Cosimo Celebrates Women's Equality Day 2019

Monday, August 26th is the anniversary of national woman suffrage. Women in the United States were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was certified as law. We at Cosimo are celebrating by reading up on women's history and learning more about suffrage and voting rights with these titles:

The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill

Mill puts forth the radical notion, one still unaccepted among many to this, that women are not inherently inferior to men but that male dominance has molded a certain kind of behavior in them, and calls for the full equality of women not only before the law but in cultural and social reality as well. Written in 1861, not published till 1869, and still not fully heeded in the early 21st century, this is must-reading for anyone striving to understand the biases and inequities of Western culture. 




A Short History of Women's Rights by Eugene A. Hecker
The fight for women's rights, particularly with regards to the right to vote, made such enormous strides between 1910, when the first edition of the book was published, and 1914, when its second edition was released with an update on the effort, that within the space of those few brief years, it became almost a historical document, not a rundown of current affairs. But that second edition-of which this is a replica-remains an important document for understanding the struggle of women in the early 20th century. Its survey of older history is still significant, exploring the surprisingly liberated state of women in ancient Roman, the inferiority of women under Christian doctrine, and the condition of women's person-hood in more recently English and American eras.

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
One of the earliest works of protofeminist thought, this startling prescient 1792 book is the first published argument advocating for the societal elevation of women as the intellectual and emotional equals of men. Well received in its day and still an important resource for anyone wishing to understand the history of feminism, this extended essay demolishes the sexual double standard of the day, offers a rational defense for the education of girls, and demands merely that women be treated as people.

August Organization of the Month: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

This August, we are very excited to present the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as our organization of the month!

A special exhibit is now open at the museum, highlighting some of our favorite presidents and Cosimo authors: “From Illinois to the White House: Lincoln, Grant, Reagan, Obama." Celebrate these amazing men who called Illinois their home, while testing your knowledge of presidential trivia, or practice your political skills while giving White House addresses and speeches through a teleprompter.

Along with the museum, there is also The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, which boasts a large collection of documents that are essential to understanding the history of Illinois and its most famous citizen, Abraham Lincoln.

The library is open Monday through Friday, while the museum is open seven days a week. Plan your visit now by checking out their calendar, or listen to a great podcast if a road trip isn't feasible. History buffs can also read all about the 16th president of the United States by reading one of the many books by or about him that Cosimo has to offer.

The museum is located at 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62701, stop by and say "hello!" from Cosimo!

November Classic of the Month: Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States

America is electing a new president TODAY! Whether out voting for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or a third party, Americans are waiting with bated breath to find out who will be crowned Mister or Madam President of 2016. We at Cosimo are celebrating the end of election season (surely so are many other Americans tired with the unusual drama of this election) with our Classic of the Month Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States: From George Washington, 1789, to Barack Obama, 2013 by The Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies.

Through times of war and times of peace, periods of prosperity and scarcity, hours dark and bright, the continuation of the American government through legal, constitutionally guaranteed means has never faltered. There can be no better representation of that marvel, unequaled in world history, than the inaugural addresses of incoming Presidents. A collection of first speeches from each of the nation's new leaders, plus the subsequent inaugural words of re-elected Presidents, Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States gathers in one important volume the thoughts of the first to the forty-fourth leader as he entered office. This updated edition includes speeches from Bill Clinton (42), George W. Bush (43) and Barack Obama (44), the first African American president ever to take office. Their words set the tenor for their administrations, and this firsthand document of American history is vital for understanding their work in the White House and the legacy they left for the future ahead of them.

About JCCIC

The Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) coordinates the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony of the President and Vice President of the United States, the traditional Inaugural luncheon that follows, and all other Inaugural activities at the U.S. Capitol. It is comprised of the Senate Majority Leader, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives.

This collection of historical documents is a must-read for any historian, an excellent reference tool for librarians and students, and an educational informant for all. Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both paperback and hardcover at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (hardcover, paperback) and Amazon (hardcover, paperback).

November Classic of the Month: Presidential Inaugural Addresses

Cosimo's November classic of the month explores the depths of history. Through times of peace, prosperity, war, and uproar, inaugural addresses have shed light onto points of tranquility, while spreading hope onto periods of transition and fear. It is within this book, Inaugural Addresses of the United States by The Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies, that has captured the speeches of each of the nation's new and continued leaders. From George Washington in 1789 to Barack Obama in 2013, inaugural addresses have been their first voiced words as a leader, setting the stage for their work to follow. Now that the U.S. mid-term elections are behind us, it would behoove many of us to re-read these inaugural addresses and compare the Presidents' visions with daily reality.

The Joint Congressional Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) coordinates the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony of the President and Vice President of the United States, the traditional Inaugural luncheon that follows, and all other Inaugural activities at the U.S. Capitol. It is comprised of the Senate Majority Leader, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives.

This collection of historical documents is a must-read for any historian, an excellent reference tool for librarians and students, and an educational informant for all. Cosimo is proud to offer this title in both paperback and hardcover at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (hardcover, paperback) and Amazon (hardcover, paperback).

Hazel Henderson on Syria and the International Criminal Court

Although the ground on the Syria crisis has started to shift, at this point we don't know how successful the Russian proposal for Syrian chemical weapons disarmament will be, neither what the response of President Obama and the Congress will be in case of failure. What we do know is how President Obama and his foreign policy team has framed the debate a few weeks ago. Now an intriguing article has been written by Hazel Henderson, well known as a sustainable economist, futurist, author of multiple books including with Cosimo, specifically addressing the false dichotomy presented by President Obama and calling for a non-military and legally sound option of referring the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court (ICC.) In her article Averting Another U.S. Foreign Policy Disaster published in The Globalist, Hazel Henderson states.

"So far, the public debate in the United States on what to do about Syria has been largely limited to an almost childishly binary proposition: “Bomb Syria — or do nothing.” President Obama has taken a first step out of this box by correctly throwing the decision on Syria to the U.S. Congress, as required by the U.S. Constitution."

Henderson then acknowledges that due to  Russia's initiative, President Obama has "now a way to put the military strike on hold. But should this initiative fail, there remains a strong possibility — given the grave doubts asserted by many, including military officers and other leaders — that Congress will answer President Obama’s request with a resounding “no” vote."

Henderson continues and calls for an alternative to the option of military action:

Danny Schechter on What Syria and the Financial Crisis Have in Common

At the eve of President's Obama televised speech to the American people, developments on the "ground" about Syria appear to be changing dramatically. Russia has made a proposal today to avoid a U.S. military strike on Syria by having international monitors take control of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons, while Syria's foreign minister Walid al-Moallem welcomed this proposal. This may turn out to be just a ploy to play for time or it might offer the Obama administration an unexpected way out of this political and diplomatic mess. Whichever it is, it's causing confusion in Washington: the U.S. Senate postponed a vote authorizing an attack, and President Obama's speechwriters will be having a hard time coming up with a speech that will be truthful, up-to-date, and effective. One can also wonder what effective would mean in this increasingly complicated war game.

Against the backdrop of the developments in Syria crisis, Danny Schechter, filmmaker, Cosimo author, media critic, aka the News Dissector  wrote an article on the disinformation website (published before Russia's proposal became public), titled: Financial Crisis and Impending War Are Converging As Failed Policies Become Self-Fulfilling Prophecies. In this article, Schechter is making an interesting connection about the convergence of two events, the Syria crisis and the upcoming anniversary of 9/11 on the one hand, and on the other hand the anniversary of the financial crisis. Schechter says:
"And, then, there’s the anniversary of the financial crisis which all the military bang-bang is sure to drive off the front pages even as New York Times economist Paul Krugman noted Friday:

“In a few days, we’ll reach the fifth anniversary of the fall of Lehman Brothers — the moment when a recession, which was bad enough, turned into something much scarier. Suddenly, we were looking at the real possibility of economic catastrophe.
And the catastrophe came.”....

.....You can be sure that Obama does not intend to speak about the economic crisis next Tuesday, because he has no real answer to Krugman’s indictment of failed economic policies. One of the architects of that policy, Larry Summers is apparently about to be appointed to head the Federal Reserve Bank for TEN years, despite his pathetic record, with Obama’s support."

Schechter continues: