Thursday's Truth - St. Patrick was actually Scottish and a 5th Century A.D. Women's Advocate

I know most of you are aware of this. And I hope this will not put a damper on any St. Patrick's activities you may have planned!

What you may not know is that there is strong evidence to suggest he voiced strong opposition to Female Slavery, a widespread practice among the Druids in Ireland during the the 5th Century A.D.

Adamnan of Iona, a student of St. Patrick's tells a story of how his teacher once encountered a Druid and demanded that he release a woman in his captivity. According to legend, ""an angel sent from heaven, striking him severely, has broken in pieces the glass cup which he held in his hand, and from which he was in the act of drinking, and he himself is left half dead. Then he consented to free the Irish girl, and Columba cured him of the wound."

Please enjoy the day we have set aside to honor this important figure in our history. And may the luck of the Irish follow you forever!

Tuesday's Treasure - Fashion Flourishes through Female Entrepreneurs!

What a great time to be a female in the Fashion industry. Through my association with the 85 Broads Network, I have met many very talented and savvy businesswomen who work in the fashion world for top designers, or who have recently set up their own ventures after working in other areas.

Our own Evie, who is a Spokesmodel for WWRG and an 85 Broads member, is actively involved in several projects including the Fashion for Development initiative she is now rolling out via South South News. We featured her shows in a recent Lifestyle Lifters post.

We have also featured a venture curated by Shauna Mei called Aha!Life. For those of you looking for something unique to give to someone or yourself, I recommend you visit their website and sign up. Many of their offerings are created by women or benefit women in disadvantaged countries.

Another recent addition to the firmament of fashion by an 85 Broads member (or members in this case!) is Moda Operandi. Here, Ashlaug Magnusdottir and Lauren Santo Domingo have created a "first-in-category, members-only online store that lets customers browse and pre-order designer collections immediately following their runway presentation. Launched during New York Fashion Week, M'O was created to allow its members to "shop the runway" from the privacy of their own homes.

Moda Operandi provides direct access to complete runway collections from the finest designer brands, including Nina Ricci, Giambattista Valli, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler, as well as jewelry, shoes, handbags, and accessories. Membership perks include recommendations from top stylists, personal shopping assistants, and tools to review looks from every angle."

So many great Women now hold C-level positions at fashion industry Icons like Burberry and Gilt Groupe, to name but a few. If you have a "passion for fashion", please consider joining a network like 85 Broads where you will find plenty of support and mentorship. This is the vision that Janet Hanson set forth when she co-founded the organization in 1997 which has grown to a membership of over 25,000 women and a few enlightened men (me included!)

Monday's Motivational Makeover - Dealing with Personal Loss

By now I'm sure most of you are aware of the devastating Earthquake and resulting Tsunami that hit northeastern Japan late Friday of last week.

There are no words to describe the loss of life and property, now estimated to be upwards of 10,000 souls and $35 Billion in initial assessments. Having lived in Japan as a youth I can tell you that minor earthquakes were a common occurrence. At first, it is a bit unsettling, but as time goes on, it becomes just another part of life that is beyond our control. No one among the Japanese people that I observed gave it a second thought.

Perhaps it is because they live by the attitude of "Shigate ga nai" or "that which cannot be helped".

In a 2007 National History Day award winning paper titled "The Triumph and Tragedies of Japanese Women in America" , young Japanese-American writer, Taylor Sakamoto provides insight into the evolution of the Japanese women's movement and how ancient customs made life difficult for females in their culture even here in America where their U.S counterparts, while not yet at parity with men, had more opportunity and better chances for success. Ironically, her Maternal Great-Grandmother, Kazue Aoki, emigrated to the US in 1912 as a "picture bride" from the island of Honshu where the recent earthquake and tsunami was most devastating.

Let us show support for the Japanese women in our network as they struggle to deal with the after effects of this terrible tragedy, especially those who have lost Children and loved ones. There is no greater pain that the death of a child or the anguish of not knowing the whereabouts or condition of those that are missing.

The strength of women in times of struggle and challenge are legendary. Please give generously to one of the myriad of relief efforts now underway. But most importantly remember to cherish each day as if it is your last, and live by the attitude of "Shigate ga nai".

Wednesday's Women of Courage - Voices of September 11th's Mary Fetchet

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that took the lives of over 3,000 civilians and military personnel, and forever changed the lives of countless others.

Mary Fetchet's 24 year old son Brad, was killed in the attack on number two World Trade Center that day. Over the past decade Mary, a trained Social Worker, has worked tirelessly and courageously to help victim's families and others affected by the tragedy through the Voices of September 11th Foundation she co-founded in October of 2001. In 2003, they received 501 (c)3 status and continue to expand their outreach.

Here is some of her bio from the Voices website:

"Ms. Fetchet has achieved significant local and national praise for her advocacy work. A strong advocate for raising national and local preparedness, Ms. Fetchet campaigned for the creation of the independent 9/11 Commission and continues to promote the implementation of the Commission's recommendations for government reforms. She has testified before the 9/11 Commission, and before the United States Senate and House of Representatives on five occasions. She has made countless appearances on national television programs, and frequently contributes to print and radio news media.

Ms. Fetchet has served on a number of advisory boards and organizations including: The Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Independent Commission, the National Homeland Defense Foundation, the National Traumatic Stress Network, the Coalition of 9/11 Families, the Family Advisory Committee of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), Columbia’s WTC Evacuation Study as well as the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Homeland Security Alert System Task Force.

Ms. Fetchet's work has brought her substantial recognition that includes being a recipient of the National Justice Award in 2003 and being presented with the 'Connecticut Hero' award by Senator Joseph Lieberman in September 2004. She was also named an ABC News Person of the Year in December 2004. Other honors include a 2005 Red Cross Award, a 2005 Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellowship, a 2006 "Connecticut's Most Uncommon Women" award. Ms. Fetchet was also featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Making a Difference and Hometown Heroes and DIRECTTV Hometown Heroes Production.

A graduate of Columbia University with an M.S. degree, Ms. Fetchet worked as a clinical social worker at Bridges, an outpatient mental health clinic in Milford, CT. She lives in New Canaan with her husband Frank, and has two surviving sons, Chris, age 22, and Wes, age 29".

Mary and her staff are busily preparing for some of the numerous events surrounding the tenth anniversary. Please visit the Voices website for more information on how to get involved or make a donation toward the effort.

Tuesday's Treasure - Event Alert "How Women-Owned Small Businesses Will Save The Economy"

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Tuesday's Treasure post to let you know about a "treasure" of another kind and a very special event she will be speaking at for those of you in the NY Metro Area.

Her name is Kathy McShane and we featured her in a Wednesday's Women of Courage post last year. This Wednesday, March 10, at 9:30am at Waveny House in New Canaan, CT, the American Association of University Women will host Kathy where she will discuss women entrepreneurs and how their growing ranks will change our economy and help lead us out of the financial crisis that continues to put women, their children, and generations to come, at risk.

This blog has been a strong advocate for Women's Empowerment and Women Entrepreneurship. In a blog last year we highlighted the events surrounding the Women's Forum in Deauville, France which has become the "Davos for Women". We have featured pioneering women entrepreneurs such as Shauna Mei, founder of AHA!Life and women, like Kathy McShane, and VC Cindy Padnos of Illuminate Ventures that target women-led ventures, and help them realize their dreams.

Please continue to support the efforts of Women Entrepreneurs and seek them out when next you are looking for goods or services. Your local chapter of 85 broads or Ladies Who Launch are a good starting point.

Lifestyle Lifters - Fashion for Development

Where in the World are our WWRG Jetsetters these days?

Judging by the map of visitor's locations on the sidebar to the right side of this page - practically everywhere!

As I indicated in my post last November, we are moving swiftly toward our goal to become the leading resource for Women of Wealth and Influence by bringing you on-demand, real-time content on Social Media Technologies that are now the most rapidly growing base of users - Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN.

Since our relaunch in January 2011, our own Face and Voice of WWRG - Evie - has been around the world of fashion, both literally and virtually.

We are excited that her "Fashion for Development" project in conjunction with South South News, is now in full swing and receiving rave reviews. South South News is a leading digital media platform for the countries of the South that is facilitating, connecting, and publishing news on various efforts in sustainable economic and social development to audiences and multiple constituencies not only in the South but also around the world.

In a series of interviews conducted during NY Fashion Week last month, Evie highlighted the new collections of some of the world's most famous and socially involved designers including IvanaHelsinki (Paola Suhonen), Norma Kamali, and Zang Toi.

In these interviews, you will hear IvanaHelsinki speak about her support of UNICEF Dolls, Norma Kamali talk about how she helped girls in an Orphanage in India by using their embroidery in her clothing line, and Zang Toi's thoughts on how fashion can help women in developing countries - his support of battered women in Madagascar via his charity work there is just one example.

Here are the interviews courtesy of South South News:

Ivana Helsinki
Norma Kamali
Zang Toi

Please follow Evie and I on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EvieofWWRG and http://twitter.com/JBHIVof WWRG respectively.

Remembering Winston S. Churchill, IV

Today, March 2, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Winston S. Churchill, IV, Grandson of Sir Winston Spencer-Churchill one of the great leaders of our time, following a long and valiant battle with Prostate Cancer.

He will always be in our thoughts and prayers, as will his faithful and courageous widow, Luce, who never left his side during Chemo treatments that left him weak and unable to maintain the energetic lifestyle to which he was so accustomed.

Of his wife’s devotion he said, "We had a friend over from Palm Beach who said that I have a team of highly qualified, devoted, round-the-clock nurses. They are all called Luce.” Never more true was the saying “Behind every great man, there is a great woman.”

Throughout his life, young Winston, IV (shown above with Sir Winston and father Randolph) strove to preserve and emulate the leadership style of his famous Grandfather.

In his Obituary published March 3, 2010 in the British Newspaper, The Telegraph it was noted that “Churchill was frequently at the bedside during his grandfather’s final coma; his elder son Randolph was born two days before the great man died. At the funeral he and his father walked beside the gun carriage, and afterward Lady Churchill came to stay. He kept the flame alive as a trustee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, an honorary fellow of Churchill and an honorary LLD of Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, where Sir Winston’s “Iron Curtain” speech was delivered (March 5, 1946).”

Perhaps his greatest legacy is his work on a book of famous speeches by Sir Winston entitled “Never Give In: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches”, Hyperion, 2003.

The book, unfortunately, doesn’t include Churchill’s secret speech to the House of Commons, given April 23, 1943, in which he cataloged his country’s dire military situation and expressed faith in the United States. But the stirring testimonies during the dark days of the war and even after his political defeat show such grace and eloquence: “Never flinch, never weary, never despair,” he declared.

I wonder what he’d make of the current whining by the so-called leaders of modern times. Perhaps a copy of Winston, IV’s book should be required reading for every Member of the US Congress. If you believe this to be true, consider purchasing a copy and dispatch to your elected official.

I can think of no greater way to honor the life of Winston, IV.