Thank you again and again Stephen for your insightful musings that always pique my curiosity and keep me learning new things that I almost feel embarassed I hadn't discovered on my own before you brought them to my attention. I don't recall ever having heard of Bella Abzug and now, with just a little Google research from your prompt, I'm in love with her :) In answer to your question, I found this: "Immediately after law school, Bella joined a labor law firm that represented union locals. Routinely overlooked when she entered an office to represent the United Auto Workers, or the Mine, Mill and Smelting Workers, or local restaurant workers, she decided to wear hats. Hats made all the difference when it came to recognition and even respect, and they became her trademark." on this site: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/abzug.html. Thank you again for the edification you inspire and for all you do to highlight human rights issues and to make our world as good as it is, on International Women's Day and on every other day too. As you say, we'll all just have to keep trying a little harder. Ardently, Kathleen Betts www.goodnewstoronto.ca www.facebook.com/thepathtorichesinthinkandgrowrich “It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you Mary for so bluntly and accurately pinpointing the mind-numbing effect I've often experienced too. It's great comfort to know I'm not alone! My curiousity is piqued now. I have to check out The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I think my daughter will love it. She adores books written in journal-entry form. Something compels me to mention "The Waterproof Bible" by Andrew Kaufman. Something about it left me in that hazy "what-did-I-just-read?" state I think you're describing. Thank you thank you Mary for finding the perfect way to describe what I and surely others have felt too.