Love him or hate him, you have to admit that he has a lot to say. However, I think all his English teachers are turning over in their graves after reading the sentence below. Yes, it–technically–is only a single sentence.
This is an actual Trump “sentence” https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4546796/donald-trump-sentence …
Today, at 3:00 P.M., people will be pausing for a silent moment to honor those who have lost their lives in military service. Amtrack trains will blow their whistles in tribute. And others will find a way to honor our lost military men and women who died in service to our country and to us.
3:00 P.M. Join in. It’s the least we can do.
[Although this was sent out, at least in part, as a self-promotion for a group called “Credo” (I’ve left off the parts that do that), it offer some interesting end encouraging facts about progress women are making…some things to celebrate on this International Women’s Day, and some things to continue working toward.]
Recognizing Progress, Working for True Equality
Women are getting an education. Worldwide, girls now enroll in primary school at almost the same rate as boys. And national constitutions adopted since 1995 are more likely to ensure equality in education for girls than those adopted before—86% vs. 50%. However, educational opportunities for girls lag far behind in parts of the world, and women make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate.
Women are a boost for business. Women are receiving recognition for their contributions to the places they work. Research shows companies with three or more women in senior management do better in all facets of organizational effectiveness. Yes, the pay gap continues.
Women are a critical force for peace. Research shows that when women are involved in the peacemaking process, the chance of lasting peace dramatically increases. However, they are often left out of the process.
Women are safer in pregnancy. Maternal mortality has dropped by at least 40% in 76 countries, thanks to better access to prenatal care, fewer unsafe abortions and better family planning. Yet many women around the world still lack reproductive healthcare.
Women are leaders. Almost twice as many women hold political office today than did 20 years ago, but the total numbers are still far too low.
[You’ve come a long way, Lady, but still have far to go.]
As we all know, men are different from women. It’s important to remember that one of those differences is in how men and women experience a heart attack. Today, which is National Wear Red Day to promote heart-attack-awareness for women, it’s appropriate to post a reminder of what the American Heart Assn. says are women’s symptoms, with a note about men’s:
As with men, the most common heart attack symptom in women is chest pain or discomfort. But it’s important to note that women are more likely to experience the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you’re a woman grabbing a parka in the office during August, you aren’t crazy…or having cold flashes. A study from the Netherlands showed that you’re cold for a reason: the AC is set for the comfort of men who wear suits (sometimes 3-piece) all year and whose metabolism runs warmer than women’s.
Women prefer the room temperature at about 77 degrees, while men prefer it at less than 72 degrees. The U.S. government suggests setting thermostats at between 69 and 73 degrees F.
So, unless you meet the standards (set in the 60s and 70s) of a man who is age 40 and weighs 154 pounds, plan to experience chilliness coming not just from a disapproving boss. And keep a coat handy.
If your team wins the World’s Cup once–or even three times (more than any other country in the world)–what can you expect to earn? A lot if you’re a man, not so much if you’re a woman.
Last year, the U.S. men’s soccer team, who lost, earned $9 million; this year’s winning women will get $2 million. The average salary for these players is $305,000 for men and $14,000 for women. And the prize for winning the World Cup? $576 million for men and $15 million for women.
Why the difference? I think it’s the way the world values women, as summed up by a tweet (now taken down) by England’s Soccer Federation, that their soccer team can now “go back to being mothers, partners and daughters.”
But I’m more concerned about attitudes in my own country, the U.S., including the ones that say that women, no matter how accomplished or hard-working, are worth less than men.
There’s hope for pregnant women. They’re often fired from their jobs because of “unreasonable demands,” like taking bathroom breaks, needing to keep a bottle of water nearby, or having to get help with lifting heavy loads. (These are actual cases.)
Today, Senators Bob Casey and Jeanne Shaheen are introducing their Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the U.S. Senate. It isn’t proposing that employers make major concessions, just the same reasonable ones afforded to people with disabilities. It would be illegal to fire a pregnant woman for needing such small accommodations.
Since May, when Rep. Jerrold Nadler brought this bill to the House, it has gained 100+ co-sponsors, plus support from a variety of organizations– public health, business, women, workers, and religious.
Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
Love soccer and are good enough at it to play in the World Cup? Go for it, but, if you’re a woman, don’t expect to be paid the bigger bucks the men get. Comparing women’s tournaments with men’s is “not worth debating” and “nonsense,” according to FIFA’s Secretary General Jerome Valcke. He doesn’t anticipate any pay equality in the near future, nor does he see a reason for it, even though women’s soccer is becoming more and more popular.
This is yet another area in which gender discrimination rears its ugly head when the same job is being performed by women as it is by men.
Read more about the situation with the World Cup in the Huffington Post article, “FIFA Has No Plans to Give Women Equal World Cup Pay Any Time Soon.”
Women have real worth: they’re cheap. That’s why the filthy-rich founder of an online advertising company hires them. They do the work of men, but he doesn’t have to pay them as much.
Well, at least he admits it.
Read this fascinating article by Sarah Gray. And take note that this is happening in America as well as in Australia–and where else?
[This information greatly disturbed me. I did what little I can–signed the petition. It’s from Avaaz.org, a 35-million-strong global campaign network.]
Nine months pregnant and in chains, Haben’s* torturers beat her ruthlessly demanding a $35,000 ransom from her husband. She gave birth in shackles, beside other terrified captives, with only rusty metal to cut the umbilical cord. It’s unbelievable that this is happening in 2014!
Amazingly Haben survived — but she is one of thousands of East Africans who have been abducted by criminal trafficking rings, and tortured in Egypt’s Sinai until their desperate families pay huge ransoms for their freedom. If we can show Egypt’s leaders that this dirty secret is out and damaging the Sinai’s tourism reputation as the ‘Red Sea Riviera’, they could break the trafficking rings, and free these slaves.
Every hour these men, women and children are in captivity is an hour too long. Sign the urgent petition now and forward it to everyone. When we reach 1 million signers, Avaaz will raise a massive media storm to pressure Egypt to act:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_
If we can stop human smuggling in the Sinai — one of the most notorious routes for human trafficking in the world — we can strike a blow against a trade that imprisons nearly one million people a year.
And it’s possible. Let’s start it all with a million person movement to end this horrific trade in human suffering. Sign now and share with others:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_
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Our community has stepped in repeatedly to help those trapped in terrible conditions. Last year, we helped rescue migrant Indian labourers trapped in Bahrain. And we’ve helped provide food and medicine to those trapped in Syria. Now let’s help liberate those being tortured in Egypt.
With hope and determination,
Nick, Ari, Bissan, Alice, Wissam, Ricken and the entire Avaaz team
*Haben is a pseudonym, but her story is real.
SOURCES
Egypt/Sudan: Traffickers Who Torture (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/
Extortionists, smugglers preying on Eritrean refugees, report says (Globe and Mail)
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/
Egypt/Sudan: Refugees face kidnapping for ransom, brutal treatment and human trafficking (Amnesty International)
http://www.amnestyusa.org/
The Human Trafficking Cycle: Sinai and Beyond (EEPA Report)
http://www.eepa.be/wcm/
Thousands of Eritreans ‘abducted to Sinai for ransom’ (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Egypt’s Sinai: Trafficking, torture and fear (Al Jazeera)
http://www.aljazeera.com/
Human Trafficking Statistics (Polaris Project)
http://www.cicatelli.org/
Alex Leo