Queen Rania's speech at the launch of Global Action Week 2009 - Washington DC, USA

Our beloved Queen Rania is in Washington D.C. with her husband King Abdullah, presently meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, and preparing to meet with President Obama at 10am.

No word on whether Michelle and Queen Rania will meet. A Google search is nada. I am crushed if these two women don’t at least share a cup of coffee.

I want these two Smart Sensuality women to ‘hook up’ now. Putting Queen Rania and First Lady Michelle Obama together is total Smart Sensuality combustion.

The Big Read

Queen Rania is speaking this morning at the National Press Club, as part of a global action week calling for quality basic education for all children.

The press conference will launch ‘The Big Read’, a collection of short stories written by education advocates around the world including Queen Rania, Nelson Mandela, Natalie Portman, Alice Walker, Ishmael Baeh and many more. The Big Read is part of GCE’s global action week with the goal of bringing attention to literacy and the millions of children around the world not able to go to school.

According to the press release, close to 10 million children and teachers will take part in The Big Read, in 100 countries around the world, from April 20-26. Across the world, one in five people can’t read, including about 75 million children, the majority of them girls.

To learn more, go to The Big Read at Global Campaign for Education.

Smart Sensuality Shopping

One of the goals in writing about Smart Sensuality women is not only to get the concept of the sensual, intelligent, socially committed women front and center in our minds, but to help business, advertisers and media understand the Smart Sensuality woman as a consumer.

Meet Sarah’s Bag

This BBC News story Lebanon’prison chic’ goes global is an excellent example of the relationship between the Cultural Creative women and shopping.

Smart Sensuality woman (and my alter ego) Catherine Deneuve was recently pictured on the front page of a Lebanese newspaper wearing a black dress and carrying a matching handbag with the Arabic words “Where is my heart?” embroidered on it.

These bags are the brainchild of Sarah Beydoun, whose ideals have merged with a business action plan to sell handbags around the world.

Sarah’s story begins with her days as a student in Beirut, writing a thesis on vulnerable women, including women in jail.

Impacted by their stories, Sarah launched her venture by employing five inmates in Baabda Female Prison to make bracelets.

Next up was handbags, which found enthusiastic buyers.

Soon Sarah’s prison workforce expanded to 40 female prisoners, some of them now working for Sarah’s Bag, after leaving prison.

Queen Rania also bought a Sarah’s Bag, one bearing the message “Determination comes from those who are determined”. She carried her bag at the wedding of the crown prince of Spain.

Queen Rania’s dress was made by Chanel, but no mention was made of Sarah’s Bag. The entrepreneurial Sarah Beydoun followed up with a press release, calling attention to her project.

In understanding how we Smart Sensuality women can stick together and begin working for global change, I Googled info on Queen Rania and found the wedding photo. Then I Googled Sarah Beydoun’s website Sarah’s Bags and noticed that Sarah also has a Facebook page.

Still Hopeful

Back to Queen Rania and First Lady Michelle Obama, my hope springs eternal that these two will meet today. The symbolism would be so wonderful, and we already know that Michelle is aligned with the same issues as Queen Rania.

We Smart Sensuality women must stick together. Anne