Thursday, June 28, 2012
Rio + 20 missed an opportunity to bolster human rights
A further update on the Rio +20 summit on human rights. Once again, this article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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Rio + 20 Missed an Opportunity to Bolster Human Rights
Business, government and development agencies should combat discrimination, which can drive poverty and conflict
"They come every day … four or five cars usually – 20 to 60 soldiers. They say, 'We need this land for sugar, so you shouldn't be here' … We say, 'We don't want [sugar]', but that is not the right answer. They hit us or they take us to jail."
These are the words of a Mursi man, an indigenous pastoralist in southern Ethiopia, describing to Human Rights Watch how he and his community have been forced to move from the Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia to make way for sugar plantations.
The rights of these indigenous people to be consulted and give their free, prior and informed consent before relocation were cast aside. Instead, local government and security forces carried out arbitrary arrests and detentions, used physical violence, and seized or destroyed the property of indigenous communities. More forced evictions in the Omo Valley are threatened in the near future.
In a speech in Jinka, the capital of the South Omo region, in January 2011, Meles Zenawi, the prime minister, said: "Even though this area [the Lower Omo] is known as backward in terms of civilization, it will become an example of rapid development." This is just one example of a government misusing development goals as an excuse for sacrificing human rights.
View the rest of the story here.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
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US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
Senate Committee to Consider Insurance Coverage for Rape, Incest Victims
(Washington, DC) – The US government should allow US servicewomen who are rape survivors to make their own decisions about their pregnancies. On May 24, 2012, the US Senate Armed Services Committee will consider a proposal under a military funding bill that would end the ban on military insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape and incest.
“It is outrageous that US servicewomen enduring sexual assault while serving their country are also kept from making decisions about their pregnancies,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Senate has an opportunity to end this double injustice by revoking the health insurance ban on abortions in cases of rape.”
US law prohibits the armed forces from providing health coverage for abortion except in cases in which the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. This policy diverges from other federal health insurance programs such as Medicaid, which include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.
Read the full article at the Human Rights Watch website.
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US: End Abortion Ban for Military Women
Senate Committee to Consider Insurance Coverage for Rape, Incest Victims
(Washington, DC) – The US government should allow US servicewomen who are rape survivors to make their own decisions about their pregnancies. On May 24, 2012, the US Senate Armed Services Committee will consider a proposal under a military funding bill that would end the ban on military insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape and incest.
“It is outrageous that US servicewomen enduring sexual assault while serving their country are also kept from making decisions about their pregnancies,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Senate has an opportunity to end this double injustice by revoking the health insurance ban on abortions in cases of rape.”
US law prohibits the armed forces from providing health coverage for abortion except in cases in which the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. This policy diverges from other federal health insurance programs such as Medicaid, which include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.
Read the full article at the Human Rights Watch website.
Monday, June 25, 2012
US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
This is about human and immigrant rights, but this will involve women immigrants as well in the United States. This is taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
Congress Should Enact Immigration Reform that Protects Rights
(Washington, DC) – The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of Arizona’s immigrant law puts immigrant families in Arizona and other states at greater risk of abuse from local authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.
The June 25, 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States overturned several sections of the Arizona law, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, commonly known as SB 1070, stating that they are pre-empted by federal law. But it left intact a section requiring police to attempt to verify a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the individual is in the country without authorization.
“The Supreme Court ruling opens the door to anti-immigrant abuses we’ve seen in other states with similar laws,” said Grace Meng, US researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Read the whole story here.
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US: Immigrants at Risk After Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Arizona Law
Congress Should Enact Immigration Reform that Protects Rights
(Washington, DC) – The US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of Arizona’s immigrant law puts immigrant families in Arizona and other states at greater risk of abuse from local authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.
The June 25, 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States overturned several sections of the Arizona law, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, commonly known as SB 1070, stating that they are pre-empted by federal law. But it left intact a section requiring police to attempt to verify a person’s immigration status if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the individual is in the country without authorization.
“The Supreme Court ruling opens the door to anti-immigrant abuses we’ve seen in other states with similar laws,” said Grace Meng, US researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Read the whole story here.
What Empowerment 4 Women is All About
To my visitors, you're all probably wondering what this new blog of mine is all about. The thing is, I'm here to hopefully raise awareness on issues concerning and involving women all over the world. My aim is not to be too much of an activist, but rather... I want to help disseminate information for women to arm themselves with as they fight for their rights.
Hmm... what is my focus? It's basically human rights. We cannot touch on women's rights without touching on human rights in general. Most of my posts here would be about issues concerning women, but some issues regarding children's rights, gay rights and perhaps animal rights if I find the issue overwhelming or enveloping. But most of the time you'll see reposts of articles published in human rights organizations such as Legal Voice, Human Rights Watch and many others.
So, I hope you'll support me in my endeavor and look out with me for the rights of women worldwide as well as women, children, gays and animals.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Philippines: Anti-Women Discrimination Bill passed in Senate
Here's something from the Philippines that I dug up from my neighbors who have relatives in the country. It seems they've passed a bill last December promising to end discrimination against women in the country.
Written by: Jose Rodel Clapano of the Philippine Star.
Original article can be found here.
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada lauded yesterday the approval on second reading of the bill that seeks to end job discrimination against women.
Estrada, principal author of Senate Bill 429 or “An Act Expanding the Prohibited Acts of Discrimination Against Women on account of Sex, Gender, Age, Race, Ethnic Origin, Religion or Beliefs, Disability or Other Status,” said the bill‘s approval was timed with the celebration of Women’s Week.
Presidential Proclamation 224 of 1988 declares the first week of March as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day.
Senate Bill 429 seeks to declare unlawful giving preference to a male employee over a female employee, whether through notices, announcements, or advertisements for employment and apprenticeship or in the actual recruitment.
Favoring a male employee over a female employee with respect to promotion, assignment, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants on account of sex or gender, is also prohibited under the proposed measure.
Also prohibited acts under the bill are the payment of a lesser remuneration, including wage, salary or fringe benefits to a female employee; dismissing a woman employee in favor of a male employee or having a retrenchment policy that retains men over women; and demoting or subjecting a woman employee to any other form of discrimination.
Senate Bill 429 also seeks to amend Article 137 of the Labor Code to expand prohibited acts of discrimination against women.
It shall also be unlawful for any employer to dismiss, discharge or prejudice a woman employee merely by reason of her marriage and her childcare responsibilities.
Violations shall be meted with a penalty of imprisonment of at least two years and a fine of not less than P50,000.
“The Philippine Constitution, specifically in Section 14, Article 2 explicitly stipulates the fundamental equality between women and men, recognizing the women’s role in nation building. This appreciation of the role and rights of women is further reinforced in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which our government ratified,” Estrada said.
This is old news, I guess, but I haven't come across it earlier.
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Anti-women discrimination bill passed in SenateWritten by: Jose Rodel Clapano of the Philippine Star.
Original article can be found here.
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada lauded yesterday the approval on second reading of the bill that seeks to end job discrimination against women.
Estrada, principal author of Senate Bill 429 or “An Act Expanding the Prohibited Acts of Discrimination Against Women on account of Sex, Gender, Age, Race, Ethnic Origin, Religion or Beliefs, Disability or Other Status,” said the bill‘s approval was timed with the celebration of Women’s Week.
Presidential Proclamation 224 of 1988 declares the first week of March as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day.
Senate Bill 429 seeks to declare unlawful giving preference to a male employee over a female employee, whether through notices, announcements, or advertisements for employment and apprenticeship or in the actual recruitment.
Favoring a male employee over a female employee with respect to promotion, assignment, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants on account of sex or gender, is also prohibited under the proposed measure.
Also prohibited acts under the bill are the payment of a lesser remuneration, including wage, salary or fringe benefits to a female employee; dismissing a woman employee in favor of a male employee or having a retrenchment policy that retains men over women; and demoting or subjecting a woman employee to any other form of discrimination.
Senate Bill 429 also seeks to amend Article 137 of the Labor Code to expand prohibited acts of discrimination against women.
It shall also be unlawful for any employer to dismiss, discharge or prejudice a woman employee merely by reason of her marriage and her childcare responsibilities.
Violations shall be meted with a penalty of imprisonment of at least two years and a fine of not less than P50,000.
“The Philippine Constitution, specifically in Section 14, Article 2 explicitly stipulates the fundamental equality between women and men, recognizing the women’s role in nation building. This appreciation of the role and rights of women is further reinforced in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which our government ratified,” Estrada said.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Rio+20 Outcome Document Undermined by Human Rights Opponents -
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Rio+20 outcome document undermined by human rights opponents
Global economic troubles are being matched by a recession in human rights with worryingly minimal commitments coming out of the United Nations Rio+20 conference on Sustainable Development, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Center for International Environment Law (CIEL) said today on the close of the conference.
Rio+20 aimed to renew political commitments to sustainable development that were made at the original conference 20 years ago, through assessing progress and implementation gaps and discussing new and emerging issues.
“The G77 countries, the Holy See, and Canada formed a shameful alliance against making a commitment to human rights, on occasion aided by the US,” said Jan Egeland, deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch. “Despite opposition, rights language has survived in the outcome document – but it does not go far enough.”
The Holy See led the charge against sexual and reproductive rights, with support of the G77, an organization of developing countries. The participating countries emphasized the need for universal access to reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health and the integration of reproductive health in national strategies and programs in the outcome document. But express reproductive rights language was deleted.
Read the full article at Amnesty International.
Let's Help a Woman Activist in Guatemala
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URGENT ACTION
ANTI-MINING ACTIVIST SHOT, WOUNDED
A Guatemalan anti-mining activist was shot on 13 June in the town of San José del Golfo, in the department of Guatemala. Other local mining activists may also be at risk.
On 13 June, at around 6.30pm, Yolanda Oquelí was driving home after taking part in a protest outside a mine site in San José del Golfo, in the department of Guatemala, about 35km from the centre of the capital, Guatemala City. As she approached her house, two men on a motorbike cut across her path and fired at her with a pistol. Yolanda Oquelí was hit by a bullet which lodged close to her liver. Three other bullets hit her vehicle. According to local press, a .38 pistol was used in the attack. Yolanda Oquelí is in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Yolanda Oquelí is an activist and leader of the organization Northern Front of the Metropolitan Area (Frente Norte del Área Metropolitana, FRENAM) which has been protesting against the negative effects of a mining project in her community. The mine site is known as El Tambor and covers parts of the municipalities of San Jose del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampic. A protest has been maintained outside the entrance to the mine since March 2012. Those opposing the mine claim that it will pollute the water supply, and that local communities were not consulted about its potential impact.
The mine is operated by Exploraciones Mineras de Guatemala, S.A. (EXMIGUA), a local wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canadian company Radius Gold Inc.
Read the full Call to Action here.
Read the full Call to Action here.
Friday, June 22, 2012
House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
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Stricter standard of proof for immigrants that have been victimized sexually than what is required for asylum applicants.... sound fishy? Well, just read on for yourself.
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US: House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
(Washington) –The full US House of Representatives should reject a dangerous version of a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would undermine the law and expose immigrant women and families to abuse, Human Rights Watch said. The House Judiciary Committee on May 8, 2012 approved a version that makes multiple changes to VAWA’s existing provisions addressing immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Renewing the Violence Against Women Act should take us one step closer to becoming a society in which all women are safe from violence in their homes and on the streets,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee does the opposite. It rejects progress and rolls back protections that have been proven effective in helping women escape abuse.”
VAWA is the primary federal law providing legal protection and services to women, men, and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. It supports victims’ services such as rape crisis centers, temporary housing for domestic violence survivors, and programs to address violence against people with disabilities. Since it was first enacted in 1994, VAWA has included protections to address the particular challenges confronting immigrant victims of violence.
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Stricter standard of proof for immigrants that have been victimized sexually than what is required for asylum applicants.... sound fishy? Well, just read on for yourself.
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US: House Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk
Committee Vote Undermines Violence Against Women Act
(Washington) –The full US House of Representatives should reject a dangerous version of a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would undermine the law and expose immigrant women and families to abuse, Human Rights Watch said. The House Judiciary Committee on May 8, 2012 approved a version that makes multiple changes to VAWA’s existing provisions addressing immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Renewing the Violence Against Women Act should take us one step closer to becoming a society in which all women are safe from violence in their homes and on the streets,” said Meghan Rhoad, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The bill approved by the House Judiciary Committee does the opposite. It rejects progress and rolls back protections that have been proven effective in helping women escape abuse.”
VAWA is the primary federal law providing legal protection and services to women, men, and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. It supports victims’ services such as rape crisis centers, temporary housing for domestic violence survivors, and programs to address violence against people with disabilities. Since it was first enacted in 1994, VAWA has included protections to address the particular challenges confronting immigrant victims of violence.
Read more of the full article at the Human Rights Watch.
Central America: Still a Long Way to Go in Fight Against Sexual Violence
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Central America: Still a Long Way to Go in Fight Against Sexual Violence
by Danilo Valladares (Guatemala City)Friday, June 08, 2012
Inter Press Service
Access to justice for women who suffer sexual violence in Central America and southern Mexico remains limited despite the high incidence of rape and other crimes, of which underage girls are the main victims, experts say.
'This kind of violence is the most hushed up, hidden, and invisibilised, which means it enjoys the greatest impunity,' Marcela Suazo, the United Nations population fund (UNFPA) regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told IPS.
The numbers bear this out.
According to El Salvador’s attorney-general’s office, only six percent of the 8,108 complaints of sex crimes filed between January 2008 and July 2010 led to convictions.
The situation is similar in Nicaragua, where 56 percent of the 1,133 complaints of sexual violence that reached the courts in 2008 were closed. Of this proportion, 70 percent were dismissed, 15 percent ended in acquittals, and only 15 percent led to convictions.
A multiplicity of factors give rise to these bleak figures in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the nine states of southeast Mexico — a region known as Mesoamerica, which is home to some 70 million people.
These include the reluctance of victims to report sexual violence due to shame or fear, the lack of an effective response by the authorities, and the unequal power relations between men and women, Suazo said.
The main victims are minors. 'Girls and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 are the population group most affected by sexual violence,' the expert said, adding that they are often sexually harassed or abused by family members or by people close to the family.
Read full article here.
© Inter Press Service (2012) — All Rights Reserved
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Central America: Still a Long Way to Go in Fight Against Sexual Violence
by Danilo Valladares (Guatemala City)Friday, June 08, 2012
Inter Press Service
Access to justice for women who suffer sexual violence in Central America and southern Mexico remains limited despite the high incidence of rape and other crimes, of which underage girls are the main victims, experts say.
'This kind of violence is the most hushed up, hidden, and invisibilised, which means it enjoys the greatest impunity,' Marcela Suazo, the United Nations population fund (UNFPA) regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told IPS.
The numbers bear this out.
According to El Salvador’s attorney-general’s office, only six percent of the 8,108 complaints of sex crimes filed between January 2008 and July 2010 led to convictions.
The situation is similar in Nicaragua, where 56 percent of the 1,133 complaints of sexual violence that reached the courts in 2008 were closed. Of this proportion, 70 percent were dismissed, 15 percent ended in acquittals, and only 15 percent led to convictions.
A multiplicity of factors give rise to these bleak figures in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the nine states of southeast Mexico — a region known as Mesoamerica, which is home to some 70 million people.
These include the reluctance of victims to report sexual violence due to shame or fear, the lack of an effective response by the authorities, and the unequal power relations between men and women, Suazo said.
The main victims are minors. 'Girls and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 are the population group most affected by sexual violence,' the expert said, adding that they are often sexually harassed or abused by family members or by people close to the family.
Read full article here.
© Inter Press Service (2012) — All Rights Reserved
Thursday, June 21, 2012
US: Female Farmworkers at Risk for Sex Abuse
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Is this how immigrant workers who did not come in legally should be treated? This is a blatant abuse of people who cannot fight back by people who are superior. An abuse of authority, so to say. This article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
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Is this how immigrant workers who did not come in legally should be treated? This is a blatant abuse of people who cannot fight back by people who are superior. An abuse of authority, so to say. This article has been taken from the Human Rights Watch website.
US: Female Farmworkers at Risk for Sex Abuse
by: Grace Meng
Four years ago, "Patricia M." was working in an almond orchard in California. She was 23 years old, had come from Mexico only two years earlier and had no family in the United States. She says the foreman "bothered" her at first, offering her food and drink and telling her he could get her work. This made Patricia uncomfortable, so she always refused. On the end of the third day, the foreman dropped all the other workers off, but he took her to a remote field and raped her.
Patricia told no one. She could not afford to leave the job, and he continued to rape her. She says, "I let him because I didn't want him to hit me. I didn't want to feel pain." She did not consider calling the police. "I was afraid they would put me in jail; I was afraid (they'd) send me to Mexico because I was illegal," Patricia said. "I felt very sad and very alone."
Patricia's story is not uncommon. As Human Rights Watch documents in our new report, "Cultivating Fear," hundreds of thousands of female farmworkers face a high risk of sexual violence and harassment as they grow, pick and pack food in the United States.
Read the full article.
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Rio+20: A Blind Eye Towards Women
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This is a post by Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women. Original article can be found here.
Rio+20: A Blind Eye Towards Women
By Musimbi Kanyoro
Their refusal to include sexual and reproductive health in the final agreement is a deterrent to sustainable development, the economy, and education. It also contradicts other UN agreements and most significantly, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which prioritized the empowerment and health of women and girls. ICPD clearly affirmed the right of women and girls to quality sexual and reproductive health care, AND their integral role in building a sustainable environment.
We agreed then, that the empowerment of women and making sexual and reproductive health a reality for women was the simplest path to a sustainable earth; it was a major step forward.
The Rio+20 agreement is a giant leap backwards. While there are references to Cairo and Beijing agreements on sexual and reproductive rights, there is no reference in the final agreement—where it really matters.
How did this happen? We can count the ways. But in the interest of time and space, I’ll focus on two that stand out to me.
The first is a well-organized religious contingent whose ultimate goal is to change the language and message of the ’94 ICPD conference. Most interesting is the Holy See (the Vatican). Is it that the Holy See prefers not to see the human rights of women, or does it not believe the human rights of women are holy enough? In light of the allegations within the Catholic Church around the sexual abuse of children, what moral authority does the Vatican have to be lobbying against women’s health? To be fair, the Holy See was not a lone rider here, several other countries, including Egypt and Syria, were part of their posse.
Second, opponents argued that gender equality and women’s human rights (including reproductive rights) have nothing to do with sustainable development, and in fact detract from the really “important issues” like trade, financing, and the green economy. Tell that to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It’s recent study shows that a reduction of 8 to 15 percent of essential carbon emissions can be obtained by providing family planning to all women who want it. This reduction would be equivalent to stopping all deforestation or increasing the world’s use of wind power forty-fold.
Women are not asking for the world. They just ask that our leaders open their eyes, do the right thing, and take a giant leap forward.
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This is a post by Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women. Original article can be found here.
Rio+20: A Blind Eye Towards Women
By Musimbi Kanyoro
Who thinks women’s health and human rights are radical, dangerous, and controversial? Apparently, powers-that-be at the Rio+20 environmental summit.
Their refusal to include sexual and reproductive health in the final agreement is a deterrent to sustainable development, the economy, and education. It also contradicts other UN agreements and most significantly, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which prioritized the empowerment and health of women and girls. ICPD clearly affirmed the right of women and girls to quality sexual and reproductive health care, AND their integral role in building a sustainable environment.
We agreed then, that the empowerment of women and making sexual and reproductive health a reality for women was the simplest path to a sustainable earth; it was a major step forward.
The Rio+20 agreement is a giant leap backwards. While there are references to Cairo and Beijing agreements on sexual and reproductive rights, there is no reference in the final agreement—where it really matters.
How did this happen? We can count the ways. But in the interest of time and space, I’ll focus on two that stand out to me.
The first is a well-organized religious contingent whose ultimate goal is to change the language and message of the ’94 ICPD conference. Most interesting is the Holy See (the Vatican). Is it that the Holy See prefers not to see the human rights of women, or does it not believe the human rights of women are holy enough? In light of the allegations within the Catholic Church around the sexual abuse of children, what moral authority does the Vatican have to be lobbying against women’s health? To be fair, the Holy See was not a lone rider here, several other countries, including Egypt and Syria, were part of their posse.
Second, opponents argued that gender equality and women’s human rights (including reproductive rights) have nothing to do with sustainable development, and in fact detract from the really “important issues” like trade, financing, and the green economy. Tell that to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It’s recent study shows that a reduction of 8 to 15 percent of essential carbon emissions can be obtained by providing family planning to all women who want it. This reduction would be equivalent to stopping all deforestation or increasing the world’s use of wind power forty-fold.
Women are not asking for the world. They just ask that our leaders open their eyes, do the right thing, and take a giant leap forward.
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Support Abby Goldberg's IL Environmental Campaign
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Great things start from small beginnings as they say. 12-year-old Abby Goldberg bears truth to that old adage as she struggles to raise awareness and support for her environmental campaign in the state of Illinois.
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Great things start from small beginnings as they say. 12-year-old Abby Goldberg bears truth to that old adage as she struggles to raise awareness and support for her environmental campaign in the state of Illinois.
You can sign the petition here.
In the meantime, here is the full-text of Abby's petition:
Once again, big corporations are trying to use big government to control the rights of citizens in towns all over America, but this time you can help me stop it!
My name is Abby Goldberg, and as a 12-year-old girl who, after seeing the devastation that millions of plastic bags have caused the environment and ocean life, I made my school project this year to be getting a local ban on single-use plastic shopping bags in my home town Grayslake, IL.
My friends and I were making great progress, until the oil and chemical industry pulled a dirty trick to kill my campaign; these lobbyists used the politicians that they bought to pass a bill that would make it illegal for towns across Illinois to create plastic bag bans! Even worse, they’re trying to make it look like a green environmental bill, by putting in a few ridiculously-low requirements for so-called “recycling” of plastic bags, and are bragging they’re going to make it "a model bill for all states!”
Now it’s in the hands of our Governor to stop them with a veto, but he needs to hear from all of us!
I am heartbroken and so angry, because kids and adults like me are standing up to Big Oil and Big Plastic by creating bans everywhere, including in Los Angeles, Hawaii, Seattle, Toronto, Austin, Mexico City, Mumbai, Italy, Rwanda and more! Why? Because bag bans can be literally 2000% more effective than “bring your own bag” campaigns!
I am not scared – even though I’m just a kid, I care too much about animals, our environment, and our future natural resources to let them beat down my town, just so they can make an extra buck. Now I need your help to stop them, and give hope to other people around the world that they can stand up for their own rights!
The governor could sign at any minute, so we need your voice as soon as possible, or my dream of getting a healthier environment for my town, our environment and our world will be totally crushed.
Thank you!!
Balancing Your Work, Family & Social Life
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Here is a good article that aims to help women balance their stressful work life with their demanding family life.
Here is a good article that aims to help women balance their stressful work life with their demanding family life.
Many of us have an image of personal balance as a set of scales in perfect balance every day. But that’s an unrealistic goal. You are in for a lot of frustration if you try to allocate within every day a predetermined portion of time for work, family and your social life. An illness may upset all your plans. A business project may demand peaks of intense work, followed by valleys of slow time.
Balance requires continual adjustments, like an acrobat on a high wire who constantly shifts his weight to the right and to the left. By focusing on four main areas of your life – emotional/spiritual needs, relationships, intellectual needs and physical needs – at work and away from work, you can begin to walk the high wire safely.
Here, drawn from my conversations with many high successful Americans, are ten ideas for balancing all aspects of your life:
1. Make an appointment with yourself. Banish from your mind the idea that everyone takes precedence over you. Don’t use your organizer or calendar just for appointments with others. Give yourself some prime time. Regularly do something you enjoy. It will recharge your batteries. Once you’ve put yourself on your calendar, guard those appointments. Kay Koplovitz founder of the USA cable television network, which is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Koplovitz ran the daily operations of the network for 21 years. For more than two decades, there was always some potential claim on her time. Therefore she vigilantly protected a scheduled tennis match just as she would a business appointment.
2. Care for your body. Having a high energy level is a trait held by many highly successful people. No matter what your present level of energy, you can increase it by following these steps:
Eat. Don’t skip meals. Your physical and mental energy depend upon nourishment. Irregular eating patterns can cause a frayed temper, depression, lack of creativity and a nervous stomach.
Exercise. Over and over again, highly successful people mention the benefit of exercise routines. Johnetta Cole, president of Bennett College for Women and former president of Spelman College, does a four-mile walk each morning. She calls it her mobile meditation. The benefits of exercise are mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. If you are healthier and have more stamina, you can work better and longer.
Rest. A psychologist who has studied creative people reports that they rest often and sleep a lot.
3. Cut some slack. You do not have to do everything. Just the right things. Publisher Steve Forbes taught me a lesson: “Don’t be a slave to your in-box. Just because there’s something there doesn’t mean you have to do it.” As a result, every evening, I extract from my long list to-do list just a few “musts” for the following day. If, but three o’clock the next day, I’ve crossed off all the “musts,” I know that everything else I do that day will be icing on the cake. It is a great psychological plus for me.
There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself hard, disciplining yourself to do what needs to be done when you hold yourself to the highest standards. That builds up stamina and turns you into a pro. At time, though, you must forgive yourself. You will never become 100 percent efficient, nor should you expect to be. After something does not work, ask yourself, “Did I do my best? If you did, accept the outcome. All you can do is all you can do.
4. Blur the boundaries. Some very successful people achieve balance by setting aside times or days for family, recreation, hobbies or the like. They create boundaries around certain activities and protect them. Other individuals who are just as successful do just the opposite. They blur the boundaries. Says consultant Alan Weiss, “I work out of my home. In the afternoon, I might be watching my kids play at the pool or be out with my wife. On Saturday, or at ten o’clock on a weeknight, I might be working. I do things when the spirit moves me, and when they’re appropriate.”
Some jobs don’t lend themselves to this strategy. But blurring the boundaries is possible more often than you may think. One way is to involve people you care about in what you do. For example, many companies encourage employees to bring their spouses to conferences and annual meetings. It’s a good idea. If people who mean a great deal to you understand what you do, they can share more fully in your successes and failures. They also are more likely to be a good sounding board for your ideas.
5. Take a break. Many therapists believe that taking a break from a work routine can have major benefits for mental and physical health. Professional speaker and executive coach Barbara Pagano practices a kind of quick charge, by scheduling a day every few months with no agenda. For her, that means staying in her pajamas, unplugging the phone, watching old movie or reading a novel in bed. For that one day, nothing happens, except what she decides from hour to hour. Adds singer and composer Billy Joel, “There are times when you need to let the field lie fallow.” Joel is describing what farmers often do: let a plot rest so the soil can replenish itself.
6. Take the road less traveled. Occasionally, get off the expressway and take a side road, literally and figuratively. That road may take you to the library or to the golf course. Do something out of the ordinary to avoid the well-worn grooves of your life. Try a new route to work, a different radio station or a different cereal. Break out of your old mold occasionally, with a new way to dress or a different hobby. The road less traveled can be a reward after a demanding event, a carrot that you reward your self with or it can be a good way to loosen up before a big event. Bobby Dodd, the legendary football coach at Georgia Tech, knew the power of this concept. While other coaches were putting their teams through brutal twice-a-day practices, Dodd’s team did their drills and practices, but then took time to relax, play touch football and enjoy the bowl sites. Did the idea work? In six straight championships games!
Gene Griessman, PhD, is an Atlanta-based author, workshop leader and speaker. His books include Time Tactics of Very Successful People and The Words Lincoln Lived By. To learn more about Dr. Griessman?s products and speaking engagements, visit him online at www.presidentlincoln.com.
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