[bauhinia]

ИМХО, Миша с Вики точно "одна сатана" или "два сапога - пара"; жена у него явно личность неординарная
Собираю себе разную мелочевку о Вики.

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Сложнее всего вычислить родных . Точно знаю только про отца, который живет вместе с ними. Могу еще предположить, что Моника Ванточ, 33 лет, доводится ей сестрой.

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Я уже как-то писала, что в 2007 Вики участвовала в марафоне (как и Миша). Оказывается, она бежала и эстафету в составе команды из 4=х человек.

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Она училась в частной школе для девочек ( Madeira School) , которую закончила в 1992.
В электронном журнале за 2006 год одна из ее одноклассниц написала, что несколько месяцев они с мужем гостили у Вики в Вашингтоне, как раз когда та работала над "Ambassadors of the Air: The Airline Stewardess, Glamour, and Technology in the Cold War, 1945–1969".
Она очень хорошо отзывается о Мише, который, не смотря на большую занятость на съемках, старался уделить внимание гостям и подружился с ее мужем.

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В 1996, во время обучения в Университете Чикаго, в числе группы студентов получила Ford Foundation Research Fellowship для проведения летних исследований, о чем с гордостью сообщалось в университетской газете.

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VICTORIA VANTOCH

Dates at Hedgebrook
September 2004 (Owl Cottage)

Genres
Creative Non-Fiction, Journalism, Academic/Critical

Publications and Productions

"Bop Through the Blueprint," How to Master the New Workplace, U.S. News & World Report, 2001.
"A Robot for Every Reason," How to Master the New Workplace, U.S. News & World Report, 2001.
"Be a White House Mouse," How to Master the New Workplace, U.S. News & World Report, 2001.
"John Dillinger," Mysteries of History, U.S. News & World Report, 2001.
"Joseph Crater," Mysteries of History, U.S. News & World Report, 2001. - найдено, см. ссылку ниже
"Fingernail Fashion," Troika magazine, 2000.
"Fingernail Fashion Choices," The Washington Post, 2000. - найдено, см. ниже
"Where's the Hare?" Los Angeles Times, Summer, 2000.
"A Match of Unity and Division" Los Angeles Times, Summer, 2000.

Honors, Awards and Acknowledgements
Fellowship in Aerospace History , American Historical Association (AHA), 2006-2007
Guggenheim Fellowship, Smithsonian Institute, 2005.
Travel Grant, Center for Feminist Research, Winter, 2004.
Travel Grant, Duke University, Hartman Center for Advertising, 2004.
Merit Fellowship, University of Southern California, 2003-2004, 1999-2000.
Teaching Fellowship, University of Southern California, 2000-2002.
Fellowship in Social Sciences, Ford Foundation, 1996. - упомянуто выше
Richter Fund Grand, University of Chicago, 1996.
Merit Scholarship, Washington International Studies Council, Oxford University, 1995-1996.

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Kamala Devi ( an author, Tantra Teacher and Bliss Coach, как она представилась в своем блоге), рекламируя свой теле-курс "Как написать книгу за 90 дней", упомянула среди окончивших его и Вики. Я действительно нашла на ее сайте запись Вики с благодарностью:

I just have to express how grateful I am to have you in my life. Your ability to intuit issues at lightning speed continues to amaze me. It's so enormously helpful to have your perspective partly because you've personally journeyed through similarly unusual territory and I can trust you not to respond based on limiting cultural biases. Plus, you seem to have an endless bag of tools. Your support is such a huge blessing.
Vicki Vantoch, Author

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Забавный момент: девушки-танцовщицы, работающие по большей части на мальчишниках, в числе тех, кто оказал влияние на их стиль, наряду с Мадонной и другими личностями упомянули почему-то и Викторию

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Отзыв на книгу:
Screw Cupid by Samantha Scholfield
The Sassy Girl’s Guide to Picking up Hot Guys

Screw Cupid chucks the old rules that advise women to wait for men to ask them out. Scholfield is the big sister you've always wished you had. She's honest, encouraging, and gutsy enough to fall on her face (and tell you all about it). Scholfield takes us on a hilarious journey through her own pickup flops and successes, and she's so endearing and likeable, even those not on the prowl are bound to enjoy the ride.

— Victoria Vantoch, PhD, gender historian


Несколько статей, написанных Вики для Вашингтон Пост.

Fingernail Fashion Choices

By Vicki Vantoch
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, December 28, 1999;

I recently ventured into a 12-year-old's lair. Submerged in the bric-a-brac of girlhood, Danielle's room contained all the essentials: small pink containers, large pink containers, heart-shaped containers containing sparkly dangling earrings, a "Danielle" rubber-stamp, "Danielle" spelled out in small colored wooden blocks on the door, hair scrunchies, tiny keys, tiny locks, slightly smaller-than-normal powder blue deodorants, bendable pencils, and plenty of velvety pouches. I breathed in airborne hair products, fruit-smelling lotions and powdery substances--nectars I had once applied devoutly.

Remembering my own preteen products, I picked, poked and scrutinized kiwi-flavored lip glosses, beaded pins and multicolored string bracelets. Opening, closing. Twiddling, sniffing. Ahhh, a hanging wire basket of nail polishes. I dropped into an inflatable chair and glazed my toenails in a thick coat of dark and shimmery purple.

I had culled nail accouterments from my product supply some years before, relegating them to a corner under the sink with Halloween-only Clinique bonus lipsticks. But now, reinvented in a thick, purple enamel named Fetish, I boldly brandished my sockless digits. My 12-year-old hostess offered a tepid endorsement of my nail paint job. "Whatever," she said with standard teenage nonchalance, but I was intoxicated.

I flashed my painted toes. I flashed them to people who probably didn't want to see them. "Fetish," I confided. Between streakings, I inspected nail decor in every corner. "Fetish?" I wondered.

Newly alerted to nail colors and lengths, I watched a Rite-Aid cashier with two-inch acrylics futilely stab a renegade dime. With the dexterity of a grape and closely gnawed nubs (neurosis precludes nail growth), I was intrigued. How did she manage day-to-day coin maneuvers with two-inch talons? More important, why? Sheer masochism? Exhilarated by challenge?

Sure, it's a gas to use chopsticks at a Chinese restaurant but why retard your manual dexterity everywhere you go? There must be a silver lining. Could there be some use for long nails? A more fulfilling back scratch perhaps?

My nail decor musings eventually gave way to a full-blown investigation. The seemingly trivial fingernail is really a whole world of signs and symbols, dangling at the fringes of our bodies. Like other elements of costume, fingernail designs express who we are and what we desire to be.

We make fingernail fashion choices based on our cultural aesthetics, values, social classes and ideas about our roles in society. Russian folklorist Petr Bogatyrev wrote, "In order to grasp the social functions of costumes we must learn to read them as signs in the same way we learn to read and understand languages."

How should we read stick-on rhinestones, dangling nail jewelry, freehand nail art, air-brushed designs, acrylic nail sculptures and green glitter? The endless possibilities in nail decor raise some crucial questions.

Which occasions warrant glue-on jewels? Why do we wear polishes named Whip Cream? In the Buff, and Jaded? French manicures from France? Or, just another example of Francophilia? Is red appropriate for everyone? Why the long nails?

Gene Lakin, who teaches fashion history at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, says long fingernails may be status symbols. "Long nails in 20th-century America may indicate a leisure class. By wearing long nails, people show they don't need to perform manual labor. Similarly [in the 19th century], a pale complexion was associated with wealth because it meant not needing to work in the fields."

"Elegant dress serves its purpose of elegance not only in that it is expensive, but also because it is the insignia of leisure," Thorsten Veblen wrote in his classic "The Theory of the Leisure Class" (1899). "It not only shows that the wearer is able to consume a relatively large value, but it argues at the same time that he consumes without producing." Like the constrictive corset of Veblen's time, long nails today signal which women are too rich and too feminine (wouldn't want the little darling to break a nail) to perform manual labor.

Ironically, long nails are no longer popularly considered elite. "In the 1980s, long nails were a status symbol, but in the '90s many women consider shorter nails classier," says Lauren Breeze, a marketing representative at the nail-polish empire OPI. "Everything was bigger in the '80s--big jewelry, big shoulder pads. It was the 'Dynasty' era and long nails went along with that excess." But today's Gen-X arbiters of fashion and culture have disowned that legacy of extravagance and reoriented style toward thrift-store polyester. America's aesthetic shift from '80s excess (ridiculously extravagant consumption equals beautiful) to '90s excess-repulsed grunge is reflected in nail length.

The short-nail trend, however, hasn't permeated all corners of American society. Each group has different ideas about what constitutes appropriate conspicuous consumption; thus, canons of beauty vary. While the fashion elite may consider long nails declasse, many working-class women prefer them. A Chicago manicurist sums it up: "Middle-income women may think long nails are 'tacky and impractical,' but working-class women think they're 'cute.' "

Fashion historian Lakin says this "inversion" between social classes can be seen throughout history.

"After the French revolution, no one wanted to be associated with court clothes and all the excess and wealth. They wanted to wear simpler clothes." The aristocracy began to shun the "vulgarity" of luxurious court clothing, but other social groups found them attractive.

Whether vulgar or sexy, nail fashion today can reflect values, anxieties and even culinary preferences. In "Hope in a Jar," a social history of America's beauty culture, historian Kathy Peiss notes that women use cosmetics with "many different, contradictory ends in mind: to play the lady or the hussy, to look older or younger, to signify common identities as 'American' and 'respectable,' or to invoke class and ethnic distinctions."

Savvy cosmetic firms tap this market for self-expression by giving polishes expressive names and colors that target every demographic nook and cranny.

"Respectable" types may choose traditional pinky, pukey, beigy colors with Hallmark-unoriginal names like Dusk, Bouquet and Sand (not nearly as inspiring as Fetish), but seductresses may prefer long, red nails.

Long and red can be sexy--even dangerously sexy, as shown on "The Alarmingly Long and Dangerous Nail Web Page," which features photos of women displaying their long, red nails and sells videotapes of long-nailed women doing God knows what (fetish).

Femme fatales, however, can opt for more daring alternatives to the classically sexy red nails. Mate-snagging is easy with Snow Me White (a guaranteed eye-catcher worn with a Lewinsky-style blue dress), Sheer Hot, Sheer Sizzle (notice the heat motif), or, for the recently deflowered, Not in Kansas Anymore . . . Red.

But, modern nail polish expression is not limited to just sexiness or prudishness. Rebels lacquer on rebellious colors like . . . Rebellious (made accessible to international misfits through a French translation, "Rebelle"), Wanted . . . Red or Alive ("a hot-blooded red inspired by the infamous duels of the Old West"') and Gun Metal (for the haute couture of the NRA). Finally, polishes for Thelma and Louise.

Nonconformists may favor the visual violence of greens like Holy Guacamole Frost, Toad, and Daisy the Pig (the marketing ploy escapes me). Another rebelliously repulsive color is Moray Madness, which looks remarkably like snot.

The only definition I could find for "Moray" was "any of various often voracious marine eels of the family Muraenidae, of chiefly tropical coastal waters" (the American Heritage Dictionary). Could this voracious eel have snot-yellow fins trimmed with white glitter? What does Moray Madness express? A passion for eels? Will other eel fans flock? Fetish?

These bold and ugly colors express a '90s Zeitgeist by spoofing traditional, girlish primping. Ideal for Gen-X college students and midlife crisis victims alike, these colors are perfect for protesting a mundane world.

Though they have lost some of the cachet of rebellion since being co-opted by Hollywood hipsters, these colors still provide the best subversive end-of-finger outlet for budding iconoclasts.

My personal favorite is Hard Candy's tinfoil silver polish called Trailer Trash. What's more appealing than adding a dash of irony to an otherwise unaffected look? With the gentle flick of a brush, even the WASPiest intern can be swiftly transformed into a member of the exploited Proletariat.

As Adam Gopnik put it in a New Yorker piece, "Anything [can] gain status by being made ironic."

Thinking back to Danielle's polishes, it makes sense that a 12-year-old, trying to decide who she is, would immerse herself in a vast and diverse collection of hues. Would she wear Rock the Vote Red, Sushi, Girly, Greed, Miss Understood or a chewed, polishless nub?

And as for me . . . Fetish?

A Calm Voice Between 'He Said' & 'She Said'
By Vicki Vantoch
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, November 1, 1999;

In a society where spilled coffee can lead to multimillion-dollar lawsuits, it's not surprising that many divorces end in nasty legal battles. In attempts to circumnavigate the ugliness and expense of traditional "War of the Roses"-style divorce, Americans are increasingly turning to an alternative settlement process--mediation. Since the concept took root in the 1970s, divorce mediation has become so popular that now some states even require it. Virginia, Maryland and the District offer cost-free divorce mediation as an alternative to litigation.

For couples who don't want to participate in America's litigation craze, divorce mediation seems like a panacea. Using a neutral third party to facilitate communication between the parting parties, mediation promises a cheaper, speedier and more peaceful alternative to the traditional adversarial system.

John Haynes, founder of the 3,600-member Academy of Family Mediators (AFM), estimates the average divorce costs $15,000 and takes about a year. "Mediated cases," he says, "are usually wrapped up in six weeks and only cost about $2,500" (including court filing).

Proponents say mediation encourages "win-win" settlements. Unlike the traditional legal system, parties are able to create their own solutions without formal guidelines. To accomplish the task, mediators use a range of styles and techniques, including the martial arts, mathematical formulas and religious scriptures.

Don Saposnek, psychology professor at University of California at Santa Cruz, for instance, uses the Japanese martial art of aikido as a mediation tool. Purists argue that mediators should facilitate communication without recommending a solution, but Saposnek says he doesn't "make decisions for [couples], but I try to artfully steer them. I conceptualize the room as a field of energy and all their anger and hopes are just energy," he says. "Then using aikido principles, I move that energy in the room and maneuver the people to not oppose each other."

The Rev. John Myslinski, on the other hand, uses a less-directive approach. "You don't need a degree in counseling to sit down and have a cup of coffee and listen," says the pastor at St. Mary's Church in Rockville. "And, I remind them: If you can't practice charity, at least, you can promise you won't hurt one another. Then, I put it in God's hands."

The faithless may find it easier to trust in a mathematical algorithm when it comes to dividing the family fortune. Steven Brams, a professor of politics at New York University, and Alan Taylor, a mathematics professor at Union College in New York, have recently devised a formula that guarantees an "equitable, efficient and envy-free" split of marital property.

They explain the procedure in "The Win/Win Solution: Guaranteeing Fair Shares to Everybody" (W.W. Norton, 1999, $24.95).

"Couples commonly fight over something ridiculous like an old chaise longue," says Norman Lavery, a mediator who swears by the formula (each party gets 100 points to divide among the goods). This method allows couples to "value objects in terms that are important to them, rather than just using the currency of dollars," he says.

The trouble with these diverse mediation techniques is consumers never know exactly what they're getting. And as a relatively new profession, mediation is still struggling to define itself and to develop uniform standards and qualifications. "Regulating mediation may take away the flavor of the profession, but if you don't, you could have a bunch of jerks out there harming people," says Saposnek. The American Bar Association's proposed regulations, however, may not be what mediators have in mind.

"A lot of people in the legal community see mediation as a threat, as the unauthorized practice of law," says Kathy Fazzalaro, the co-executive director of the AFM. According to Fazzalaro, the mediation community isn't exactly pleased with the ABA's proposal to limit mediation to those with law degrees.

"Some states require mediators to be lawyers," says Geetha Ravindra, director of Dispute Resolution Services at the Supreme Court of Virginia. "Our philosophy is that people from a variety of backgrounds bring a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to the process. No particular degree makes you a good mediator."

One McLean resident agrees. "We tried everything. First, we went to a mediator who did nothing but repeat like a parrot. Then, we went back to lawyers who charged $500 for every little change on the agreement. Finally, we found a brilliant mediator . . . it only took one session. Mediation is definitely the way to go, but the key is to find a good mediator," she says.

Today, even if you want to slug it out in court, you may be required to try mediation first. The District allows divorcing couples to choose between court-sponsored mediation and litigation. Virginia also provides mediation as an option (at no cost) and allows judges to mandate a mediation evaluation. After the evaluation, mediation is voluntary.

Detractors are concerned that mediation may not be an appropriate substitute for adversarial proceedings, and most mediators agree that it doesn't work if there's a substantial power imbalance between the parties, as in domestic violence cases.

Some feminists worry that women might compromise because they don't know their legal rights. To make the process more equal, some mediators have started working in "gender-balanced" teams.

"Clearly, mediation can be successful with couples who want to do right by each other and aren't trying to manipulate each other," says Martha Fineman, a law professor at Cornell University and Columbia University. "But, in mandatory mediation, it often doesn't work and adds an extra layer of cost and time. Often the assets are frozen and the person who isn't the primary wage-earner is at a financial disadvantage and might make concessions to speed things up."

Fineman is particularly concerned with a mediator's concept of what's fair. "Mediators can move things in a direction that isn't best," she says, citing joint custody as an example: "Mediators think joint custody is fair, but it's not always the way things should be resolved in real-life cases."

Unlike the court system, which can subpoena evidence to prove each party's total assets, "mediation doesn't have any rules to govern the introduction of evidence," says Fineman. "People want to know that it's fair. If you decide to heavily regulate, then it starts to look like jury-rigged adjudication. Why not just use law? What does mediation add?" Fineman asks.

"Matrimony law is extremely complicated. It's like the dissolution of a business partnership," says Justice Phyllis Gangel-Jacob of the New York State Supreme Court. "God knows, I want settlement in all these cases, but you have to know what the consequences are and I don't think you can do that without a lawyer."

A mediator may not be familiar with the legal ins and outs that could benefit both parties. For example, Justice Gangel-Jacob cites one divorce case, where she suggested that the divorcing couple wait three months to split up because after 10 years of marriage, the woman could start receiving Social Security benefits. "They were thrilled," says Gangel-Jacob.

"I'm appalled that social workers are writing up divorce agreements for people," says Gangel-Jacob. "They don't even understand the legal consequences of child custody."

Five-way meetings, a new trend in divorce mediation, aims to resolve these problems by bringing lawyers into the process. In five-way meetings, both parties are fully apprised of their legal rights but can still benefit from communicating via a mediator.

The inclusion of mediation in the formal legal system is "great because it legitimates mediation and popularizes it," says Robert Benjamin, an attorney and mediator. "But," he warns, "the legal system might kill it."

In order to flourish, "mediation must remain fundamentally subversive," says Benjamin. "If you take a process that is geared toward giving people back control over their lives and [then] institutionalize it--you've got a problem. Mediation may become one more cog in the increasingly overwhelming intrusion of courts and police authorities in our lives."

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Ссылка на статью "Загадки истории" - среди авторов упомянута Вики.
www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/who...