oklahoma must have confidence in the courts to deliver impartial justice,” said Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “Clearly, that did not happen in this case and I have heard from many constituents who are outraged.”

“While it would be simpler and better if the governor or attorney general would step up and take this action, we have filed the resolution to ensure the process can move forward regardless,” said state Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.

David Harold Earls, 64, was recently sentenced to a year in prison for raping a four-year-old girl in Pittsburg County. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached by prosecutors and the defense attorney.

The sentence and Bartheld have received national attention and criticism as a result of the case.

OKC's World Neighbors To Be Honored June 13

World Neighbors will receive the Basic Human Needs award during the deadCENTER Film Festival this Saturday night.

Wavy Gravy, the founder of the SEVA Foundation, will present the award, which is named after a song he wrote proclaiming that all humans should have their basic needs met.

The Basic Human Needs award is presented to an organization or person that has gone above and beyond to raise awareness about an issue they are passionate about.

You can join World Neighbors on Saturday for Peace, Love and Wavy Gravy starting at 6:30 p.m. The evening will begin with Yoga with Laura Lester, followed by six different live musical acts from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. The award ceremony will begin at 9 p.m., then Wavy Gravy will show the movie of his life, Saint Misbehavin' - The Wavy Gravy movie."All the evening events will take place on the lawn located at the corner of N.E. 3rd & E.K. Gaylord in downtown Oklahoma City.

For more information about the five-day festival, please visit www.deadcenterfilms.org.

Women Who Blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc

The "2009 Women and Social Media Study" prepared by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners is out.

Here is BlogHer's press release about this year's study.
This is About.com: Women's Issues "take" on the study findings.
And here is the report (in slide show format).

79 million women in the US use the Internet.
53% actively participate in some type of social media at least weekly.
8 million author blogs (kudos to us); 12 million post to blogs.
And we Twitter and use forums and lots of other stuff.
We do it for fun, community, to get information, seek advice, stay informed.

I'd like to see more women blogging. But US women - and girls - definitely have a marked presence on the Internet. Go, girls!

The Geography of Jobs

This is a very cool website that shows job gains and job loses over time in the US.. Thankfully the dots indicating job loses never get very big in Oklahoma - unlike in Michigan!!!!!

Check it out: http://tipstrategies.com/archive/geography-of-jobs/

Another 1st for Oklahoma Women's Coalition

Tomorrow is a big day. The Oklahoma Women's Coalition hosts its first Annual Business Meeting and Issues Forum at the Oklahoma History Center. We have 26 organizational members and 175 individual members and over 100 of them are coming for the full afternoon. We'll do a full business meeting followed by an expert panel on aging, violence and incarceration as those issues impact women in Oklahoma. Then Senator Debbe Leftwich and Representative Lee Denney will review the 2009 Oklahoma Legislative session as it impacted Oklahoma women and girls. We wrap up at 5 pm with a networking reception so everyone heads home on a full stomach. I'll report on the day here afterwards. Now I have to go collate and stuff 120 Participant Packets!

:-)

ClusterMaps is Fun but Who Are My 83,408 Visitors?

According to my Cluster Map Counter, since June 12, 2006, this blog has had 83,408 visits.

I'm not impressed because I assume many land on my URL expecting "Oklahoma women" (know what I mean? wink wink).

That probably explains why many never visit a second time -- like my one visitor from Burundi, Saint Lucia, Martinique, Bolivia, Azerbaijan, Seychelles, Yemen, Netherlands Antilles, Fiji, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, Somalia, Luxembourg, Mali, Central African Republic, Cayman Islands, Zimbabwe, French Guiana, Vanuatu, Bahrain, Bhutan, Haiti, British Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and Anguilla.

I guess they didn't find the sort of Oklahoma women here that they had in mind.

Still, for an unemployed housewife in Oklahoma City, it's a decent showing (over 45,000 in the past year) -- even if you throw out two-thirds as porn-seekers!

For those of you who actually wanted what you found here, I thank you for visiting.

:-)

OK Policy Institute Addresses "The Cliff Effect"

Dave Blatt, Director of Policy with the Oklahoma Policy Institute notes they have a new entry on the OK Policy blog that looks at the "cliff effect" that affects low-income workers who at times can have the benefits from increased wages partially or fully offset by the loss of work supports and public benefits. They look at how proposals concerning subsidized child care and, especially, expanded access to subsidized health care at the state and national levels could minimize the cliff effect and make less common the refrain, "Sorry, I can't afford to accept that raise". You can read the post at http://okpolicy.org/blog/poverty/the-cliff-effect-sorry-i-cant-afford-that-raise/.

Will Google's Wave revolutionize the Internet?

Will Goggle's Wave change everything? Wave is a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web that allows discussion and content collaboration - live. It is open source (yeah) and was created by the same two guys who created Goggle Maps. It is a program, a platform and a protocol. You can watch a 1 hour and 20 minute demo video of it from the recent Google IO by going to http://wave.google.com/.

Wow. Government Sponsored TED Talks. Brilliant.

This is a post on the White House blog (yes, THAT White House). And if you don't know yet what TED is, then this post is worth its weight in gold - even if you DON'T care that the U.S. State Department is - thru TED - initiating significantly increased interaction between our government and those who are already there, on the ground, making a difference (like foundations, businesses, non-governmental organizations, universities, and faith communities).

READ this blog post. If you don't yet know about TED Talks - well, you are in for a GREAT treat. Enjoy.

What do you think of Microsoft's search engine Bing?

Have you tried out Microsoft’s new search engine Bing yet? How does it stack up to Google in your opinion? What about Wolfram/Alpha which is supposed to make "the world's knowledge computable." (Evidently, I don't seem to know how to ask an answerable question on it yet!)

Good TW article on current/future OK House of Reps Speaker

Jim Talley has a good article in the Tulsa World on the position of Speaker in the Oklahoma House of Representatives including interesting information on the two men who have announced their interest in being elected Speaker when Chris Benge is term-limited out next year. All you Oklahoma politics junkies, you can read it here.

Oklahoma Lags Behind Re Internet Access

Once again I say thank goodness for Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and West Virginia. They fall below Oklahoma in the percentage of households with access to the Internet. So says the US Census Bureau based on 2007 data. In New Hampshire, 82.6 percent of the residents have Internet access. In Oklahoma it is 58 percent. The national average is 62.4 percent. And here is an interesting fact; Texas ranked worst than Oklahoma. Hmmm. Read The Oklahoman article here.

Polly Nichols To Be Inducted Into Oklahoma Hall of fame

The Oklahoma Heritage Association yesterday announced the 2009 inductees into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. They are Ken Ferguson, Burns Hargis, Lee Roy Selmon, Wayman Tisdale, Ike Glass, Polly Nichols and Justice Steven Taylor. What a great group! The induction takes place at the 82nd Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet on November 12 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center. Tickets go on sale in September and this will definitely be a sell out event. Go to this link to read about all 7 inductees and also watch a video including Nichols' remarks.

Polly Nichols is an extraordinary community volunteer and philanthropist. She has been involved with more nonprofits that you can name. Among them are the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma City Junior League, Science Museum Oklahoma, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma, Allied Arts, United Way, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and many more! Yeah, Polly!

Inasmuch Foundation Grants Benefit Oklahomans in Need

In its latest round of grant making, the Inasmuch Foundation recently awarded emergency assistance grants to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma ($250,000), Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City ($75,000) and Presbyterian Urban Missions ($50,000). All are wonderful causes; Edith Kinney Gaylord would be proud.

Is there a biography published about Ms. Gaylord? She certainly was a remarkable Oklahoma woman!

Norman HS Grad Melissa Jones Gets Gates Millenium Scholarship

Congratulations to Norman High School graduate Melissa Jones who is one of the 1,000 students to receive the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship! It means she will attend the University of Tulsa tuition free. She'll also get to meet bill Gates at the Gates Millennium Scholars National Conference this summer. That is very cool.

Few women willing to run for public office? Oklahoma isn't alone...

Check out this interesting article entitled "Why so few women in politics?" that recently ran in the Philadelphia Enquirer. Note that the "stats box" show Pennsylvania ranked 46th in the nation in women in the state legislature -- with Oklahoma ranked 49th.

Allyson Lowe is right when she notes that "increasing the number of women in elected office does make a difference in the kind of issues addressed and services provided by government."

What kind of mentoring systems are there for Oklahoma women interested in running for public office. I know about the nonpartisan "Pipeline To Politics" workshop that is offered by the Carl Albert Center's Women Leadership Program. Are there others our there in Oklahoma?

After you have read this article, contemplate the fact that Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor has just announced she will not seek re-election next year. Hmmm.

Women Business Owners: Please take this survey!

The Center for Women's Business Research, the National Women's Business Council, and Wal-Mart are sponsoring a dynamic new research study and your participation is crucial to its success. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to contribute to dynamic research that will impact the future of women's business ownership in the United States! Just five minutes of your time will help us support the growth of businesses like yours around the country.

The Council is supporting this research, which will measure the economic impact of women-owned firms in the United States, including direct spending and subsequent spending by suppliers and employees. This is the first time that this type of analysis has been undertaken for women-owned businesses nationwide and we anticipate that the results will have a profound effect on women business owners as well as policy makers, corporate executives and organizations which support women-owned businesses.

The study will be based on data collected by the Center in a brief, anonymous online questionnaire. In order for this research to have the greatest impact, the participation of women-business owners from across the country and from all industry segments is needed. This is a unique opportunity to contribute actionable data to the national dialogue on the current and future economic impact of women-owned businesses. Your participation will help assess the contributions of women entrepreneurs across the country and identify potential policies to encourage further growth at this point in time, not four years from now.

Go to https://www.w-bizinsight.org/R.aspx?a=63 to contribute to this research, by answering a brief series of questions about you (age, level of education, race/ethnicity) and your business (industry, years in business, number of employees, and previous year's sales). Your participation should take less than 10 minutes. The questionnaire will NOT request personally identifiable information (such as name, address, or phone number) and responses can NOT be traced back to any participant.

Please feel free to forward this request to other women business owners because the more responses the Center receives, the more impact the research will have! The deadline for participation is Friday, June 19.

(Thanks, WIPP and Laura Boyd for bringing this to my attention.)

The National Women's Business Council is a bi-partisan Federal government council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. Members of the Council are prominent women business owners and leaders of women's business organizations. Visit www.nwbc.gov.

Women Impacting Public Policy, Inc. (WIPP) is a national bi-partisan public policy organization that advocates for and on behalf of women and minorities in business in the legislative processes of our nation, creating economic opportunities and building bridges and alliances to other small business organizations. Through WIPP, our collective voice makes a powerful impact on Capitol Hill and with the Administration. Click here to read WIPP’s Bipartisan Policy Statement.

Ooops. "Sorry!" to my recent blog commenters

Thank you, Jason Roberts, for calling to my attention the fact that I must have accidentally turned off my blog's "Comments" function.

I just fixed it so everyone who commented, your published! Sorry, sorry, sorry.

And I really appreciate the moderating insights that many of you have left for me.

Did I over react to The Oklahoman cartoon? Maybe. But I was trying to view it through the eyes of a 12 year old girl. Kids don't "get the joke" because they don't follow the news like we news junkies do. (Having taught Intro to American Government at OU, I can tell you most college freshmen don't "get" lots of political cartoons either!)

If you don't know who those people (or elephants) are, all you see is a woman hanging by a rope and people getting ready to hit her with big sticks. I am fighting to change the culture of violence in Oklahoma. Hitting women is bad. Hanging women is bad. View the cartoon through the eyes of a young Oklahoma girl and I still think it was pretty scary.

Anyway, sorry I accidentally turned off comments a few weeks ago (I do NOT know how that happened). It is back on so, commenters, have at it!

Child Victims of Domestic Violence (YWCA-OKC & Sarkeys)

Domestic violence is an epidemic in Oklahoma, one that has resulted in nearly 30 deaths in 2009 alone. The damage to women is obvious: Oklahoma is 4th in the nation for the number of women killed by men.

Less apparent are the caustic affects on the next generation as the cycle of violence damages children living with domestic abuse.

To help stem this tide of violence, the Sarkeys Foundation awarded a grant of $100,000 to the YWCA Oklahoma City to help child victims of domestic violence.

As the only shelter for battered women and children in Oklahoma County, staff at the YWCA understands that domestic violence places children at considerable risk. Children are physically or sexually abused in 70% of homes with domestic violence, while 100% can suffer emotional trauma, resulting in a host of developmental and behavioral challenges.

“Children are often seen as hidden victims of domestic violence, but they are a top priority at the YWCA,” said Janet L. Peery, CEO of the YWCA Oklahoma City.

The YWCA provides wrap-around care to help children heal from the trauma caused by domestic violence and child abuse. Case management, domestic violence education, trauma intervention counseling and other YWCA Children’s Services allow children to heal while helping to end the dangerous cycle of abuse.

Funding from the Sarkeys Foundation will help the YWCA continue to offer life-changing programs to Oklahoma children in need. “As the economy tightens, funding like this for existing programs is critical,” said Peery. “Thanks to the Sarkeys Foundation, the YWCA can keep sharing help and hope with the smallest, most vulnerable victims of violence – the children.”

Source. YWCA Media Contact: Josh Beasley, Cell: 405-503-3681 / Office: 405-951-3322

Dark Chocolate Rum Cake (shipped!)

The day I hit my "ideal weight" and Weight Watchers releases me from counting points and weighing in weekly, I am going to this http://www.hottietoddieliquorcakes.com/index.html and ordering Rachelle Jack's Dark Chocolate Coconut Rum Cake. Or maybe her Peachy Peach Brandy Cake or the Lacy Lemon Liqueur Poppy Seed cake or the Chocolate Truffle Brandy Pie. No, seriously, it'll be her Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Bourbon Cake. Well, maybe I'll just order one of each! I send my "Thanks" to The Oklahoman for profiling this Oklahoma business in their newspaper today. You can read their article here.

And then I am going to eat my way through Cuppies and Joes! But slowly - and I'll count my points - because I am a Weight Watcher!

Jari Askins is Blogging

There are a lot of Oklahoma women bloggers; I list quite a few of them on my blog. But very few discuss Oklahoma politics, government, public policy, public issues, business matters, civic affairs, etc. I like personal blogs but I'd love to see more Oklahoma women blogging what I call public policy oriented "value-added content." So I am delighted that Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins is not only using Twitter but is now also blogging. Check it out here. Want to follow her posts? Add her to your news aggregator using http://www.jariaskins.com/.

Do you know of any other Oklahoma women politicians or public officials who blog? If so, let us know, please!

Worst Place to Be a Mother: Sub-Saharan Africa

Save the Children has rated Sub-Saharan Africa as the most difficult place to be a mother. Think the USA is among the best places? Nope. "Many of the best places are in Northern Europe." Read full article by clicking here. You can read the State of the World's Mother's report here.

OK First Lady Kim Henry to Lead Sarkeys

Congratulations to Oklahoma's First Lady Kim Henry who will be the new executive director of the Sarkeys Foundation in Norman. Sarkeys was ably led by Cheri Cartwright until she lost her battle with cancer recently. Henry has served on the Sarkeys board since 2003 and will do a fabulous job. This is great news for Oklahoma.

Watch OKC's Rollergirls Compete Friday June 12

Do you believe in the big bang theory? Oklahoma City Roller Derby’s Tornado Alley Rollergirls will make you believe! Join them Friday night, June 12 at Historic OKC Farmers Market, 311 S. Klein, as they go up against Arkansas’ River Valley Rollergirls.

Fishnets will be worn, hits will be exchanged, and if you’re lucky you’ll drive home on a Due50 scooter from School House Cycle. There will be a drawing at half-time.

Still walking on air after their overtime win in Little Rock on Memorial Day weekend, your hometown sweethearts are ready to give their fans a win at home. League Coach, Sara Cidal is especially excited for this bout and ready for a victory in our house. “We have the most loyal, awesome fans and they deserve to see us skate our hearts out and show River Valley Rollergirls how bad it hurts when you lose in Oklahoma.”

Don’t find yourself busted flat in Derbyville waiting on a whip, purchase an “I Heart Rollergirls” sticker for $10.00 and be entered into a drawing for the chance to win a Due50 Scooter from School House Cycle. The drawing will take place at halftime.

Beer and merchandise vendors accept cash only. Tickets at the door are $12. Advance tickets can be purchased online at OKCtickets.com or from your favorite roller girl for $10. Tailgating starts in the parking lot at 5 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. The bout begins at 7p.m. and will consist of two 30-minute halves with the drawing at half time.

Want to support the team? Call Angela Summers (405) 641-5918; visit www.myspace.com/tornadoalleyrollergirls and follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OKCRD.

To watch the video promo please go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdcVhg0nO0Q

Shame on The Oklahoman for Violence Against Women Cartoon

Regarding today’s political cartoon in the OKC paper: What was The Oklahoman thinking?

Oklahoma ranks as the 3rd worst state in the nation for women. Much of what holds Oklahoma women and girls back is linked to our state’s culture of violence and disresepct for women. Oklahoma ranks #4 in women murdered by men, #1 in child abuse and our domestic violence shelters are full of women escaping violence.

So The Oklahoman today runs a cartoon showing Sonia Sotomayor - a brilliant Hispanic woman scholar, lawyer and judge - strung up by a rope while men with clubs prepare to have at her for believing she’s qualified to serve on the US. Supreme Court.

Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton, received a JD from Yale Law School where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal (but she grew up in the projects; obviously “that girl doesn’t know her place” - right? wink, wink). President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York where she served with distinction (but she’s a woman and, worst yet, ambitious - right? wink, wink). She’s served on the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit for 10 years, heard over 3,000 cases and written over 380 opinions (but she’s of Puerto Rican descent ~~ ergo the piñata image - right? wink, wink).

Not funny; actually stupid and damaging. A picture speaks louder than words and that cartoon sends a message to women of all ages: “Back off. Know your place. Or we’ll take a stick to you and teach you a lesson.”

Shame on The Oklahoman and its publisher, David Thompson!

Agree? Let The Oklahoman hear what YOU think!

Woman Shot By Partner (AGAIN!)

Oklahoma currently ranks #4 in the nation for woman murdered by their partner. And it looks like we may be rising in the rankings. There has been another case of a woman being shot by her estranged husband in Tulsa although it looks like the victim this time may survive.

Where do these men get the idea that being an "estranged husband" gives them the right to shoot to kill?! Read story here.

Sex Trafficking Up --- In Kansas!

Don't think sex-trafficking happens in our part of the world? Check out this article entitled "Police investigating sex trafficking in Wichita."

I've talked with the OKC cop in charge of monitoring and stopping sex trafficking in Central Oklahoma - in partnership with ICE personnel. His stories will curl your hair and make you want to keep a closer eye on your daughters and their girl friends.

Judicial Nominating Commission Candidates (no women)

Here is a post on Twitter from the Oklahoma Bar Association:

Meet the Judicial Nominating Commission candidates from Congressional Districts
5 and 6 http://tinyurl.com/ml5o4w

I'm sure they are all very capable but, please - can't we come up with one woman?!