Good morning!

Today, I want to honor Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Jody Williams, as a wonderful woman of the world.

In more than 100 years of Nobel Peace Prizes, only a dozen women have ever won. Civil-rights and peace activist Jody Williams, received the award in 1997 as the chief strategist of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which established the ?rst global treaty banning antipersonnel mines.

Williams believes that peace is de?ned by human (not national) securityand that it must be achieved through sustainable development, environmental justice, and meeting people’s basic needs. To this end, she co-founded the Nobel Women’s Initiative, endorsed by six of seven living female Peace laureates. She chairs the effort to support activists, researchers, and others working toward peace, justice, and equality for women and thus humanity. Williams also continues to ?ght for the total global eradication of landmines.

“A tireless crusader against war and the lingering effects that armed conflict has wrought around the world.”

Forbes, “100 Most Powerful Women in the World,” November 2004

I almost always end my write with “Peace Out” or Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”

But what does “peace” really mean?

Williams is now teaming up with five other female peace laureates to empower women to fight violence, injustice and inequality.

In  a TedTalk, Williams tell us what “peace” means to her:

“…Sustainable peace with justice and equality…with which the majority of people on this planet have access to enough resources to live dignified lives..where these people have enough access to education and to heath care so that they can live in freedom from want and freedom from fear.”

Watch it:

Readers: What does “peace” mean to you? Blog me your thought…ideas…whatever.

On another note, I can not tell you how sad I am that Keith Olbermann and MSNBC have decided to call it quite. I will miss his honest, sincere, approach of giving us the facts…telling it like it is, and exposing the rhetoric and lies. Not to mention his compassion, understanding, and humanity in delivering the news. That was a big part of my likability towards Olbermann.

Olbermann said goodbye last night on his show:

There were many occasions, particularly in the last two-and-a-half years, where all that surrounded the show — but never the show itself — was just too much for me. But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required me to keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless and if you think I’ve done any good here, imagine how it looked from this end… this may be the only television program wherein the host was much more in awe of the audience than vice versa.

Keith: You have done good. I wish you well, and I will indeed follow you, wherever your career leads you. I’m sure you have plenty more to say.

Dean: Yes, I was interested in being a host for this event, but I was not given all of the details and what was expected of me, therefore I made no commitment to be a host. I was only just recently aware that I was added as a “host” without my okay.

So although I feel bad that you purchased a ticket, and I apologize that you did because you were falsely informed that I would be there, the upset should not be at me. However, on the upside, the party is for a good cause, and it should be fun, so I suggest you go and have a great time. And if you don’t mind, blog me and let me know how it went.

Gale: I am having personal experience with that right now.

AH: I was so sorry to hear that your trip back to the 20′s was not roaring fun, but just the opposite; a complete disgusting, not to mention terrifying experience for Bita and the other three girls. I have no doubt that those six policemen will be roaring loud the rest of their dreaded lives. I have no pity for them. Please give Bita and the girls my best. I am sure they are getting lots of support from you and Adam.

“PeaCE” ouT….

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

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 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Late last year, Aung San Suu Kyi, after 15 years was released from her most recent house arrest. But as much as no one knew exactly what it would mean for their home country Burma, now called Myanmar, human rights advocates were joyous over her release, and the promise of what it could mean for Burma and the U.S.

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

In her own country she’s an uncrowned queen; a slight, fragile but unbending figure glimpsed by few but known to all as The Lady. Beyond it, she has become an icon, a universal symbol of courage, endurance and peaceful resistance, a new Mandela.

The word’s a commonplace but Aung San Suu Kyi really is a legend: daughter of the man who won Burma its independence from the British, but who was assassinated when she was barely two; a political leader herself who for the past 22 years has headed, with a delicate but compelling charisma and unimaginable determination, her nation’s “second struggle for independence”; a prisoner of one kind or another for 15 of the past 20 years; and winner, in 1991, of the Nobel peace prize.

Those who have met her (which isn’t many, recently) speak of a beauty every bit as striking as the photographs, a proud poise and a demure gentility acquired, certainly, at the Anglo-Indian finishing school she attended in New Delhi, where her mother was ambassador.

She apparently also has, though, a quick and by no means prim wit and an infectious giggle. Not, by all accounts – including her own – a born political strategist, she knows precisely the system her country needs, if not precisely how to get there. Her Nobel citation called her a shining example of “the power of the powerless”.

Born on 19 June, 1945, two years before independence, Aung San Suu Kyi – the name means “a bright collection of strange victories” – left Burma with her mother in 1960. In 1964 she was at St Hugh’s, Oxford, studying politics, philosophy and economics. A friend, Ann Pasternak Slater, recalls her “tight, trim lungi [Burmese sarong] and her upright carriage, her firm moral convictions and inherited social grace”.

She worked as a research assistant at the University of London and then for the UN in New York. She got engaged to Michael Aris in 1971, and wrote to him every day before their marriage the following year: “I only ask one thing,” she said: “That should my people need me, you would help me to do my duty by them.” She added: “I am beset by fears that circumstances and national considerations might tear us apart.”

It took 16 years for that need to arise. Michael and Aung San Suu Kyi’s first son, Alexander, was born in London in 1973, followed by their second, Kim, in Oxford, where Michael had a junior fellowship. She resumed her own academic career, teaching Burmese studies and taking research assignments first in Japan, and then in India. One evening in Oxford in late March 1988, the boys in bed, Aung San Suu Kyi took the phone call that changed her life: her mother had suffered a severe stroke.

Back in Burma, the military dictatorship that had run the country since 1962 was suppressing a student-led protest movement. On 8 August 1988, soldiers fired into a peaceful demonstration, killing up to 5,000 protesters. Barely two weeks later, Aung Sun Suu Kyi addressed 500,000 people at the great Schwedagon pagoda in Rangoon. As her father’s daughter, she said, she could not stand by. “True,” she said, “I have lived abroad. It is also true that I am married to a foreigner. These facts have never lessened my love and my devotion for my country.” She demanded freedom and democracy, a multi-party government, and free and fair elections.

The rest is as sad as it is familiar. The National League for Democracy was formed with Aung San Suu Kyi as its general secretary.

“We listened to the voice of the people, that our policies might be in harmony with their legitimate needs and aspirations,” Aung San Suu Kyi wrote. “We explained why, in spite of its inevitable flaws, we considered democracy to be better than other political systems. Most important, we sought to make them understand why we believed political change was best achieved through non-violent means.”

Despite detentions and intimidation, the NLD won 82% of the seats in Burma’s parliament in the 1990 elections, whose results the dictatorship have never recognised. Aung San Suu Kyi was held under house arrest until 1995, and then banned from travelling. In 1999 her husband died of cancer in London; had she left the country to visit him, she would never have been allowed back in. Detained again in 2000, released again in 2002, she was rearrested once more in May 2003. Her phone line cut, her post blocked and her NLD colleagues banned from visiting her, she has lived under house arrest at her home on University Avenue, Rangoon, ever since, writing, reading, exercising and meditating. Not even the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, was allowed to meet her on a visit in 2009.

Then John Yettaw, a confused American, swam across the lake by her house to see her, ensuring she was charged and convicted with breaking the terms of her house arrest and sentenced to 18 months further house arrest – until tomorrow, a convenient six days after Burma’s recent elections. “It is not power that corrupts, but fear,” Aung San Suu Kyi once wrote. “Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” But even under the “most crushing state machinery, courage rises up again and again. For fear is not the natural state of man.”

Jon Henley
guardian.co.uk, Friday 12 November 2010 19.12 GMT

************

I wanted to honor Suu Kyi, Burma’s first lady of freedom, as a “wonderful woman of the world”, today. I too am joyous over her release, and HOPE that it is the last. With her calm but passionate manner, she is a strong, resilient and relentless advocate of freedom and democracy for her country, and to many, including me,  an inspiration and a voice of HOPE.

In light of the state of our country, our own democracy, I think of the words that Suu Kyi said to the New York Times, “To achieve democracy we need to create a network, not just in our country but around the world. I will try to do that. If you do nothing you get nothing.”

“…a network…around the world…If you do nothing you get nothing. I am HOPEing that many of my readers will be inspired to do something, in some way, shape or form. If even only an hour a week in support of something that  helps move our country towards peace, equality, whatever…whatever you feel passionate about that is for the betterment of all...in our country and in our world.

When I end my write with the words, “PEACE OUT”, I don’t just mean, I am signing off with peace…it means that I am sending peace out…out to the world. But that alone is not enough.

I ask you in a country where complacency is common, to allow yourself to be moved…to be inspired by someone or something. Whether it be Suu Kyi or someone else, or peace…or something else…spread peace through some sort of action.

PEACE OUT….

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

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 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Hanna Rosin: New data on the rise of women

Hanna Rosin reviews startling new data that shows women actually surpassing men in several important measures, such as college graduation rates. Do these trends, both US-centric and global, signal the “end of men”? Probably not — but they point toward an important societal shift worth deep discussion.

-TedWomen

Why you should listen to Hanna

Hanna Rosin is the sort of journalist who dares to articulate what people are thinking – only they hadn’t realized it yet. Born in Israel and raised in Queens, the co-founder of women’s site DoubleX (an offshoot of Slate) and contributing editor at the Atlantic Monthly is probably best known for the furor raised by her article titled (not by her) “The End of Men”—which asserts that the era of male dominance has come to an end as women gain power in the postindustrial economy. A similar furor greeted her well-researched piece “The Case Against Breastfeeding,” which questioned the degree to which scienti?c evidence supports breast-feeding’s touted bene?ts.

Rosin has covered religion and politics for the Washington Post and contributes to such publications as the New Yorker and the New Republic. Her book God’s Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America peers into the inner workings of Patrick Henry College, a seven-year school for evangelical Christians aspiring to political and cultural in?uence.

“Rosin makes her most powerful argument when she looks, not at the current workforce, but at what is happening on America’s college and university campuses. There, she explains, “we can see with absolute clarity that in the coming decades the middle class will be dominated by women. “

AlbertMohler.com

“Men are the new ball and chain.”

Girls: Is that your experience of your man?  Blog me.

Readers: Happy to hear that the articles have been interesting and enlightening, especially the article on China. Please make sure that you care enough and tell your friends. Thanks. :)

Veda: Thanks for reading, and getting it.

Jamie: Thank you. And not only listen, but act and be an example for others to follow.

Zen Lill: It’s more than a bummer. And it’s going to be a lot more of a bummer if we continue to be this way.

In regards to your post, I’ve seen this video before, and I love the Dove ads about “real people”. It should be seen by all young girls. Photoshop can make anyone look beautiful, and even more beautiful. I love it when actresses come out after a photo shoot has been printed, and exclaim, “That’s not my __________!” (butt, legs, whatever. You fill in the blank.) The editors of magazines, etc., take way to much creative license and dictate way too much to the public what is “beautiful”. Not to mention the affect it has on the young girls, wanna be models, that you are speaking of.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

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 2010

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

TEDWomen: Proving That Gender Does Not Determine Great Ideas

Great, diverse women with courage, impressive ideas, grace, beauty, global reach, compassion, gentle but powerfully persuasive voices, bold innovation in the toughest of times, and inspiring, moving stories — this was the force of the TEDWomen conference in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 7 and 8, which featured more than 70 speakers. Many women in the audience (and at the myriad TEDx conferences organized locally all over the world, from Beijing to Doha, Eleventh Avenue to Elm City) could have told similar but innumerable stories of lives as architects of change.

Like countless others who watched the conference from home, it was web-streaming technology that brought the women and girls of TEDWomen, shaping the future with imagination, insight and persistence, into my home. It was quite an experience, but it would have been even better to be there in person to meet other women, have discussions over coffee or wine and follow the admonitions to make this an “immersive experience” and ditch the laptops and Blackberries that tether us to our work life.

There were remarkable A-list headliners who are well-known to Americans — Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, Nancy Pelosi, Arianna Huffington, Jody Williams, Eve Ensler, Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Donna Karan, Pat Mitchell — but the power of the conference was in the lesser-known prime movers from all corners of the planet.

Some came to speak about a passion I share: creating balanced leadership for better outcomes for companies, communities and countries. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and Icelandic leader Halla Tomasdottir of Ardur Capital told us why women’s values and approaches are credited when there are more women decision-makers, and why it matters. In a way, the entire conference added up to why this is true — over and over through the lives and actions of presenter after presenter.

What touched my heart, however, what renewed and stirred me — a phenomenon felt at many women’s meetings — was hearing hopeful voices of lives far different from mine. I’ll remember a Palestinian poet evoking peace instead of “girls spoiled before ripening”; an American philanthropist sharing how investing patient capital with compassion, love, accountability and justice can change lives and build communities; the first Indian woman to be a police chief, who now runs a prison with the tools of education and meditation instead of fear; and a young Iranian filmmaker using her art to show the dynamism of women today.

Their powerful voices echoed a universal lesson: you can refuse to accept the status quo and instead act to solve problems and live out your dreams of a better, more peaceful and just world. The personal message was also clear: don’t wait; you can shape what is to come. As a lifelong activist but a novice at TED events, the concept of being part of a movement to build a global community of innovators, practical idealists creating connections and collaborations for the future, is new to me but is clearly the way of the future.

But here is the challenge for TED: what about men learning from women’s experiences? This conference emphasized that women have “ideas big enough to change the world,” but the reality is that women are still largely without the power to make systemic change. The current world leaders of commerce, government, the arts and media — virtually all men — hold the purse strings and dance to a different vision of power, wealth and dominance. We’re all living in their world. Men would have learned a lot at TEDWomen. Research tells us that there has to be a critical mass of women before power groups can hear, enough women at the table to create an echo chamber so that the ideas, styles and approaches can be seen as important enough to be acted upon.

So, TED, thanks for this wonderful conference, and I hope it happens every year. And now, how about having all TED events have half women and half men as speakers, fellows and in the audience? It would reflect the fact that gender is not a determinant of great ideas and would bring us all closer to that vision of a more just and sustainable world.

***********

Readers: I missed the live web-streaming. Did any of you get the chance to see it? Something I’ll definitely need to catch up on. Oh, how I wish I could’ve been there amongst all of those amazing, creative, and inspirational women. Did any of you attend? Please blog me. I’d love to hear all about it.

I’m looking forward to a time where we don’t have to create special events for women, because women will be equal, given just as much praise and recognition as men, just as much respect as men, just as much power as men.

Wi: Thank you. I am looking forward to going. That is a very nice offer – thank you. – You never know what life has in mind so perhaps we will meet. It sounds like you have a wonderful career for such a young girl. I wish you luck

Lorraine: Another delightful story to read. Any guy who is an advocate of animals gets high marks in my book. I wish you a long successful marriage.

Rene: Merci.  Je ne peux pas attendre pour être là!

Hi Ruth: Sometimes all one needs is to hear it from someone else they respect, besides their mother. I’m sure that once I said something, it just solidified that “mother was correct”. :) I’m happy I could help. I have been known to make a few good suggestions in my time. And I have said things in mistake, in haste, that I must learn to live with too.

Anyway, I am looking forward to designer delirium! I have never been to Snydical Chamber of Haute Couture, but I have spent many a day walking Rue Etienne Marcel and Place des Victoires when I was a fashion designer soaking in all of the creativity. What girl doesn’t love a good discount? I look forward to you showing me around.

Lois: I certainly HOPE so for women’s sake.

Anna of Guam: My pleasure. And you are so correct in your statement. Hafa Adai.

Jake: Don’t be such a silly man. Doug and I aren’t attached at the hip! I enjoy traveling with Doug and I also enjoy traveling alone without him. I used to travel to Asia for months at a time, alone, without him. And in the future I will be traveling without him too. I am an independent woman, not dependent on a man for anything, so why would I need my husband to accompany me?

So in answer to your question, I ask a question: Can one ever satisfy a man? They always want to limit and control our choices. Go figure.

Hi Glenda: Thank you for writing me on your new MAC! How exciting for you and how sweet of Stacy. Your brother Jeff sounds like a gem. I have the same sort of love and admiration for my brother. I too played a part in introducing him to the woman that he married. :)

I HOPE that experimental program works for you. If you truly wish to be a girlz, sight is not something that you would need to be concerned with anymore.

Eila: That is pretty bazaar that a conversation of my blog would come up in your business. I know it is popular but I really don’t feel it here where I live. Still, It makes me smile that you have made some new friends.

Larry: That little glitch was not because I blogged about a man, nor was it intentional. You can blame whoever is messing with my blog because I assure you, it was not me.

Hey ZL: It sounds like you’ve got your Holiday party system down. love it. Me, I’m one of those that never feels like I have to make an appearance because I Iove attending holiday parties; big or small. I just love the vibe, the tree, the decorations, the smells, the tastes, getting dressed up, and of course seeing everyone. The one thing I don’t like is seeing people in santa hats, but I love Christmas wreathes dangling on the front of cars. Speaking of your tree, where’s the pic?

Hello Anonz: Happy to see you are alive and quite well. Well enough to blog and gives us an update on the dirt happening in our country. I can assure you, I won’t be trading in any of my money.

Peter: Thank you. And you as well.

Bob: ahah! This one I like.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

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 2010

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I apologize, I am still catching up on reading some of the comments from a few days ago. My work life has gotten so busy, and I am so loving it. And I feel so blessed. I’ve spoken to quite a few women entrepreneurs whose businesses are flourishing because they have decided that they are refusing to let the economic climate affect their livelihood. Love the attitude. I have decided myself, to adopt the same. It is now a “she-conomy”. Before you get excited, I didn’t coin that word, but I certainly love it and will use it.

And perhaps it isn’t just having a good attitude, but perhaps it is also because the Decade of  the Woman is just beginning. Decade? – What happened to Year of the Woman? Is it here? I was not aware. Because from all that I read from my women readers, and all that I write about women, if it were the Year of the Woman, we have been left in the dark.

Well…A decade is much more exciting than a year. All I can say is I am looking forward to the decadence of the evil doings of men, and may it be the rise and birthing ground for the Decade of the Woman. Bring it on – It’s about time! Let’s change history to “Her-story” – Now that word I did coin. :)

The Decade of the Woman Is Upon Us

I’ve read lots of articles analyzing whether the Year of the Woman is alive or dead. Neither is true. There has to be a strong Year of the Woman in order to kill it, which I’ve yet to see. In truth, the Decade of the Woman is just starting. As a woman, you should prepare now for the power you will have in the next few years.

Intuit Inc. commissioned a study to forecast the trends expected to change the way women live and work over the next decade. In addition to the powerful worldwide consumer force that women represent today, factors such as urban migration, increased access to education, mobile technologies, micro-credit and low-market entry costs will create a global “she-conomy” where over one billion women will enter the workforce or start businesses by 2020. The study suggests:

• In the next 10 years, Gen Y women across race and ethnic lines will dominate the professional workforce, expanding their roles in upper management in professional services firms and in professions such as law and medicine.
• Women, especially those in emerging markets, will be the dominant force in the global market — taking on increased leadership responsibilities across business and education.
• On a global scale, 970 million women who have not previously participated in the mainstream economy will gain employment or start their own businesses.

We are a force to be reckoned with. Some unconscious men and non-progressive women may try to hold us back, but we have the numbers to make a difference. If we stand together, we can also have the voice.

As we enter 2011, we should start calling the shots. We should stop trying to fit inside a man’s world. Gloria Steinem recently said, “Don’t think about making women fit the world. Think about making the world fit women.” If we live by choice –choosing to wear stilettos or flats as we please, choosing to adapt to earn respect before we make changes or to opt out and do our own thing, or choosing to work and raise a family or do them one at a time — then as the primary consumers, the world has to meet our needs. Steinem challenged women to “pursue the life choices they would most enjoy, regardless of societal expectations.”

We don’t have to compete with men or participate with them on their terms. We can create and live by our own expression of business, leadership, community and family. This doesn’t mean we exclude men. We move forward when:

• We model inclusion and collaboration which is our way.
• We don’t back down when we aren’t acknowledged.
• We create businesses and communities based on our own rules.

Our capacity to love, to allow, to express emotion and to create beautiful spaces to live and work in should attract people, regardless of gender or age.

Do you think this is a fantasy? I believe there are many men who prefer mutual respect over domination. I travel the world for my work; I see these men growing in numbers around the world.

I’m not suggesting that women control men. I’m saying it’s time we stand strongly as their equals living on our own terms. With the support of conscious men, this can be a reality.

Men created the companies, the leadership models and the systems that are breaking down in today’s world. Here in the United States, the rate of change is so pitiful that I am afraid for my country. I think our best shot is to quit trying to fix the old way and look to create an exciting, collaboration-based, innovation-run new way. Since it will only be a few years before women will outnumber men in the workplace, in degrees held and in privately held companies in the United States, shouldn’t the executive staff of our major corporations strive to mirror the workplace and consumer base? Corporate leaders should start by asking women to help draw up the plans for the future of management. It’s time let go and move on.

And if the leaders don’t ask for our help, let’s do it ourselves.

We also have to focus more on politics. Female representation is sorely lacking. Again, shouldn’t our leadership mirror its base? Even if they are conscious, I don’t count on male leaders to understand my needs and fight on my behalf. If politics is bad, then let’s stand together to change it with a fresh spate of strong progressive female candidates.

The numbers are in our favor. I’m imagining a world run cooperatively by conscious men and women. How about you?

Marcia Reynolds, Psy.D., is president of Covisioning, a leadership coaching and training organization working with a variety of people and organizations around the world to increase emotional intelligence and collaboration. Can she help you and your organization move forward?

***********

Readers: Kudos to the writer of this article, Marcia Reynolds. We know we have the numbers. We just need more women in office; the right women, and when I say right, I don’t mean the right wing.

As much as I love being busy doing what I love, I do miss when I have little time to address all of you. Unfortunately…until another day. Anything to say? Blog this BABE.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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