We are going to traverse moods this month, going from serious to silly. We believe this echoes the depth and range women both possess and enjoy.

If you don’t already know about MADRE, well, you should. And if you haven’t either supported or checked out its Website, here it is. www.madre.org This is an international women’s human-rights organization that works in partnership with community-based women’s organizations worldwide to address issues of health and reproductive rights, economic development, education, and other basics. MADRE provides resources, training, and support to enable sister organizations to meet concrete needs in their communities, while also working to shift the balance of power toward long-term development and social justice.

March marks the 50th anniversary of NASA, and in celebration they are sending a satellite into space to play the Beatles tune “Across the Universe,” written 40 years ago. NASA has deemed this a gift to, you guessed it, the universe. Paul McCartney said it is an honor and sends his love to the aliens.

WORKPLACE WATCH:
Nearly 70 percent of baby boomers plan to work beyond age 65, according to Kristen Gerencher at Marketwatch.com. Some employers see the benefit of hiring older workers. Faced with a giant wave of retirements in the next several years, the federal government plans to tap the boomer talent pool for positions within the IRS, Peace Corps, and the Office of Disaster Relief. IBM has begun a partnership to train its 350,000 current and retired employees for future work in civil service. If you are worried about how to recast your résumé, here is a tip from Jan Cullinane in Forbes: “Make your résumé a combination of chronological and functional. List the most important jobs you have had in a chronological order, don’t concentrate on every job you have ever had, just focus on those jobs pertinent to the employment you are seeking.”

MAPPING WORDS MADE MANIFEST.
Jenny Beorkrem is an entrepreneur who hails from Bettendorf, Iowa (a few blocks from the Mississippi River and the western border of Illinois). She got a BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, concentrating on graphic-design coursework there. “Always in awe of the big city, I transplanted to Chicago after graduating and worked for a marketing communications agency here before starting Ork Posters in 2007. I’ve always had the entrepreneurial itch, and having my own company is an absolute dream come true. That this is a company that allows me to be creative all day long makes it even better than the dream.” Look to the right.

www.orkposters.com

BUBBLING OVER
If you are looking for a show that spans the generations, infants to aged hipsters to teenagers; then take your brood to see the Gazillion Bubble Show. It is part Las Vegas glitz, part heartfelt musing, and part mini-circus, but no one in the audience leaves without at least ten OOOHS and AHHHS. And finding a show where all ages get to bubble and coo in joy is very rare.
Gazillion Bubble Show tickets:
www.gazillionbubbleshow.com

THE BOTTLE OF WINE.
For all of us who are married, were married, wish we were married, or wish we weren’t married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. She stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with her. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. “What’s in the bag?” asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said: “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.” The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then, speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: “Good  trade.”

— Wilson Sherwin

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