Made in Dagenham and the Equality Pay Act

Made in Dagenham is about the 1968 strike by women in Dagenham, England, which eventually resulted in The Equality Pay Act.
When the Ford Dagenham female machinists work was categorized as unskilled resulting in a pay cut, they went on strike. When all the female machinists from the other Ford plants in the U.K. joined the strike, Ford was forced to shut down. The women had to stand up to Ford management and to their husbands, many of whom were employed by the same plant.
Made in Dagenham is a slightly fictionalized account reminding us that the fight for gender equality is not in the distant past.
Small moments in the film hit hardest. Sally Hawkins, who plays Rita O’Grady, finds herself thrust into a leadership position. When she first meets with the local union representative, he tells her “keep your head down when they (the Ford executives) ask questions and let the men do the talking.” Later, as she rushes off to a union conference, her husband reminds her he is out of clean shirts.
Sometimes the behavior best illustrates the times. For example, when the American Ford representative is welcomed into his English counterpart’s home, his host offers to take his hat and coat. He then immediately hands it off to his wife.
The film is not without humor. There is the real-life moment when a strike banner reading "We Want Sexual Equality" failed to unfurl properly and read “We Want Sex” instead.
The end result was the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1970, which made it illegal to have different pay scales for men and women. Please note that was two years after the strike, and American women still earn less than men.
Made in Dagenham is a reminder that we have come a long way, but the fight must continue.

Til Debt Do Us Part - Newlyweds

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978764437 by Drina Turner December 06, 2010 Were you in debt before you got married? Do you talk about money with your partner?  How do you handle your money even if you do not have a partner? Saturday nights on CNBC’s “Til Debt Do Us Part” Gail Vax-Oxlade shows couples how to get out of debt and build a stronger relationship. If they are willing to do whatever she says, they are rewarded with $5,000.00. Michelle and Zack are newlyweds. Michelle is an office administrator earning about $34,000 a year. Zack was in sales before deciding to go to school full time and become an architect. He furnished the apartment (without Michelle’s input) on credit, bought a second hand car (also without Michelle’s input) on credit and leaves Michelle to figure out how to pay for everything. Michelle copes with the stress by shopping. After reviewing their expenditures, Gail shows them they are overspending by $3,000.00 a month. At that rate, in five years they will owe $270,000.00. Ninety percent of marriages break up because of money problems but this couple agrees to follow Gail’s program. The first step is to cut up their credit and debit cards. Then they are .put on a cash budget reducing their spending from $4,500 a month to $1,300.00. Despite that, they will have to earn $500.00 more a month to make the budget balance and repay debt. Gail then has movers take away their leather couch, big screen TV and deluxe coffee maker. Why? Because they are not paid for. A week later Michelle is working at the stables and Zack has picked up a sales job. The biggest surprise is they have money leftover!  As a reward, Gail returns their furniture. Then Gail has them join another couple and play the Newlywed Quiz. Each couple answers the following questions. How do you split chores? How many kids do you want to have? Who is going to stay home with the baby? How do you want to spend your time? Not surprisingly, Michelle and Zack learn things about each other they did not know before. Michelle realizes Zack does a fair share of housework and Zack is surprised she wants to spend more time having fun. Their next challenge is designing their home. Despite their different styles, (he is very detail-orientated, she favors broad strokes), they are talking and enjoying each other. By the end of the show, it is clear this couple is on the right track. If they continue with Gail’s plan they will be out of debt in twenty-two months, have money in savings and an emergency fund. They have earned the $5,000.00 and a canoe camping trip! The non-compliant couples are a sharp contrast. It is disheartening because their turmoil and anxiety will surely escalate. It is hard to predict who will come away victorious but you stand to gain valuable insight about your relationship to money.

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978764437

The Fairy Jobmother: Parent Trap- Episode 3 by Drina Turner

November 13, 2010 08:56 PM EST Have you given up looking for work? Do you think there are no jobs left to apply for? If so, you might benefit from watching “The Fairy Job Mother” Thursdays on Lifetime. Hayley Taylor, an employment expert from the U.K., is here to help the unemployed regain their confidence and get back in the workforce. Recently she met with Ray and Deanna Senior. Deanna, formerly an interior designer, earned over $200,000 a year. Ray is a mechanic who also worked in pool construction. They lost their jobs within weeks of each other. Living beyond their means without any savings quickly resulted in losing their home. The family of six (four children) were forced to move in with Ray’s parents. They have been there two years. After meeting the family Hayley observes their behavior. It is apparent Deanna is truly “the alpha female” that Ray described. He describes himself as hardworking, capable of delegating responsibility but has not looked for work in a week. The next step is a financial assessment. Hayley reviews their income (approximately $2,466 a month) and outgo meeting with much resistance from Deanna. Its obvious Ray does not have an accurate picture of their spending, leaving it to Deanna and his parents to fill in the gaps. Now the action plan begins. First, Hayley prompts Ray’s parents to issue a deadline for them to move out. Then off to the library to prepare new resumes. Here is where Hayley’s employment expertise comes in.  She points out Deanna’s resume is too long (three pages) and although Ray’s objective is to be a mechanic, he did not include his experience. Moving on, Hayley arranges for Ray and Deanna to do some work at the Westin Mission Hills Hotel followed by knocking on doors and handing in their resumes. After they have interview scheduled Hayley kicks into high gear. She interviews them the way a prospective employer would. She provides feedback on their answers, appearance and offers suggestions like not bringing your cell phone into the interview. Make eye contact, do not fidget in your chair, cover any tattoos and dress professionally. Predictably, by the end of the hour Deanna and Ray are offered jobs. Deanna will start at an art gallery and Ray with Paradise Volkswagen. Despite her resistance, Deanna admits they could not have done it without Hayley's help. If you are unemployed, the show could give you useful ideas that work. You may see mistakes to avoid. Epilogue: Deanna eventuall accepts a catering position to better balance work and family.  Ray did not take the job with Paradise Volkswagen. Maybe there is a show in that.

What's Eating You on E

We are a nation plagued by image while struggling with obesity.  How we look impacts how others treat us and how we treat ourselves. Many people, men and women, develop eating disorders to look good but find themselves in an agonizing lifestyle that accelerates their death.

Wednesday nights on E “What’s Eating You” takes a very close look at individuals grappling with eating disorders. They meet with therapists to uncover the reasons for developing this defense system and attempt, with their help, to break free of it.

Mona, 41, had lap band surgery two and a half years ago. Although the resulting pouch is the size of a golf ball, she eats past its capacity, purging twenty times a day.

We learn that Mona grew up singing in her father’s Pentecostal church. After being molested by her friend’s father, she decided to make herself unattractive. She eventually got a contract and recorded the number  hit “We Can Make it” in 1992. Her fear of success drove her to eat more and the record company dropped her when she hit 400 pounds.

Andrew, 23, was one of eight children. He was a chubby kid who grew up watching his mother be beaten by different boyfriends. Eventually he lost weight and became a track star in high school. He lost a scholarship when he broke his tibia from over exercising. Fearful of weight gain he became bulimic. During the day, he will drink ten cups of coffee and eat two packs of gum. If he does eat food he immediately binges and purges after. When he feels extra stressed he also cuts himself.

The episodes are quite graphic. We watch the individual buy food, consume and dispose of it. It is even more jarring because the footage switches from color to black and white throughout the hour.

Sometimes there is progress but not always.

By the end of the hour Mona has stop binging, lost twenty-two pounds and is performing again. 

Andrew cut himself so deeply he needed seventy stitches. His roommates ask him to move out and he has no place to go

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

 Watch an episode and see for yourself

Mike & Molly on CBS

Fat people have arrived! They are on TV and guess what? They are a lot like everyone else.

Remember “Roseanne” starring Roseanne Barr and John Goodman? They played an overweight, married couple with children. That was the last time we saw fat people on TV and the focus was not their weight. Maybe Roseanne and Dan were thinner before marriage but Mike & Molly start off fat.

Set in Chicago Molly, a fourth grade teacher who lives with her mother and sister meets Mike, a police officer at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

She invites him to speak to her class after which he asks her out on a date. The romance and laughs begin in earnest from there.

A solid cast, notably Swoosie Kurtz who plays Molly’s mother Joyce, supports the lead actors Melissa McCarthy as Molly and Billy Gardell as Mike. Victoria, Molly’s sexy, stoner sister, played by Katy Mixon is Molly’s opposite without being hateful.

Although Mike’s police partner Carl, played by Reno Wilson, lives with his grandmother that does not stop him from doling out romantic advice.

There are predictable laughs because they are fat but moments of tender vulnerability shine through. It is refreshing to watch two people acknowledging their shortcomings and forging a life for themselves anyway.

Tired of not seeing anyone on TV that looks like anyone you know? Watch Mike & Molly Monday nights on CBS.Mike & Molly

Disney's Secretariat

October 12, 2010

You may know how the story is going to end but Secretariat is still a movie worth seeing.  This is a fact based, family friendly film that follows the making of a champion.
America is entering the ‘60’s. Free love, war protests, hippies and challenging the establishment become part of the social norm. If ever there was a time to do the unexpected, it was then.
Penny Chenery Tweedy (played by Diane Lane) is wife to a lawyer and mother of four  living a good life in Denver. She returns to Virginia to care for her ailing father and the nearly bankrupt horse farm. Because she cannot bear to lose it, she fires the unscrupulous trainer and takes over the farm alone.
 Honoring a deal her father made she wins Secretariat in a coin toss. Secretariat surpasses everyone’s expectations because of her obstinacy, love and belief.  In 1973, Secretariat was the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years.  He won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, a record that remains unbroken.
The cast is excellent. Diane Lane plays Penny with an understated authority.  John Malkovich as trainer Lucien Laurin can steal a scene with just a look. Yes, the dialogue is predictable and Diane Lane has her “horse whisperer moment” moment but the real stars are the camera and soundtrack.
You watch Secretariat go through the tunnel onto the racetrack much like a boxer heading for the ring. Then the camera shows Secretariats point of view. He is listening to the crowd cheering while watching his opponents flex their muscles. Secretariat can hardly contain himself in the gate. The bell sounds, the gates spring open and you see what the jockey sees. Track dirt kicked in your face, hear the stampede of hooves and understand the very real possibility you can fall to your death. The camera makes you live through the longest minutes of your life while you listen to the heavy breathing of a half-ton animal bred to run as fast as it can. In the Belmont Stakes Secretariat ran the fastest ½ mile ever recorded in America. 
Secretariat’s story is in part a small snapshot of American history.  We are reminded of a not too long ago time when a woman’s accomplishments were measured by the success of her husband and her homemaking abilities. Challenging the status quo, not compromising your beliefs and living your convictions as Penny Chenery Tweedy did remind us of the principal that makes America unique.http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978595084