FYI November 21, 2019

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On This Day

1918 – The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 is passed, allowing women to stand for Parliament in the UK.
The Parliament (Qualification of Women Act) 1918 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament.

At 27 words, it is the shortest UK statute.[2]

Background
The Representation of the People Act 1918, passed on 6 February 1918, extended the franchise in parliamentary elections, also known as the right to vote, to women aged 30 and over who resided in the constituency or occupied land or premises with a rateable value above £5, or whose husbands did.[3][4]

In March 1918, the Liberal MP for Keighley died, causing a by-election on 26 April. There was doubt as to whether women were eligible to stand for parliament. Nina Boyle made known her intention to stand as a candidate for the Women’s Freedom League at Keighley and, if refused, to take the matter to the courts for a definitive ruling.[5] After some consideration, the returning officer stated that he was prepared to accept her nomination, thus establishing a precedent for women candidates. However, he ruled her nomination papers invalid on other grounds: one of the signatories to her nomination was not on the electoral roll and another lived outside the constituency.[6] The Law Lords were asked to consider the matter and concluded that the Great Reform Act 1832 had specifically banned women from standing as parliamentary candidates and the Representation of the People Act had not changed that.

Parliament hurriedly passed the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act in time to enable women to stand in the general election of December 1918. The act ran to only 27 operative words: “A woman shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage for being elected to or sitting or voting as a Member of the Commons House of Parliament”,[7] and is the shortest UK statute.[8][9]

Effects
In the 14 December 1918 election to the House of Commons, seventeen women candidates stood, among them well-known suffragette Christabel Pankhurst, representing the Women’s Party in Smethwick.[10] The only woman elected was the Sinn Féin candidate for Dublin St Patrick’s, Constance Markievicz. However, in line with Sinn Féin abstentionist policy, she did not take her seat.[11]

The first woman to take her seat in the House of Commons was Nancy Astor on 1 December 1919. She was elected as a Coalition Conservative MP for Plymouth Sutton on 28 November 1919, taking the seat her husband had vacated.[12]

As Members of Parliament, women also gained the right to become government ministers. The first woman to become a cabinet minister and Privy Council member was Margaret Bondfield who was Minister of Labour in the Second MacDonald ministry (1929–1931).[13]

Age limits
During the debate of the bill, Lord Islington explained the apparent discrepancy that women could sit in Parliament at 21 but could not vote until they were 30:

“…the age of thirty, which was prescribed for enfranchisement of women, was made not because women of a younger age were considered less competent to exercise the vote, but rather because the inclusion of women between the ages of twenty-one and thirty might lead to women-voters being in a majority on the Register, and this was considered, too drastic a departure in the realms of constitutional experiment. Therefore the embargo on any woman below the age of thirty was placed in that measure. In the case of eligibility to Parliament, this age condition is not necessary. The whole question of age, suitability, and competence can safely be left, and should be left, in the hands of the electorate to decide…”[14]

 
 

Born On This Day

1940 – Dr. John, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2019)
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music combined blues, pop, jazz, boogie-woogie, and rock and roll.[1]

Active as a session musician from the late 1950s until his death, he gained a following in the late 1960s after the release of his album Gris-Gris and his appearance at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. He typically performed a lively, theatrical stage show inspired by medicine shows, Mardi Gras costumes, and voodoo ceremonies. Rebennack recorded 30 studio albums and 9 live albums, as well as contributing to thousands of other musicians’ recordings. In 1973 he achieved a top-10 hit single with “Right Place, Wrong Time”.

The winner of six Grammy Awards, Rebennack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend in March 2011. In May 2013, Rebennack received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Tulane University.

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FYI

The Rural Blog: Crop-insurance deadline delayed as harvest problems and farmers’ struggles continue; land prices go negative; On National Rural Health Day, a call to adopt a broader perspective on the diversity and complexity of rural America; Students: Leverage rurality for college admission with ‘your take in your place and how your place … created your take’ and more ->
 
 
 
 
Morgan Crowley Morgan Crowley PhD candidate at McGill University, Google: Ladies of Landsat builds inclusivity in the geosciences
 
 
 
 
One bullet.
Gus Garcia-Roberts, USA TODAY, Devan Patel, Naples Daily News and Elizabeth Murray, Burlington Free Press: ‘I’ve been dying for 25 years’: How a cop has stalled his child sex abuse trial for decades Retired cop Leonard Forte said he couldn’t be tried for the rape of a 12-year-old because he was dying. That was in 1995. He’s still alive and free.
 
 
 
 

By Gerardo Gamiño, Google Student Blog: Hispanic Heritage Month Pay It Forward Challenge 2019: Recognizing students making a difference (Part 2 of 3)
 
 
 
 
By Vanessa Romo, NPR: Twitter Adds ‘Hide Reply’ Function To Try To Improve Online Conversation

 
 
 
 
By Rachael Bale, ANIMALS Executive Editor, National Geographic: TODAY’S BIG QUESTION: How can cute things be so destructive?
 
 
 
 

Today’s email was written by Stevie Borello, edited by Whet Moser, and produced by Tori Smith. Quartz Obsession: Tarot: Finding ourselves in the cards
 
 
 
 

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Karma Tube: Secret to Life
 
 
 
 
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James Clear: 3 ideas, 2 quotes, 1 question (November 21, 2019)
 
 
 
 

Kathryn’s Report: Loss of Engine Power (Partial): Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow II, N4363F; fatal accident occurred April 28, 2018 in Gainesville, Forsyth County, Georgia; Fuel Starvation: Wittman Tailwind, N619NT; accident occurred July 12, 2018 in Orient, Pickaway County, Ohio and more ->
 
 
 
 

Ideas

By AlexanderK176: Pet Door Window Insert From XPS Foam and Double-Pane Glass
 
 
By Mitch D. Hamilton: Swedish Ladder
 
 
By PineapplePinUpDesigns: Hot Glue Flower Lights

Recipes

A Taste of Alaska: Shark Cookies (Recipe?)
 
 
By Bevelish Creations: Quick & Easy 5-Day Meal Prep
 
 
By Hank Shaw, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: Oklahoma Onion Burgers
 
 
Hank Shaw, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: Pan Seared Cod