Money Matters
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 16th, 2014
Good morning!
Okay, so it’s Monday. And although Father’s Day has come and gone (I HOPE all of you had fun with your father!) – thanks to all those Dads who help in sharing childcare responsibilities – Flashback Friday, is still happening everyday for women.
Here’s the write.
Flashback Friday
Our Workplace Policies Are Stuck In The Mad Men Era. It’s Time For Progress.
Fifty years ago, 25 percent of women were their family’s primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner. Today, that number has more than doubled to nearly two-thirds of women. Yet, our workplace policies — from equal pay for equal work to policies for paid medical and family leave — have failed to keep up.
So for today, we’ve put together some graphics that explain just how stuck in the past we still are. Pick your favorite — or all three — and share them on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #timeforprogress!
Women are consistently paid less than their male counterparts and make up a disproportionate share of low-wage workers. Enacting stronger equal pay protections is a key step — it will hold employers more accountable for their practices, ensure vigorous enforcement, and empower women to uncover discrimination and negotiate for salaries they deserve.
More and more women are entering the workplace as a primary breadwinner or co-breadwinner for their families. Yet there are no laws in place to prevent a parent from getting fired if they need to stay home and take care of a sick child.
Father’s Day is this Sunday. Here’s a reminder that fathers are spending more time than ever before sharing childcare responsbilities. But workplace leave policies are not reacting to the changing roles in our society as women assume a greater role in the workplace and men elevate their familial responsibilities.
BOTTOM LINE: It’s time for progress when it comes to policies that make women, men, and their families more secure. We’ve been stuck in the Mad Men era for too long.
****
Readers: Yep, it’s time for progress. Which one are you going to post today? Ladies, let’s get our sisters in the House (Congress!) so we can make some real changes. Blog me.
Howie: How are you? Anything up to report?
LK: Of course. Please give me a few days. Thank you. Wishing you and yours safety.
Asabi: My pleasure. So happy to hear that from you, and that it has been such a big help for your people. I thought it was a huge. Sending you and all of the women so much love.
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 :)
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June 17th, 2014 at 5:36 am
Women will never be given equality until we take it for those self absorbed men.
June 17th, 2014 at 5:41 am
Why should american women expect anything from american men? There history has been to keep every thing for themselves. If we want equality, it is at the polls where we will find it.
June 17th, 2014 at 5:42 am
The rich own this country and women are just another commodity. Don’t expect to see anymore equality for them as you would the rest of 98% in this country.
June 17th, 2014 at 5:43 am
Why are women always whining about their plight? If you don’t like the status quo, then change it at the polls.
June 17th, 2014 at 5:44 am
This country is asking women to shame men into giving women equality. That didn’t work for the OTWs and it won’t work now.
June 17th, 2014 at 5:46 am
It is white men that control this country so selfishly. So why are the comments being directed to men in general in America? I guess women are as stupid as we men think.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:07 am
Think about this the next time you by seafood from Thailand.
Up to 500,000 slaves are believed to be working within Thai borders, the majority of whom are migrants pressured into forced labor with threats of deportation, torture, or death. Enslaved laborers on Thai ships frequently report working 18-22 hour long days, and a 2009 report by the U.N. reveals that 59 percent have witnessed captains murder a fellow worker.
The international outcry sparked by the findings prompted leading seafood retailers such as Walmart, Tesco and Costco to announce that they are making efforts to end forced labor. However, the firms also suggest they were previously aware of the problem, raising suspicions that forced labor in the seafood industry amounts to an open secret.
The government of Thailand has often worked to aid the system of forced labor. The department of fisheries fails to take the problem of unregistered boats seriously, which allows captains to get away with enslaving workers on board and Thai politicians are notoriously lax about regulations that require captains to register foreign members of the crew, exacerbating the problem of human trafficking.
Thai law also prevents the Thai Royal Marine from patrolling more than 12 miles off the coast, where much of the forced labor fishing occurs.
“The government knows in Thailand that there’s a problem but they’re not taking action,” Mark Lagon, a former ambassador in charge of monitoring human trafficking, told the Guardian. “There is no connectivity between labor inspectors and law enforcement to hold traffickers to account. And, actually, the government is all too often complicit with corruption.” One Thai businessman involved in trafficking even described politicians and brokers, who sell migrants into forced labor, as “business partners.”
Just over three weeks ago, military leaders in Thailand seized control of the state and swiftly imposed martial law, dissolved the government and suspended elections indefinitely. The coup closely followed a move by Thailand’s constitutional court weeks before to expel populist prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, on charges of corruption.
Supporters of the junta claim that overthrow of the old government was necessary to maintain law and order in the deeply polarized nation, which is increasingly split between the rural poor and an urban, middle class and upper class. Opponents of the new regime, including the largely rural, working class Red Shirts, claim the coup is a power grab by urban elites.
Either way, the military rule has led to hundreds of arbitrary arrests as well as silencing of the press. Those who speak out against the military for putting an end to democracy face trial in military courts and forced disappearances to secret camps, driving Human Rights Watch to conclude that “military rule has thrown Thailand’s rights situation into a free fall.”
The U.S. has also voiced concern about the disintegration of democracy in Thailand, suspending one-third of its military aid to Thailand and recently threatening to impose economic sanctions if Thailand does not address the practice of slavery in Thailand’s prawn trade.
The military government’s staunch refusal to sign the U.N. treaty suggests that it may risk facing punishing economic sanctions rather than joining with the international community in taking steps to end forced labor. However, a few signs are promising, such as the regime’s creation of a sub-committee to address issues involving foreign labor, and organizing training sessions for police on stopping human trafficking.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:09 am
Janet#2, let’s be honest, you are talking about white men. They are the ones that control and keep the status quo. I’m not saying the OTW men are any better, but this issue squarely in the camp of white men.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:10 am
Father’s day was nice for me. Had me take them to dinner so I missed the NBA playoffs.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:42 am
Gwen#8, if you really want to be honest, you will admit that the inequality problem american women suffer is an ALL white problem. It really doesn’t matter what the OTW men or women want because white women control the vote numerically, and white men control it politically or illegally.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:48 am
Women in America are as dumb as anyone can get. Why don’t they just go to the polls and vote the men out? Her in Italy, the women aren’t respected because their head is more in a book by a man( the bible) than in their on present day situation. So we just continue to feel them up on the local transportation vehicles.
They complain a little, but for the most part they like the attention. If they didn’t they would pay more attention to the laws men pass.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:49 am
Join us to say no to PG&E’s latest attempt to kill any competition. We voters said no to their attempt to kill competition with Prop 16 in 2010, but they’re back with another stealth attempt with a bill in the Legislature called AB 2145. Help us send a message loud and clear to this utility monopoly which only cares about profit and executives’ whopping pay, rather than serving its customers and reducing global warming.
Can you join us in Oakland on Thursday?
June 17th, 2014 at 6:52 am
’m a pretty healthy guy, but even I have my weaknesses… and as much as I hate sugars, I really do love dessert.
We typically only eat fruit-based desserts in our house, but we like to splurge every once in a while when we’re celebrating…. And since yesterday was Father’s day, my wife thought she’d spoil me by making up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
I figured it was a special day & I’d done a great hike earlier… so I let myself have a few.
I hate to admit it… but I scarfed down 4 before I even asked my wife what was in them!
I was feeling pretty guilty, but when she showed me the recipe she came up with, I felt a little better.
She used all-natural sources of sugar, and added some fiber and protein in by using coconut and almond flour… making these some of the healthiest chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tried.
So… I decided I’d share the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 ¼ C Brown Rice Flour
½ C Coconut Flour
½ C Almond Flour
1 TSP Baking Soda
Pinch Salt
1 C Dark Chocolate Chips
1 C Chopped Pecans 1 TBSP Blackstrap molasses
3/4 C Coconut Palm Sugar
1 Stick Earth Balance
1 Stick Earth Balance Shortening
1 TBSP Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda and salt.
2. Cream the sticks of Earth Balance with the sugar and molasses. Mix in the eggs and vanilla then slowly add in the flours.
4. Once the dough mixture is smooth, mix in the chocolate chips and pecans.
5. Using a tablespoon, spoon the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet, about ½ inch apart.
6. Bake 8-12 minutes, then cool on the sheet for 2 minutes before transferring.
Keep in mind: just because these cookies are healthier than your average chocolate chip cookie, doesn’t mean they’re healthy… so I wouldn’t recommend making these every week.
Like most sweets, the key is moderation.
But if you are planning on eating chocolate chip cookies, it’s better to use a recipe like this one, that doesn’t use refined sugar or white flour.
As long as you use common sense & use the healthiest ingredients possible, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy delicious treats like this every once in a while (just make sure you don’t eat 4 at once like I did).
June 17th, 2014 at 6:54 am
I agree with most of the comments here about american women having control over their own destinies. Too bad we white women are the captains of that ship. The way I see it, we won’t begin to see results until the demographics change.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:55 am
If you complaining bitches, would make a difference in your own lives instead of always complaining about us men, you would be paid accordingly. I personally as a male don’t figure we owe you bitches a thing.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:56 am
Howie what’s up in the world of Aliens? When this blog gets dull, we can usually count on you for some juicy news.
June 17th, 2014 at 6:57 am
WOW, are most men really that callous?
June 17th, 2014 at 7:00 am
redatory check-cashing and payday-lending companies have been exploiting working-class Americans for decades by charging outrageous fees and triple-digit interest rates.
But now we have a chance to give the millions of Americans without access to affordable basic financial services a fair, publicly owned alternative to payday lenders and big banks. Senator Elizabeth Warren has an exciting new proposal that would allow post offices around the country to offer basic financial services like check cashing and bill paying.
As a student organizer in Chicago, I’ve seen the devastating effects of economic injustice firsthand — and I want to be part of the solution. That’s why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to Congress, says the following:
Millions of Americans lack access to affordable financial services like check cashing, bill paying and small loans. Please support Senator Warren’s postal banking proposal, which would allow the United States Postal Service to offer financial services at local post offices around the country.
According to study released in January by the United States Postal Service’s inspector general, 68 million Americans – nearly 1 in 4 households — are underserved by banks and forced to rely on exploitative and wildly expensive payday lenders. Many of these people spend as much as $2,400 each year on inflated interest rates and unnecessary fees.
Across the globe, countries like Japan, Germany and Kenya have had great success with postal banking. And for more than 50 years, post offices in the United States were also allowed to offer banking services. Despite the program’s widespread success, both at providing banking services and generating billions of dollars in revenue for the United States Postal Service, Congress ended the program in 1967.
Given the lack of access to affordable banking services currently experienced by tens of millions of Americans, Congress needs take immediate action to move forward Senator Warren’s proposal to bring a public option for financial services back to the United States.
While there’s been a lot of buzz lately about Senator Warren’s postal banking proposal, it needs support in Congress to become law. By signing my petition you can help build that support and add real momentum to the fight for postal banking.
Write your Congressmen
June 17th, 2014 at 7:07 am
And we as men are supposed to be concerned about this issue?
June 17th, 2014 at 7:07 am
Ditto Fred#13. Where’s Howie when we need him?
June 17th, 2014 at 8:22 am
Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation: This Will Make You a Believer
Are you turned off by the hippie-dippy idea of meditation? Or are you curious about it but not quite convinced enough to try it? Whether you are a true skeptic about the benefits of meditation or curious but cautious, give yourself a few minutes with the articles on this page—because they could change your mind and truly enhance your life.
For example:
If you’ve looked into meditation and have been put off by complex instructions that seem like a lot of work, you’ll be surprised and delighted to learn how little time and effort really are involved. It‘s easy—as easy as closing your eyes, quieting your body and taking a deep breath.
But what it can do for your whole life is truly amazing! For a small investment of time—as little as 12 minutes in some cases—you can reduce the chronic inflammation of asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis…improve your emotional resilience, especially when dealing with emotionally charged situations…get as good an aerobic workout as walking at a moderate pace…improve your memory, creative problem solving, concentration and mental clarity (even make your brain bigger!)…improve your blood pressure, cardio health and bone density…develop greater compassion for others and for yourself…and much, much more.
Now, take a slow, deep breath…and get ready to be calmer, happier and healthier.
Try It, You’ll Like It: Easy Tips On How to Begin
Meditation for People Who Don’t Like to Meditate:
1. How to Meditate—3 Easy Tricks
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/how-to-meditate-3-easy-tricks
2. Simple Steps to Learn Meditation
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/meditation-for-people-who-dont-like-to-meditate
3. Mindfulness Makes More of Everyday Life
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/mindfulness-makes-more-of-everyday-life
Practical and Strategic Meditation Tricks:
1. The Six-Second Exercise that Short-Circuits Emotional Explosions
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/the-six-second-exercise-that-short-circuits-emotional-explosions
2. Reduce Stress: Secrets to Staying Calm in a High-Stress World
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/reduce-stress-secrets-to-staying-calm-in-a-high-stress-world
3. Kirtan Kriya Meditation: 12-Minute Brain Boost for Stressed-Out People
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/kirtan-kriya-meditation-12-minute-brain-boost-for-stressed-out-people
Make a Joyful Noise While You’re At It!:
1. The Power of a Personal Mantra
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/the-power-of-a-personal-mantra
2. Singing Bowls: Ancient Vibrational Healing Therapy for Cancer
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/singing-bowls-ancient-vibrational-healing-therapy-for-cancer
3. Chant to Lower Blood Pressure
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/chant-to-lower-blood-pressure
Love Thy Neighbor and Thyself:
1. Meditation Increases Compassion
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/meditation-increases-compassion
2. Compassion Meditation: Loving Others Makes You Healthy
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/compassion-meditation-loving-others-makes-you-healthy
3. Self-Compassion: How to Regain Faith In Yourself
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement//self-compassion-how-to-regain-faith-in-yourself
4. Love Your Way to Better Health
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/love-your-way-to-better-health
Meditation for Body-Mind Renewal:
1. How Meditation Can Help Arthritis, Asthma and Other Inflammation Problems
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/how-meditation-can-help-arthritis-asthma-and-other-inflammation-problems
2. Meditation Boosts Memory and Mood
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/natural-remedies/meditation-boosts-memory-and-mood
3. How Transcendental Meditation Helps Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/how-transcendental-meditation-helps-anxiety-and-post-traumatic-stress
4. Ease Depression with Meditation and Yoga
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/ease-depression-with-meditation-and-yoga
5. Meditation Cuts Depression Symptoms Almost in Half
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/ease-depression-with-meditation-and-yoga
Meditation For Body-Mind Renewal:
1. Make Your Brain Bigger in Eight Weeks
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/extra/make-your-brain-bigger-in-eight-weeks
2. A Makeover for Your Mind
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/a-makeover-for-your-mind
Meditation In Motion And More:
1. Meditation, Military Style
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/meditation-military-style
2. Tai Chi: A Great Workout for Your Body and Brain
http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/tai-chi-a-great-workout-for-your-body-and-brain