Laughter is always a good way to celebrate, so if you’re in 
London, check this out:
Some of the best and most innovative female comedy acts will take to the stage for the seventh year running in support of Funny Women’s annual charity gala, Funny Women Stand Up, on International Women’s Day, Monday 8th March. The show brings attention to the issues surrounding violence against women both home and abroad.
Box office proceeds raised on the night will be donated to V-Day: Until the Violence Stops, which is currently focusing on a campaign to stop the physical violence and brutality that women and girls are suffering as a by-product of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource.
When my birthday rolls around, I usually ask for world peace, but I love this appeal from Sean Triner who was born on IWD. Happy Birthday Sean!
My mum had me forty years ago, on International Womens Day in 1970.
Women, like my mum, in countries like the UK have excellent care – they even did in the 70s – that make giving birth a fact of life. But in many communities things are not so good and giving birth is a matter of life and death.Marie Stopes Foundation works with women and their families in the Asia-Pacific region, and with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities on issues around family – including sexual and reproductive health.
It is tough to fundraise around this subject but it is vital.
What I wanted for my birthday was BioShock 2 for my Playstation 3, which costs about $100. I reckon $100 donated to Marie Stopes is a lot better. Please will you donate $100 by clicking here, or, if you are a volunteer or not in a rich country, whatever you can afford.
And from Poland:
Women’s organisations are planning a big demonstration in Warsaw on 7 March ahead of the annual International Women’s Day, traditionally held a day later.
Together with trade unionists they will demand the respect of women’s and workers’ rights.
It is to be held under the slogan “Demonstrating solidarity during times of crisis” with the participation of, among others, the National Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives, the Solidarity 1980 Trade Union and the National Trade Union of Teachers.
The demonstration is to start at noon in front of the Palace of Culture and Science. The organisers expect that several thousand trade unionists will participate in it to mark the 100th anniversary of establishing the International Women’s Day.
Six thousand protesters gathered during a similar event last year.
In Louisville, KY/US:
Meanwhile, in the we don’t get it department at a bank in Azerbaijan:
Azerbaijani bank decides to protect men from International Women’s Day.
Long before International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8, the Bank of Baku (BB) OJSC declared its willingness to help all client-men and has started the action «In support of men!.
The bank informed that the action is held from February 9 till March 6 within loan product Money in cash» and spreads to all clients, having credit history in BB. Loans within the holiday action of BB are granted for the term of 1 year and sum of loan makes up to AZN 500.
BB prepared in parallel for them incredible financial bouquet for the holiday.
Gifts wait for all representatives of weaker sex, who are going to take loan in the bank, to become depositors of BB, as well as avail of urgent money transfers. BB will tell in detail about gifts for future clients closer to the International Women’s Day.
We’ll keep a lookout for those details.
An awesome website to check out: Towards International Women’s Day 2011.
Finally, from India:
A painting exhibition, showcasing the works of famous women artistes, is underway in Himachal’s Shimla district to mark International Women”s Day.The exhibition, which started on Sunday (Feb. 7), has paintings by over 20 women artistes hailing from different parts of India. The paintings represent the female form in sundry imaginative ways.
It’s a month-long exhibition, which has been jointly organized by National Lalit Art Academy and the Language and Culture Department of Himachal Pradesh state, to mark International Women”s Day, which is celebrated every year on March 08.
Please also visit FPN’s International Women’s Day webpage for more information about IWD and click here to learn why we are calling for a boycott of Thomson Reuter’s InternationalWomensDay.com website.
