Aubrey's blog

I’ve been scouring the news to understand the changes brought to us by health care reform. Some say the bill is the greatest congressional move since the civil rights movement, others say it is a decision more about party politics than about health care. I’ve read the information, and I’ve read the list of major changes that will come about: the government will cap premiums for health coverage so that families will not have to spend half of their income on insurance (as is quickly becoming the case). Companies with over 50 employees will be fined for not providing insurance to their employees. Insurance companies will not be allowed to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. Medicaid coverage will expand to cover more of those who cannot afford coverage. The list goes on (for 2000 pages!), but those are some of the main points. Still, after reading the news and searching through editorials, I was not satisfied with the answers I was given. I was not fully convinced that these legislative changes could, in fact, be considered reformation of our system in place.

Oh sweet relief. Thank you Democrats for voting yes on health care reform, for not allowing the process to continue stalling, for allowing us uninsured Americans to stop holding our breath.

In 2006, Latino students in Los Angeles organized a school walk-out, based around a disapproval of proposed immigration policies and increased criminalization of U.S. immigrants. Thousands of teenagers left school to protest—filled the streets, shouted through megaphones, showed their frustration in full force. But what everyone talked about was their surprise at how the whole thing was orchestrated—through MySpace.

In the mid-90s, French performance artist Orlan had nine cosmetic surgery procedures performed on her face; each broadcast live to museums and galleries around Europe. In each instance, she was awake, often adorned in outrageous costumes, reading poetry throughout the procedure. Orlan’s performance, dubbed “The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan” intended to pluck from history the archetypal images we associate with femininity. Lips from Bouche’s Rape of Europa, brow of the Mona Lisa, Chin of Boticelli’s Venus.

For the past week, I have sifted through writings on historical events and long-since passed women of significance, battling over which event may represent women’s history at its most interesting point. And my search has proved difficult. Which got me thinking—what defines an important moment in women’s history? Is it the immediacy of the event’s effect? The number of women affected? Is it the passage of a law? The first time a woman participates in an otherwise male-dominated activity? To all of these, the answer is yes.