I haven't been out of my jammies since I got home last night. Yay jammies.

Weekend Diversion: An Amazing Group of Women

I take so many things for granted in this country that I don't often think about having to fight for my very basic freedoms, such as the freedom not to be sold into a slave trade. But in many countries, people (especially women) don't have that freedom.

Which is why I'm happy to share with you what I learned about the Asgarda.

In the Ukraine, women are often victims of exploitation and sexual trafficking. And since Stalin, women in the entire former Soviet Union were decidedly second-class citizens (and still are treated as such in many places). One movement that's gaining momentum against this sort of thing (and against oppression in general) is the female-only tribe, Asgarda, that's growing in the Carpathian Mountains. The legend that inspired them? From their website:

It is said that Ukrainian women were always most beautiful, merry, good-natured, talented, and generous, as well as courageous, selfless, faithful, and wise. Foreign historians were amazed at the span of knowledge of our women. They could read, write, they had equal rights with men, they were respected, and their advice was taken

In Ukraine a woman was always a guardian, protector, and priestess. She had the knowledge of medicine, treatment of illnesses, medicinal herbs, and laws of nature, universe, and religion. She was able to sing, dance, play musical instruments, and write poetry and songs. She knew astronomy and astrology... Everything she did, she did with goodness and love.

Personifying the modern incarnation of this is Katerina Tarnovska. She is the 30-year old woman who founded Asgarda, which currently has about 150 members (all women, mostly teenage girls) living together and studying martial arts, independence, literacy, life skills, and science. Everything she can think of -- including traditionally male traits -- that these young women will need to be autonomous, powerful, brave and successful.

...

Another teacher at the school, Volodymyr Pylat, says the following:

The most important fight in the life person conducts with itself. Working upon its body the person becomes not only healthier, achieves progress in its measures, but also becomes self-discipline, develops skills in controll of its spirit, mind and body, further develops its adroitness, personality, strength of beliefs, firmness, courage, bravery in deeds.

All these skills are as necessary for women as for men. Now women don't occupy second-rate role in the society, so if they are improving themselves, they are improving society. That's why they need martial systems as means of stamping body, spirit and mind.

Link has photos and links to more photos as well as articles in Bust and Planet.

Here's the Asgarda site.

Hey, Jesse, did you just peel the peach and put bite-sized chunks in the cake?

I peeled and sliced. The cake puffs way up over the fruit (or at least it did in my pie plate). The boiling water method made peeling v. easy, btw.

Yeah, I tried to blanch the peach, but half the time I don't leave it in the pot long enough, and 90% of the time I forget to cut a slit in the top.

As always, Nilly is a love who has never offended me (yes, I am catching up.)

Oh, God, Emmett's doing Matilda's makeup on her.

(From her kiddie Glitter Girl set she got for her birthday.)

I'm afraid the final result will make the Joker cry.

PICTURES!

ahem.

Wouldn't it be weird if there was a polling company that just... made up their poll results?

Well, possibly that is what happened. Or possibly not. Anyway, Nate Silver and others have been on the case recently. Here's a good summary: [link]

One little tidbit - the polling company has claimed to have a number of offices around the country. Guess what - every address for these offices is actually a box at a UPS store. Weird, huh?

Gah, I drew 24 illustrations today and laid them out as two foldable booklets. I am really about ready to have a weekend that's not all spent at the office.