Monday, October 15, 2018

Influential Women Today


Some women that I admire today include Rachel Notley, (Premier here in Alberta), Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Premier Notley has conducted herself and her party with exemplary management through very difficult economic times in this province. Two years before her election the province saw a rapid decline in the job market as the world turned away from the oilsands and by the time she was elected the province was already suffering financially with loss of revenue from the industry. Despite this she decided to spend where funds needed to be spent rather than “cut, cut, cut”, the mantra of the Conservatives no matter if we are in the best of times or the worst of times (hence seeing a dramatic failing of infrastructure over the last 3 decades).  Media coverage of her progress has been negligible and the bias of the press is so blatant it makes this writer sick. One must do one’s own research in order to gain the facts of her leadership and the successes she has brought to the province.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is another woman who has been maligned to such an extent I marvel at her resilience in still being active in trying to make a better world. Only a few days ago she was at Oxford for the unveiling of a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt honouring her for her part in developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In her first book “It Takes a Village” she wrote admiringly of the social quietness of Denmark which naturally struck a chord with me. Her many efforts towards getting an affordable health care to Americans has been another reason why I like this woman. Her grit and determination, her amazing ability to speak knowledgably on a variety of important issues (I will go to the mattresses on the Obama-Clinton debates; she won those debates and the journalists were merely having their ears tickled by Obama) and her sheer stamina and determination to make a difference make her one of the top 10 admired women of the 21st century, in my opinion.
The third woman that I admire is Oprah Winfrey. From the moment she took the national stage as a TV host she has made a huge impact on women. Her fearlessness in tackling any topic made her show ground-breaking and her openness about her own personal issues made her beloved by millions of women. I think she has done a remarkable service in promoting others into celebrity, such as Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rachel Ray and others. She isn’t selfish in that regard. One of her wonderful initiatives has been to create a Book Club which in turn has inspired thousands of book clubs around the world. Being an avid reader she has regularly spotlighted books and interviewed authors in her O Magazine. For a long time she had a monthly feature where a celebrity would write about their favorite books and every magazine has the latest books reviewed. She does tours and inspires women (and men) to “Live Your Best Life” and I am sure we will hear of legacy stories in the future.
There are few women who impact the world in a meaningful way but these are three of my favorites.
"I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back." ―Malala Yousafzai

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