Women's Issue: Phenomenal Woman 2

I come from a media background. A journalistic background to be more specific. So news and current affairs have always been a part of my existence. The introduction of CNN into my life came when i was about 12 and its become part of my daily tonic since. And its on this news channel that i first "met" the woman that is the subject of my post today.

Christiane Amanpour is one woman that i would really love to meet. When i still harboured thoughts and dreams about being a foreign correspondent, i have to say that i just wanted to be like this woman. Trendier but like her. LOL. I wanted a khaki outfit like hers and i wanted to go to the places where headlines were made and just be her. Of course, my life and dreams are radically different now (even though i want to own a tv station or 10 at some point), my admiration for this woman has grown.

And like all things i am interested in, i make the effort to find out as much as i can - so here are some of the things that make her quite special in my book:

• She comes from a mixed background. Her mother is British and her father is Iranian which explains her coloring and her features. She comes from the Iranian christian minority too
• She has been with CNN since 1983 and is 49 years old
• She worked as a special contributor to 60 Minutes filing a number of stories which in turn earned her the prestigious Peabody Award
• She has scored some of the most sought after interviews in the world including with the current Iranian president. I have read that there were concerns with this particular interview given her background (her father's relationship with the deposed Shah. Ayatollah Khomeini deposed him and the Iranian president is a staunch supporter of the Ayatollah). Thankfully, all went well. She also scored a phone interview with the late Yassar Arafat during a siege on this premises. Apparently he hung up on her.
• She is not afraid to air her views. I know that journalists try to be as objective as possible. But Ms Amanpour says being neutral is equivalent to being an accomplice. She says that being objective simply means allowing all sides to air their views.
• She is married to James Rubin (a cutie that worked with the White House as assistant secretary of state) and a little boy
• She got married at 41 and has said countless times that she was not interested in settling for less than she knew she deserved and so she waited for the right person to come along
• One of her housemates was JFK Jnr and apparently they stayed close till his death
• She has been honored by the queen - CBE i think

Anyway, she is truly amazing and the quality of her work speaks for itself. In fact, the idea for the phenomenal woman series came as i watched the recently aired documentary: Men of God which she did and had apparently been working on for a year. I urge you all to see it if you can.

An ode to womanhood...She makes me proud to be WOMAN