My heart is heavy as I take in the reality that Gaza is uttering its last breath. Israel is forcing starving Gazans further and further...
Will We Ever Learn?
My heart is heavy as I take in the reality that Gaza is uttering its last breath. Israel is forcing starving Gazans further and further south luring them with food drop-offs, which have become death traps. To date 400 Gazans have [...]
Pat Taub
Feminism10
Mommie Dearest
Molly Jong-Fast’s new memoir, “How to Lose Your Mother” conjured up memories of the 1981 film, “Mommie Dearest,” where Faye Dunaway played Joan Crawford, Hollywood’s narcissistic abusive mother. Jong-Fast is writing about her famous mother Erica Jong, author of “Fear of Flying. Jong, while narcissistic was not physically abusive, [...]
Pat Taub
Speaking with Clothing
Fashion commentator Emily Chou observes “Every time you dress, you’re making choices and even an “I-don’t-care” message is a clear statement.” We all want to be thought of in terms of our ideas and talents, but because we live in a visual culture, it’s almost impossible to avoid having others form a first impression based on [...]
Pat Taub
Waking Up
When I think about what has made my life meaningful, it’s come from those experiences where I woke up. Events that rocked my world when I was confronted with truths that ran counter to how I was living my life. As a young woman I was awakened as a result of living through the Viet Nam war and the second wave of Feminism. As the Viet [...]
Pat Taub
Motherhood Revisited
GUEST POST by LISA SAVAGE Yesterday I read a novel that took me back to the fierce experience of becoming a mother under late-stage capitalism. Claire Kilroy perfectly captures the despair and precarious state of infant mothers where there is no mothering for them. The protagonist of SOLDIER SAILOR is at the end of her rope and very nearly [...]
Pat Taub
A Newfound Freedom
More and more older women are discovering a new voice: one that embraces a newfound freedom. Sharon Blackie, author of Hagitude, contends that women tend to lose their inhibitions as they age. Aging often ushers in a new confidence. Many older women describe themselves as not the same person they were 20 or 30 years ago. Living through [...]
Pat Taub
Whom to Remember on Mother’s Day
I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day to honor not just our biological mothers but our spiritual mothers as well. They are the teachers, neighbors, aunts, family friends and others whose generosity of spirit left an indelible impression on our younger selves. Often these women didn’t have their own children but lovingly nurtured and [...]
Pat Taub
Courage Reimagined
The story of women journalists in Gaza requires a new definition of courage. Many of these women are under 30. Several are young mothers. Daily they risk their lives to document the horrors of the escalating genocide in Gaza. Last year, Israeli bombs killed five women journalists in 24 hours. It’s difficult for most Westerners to [...]
Pat Taub
Missing Meaningful Connections?
I feel sad and misunderstood among family and friends who dismiss my deep despair over the genocide in Gaza. Several friends are down in the dumps over their disconnections with adult children, who hold grudges against them, or who simply don’t make time for them. Thousands of Americans are angry over Trump’s cuts to essential living benefits, [...]
Pat Taub
Struggling to Find Balance In A Deeply Troubling World
Chaos is a seductress, but peace is the real power.—Diamond-Michael Scott Chris Hedges, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, contends that Trump is intentionally creating chaos to unmoor us and advance his oligarchy agenda. The more we are stuck in shock and awe, the easier it is for Trump to advance his Right-wing agenda. Caitlin Johnstone [...]
Pat Taub
In Memory of Cecile Richards (1957-2025): Guidelines for Trouble Makers
Cecile Richards died on Monday, January 20, 2025. She was the courageous President of Planned Parenthood from 2006-2018, when the organization was under sharp attack by conservatives. She helped fend off attacks to cut its funding and efforts to restrict access to abortions. In her memory I’m reposting my May, 2018 WOW post, which [...]
Pat Taub