Blog | SUZETTE MARTINEZ STANDRING

Valentines Day: from martyrdom and booze

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Suzette Standring

Valentines Day is romance in a heart-shaped candy box. Our annual day of love is a huge leap from its historical origins: drunken Roman fertility rites and Christian martyrdom. How did lace-edged Valentine cards evolve from orgies and a beheading or two? One might ask how did St. Patrick come to be synonymous with green beer? Lines get blurred, history…

Sexual Assault: Shine the Light

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Suzette Standring

Sexual assault awareness and the #metoo movement release millions from the clutches of fear. Speaking out heals the shame not of the sufferer’s making, yet endured in silence for far too long. Now survivors are heard and supported, two vital elements to healing. Who would have dreamed there were so many? In October 2017 #metoo on social media asked for…

Ban elephant circus acts: training always employs torture

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Suzette Standring

Growing up, I delighted in circus elephants. Giant, gentle animals that stood on all fours atop a ball. A dancer riding the ring on an elephant’s head was both thrilling and fairy-like. That was long before I learned about the torture used to train elephants: chaining, using sharp hooks on their sensitive parts, isolation, starvation, and confined within transportation trucks…

Powerful Women Reflections Cards: a coach in your back pocket

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Suzette Standring

Women jimmy together time for family, work and friends like jigsaw puzzle pieces. It’s a lonely challenge and sometimes spirits sag. Now self-motivation can be sparked by Powerful Women Reflections Cards, designed by Nicole Perry of Plymouth, who is the radio host of Powerful Women Revealed on WATD, 95.9 (www.powerfulwomenrevealed.com). It’s not about predictions, it’s about practical insights. “It’s like…

The Catholic Church and financial transparency: VOTF rates dioceses nationally

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Suzette Standring

Sunday collections and annual appeals: How transparent is your Catholic diocese or archdiocese Do they post audited financial statements on their websites? How are cash donations protected from theft? Recent survey results make me feel as insecure as a basket of $20 bills in an empty room. The national survey by Voice of the Faithful measured and ranked on-line financial…