I read the comments last night and I felt somewhat how Gloria and Doug felt…This type of women’s abuse is not only happening in Congo but around the world, daily.  And we get focused in our own little worlds and what ever is happening in our own little worlds is what we live with daily. Thankfully the majority of us do not experience one little iota of abuse that women around the world experience.

I was disturbed at the lack of attention that the Congolese women were getting in the ‘Numbers’ that I quoted yesterday in my write, and quite  disturbed at the lack of attention that these same women got on my blog when I read the comments yesterday.

But then I woke up this morning and read from a different perspective.

Herbert: I hope that ‘exercising your demons’ on my blog helped. You certainly inspired the readers to write in and take action in the form of advice. (And by the way Herbert, I agree with Nell, I would’ve picked a different alias. :)

Wow, so much effort went to a complete stranger: Herbert. I can only hope that many of you ( I’m not counting on you George), will take that same passion that you have for Herbert’s  dilemma and support another cause that is meaningful to you. The desire to help someone is awesome.

Can you broaden your compassion and take it to another level when it comes to those outside of your own little worlds?  How about channeling it to something bigger, whether it is women in Congo or the environment, or something else? Being of service to someone or some cause can be one of the most fulfilling experiences. I can see that people want to reach out and help. I’m just asking that you take this passion to the next level.

Let me add, that I am not different from any of you.  I too focus on my own little world. It takes effort and time to reach out and be there for a person or a cause. It starts off as a selfless act, but I have learned that the more I do for others the more fulfilled I am in my life.  And because I am fulfilled by my actions, I want to do more. One doesn’t selflessly give to gain but what one gains by giving is priceless in regards to self fulfillment.  If we all gave more of ourselves and our time, how different this world would be.

Hmm…that is really all I have for this morning.

~~~~~~~~~~

Beth: I think it is clearer if you address the person you are speaking to in the body of the comment not in the ‘little box’.

Welcome back Billy. :)

Rick:  Sorry the pic wasn’t ‘enough’ for you. I rather liked it…love my hat, the bikini…all the bright colors. I think it looks good on my blog, as my summer shot.  Ah…I guess I can’t please every one.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

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I am blown away that it will be a year ago tomorrow that I first wrote about the plight of women in Congo. Five months later I wrote about what is fueling this war against women. And sadly today, not much has changed. I still think about the women quite often but it wasn’t until I read about Hillary’s past trip there that I knew that I needed to address this very serious issue once again. And because of Hillary, the Congolese women have renewed hope.

When Clinton ignored security advice and flew to Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, her focus on the region’s rape crisis resonated with some of the continent’s most powerless people: women.

It wasn’t just that she was the first top-level American official to go to the epicenter of one of the world’s deadliest wars, nor even the U.S. aid money she promised. It was her reaction to victims’ stories of rape — and the hope that she might do something about it.

The conflict in eastern Congo is a toxic mix of jostling militias, ethnic tensions, greed for resource wealth, a tragic colonial history, a predatory army and opportunistic neighbors. Rape is commonly used as a weapon in this war. Although reliable statistics are difficult to come by, it’s estimated that close to 200,000 women have been raped since the conflict began 13 years ago.

In a recent upsurge in violence, an estimated 3,500 women and girls are estimated to have been raped since the beginning of the year. Men and boys also are increasingly victims of sexual assault.

In America, Clinton might have been portrayed as a bit of a shrew in her sharp reaction to a Congolese student’s question about her husband’s thoughts on an issue — a momentary loss of her usual steely control that got so much media coverage that it became the single moment some people remember about her trip.

But women’s rights activists in eastern Congo weren’t talking about that. They were talking about the tears they saw glistening in her eyes Tuesday as she talked to rape victims and heard their horrendous stories of suffering, including a woman who was raped while pregnant and who lost her baby.

Clinton was so warm and compassionate, activists said, they felt they could almost call her Hillary.

“For the first time in a decade, I have hope again. The message I gave her first of all, as a woman, not as secretary of State, is that a woman can feel the pain all these women feel.”

-Christine Schuler Deschryver, a prominent Congolese activist with the organization VDAY,

Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times

(To read the article in its entirety click above)

The Numbers:

1,050,000

Number of Congolese forced to flee their homes in eastern Congo due to violence.

46

The average life expectancy for a woman living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

15,000

The number of pregnant women displaced in eastern Congo due to the escalation in violence over the last 6 months.

1,100

Number of rape cases reported every month.

2

Number of hospitals in eastern Congo that are able to perform surgeries to repair fistula.

1300

Number of Congolese that continue to die each day as a consequence of war.

22

Number of armed groups at the table when ceasefire agreement was brokered in 2008.

1

Number of times women are mentioned in the ceasefire agreement.

0

Number of times the epidemic of sexual violence and rape is mentioned in the ceasefire agreement.

$144,000,000

The estimated profits made each year by armed groups from the trade in eastern Congo’s minerals.

These numbers are horrific. And even more disturbing is the lack of attention in regards to the Congolese women, and lack of available health care in regards to their plight, and recovery. This way of life for these women has got to be put to an end. We, along with Hillary, need to continually push the issue if we are to make a difference in these women’s lives.

“If the U.S. has the will and if they give a very strong warning and say first of all we want to stop the violence, it can have a big impact,” Deschryver said. “I hope that was her aim in coming here. Otherwise in 100 years, we will still be here, beggars depending on other countries.”

-Christine Schuler Deschryver

Still want to learn more about the crisis in Congo?  Click here for the key facts of the casualties of conflict minerals.

It is one thing to be informed of the casualties but as I mentioned,  we must do more to stop the atrocities. Hope For Congo needs our help. If you can give a little, give a little. If you can’t give, one small thing you can do right now, and it only takes a minute, is to  endorse the conflict mineral pledge.

The conflict in eastern Congo, the deadliest in the world since World War II, is being fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals that go into our electronic products from cell phones to digital cameras. The Enough Project has worked with other like-minded groups to create a conflict minerals pledge that commits electronics companies to ensure their products are conflict-free.  We need your help, as consumers of these electronics products, to let the biggest companies know that it matters to us that our purchases don’t fuel this ongoing tragedy.

Readers: Just remember…every time you have to have the latest and greatest in cell phone or computer technology, think about the women, old and yes even the very young, in the Congo….We are indirectly financing armed groups, supporting the war against women, and aiding in rape as a weapon of war. Transparency in regards to the mineral supply chain is a must so that we can make conscious choices when we purchase our electronic devices. Once again, thank you for all you do.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2009

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Good Morning.

I like to watch the president’s weekly address on health care reform, because to me it is the most important topic right now for everyone living in the U.S.  Did you see it yet? If not, I’ve posted it below.

When ever I hear the complaint that people are concerned over our government having control of our health care system…when people say, “I don’t want our government making decisions for me”, I ask the question, “Well, who do you think has control now?” If you guessed the insurance companies, you guessed right. And more importantly, Just how well today are the insurance companies taking care of us?

Readers: Think about those questions. I’ll say no more on the subject. However I am not done. This is just a lead in to my topic tomorrow. Stay tuned…

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and me both ZL!  Have fun chillin’ – so happy for you that your long night was a successful one :)

Hey Al: I don’t know what it is about you, but you’re honesty is so amusing…and I mean that in a good way. You’re naïveté and worldliness in collaboration, forms a certain freshness in the way you verbalize yourself.

Helena:  Bill Maher is so correct. When I heard that comment about medicare my jaw just dropped. It enforces the importance of my questions above. People don’t have any idea just how much control insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have over them. They need to wake up and start paying attention, and more importantly, put the control of our health back in our own hands.

Thanks to you both Peter and Luman for that bit of Guam History.

Lois:  Thanks for addressing my question. Can you take your comment a bit further when you say, “...when one of the Gods chooses to use the heart, it beats once every seven earth days.” What exactly does that mean? Do you mean emotionally when a God chooses to love? Or the God engages in physical sex every seven earth days, since he appears as man? Or is it just something physical not having to do with love or sex?

Anna: From how Amritha Alladi described the fiestas that happen so often, that you could trip over from one village’s fiesta into the next and wouldn’t know the difference, tells me that I would love Guam as much as Alladi does. It is one of the reasons that I love Bali so much and have wanted to live there 6 months out of the year, if I could. I love the daily celebrations and rituals, and the gathering of the community. I had no idea Guam was like that too. Thank you for sharing with me. I am now seriously considering visiting. :)

Terry: Everyone who reads my blog knows I can speak for myself. But I love that the girls all spoke up, as they like me, have voices that need to be heard.

I find it very interesting how you verbalized your words: “My religion makes me have to say this.” That is a very strong statement. In my opinion, it seems your comment is coming from religion deeply ingrained from a man (his words), and your mouth is a vehicle to get the words out, with your true spirit stuck in the middle without a voice. There is nothing wrong with feeling offended by the photo if you truly are, but I don’t think you are. I think you are wanting to break free from the religious restraints, also told to you by a man, that tells you my photo says, “Michelle is a sex object.”

My advice if you don’t mind me saying so, is to read what Gwen, Linda, Pearl, Sharon, Vicki, Trudy, Cathy and Mindy had to say. I think they all gave some very good advice. And just as well, read what George ( I think it is obvious, you’re not the bigot George:) had to say if you need a man’s opinion which you seem to value more than women.(?) But I don’t think your true spirit does.

I think you wrote in what you wrote to get the reaction that you needed to hear. Perhaps it is what you needed to help break yourself free. If that is the case then stick around, and heed George’s words, “But if you are looking to learn something about the world around you, then close your eyes to the” offending pictures” and get an invaluable education.” (Thank you George for saying those kind words and recognizing the fairness and openness of my blog. ) If George who is a pastor can look past the spicy language and ribald bandage, (I just love that description) and still read and get into the meat of my blog, don’t you think you can get past a little photo Terry?

And Hey Jesse had some wonderful words to add too (Thanks Jesse :)….“life’s beautiful why sweat it?”

Ah…what a great quote to end with…so I will.

Peace out….

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

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Just what am I talking about?  The coin that many of us get bothered by when we have too many, but are grateful to have when we need just one….I’m talking about the little copper Penny.

Here’s 10 things you might not know about this little coin:

1. Aug. 2, 2009, marks the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, the longest-running U.S. coin still in circulation. The U.S. Mint had been producing one-cent coins since its founding in 1792, but the 1909 penny (which replaced the Indian-head coin) was the first coin on which a President’s likeness appeared. Teddy Roosevelt commissioned the coin to celebrate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. While most people applauded the new design, former Confederate soldiers were upset at the prospect of carrying the image of Lincoln in their pockets. Today, on the occasion of Lincoln’s 200th birthday, the U.S. Mint has produced four special-edition pennies with reverse-side designs that depict different periods in the famous President’s life. Three of the pennies have already been released; the final design will debut on Aug. 13.
2. Despite its declining buying power — and a call by some to drop it from circulation altogether — the penny is still the U.S.’s most popular coin. Last year 5.4 billion pennies were produced. That’s more than twice the number of quarters minted, and five times as many dimes. The Lincoln penny accounts for roughly half of all coins minted within a year. About 1,000 pennies are made per second.
3. Copper and zinc, the two metals found in a penny, were rationed during World War II, so the U.S. Mint had to come up with another way to produce its most popular coin. After much debate, the government decided on zinc-coated steel. The steel penny saved enough copper to make 1.25 million shells of ammunition. The gray-colored penny was manufactured between February and December 1943, but it encountered a number of problems: it rusted, it confused vending machines, and it was frequently mistaken for a dime. In 1944, a new metal combination was selected, and in 1946 production of the original prewar penny resumed.
4. Sometimes pennies can be more trouble than they’re worth. While a 1909 penny could send a postcard or buy a few eggs, in 2009 it can’t even purchase itself: the U.S. Mint spends 1.4 cents on every penny it produces. “When people start leaving a monetary unit at the cash register for the next customer, that unit is too small to be useful,” argued Harvard economics professor Gregory Mankiw in a 2006 Wall Street Journal article. Arizona representative Jim Kolbe introduced the 2002 Legal Tender Modernization Act to Congress, which would have eliminated the penny. The bill failed miserably.
5. In response to the copper coin’s declining value, some stores have stopped accepting it as a form of payment. In 2007, a New York City man was so incensed when a Chinese restaurant refused to let him pay for his dinner with 10 pennies (along with other cash) that he persuaded a state senator to draft a bill requiring pennies to be accepted everywhere and at all times. (The bill was not passed.) And in 2009, a number of Concord, Mass., shopkeepers banded together to protest pennies — on Lincoln’s 200th birthday, no less.
6. For much of its life, the penny was produced in three different mints. Most of the 1909 Lincoln pennies were produced in Philadelphia, where the presses stamped no identifying “mintmark” on the coins. A smaller number, produced in San Francisco, were marked by the single letter S. Coins minted in Denver — starting in 1911 — bore the stamp D. Production today is divided between two mints, Denver and Philadelphia, and has grown speedier: the U.S. Mint took more than two years to produce its first million coins, but today the Philadelphia Mint can make approximately that many in 45 minutes.
7. Like so much else American, the name penny comes from England. The first modern English coin was the silver penny of Offa, the 8th century king of Mercia. By the 18th century — when the first U.S. coins went into circulation — Brits still used the word penny as the singular for pence, just as they do today. The coin’s name derives from the Old English pennige, pronounced, roughly, penny-yuh.
8. To design the new Lincoln penny in 1909, President Teddy Roosevelt enlisted the artist Victor David Brenner, whose earlier Lincoln plaque he had admired. The design featured a Lincoln bust on one side and wheat shafts on the other. (In 1959, on the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birthday, the grains were swapped out for a rendering of the Lincoln memorial.) The Lincoln cent marked the beginning of 100 continuous years of pennies featuring the words In God We Trust. (Read TIME’s business blog.)
9. Pennies will buy you so little today that the concept of dividing them into even smaller change seems ludicrous. Not so back in 1786, when the U.S. Continental Congress approved the mill, describing it as the “lowest money of accompt, of which 1,000 shall be equal to the federal dollar.” (The term comes from the Latin mille, meaning 1,000.) While the Federal Government never actually produced a coin worth one-tenth of a cent, some states and local governments issued mills made of such cheap materials as tin,aluminum, plastic or paper. By the 1960s, however, the coins had depreciated so much in value that their production was virtually abandoned.
10. The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in American numismatics— and reportedly the most valuable Lincoln penny of all. Just 40 of the coins — probably created by accident on copper-alloy one-cent blanks left in the presses in the wartime years when pennies were converted to steel — are known to exist. The first 1943 copper cent was sold in 1958 for more than $40,000. In 1996, another went for a whopping $82,500. Their collection value makes 1943 copper pennies a prime target for counterfeiters: fakes are often made by coating steel cents with copper or altering the dates of 1945, 1948 and 1949 cents. How can you tell if your 1943 copper penny is real? Use a magnet. If the penny sticks, it’s not copper. Better luck next time.

-Time on line

Here’s my two cents on a few thoughts.

Hi Al: I am aware of the dictionary definition of ‘racism’ and I appreciate your point, as it allows me to say more.

What seems to be flooding the media, as well as this blog, is white people discriminating against otw’s. I have yet to experience otw’s trying to rid this world of the white race; they just want to be seen and treated equally to whites, not be rid of them. They want to share the world space and have the same opportunities that whites have. Racist whites on the other hand, do not want to share the world space let alone give otw’s equal opportunities.

Let’s also remember that it was the whites that annihilated the American Indian. The Germans (whites) killed millions of Jews. The Aborigines are victims of racism by the hands of the Australians (Whites).  And blacks were enslaved by the hands of whites. Need I go on?

The KKK are white supremacists.  What group of otw’s have a group that pushes supremacy? I know they’re out there but did they not come about defensively to counter white supremacy? If there were no white supremacist groups out there, would other supremacist groups even exist? If whites racists didn’t exist, would racism?

Let it be known, I do not hate my own race. I am just disappointed and outraged that people can feel so strongly against another human being because of their skin color.

Diversity is beautiful.

Anonymous #5: I will agree with you about 2012 not getting here fast enough. When Obama gets re-elected in 2012, watch out  - we think he’s got a set now? The man we see now is just getting started. And by the way aren’t we a tad hypocritical? I think the repugs have been quite good at bending the law their way, not to mention election fraud. Thanks Anonymous #8 for clarification.

Anna: If I could get away and come to your island, I would.

Umm…Anonymous #15, I agree with Anonymous #20, No one indoctrinates black children. As far as crime, I don’t believe that there are more black criminals than whites – that numbered is way skewed because blacks (and otw’s) are the targets and whites get off. We see it time and time again that blacks are sent to jail for a crime, when whites are set free for the same crime. Now, I’m not talking ‘dahmer’esque type criminals.

When a type of race is held down by another type of race, the group that is held down might resort to things that they would not do, should they have the same opportunities that the other group has.

In regards to black on black violence, how would whites act if the roles were reversed and whites did not have equal opportunity? How many whites would be fighting each other? How many whites would be targeted and sent to prison? And I’m not saying that all crime is because of the lack of opportunity to otw’s but you have to admit that it does encourage it. And then you have otw’s targeted to begin with….What easier way to help rid the world of a certain group that one doesn’t like?

Well…that is the end of my two cents.  A penny for your thoughts?  Blog me.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

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Well…I just got the news, and it’s better than I thought. The LIVE news chat that I spoke of the other day is going to be LIVE TODAY and our president is going to be part of it. How exciting is that?  Obama is going to be at a live townhall meeting, ready to answer some of your health care concerns.  Here’s the scoop that just came in:

President Barack Obama is holding a special LIVE town hall meeting with AARP and Divided We Fail supporters today – Tuesday, July 28th – at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

But that’s not all, Michelle.

You’ve taken part in the debate on the critical issue of health care reform from the beginning. Now you can take your questions straight to the top – we’ve arranged for President Obama to take several questions from our online supporters at tomorrow’s town hall!

Click here to submit your question for today’s LIVE town hall meeting with President Obama.

President Obama will join us to discuss the ways that health reform legislation currently before Congress will impact AARP members and older Americans and will be responding to your questions.

The president will be joined by AARP CEO A. Barry Rand for a conversation with tens of thousands listening on the phone, online, and from a live studio audience.

AARP has set up a live webcast on its site. Starting at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, you’ll be able to watch the town hall and listen to President Obama answer questions from AARP and Divided We Fail members about health reform.

This is a critical juncture in the health care debate, and we need to make sure we have the facts. Now is the time to tune in, ask questions and listen to the options before us. We have a historic opportunity to ask President Obama some tough questions, so let’s make sure we take it.

To watch the president live online in the webcast on Tuesday go to:
http://www.aarp.org/TownHall

Now is your chance to tune in,  get informed, and have your concerns addressed. C’mon now…speak up. The time is NOW.

On a side note: Ever heard of ther Lewin Group? Oh, the repugnants just love to quote the Lewin Group. It is their biggest defense against health care reform. Quotes such as, ”Approximately 114 million Americans are expected to leave private health insurance,” is taken from the Lewin Group report.

Let me give you a little background on the Lewin Group:

Generally left unsaid amid all the citations is that the Lewin Goup is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation’s largest insurers.

More specifically, the Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association, a physician’s group, of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data. Ingenix supplied its parent company and other insurers with data that allegedly understated the “usual and customary” doctor fees that insurers use to determine how much they will reimburse consumers for out-of-network care.

In January, UnitedHealth agreed to a $50 million settlement with the New York attorney general and a $350 million settlement with the AMA, covering conduct going back as far as 1994.

By David S. Hilzenrath

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 22, 2009; 6:46 PM

Oops busted. Who’s to say that the Lewin Group hasn’t been stuffing the repugs pockets with all of the money they have been ripping off from their insurers since 1994. And why do you think the repugnicants are so stuck on quoting them? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

“““““““

Mehtarlam:  Good to hear from you again. It seems you are beginning to be a regular blogger here. Thank you for your kind words, and support. I wish I could do more right now.

Teyrawah, Delatam:  Your request weighs heavy on me as do all such similar requests when I write about the plight of women around the world. It would be easy to just say, ‘Eliminate them’, and yet it is not in me to descend to such depths, as much as my fury rises with each report that I read.

It takes the Assiya’s of the world that give me hope that women will prevail. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but my hope is that women will ‘woman up’ and fight for what is rightfully ours. When you pray to Allah, pray that the courage rises out of each of you to effect your own changes. I was once told that whatever efforts I put out,  will be matched. I pass that along to you.

I know it is easy for me to say these things, as I am an American woman who has never and probably never will be tested to endure even for one day, what many women endure over an entire lifetime.

I encourage you to fight for your rightful place even if that place is not on solid ground for generations to come. Annihilation may seem like the simple solution to a quick fix, but in the long term will it serve you best? I don’t know. I only know to continue to write and support and encourage that which I know is possible.

Women are the strength of this planet….why else would we call it ‘Mother Earth’? Azza once said to me when she left last year and we did not know whether we would ever meet again, ‘I will never forget Michelle’s Earth.’ I burst into tears. Those six words had a very profound impact on me. It did not arrive from an egoic place in my mind, but from a place of women empowerment in my heart. Again, I pass that along to you.

Women are the creators, and I believe that we can create a better planet for all if we just stick together. The men have always shown their commitment to each other; now it is the time for women.

Empowerment over our own future and those of our daughters and their daughters….will be our lasting legacy.

Shir Khan: It is easy for me to be committed to a cause that I believe in. It is women like you, and Mehtarlam, Teyrawah, Delatam, and Assiya, and so many others that are challenged daily. My strength is fueled by your unwavering commitment for change and equality. It is I that am blown away by the strength and courage of women not like myself. It is you and women like you that inspires me to continue to do what I do.

In my mind, distance is the only thing that should separate sisters of the world from coming together. Your comment tells me you feel the same way. Thank you.

Billy: Your little sayings are so whimsical – love them. I say, ‘keep ‘em coming.’

Scott: Thanks. I wish I had used that little tactic when I asked my employer if I could have the afternoon off this Friday to be with my family.

Mandi:  I would’ve started laughing, and asked him why he was checking out my butt in the first place.

Peter: You can be sure I will be checking out my Guam quarters.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor

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