Ellen Snortland

Stop apologizing for things you're not really sorry for.

Sorry to bring up a touchy subject as we kick off a new year -- oh, wait... no, I'm not! As the warmth of the holidays fades and winter deepens, many of us take time to reflect on, and even...

Edinburgh, Scotland -- Rain has dampened some of the outrageousness of the tone and mood of the festivities of the Fringe Festival here in Edinburgh. The folks who have done this for years say they don't remember ever having had this much rain. There's as much talk of...

Edinburgh, U.K. -- Eye-crossing, mind-boggling numbers of art-loving, hard-drinking people and arts events pack the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every August. It's hard to describe the joyful mayhem of tens of thousands of people packed into the glorious streets, lined with one more architecturally beautiful building after another. The...

Townloop is one of a handful of new technologies for everyone's benefit.

"Green" thinking is now a part of our collective consciousness, and the new Internet phenomenon of "social commerce" is in full flower. Many of us have signed up for Groupon, LivingSocial,

Being called "girl" by a woman is sometimes worse than a man doing it

Names are important to individuals and groups. Fundamental to being a whole person is the ability to garner respect via how you want to be addressed. On one end of the spectrum, you can be held...

Two new movies shed light on a dark world

Patriarchy is an unsustainable system that feeds on the domination of others by "divine" right and the immutable characteristics of the dominators and dominated. Whether by blood or gender, there are few ways for the dominated group to transcend...

"If Altadena can tap its rural roots, other communities can too."

Smells of Norway waft from my kitchen: almond, butter and fresh coffee. I make all sorts of things but my crowning baking achievement, if you will pardon the expression, is Kransekake: translated literally from Norwegian as "crown...

No matter how hard the task, every coach knows it can be done.

We all have excuses for why we haven't accomplished this or that. This is the case with many aspects of the most important revolution on the planet: the end of gender domination. The gender revolution, like it...

Give thanks for those who helped our cornucopia of faiths coalesce.

This week is a perfect time to express gratitude for everything we have -- and don't have. I particularly want to focus on the brilliance of separation of church and state that our foremothers and forefathers risked...

It helps to have a personal relationship with your next meal

Sitting down to supper as a 4-year-old, I recall my sisters' ardent concerns about who was on their plates. Yes, you read that correctly: who.

"This isn't Bluebell, is it?" they'd yell in unison. I was not old enough...

"A man of quality is not threatened by a woman for equality." 

That's a familiar bumper sticker slogan for some of us. Men are crucial to any social movement, especially the gender equality revolution. That's kind of a no-brainer, right? I especially want men to stand with us for the...

Women performers are suffering in an industry run by estrogen-phobic people, regardless of their gender

"There's way too much estrogen here -- I gotta go," the disgruntled husband said to his wife as they sat in the theater before a performance of my solo show, "Now That She's...

The Year of the Woman in politics is thrilling and appalling in one fell swoop

Yes, I'm excited that many women won their election bids on June 8. However, if I hear one more pronouncement, "Oh, it's the year of the woman!" I'll hurl. I'm with the ever straight-shooting Democratic...

Some modern cures for the ancient causes of the common scold

Is "Numbskull: Please scold me!" tattooed on my forehead? I've been the target of several scolds in the past few weeks. I've wanted to lash back, but I've held my tongue. I can scold with the best, but I've...

Much like addicts talk their way to recovery, so should women gather and speak about empowerment

For six years now, I've had the privilege of attending the annual Eleanor Roosevelt Awards, held by the Feminist Majority Foundation. I need this yearly awards banquet to refuel and...

America's favorite golfer must understand that corporate dealmakers use 'men-only' clubs to maintain power

Bully for him! Tiger Woods had earned my scorn and contempt years ago, well before the revelations of his marital problems. I knew he was an enema bag without knowing about his double life,...

It takes a lot more than a village to help people without basic health care coverage.

Bingo games, benefit performances, clothing sales, silent auctions. For several years now, that's how I and a whole bunch of other folks have been helping a friend cover the costs of her expensive cancer...

The murder of Chelsea King drives home the need to teach kids how to defend themselves.

For goodness sakes, if you have young people in your life, please get them trained in self-protection skills! How can I spell a scream from the very bottom of my soul? AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH....

"However long we live, life is short, so I work. And however important man becomes, he is nothing compared to the stars. There are secrets, dear sister, and it is for us to reveal them." -- Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), the first woman to discover a comet

Embroiled in a friendly...

Help us wake up the broadcast giants. In light of recent natural disasters around the world, our own citizens need help! Please come out and help the South Dakotans hammered by winter storms.

Growing up in South Dakota, I was keenly aware of a population of people easy...