Men: We Women Need Your Support
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 7th, 2012
Good morning!
Well, I guess not too many people were into the article I posted, except Kerri - funny she has the same same name. Or maybe it was difficult to get in. I guess I won’t know until you tell me.
Anyway…this one is for you men out there…so listen up. This is something that I and other women on my blog have spoken about. We women need more support from the men in our lives. It’s good for us and it’s good for you too. Read on.
Getting Boys on Board
While the movement for gender equality has secured women participation at ballot boxes across the globe, their votes are still in short supply at the world’s decision making tables. An August study found that women hold a disappointing 16.1 percent of board of director seats in the U.S., 5.1 percent in Brazil, 8.5 percent in China, and less than one percent in Japan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. The statistics should serve as a startling reminder of who holds the power around the globe — and galvanize the world’s powerbrokers to take a stand.
Instead of standing up, too many men kick back and take a seat, complacent in their majority at the expense of diversity and inclusion (and perhaps even profits — a recent study found that companies with female board members perform significantly better than companies with all-male boards). If gender equality is to be achieved, fair policies, inclusive systems, and ongoing advocacy must come from those who still head and inherit society’s halls of power. As women work to empower themselves and their communities, men have to do their part.
But it’s not just women who’d benefit from a level playing field. The success of the opposite sex is also in men’s best interests, as research shows that leaving girls and women in lower societal standing is a dismal prospect for both genders. A World Bank study recognized that increased job opportunities for women leads to less poverty and faster growth for everyone, including men and children. And limiting women’s participation in the workforce costs the Asia-Pacific region up to $42 billion per year, according to a UN report.
Opportunities for inclusion will present themselves in in the coming days, as New York City hosts leaders and luminaries from various sectors for numerous geo-political gatherings. The attendees, most of whom are men, will extend handshakes, exchange ideas, and adopt resolutions, hoping to find solutions for a more prosperous and sustainable planet. Ironically, many of these powerbrokers will rack their brains for ways to make the most out of limited capital, food, and energy, yet miss the return on investment that comes from putting women in the lead.
And then there’s the Clinton Global Initiative. While its Annual Meeting boasts the same high level of global thought leaders — heads of state, Fortune 500 CEOs, and leaders of philanthropy — as many of the other international gatherings, its strategic focus on the power of girls and women dramatically sets it apart. Here, the world’s most powerful men and women astutely acknowledge that the half of the population most impacted by poverty, disease, social inequality, and unsustainable systems of food and business often holds the most insight. And rather than settle for thoughtful discussions, they take solutions-oriented actions that place girls and women at the center.
The authors of this article formed a valuable friendship forged in our shared zeal for women’s rights last year, when CGI worked on gender-inclusive problem solving in Haiti. It’s a geo-political area one of us is particularly passionate about as the co-founder of We Advance, a nonprofit promoting gender equality for the population feeling the brunt of Haiti’s poverty and disasters.
To my excitement, CGI immediately got behind our project to empower women in the areas of health, hygiene, human rights, and gender-based violence in Wharf Jeremy, as did many Haitian men from the neighborhood. By the end of 2012, our program will have educated nearly 2,000 people in the infamous Port-au-Prince slum, a major success made possible by the active participation of men.
However, the story was far from over. Proving infectious, the women’s newfound empowerment didn’t stay contained in that neighborhood — the local success and support of CGI encouraged the Haitian women to lobby their federal government for equal participation. Their efforts gained the support of Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and President Michel Martelly, leading to a cabinet in which women make up 60 percent of new members and a $10 million fund for woman-owned businesses. Though traditionally controlled by men, the government in the end knew the work ethic of Haitian women and that any country’s best bet for revitalization lies in putting women’s voices at the forefront.
But the move toward gender inclusion doesn’t start or end with prime ministers, presidential cabinets, or, even as promising as it is, the upcoming CGI Annual Meeting. The curriculums in our schools and examples in our homes will powerfully shape the values of our students, sons, and leaders. Whether boys and men are engaged in gender-inclusive solutions today determines the quality of the world girls, women, and our communities will inherit tomorrow.
Maria Bello is an American actress and activist and is the Goodwill Ambassador for Women in Haiti. Penny Abeywardena is the Head of Girls and Women and Associate Director of Commitments at the Clinton Global Initiative.
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Mike, TM: I have to respond to your comment about genetically engineered cows. First of all, thanks for the info. It inspired me to do a search, and I found this write. I am assuming this is what you are talking about:
Genetically Engineered Cows Make ‘Hypoallergenic’ Milk
Milk was a “bad choice” for Justin Bieber, who blamed it for making him vomit onstage Saturday night in Arizona, but it’s an even worse choice for the1.3 million children who have milk allergies.
New Zealand researchers say they’ve found a way to genetically engineer cows to produce hypoallergenic milk, but others say that’s too good to be true.
Researchers at the University of Waikato interfered with cows’ RNA (the acid that passes DNA’s genetic “instructions” to proteins) to select for genes that would decrease the cow’s output of BLG, a protein not present in human milk, to which 2 to 3 percent of people are allergic, according to the study.
Immediate symptoms of milk allergies can include hives, wheezing and vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms that take longer to develop may include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, a skin rash around the mouth and a runny nose.
But the so-called hypoallergenic milk eliminates one allergen only to increase another, researchers not involved with the study say.
The RNA “fine-tuning” resulted in a 98 percent BLG “gene knockdown,” but it didn’t decrease the milk’s overall protein content, according to the study. As the BLG protein levels dropped, casein proteins — which are naturally found in cows’ milk anyway — increased.
Dr. Scott Sicherer, a professor and researcher at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said BLG is just one of the proteins in bovine milk that cause allergies in humans. Many humans are allergic to multiple milk proteins, especially casein.
“Casein, actually, is the major milk protein that we believe causes most of the severe milk allergies,” he said. “Creating a milk enriched with casein proteins would seem problematic given what we know about milk allergy.”
According to Sicherer, 13 to 76 percent of patients react to BLG, compared with 92 percent to 100 percent of patients who react to caseins.
The University of Waikato researchers not available for comment.
Happy Sunday Everyone! Blog this BABE.
xo
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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October 7th, 2012 at 10:45 am
The Secret to Getting Top Dollar for Your Home: Find the Right Real Estate Agent
Some people put less thought into selecting a real estate agent to sell their home than they do into picking a restaurant for dinner.
They hire an agent they know socially or the one who has the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages—then wonder why their home doesn’t sell quickly or for as much as their neighbor’s home.
Property values finally are stabilizing across much of the country, but the days when every listing received competitive offers aren’t coming back anytime soon.
In this market, an agent’s ability to properly price and market a home can make a substantial difference in the amount of attention it receives and its eventual sales price.
Here’s a five-step plan for selecting the right real estate agent for you…
1. Ask for the “relocation coordinator” when you initially contact agencies. Sellers who call agencies typically are routed to whichever agent happens to be up in the rotation that day—it’s like spinning a roulette wheel to decide who sells your most valuable asset.
In contrast, relocation coordinators can be objective because they don’t sell homes themselves—their job is to assist executives who are moving to the area.
The relocation coordinator often is willing to provide an insider’s opinion about which of the agents at the agency is most appropriate for a particular listing, given the home’s location and approximate value.
If you’re not certain which agencies to call, lean toward those that seem to have lots of homes for sale in your neighborhood, based on yard signs or listings on Web sites such as http://www.Zillow.com or http://www.Trulia.com.
These are likely to be active, respected agencies that have a strong knowledge of your specific area. Real estate is extremely local—an agency that sells lots of home in your neighborhood likely understands the nuances of home values in the neighborhood.
Helpful: Small agencies often do not have relocation coordinators. If this is the case, ask to be represented by the broker/owner or at least obtain the broker/owner’s guidance in selecting the agent most appropriate for you.
2. Research agents before you meet with them. Experienced agents should have Web pages detailing their background and recent sales, typically on their agencies’ Web sites—be wary of those who don’t.
Use this Web page to confirm that the agent has extensive experience selling homes in your price range and area—familiarity with homes much like yours is crucial.
Also confirm that this is a full-time real estate agent—you don’t want to trust your home to a part-timer.
Do a Google search of the agent’s name and agency, too. Choose a different agent if this turns up numerous complaints from prior clients.
3. Interview at least three agents from different agencies—ideally four or five—before settling on one. Interviewing three or more agents lets sellers weed out those whose opinions on the listing price and needed improvements diverge significantly from the consensus.
Why avoid these outliers? If your agent’s views differ greatly from those of most other agents, your home is likely to seem mispriced or flawed to the agents who represent potential buyers, too.
Example: Two of the three agents you speak with say your home should be listed for $450,000 and that the dingy carpet in the living room should be replaced.
A third says that it should be listed for $500,000 as is. There’s a good chance that the third is either misreading the market or telling you what he/she thinks you want to hear to win the listing.
4. During interviews, ask agents about their marketing strategies, pricing recommendations and background.
Agents should be able to lay out fairly detailed marketing plans that may include open houses, brochures, advertising and online marketing—and be able to explain their reasoning for each element of this plan.
Often it’s the explanation of why the strategy has been selected that’s most telling.
Example: Perhaps the agent has learned from earlier sales that placing ads in a specific publication that caters primarily to vacationers visiting the area is a great way to find potential buyers for area lake homes.
Steer clear of real estate agents who recommend a listing price immediately upon viewing your home.
An agent might reasonably discuss a general pricing strategy or a price range when asked about recommendations for a listing price during this initial interview, but a responsible agent should take some time back at the office to review recent comparable sales before citing a specific listing price.
Don’t work with an agent who asks you what you want to ask for the home. Agents who solicit clients’ opinions about listing price often set listing prices based on clients’ desires rather than on reality.
Helpful:
When agents call back later with their proposed listing prices, ask how they arrived at the figures. It should be based mainly on the closing prices of homes such as yours that recently have sold or that are in the process of closing.
It should not primarily be based on the prices being asked for homes still on the market. Savvy agents understand that what matters most is what buyers are paying, not what sellers are asking.
Eliminate agents whose guidance deviates significantly from the consensus, then chose the one who most impressed you throughout the process.
If your initial interviews produce no clear consensus about your home’s listing price or needs, continue interviewing agents until a consensus emerges.
If you don’t have time for that, lean toward an agent whose opinion is in the middle of the pack.
A more experienced real estate agent usually is preferable to a less experienced one—particularly if that experience includes many homes sold in your home’s price range and neighborhood.
An agent with limited experience might be acceptable if he is working closely with a more experienced colleague, however.
5. Ask for contact information for the agent’s five most recent sales. Contact at least a few of these sellers to confirm that they had a positive experience with the agent.
Helpful:
If the agent lists recent sales on his Web page, use these to confirm that you really have been given the five most recent sales. If not, ask about the missing seller—the agent might be hiding a less-than-satisfied client from you.
Source: Kathy Mayer Braddock, a founding partner of Braddock + Purcell, a real estate advocacy group that helps New York area home buyers and sellers select agents.
She previously was executive managing director and general sales manager for Douglas Elliman, greater New York City’s largest residential real estate company, where she was in charge of more than 1,100 agents. She also is cofounder of Rutenberg Realty, New York City. http://www.BAndP.com
October 7th, 2012 at 11:51 am
Ym
I hope you don’t mind that I am using this venue to speak to you. The other night is still on my mind. I realize that I have disappointed you. I am not trying to make it bigger than it is, but I respect you so much that what you say to me has an affect on me.
Although you said to me your feelings for me did not change, the fact that I was not capable of being a support to you in a time of your need made me feel that I had lost you in some small way. I know that this is not true but I felt panic in my gut.
What I love, and it might sound trite from my lack of a better way of saying it, is that you inspire me to be a better person. And even though what happened does not leave you wanting or loving me any less, I still want to grow and improve, for myself, and so that I can be with you in times such as the other night.
I know that I act in a childish way sometimes, when I am frustrated from my lack in a certain area. I trust that your judgment of me is correct, as you have broached this topic more than once. But sometimes it is just my lack of understanding. Or perhaps I am naive or that dreaded “P” word. I don’t know. All I know is that I so want to be all that you expect of me, and I don’t want to limit myself or feel limited by my own lack of confidence in myself. It does not serve me or anyone to be small. I will keep trying to improve. I want you to be able to depend on me for anything.
You do so much for me. I feel as if I take so much more than I give – what could I possibly give to a man that has it all, besides my time and love. Not that I do not feel that is valuable, but sometimes I want to be able to give you more, and I feel helpless to your other needs. And sometimes your intelligence leads me to believe that you don’t need my help. Although many times I feel that there is nothing I can do and that is frustrating to me.
I also realize that I may need you more than I love you. And the thought of not having you in my life is dreadful. You know how I feel about our connection, our love – it is the only solid, for sure thing that keeps me here.
If not for you, your continued support and wonderful love and attention, I may decide to leave before it is best. Although I know in my heart, I could not, I would feel like lonely death has arrived if not for you here. Could I ever really be happy without you in my life?
And although I need you so much, I wanted you to know how much I love you too, and that I most surely do not show you as much as you deserve, or as much as I feel. Time is such a factor in our relationship.
And at times I feel I take you for granted…that you will always be here for me – why when I know you may have to leave at some point? That thought leaves me very uneasy.
For all of those things I am sorry. I only hope that you will continue to be patient with me and my learning and growing to be a better person. I will continue to be here for you, to experience life with you, to support you in any way I can, to give you my best love, and grow to be all that you know I am.
Thank you for loving me. I love you.
Yw
October 7th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
This is way due. Women on this island need to feel they can count on the police to be on their side against sex-trafficking.
————————–
A big scandal has hit a small slice of paradise, as police in Guam are investigated as part of a sex-trafficking scandal.
All officers on the tiny Pacific island, a US territory that is home to a major American naval base, will be interviewed as authorities attempt to uncover which of them frequented a brothel in which forced prostitution took place.
The Pacific Daily News, a local newspaper on the island, reported that police chief Fred Bordallo had ordered an internal investigation of his entire department. Any officers who refused to participate, the newspaper said, would be subject to charges of obstructing justice.
The scandal involves a brothel that was run out of a bar on Guam, The Blue House Lounge, in which young Micronesian women were kept against their will after being trafficked onto the island. They had been lured to Guam with the promise of work but then had their passports taken and been forced into becoming prostitutes.
The owner of the bar, Song Ja Cha, 70, was found guilty last month and given a life sentence for sex trafficking. During her trial, allegations emerged that several unknown police officers had frequented the brothel at least three times a week.
The investigation will be led by Lieutenant Lawrence Quichocho, a graduate of the FBI’s famous training school at Quantico, Virginia.
==================
Hafa Adai
Anna
October 7th, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Friend,
Twenty-three million Americans are struggling for work, and nearly one in six Americans is living in poverty. And still, President Obama and his liberal allies are asking for another chance to get it right. Our country can’t afford to give it to them.
Paul Ryan and I, along with Republicans across the country, are doing everything we can to protect America’s future and undo the damage of the last four years.
And so are our supporters. They’ve joined our cause and transformed this campaign into a nationwide movement. They’ve knocked on over 5 million doors and made over 30 million volunteer voter contacts.
That’s 15 times more doors and 5 times more phone calls than at this same time in 2008 — and that’s incredible.
And even in these bleak economic times, our supporters are contributing out of their own pockets. In fact, 93% of all the donations received have been $250 or less.
We couldn’t have gotten this far without that kind of commitment and support — and because of it, we’re on our way to winning this thing.
With just 32 days left until November 6, sustained nationwide support for our cause is critical. We need to win, we want to win — and with your help we will.
Whether we’re talking about jobs, health care, debt, taxes, or foreign policy, the choice this election is clear. Barack Obama and his liberal allies don’t have a record to run on, or a plan for the future. Paul Ryan and I do, and with the help of Republicans up and down the ballot, America will have the real recovery it deserves.
Victory is in sight for Romney-Ryan and the Republican team. Donate now to help us get there.
Thanks,
Mitt Romney
October 8th, 2012 at 7:37 am
Hi Mischa, just tuning in afer a tough weekend, I’m doing a little better today.
RIP sweet Elke, my 14+ yr old doggie 1998-2012. I keep thinking she’ll be coming around the corner to beg for a feed any second…
Luv, Zen Lill
October 8th, 2012 at 8:43 am
So Tw is this guy an alien? Where is he leaving to?
October 8th, 2012 at 9:22 am
Hi Michelle, and everyone.
I wanted to share this little gem video today on WHY OBAMA NOW. Remember to VOTE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U9G8XREyG0Q
/SB
June 1st, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Usually I don’t read article on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to check out and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, very nice post.
July 5th, 2013 at 5:49 am
I love it whenever people come together and share opinions. Great blog, continue the good work!