Congo Gold
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 1st, 2009
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile now, you will know that I have written about the lives and plight of women in Congo, a few times here. Unfortunately, not much has changed.
My topic this morning is about Congo Gold.
‘Five million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a war fueled primarily from gold mined in the country by warlords and smuggled out to be sold on the open market.‘
Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to inform you that 60 Minutes was presenting a feature segment on Gold in the Congo last Sunday evening. If you did not see it, I am posting the video below for your viewing.
This is devastating, but I am hopeful that the more we hear and learn, the more many of us will take action…and the more we take action, the more affective our actions will be.
Do you want to learn how you can help stop it? I received this below e-mail that shows us how we can help.
YOU SAW IT ON 60 MINUTES. NOW IT’S TIME TO ACT
JOIN US FOR AN ACTIVIST CONFERENCE CALL
If you happened to catch 60 Minutes last night, then you know we have to do more to ensure our consumer purchases, such as gold necklaces and cell phones, aren’t fueling some of the world’s worst human rights abusers in Congo. Last night’s ”Congo Gold” episode revealed how the mining of gold and other conflict minerals fuels Congo’s war, the deadliest in the world. Now learn how to stop it.
Join us on Tuesday, December 1 at 4:30 PM EST/1:30 PM PST for a special discussion with Enough’s John Prendergast, International Rescue Committee’s Brian Sage, and Run for Congo Women’s Lisa Shannon, to get an update on the humanitarian crisis, find out what’s being done to end the scourge of Congo’s conflict minerals, and learn how you can be a part of the solution
Date: Tuesday, December 1
Time: 4:30PM EST/1:30 PM PST
Conference ID: 44050208 (Reference the Congo’s Conflict Minerals Conference Call)
Toll-free Dial-in: 887-254-9825
International Dial-in: 281-913-8965
Readers: I know that I ask all of you to participate in a lot. We all can’t do everything that I ask of you here. But if every one of us can just pick one or two areas that pull at our hearts, one or two issues that we feel strongly about, and just give a little bit more of ourselves in some way, shape, or form, we can affect change. As always, thanks for all that you do.
It was surprising to see comments from all of you – thanks for not giving up and being persistent so that you can share your thoughts with me and the other readers.
In regards to those that commented on the Secret Service: Good points about the couple never being able to get in if the were otw’s, and if the president was white, the head of SS would be asked to resign. Those thoughts never came to my mind. Just one of the reasons why I love my blog.
Ken: You tell me :)
Peace out….
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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December 1st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Thanks for that!
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:12 am
Thank you Michelle for thinking of us here in Africa. Life is terrible for me and my sisters. Please send Madaline to remove the beasts who call themselves men.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 am
Secrets of the Country’s Most Successful — and Nicest — Negotiator
Ronald Shapiro, Esq.
Shapiro Negotiations Institute
You negotiate every day, whether it’s making decisions with your spouse, haggling over the price of a sales item or booking a hotel and bargaining for a better deal. Many of my clients dislike the process because they feel they need to manipulate others to get what they want.
Over the course of my career, I’ve made successful deals for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to police departments facing racial conflicts. I’ve negotiated more than a billion dollars worth of contracts for professional athletes. But I never burned bridges nor sacrificed my integrity. In fact, being nice helped me achieve more of my goals and build relationships with less stress and greater returns.
MY “WIN/WIN” STRATEGY
It’s common to think of negotiation as a onetime, “zero-sum event” — with the goal being I win, you lose. But most “deals” in your professional and personal lives are really daily, monthly or yearly pieces of larger or ongoing deals. If you have an annual family tussle over where and how to spend the holidays, you know what I mean.
Better: Instead of trying to dominate the other person in a negotiation, make the best deal you can for yourself by helping him/her get what he wants. I call this a WIN for you, a win for him.
Example: You go to your local electronics store to purchase a certain DVD player. You don’t want to spend more than $150, but the salesman refuses to accept less than $200. At this point, many buyers will walk out, threatening to never shop there again… cave in and spend the extra money… or buy a different brand that they don’t like as much. Instead, you notice a floor model on display. You offer the salesman $125 for the floor model, but to protect yourself, you ask him to give you the $99, three-year extended warranty for just $25. He agrees.
Result: You walk away with your DVD player at your price without being a pushover. And, the deal is acceptable to the salesman because you helped him get what he wanted — a sale.
CREATING A WIN/WIN NEGOTIATION
Before the negotiation…
Identify what you really want. Example: You decide to sell your house and relocate. You spend months in fruitless negotiations with buyers because you refuse to budge on your price, which is the same amount your neighbor down the street sold his house for.
Better: Realize that what you really want is to make enough money to meet your financial goals and buy your next house on your timetable, regardless of whether your sale price is the highest in the neighborhood.
Weigh the alternatives. If you realize there are several possible solutions that can satisfy you, you’ll be less dependent on one kind of outcome. For example, back in the electronics store, what would have happened if the salesman had refused your offer to buy the floor model of the DVD player? If you had considered that possibility beforehand, you could have brought along enough money to offer cash for it — which would let the store avoid paying a fee for accepting your credit card payment.
Know your walk-away number. Figure out at what point the only satisfying outcome is not to do any deal at all. Face this tough question in advance — otherwise you risk becoming emotionally involved during negotiations and lowering your expectations as the deal progresses.
During the negotiation…
Build a relationship — even if short-term. Look for common ground (for example, “Do you live in the area too?”… “My friend thinks highly of your work”). This builds trust and encourages the other person to believe that you won’t ignore his needs.
Find out what the other side wants. The more information you have about the other party’s expectations, the easier it is to come up with solutions for a mutually satisfying deal. Effective techniques…
Ask the other party lots of questions, the same ones you asked yourself beforehand. Ask him about his ideal outcome. What alternatives to his ideal outcome might be acceptable? What’s his walk-away number? He may not tell you, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Ask the person to restate what he just said. It’s amazing how often the restatement turns out to be different from the original. People tend to explain more each time they state their positions, to give more details, to soften their stances and even offer options to what previously seemed like a hard line.
Phrase potentially confrontational questions and statements neutrally. Ask, “Aren’t you charging me more than we agreed?,” not “You’re ripping me off, aren’t you?” Speak hypothetically to soften your suggestions. Use phrases like “Just suppose… ”
Making an offer…
Let the other person speak first. This works best in price negotiations where you know the other person has a range of prices he may agree to, such as in a salary negotiation.
Reason: If you make the initial offer, you might be setting your sights too low. Even if the offer you get is far less advantageous than you hoped for, you now have a minimum on which to build.
Never make an offer without knowing where you’re willing to go next. If you know where and what you can concede, you’ll never feel like you were ripped off. The deals you make will feel satisfying because they fall within the parameters of your plan.
If negotiations reach an impasse or turn negative…
Use the “finger-on-the-lips” move. If I feel that I’m about to blurt out words that I’ll regret, I put my finger up to my mouth. To anyone else, it just looks like I’m thinking. I follow that action with some deep breaths. Then I switch the tape in my head from an insecure voice to one that is pumping positive mantras, such as, “I can handle this. I’m not going to take it personally.”
Ask, “What would you do if you were on my side of the table?” Getting the other party to see things through your eyes can help lift him out of an entrenched position. Hint: If the other party responds, “If I were you, I’d take the deal I’m offering,” probe further. Ask, “How do you think that would benefit me? ”
Change environments. Sometimes moving to a different location can break negative momentum and create a new atmosphere for the negotiations.
Example: Several years ago, I was negotiating a deal for Cal Ripken, Jr., the soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame baseball player, with his team, the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles owner proposed a salary of $20 million over four years — what top shortstops were earning. We wanted a five-year deal worth almost $50 million, on par with the top players regardless of position. The team owner and I were deadlocked, $30 million apart, so I moved the negotiations from my Baltimore offices to my farm in Butler, Maryland. The fresh air and laid-back environment allowed each side to confess its real needs and pave the way for a deal. Upshot: We reached a five-year, $32.5 million deal in which the Orioles agreed to provide post-career compensation guarantees, which added dollars to the overall contract but did not raise Ripken’s pay for active years.
Everyone won. Cal got immediate and post-career security. The Orioles kept their Hall of Famer without having to make him the highest-paid player in baseball.
Best way to finish up after the deal is made…
Lay the groundwork for a continuing relationship. Compliment the other party, either in person or on the phone, on his negotiating skills that helped lead to a fair deal for both of you. For instance, over the course of my career, I’ve gone on to represent many ballplayers in negotiation with the Baltimore Orioles, including three other Hall of Famers.
Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Ronald Shapiro, Esq., a principal at the law firm Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler (www.shapirosher.com) and founder of the Shapiro Negotiations Institute in Baltimore (http://shapironegotiations.com). He is author of Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin (Three Rivers) and coauthor of The Power of Nice: How to Negotiate So Everyone Wins (Wiley).
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 am
Michelle
I borrowed a computer to write this I hope it gets in. We are being infected by every kind of disease a man can give to a woman. We are helpless to defend ourselves.
Marinda
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:36 am
Traffic Camera
A man was driving when he saw the flash of a traffic camera.
He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit,
Even though he knew that he was not speeding….
Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot,
Driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.
Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower
As he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed.
He tried a fourth time with the same result.
He did this a fifth time and was now laughing when the camera flashed
As he rolled past, this time at a snail’s pace…
Two weeks later, he got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt..
You can’t fix stupid.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:41 am
I submitted that joke to say that men are stupid when it comes to understanding what women want. But they can understand that to be treated as an object or an inferior person is immoral and devastating to the victim.
I have no solutions. I will continue to write my Congressional representatives. But let’s face it most of them are on the take from the very organizations and corporations that perpetuate these situations for profit.
Floyd
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
As usual Michelle, you are on top of the key issues facing women. I cry at night when I think of my sisters in other places in the world who suffer because of the apathy of others.
I found this. I hope it will be of some help to those suffering from “D” deficiency.
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‘D’ deficiency turns into crisis
A leading health expert is calling vitamin D deficiency the world’s most common medical condition… with 50 percent of the planet lacking the right amount of this essential nutrient.
Boston University’s Dr. Michael Holick has gotten into some hot water over his view – he’s suggested that maybe we’ve been a little too cautious when it comes to sun exposure, and should get out more. After all, the best source of D is the sun – they don’t call it the sunshine vitamin for nothing.
But that’s heresy in the world of dermatology… so Dr. Holick was kicked out of the school’s dermatology department.
It would be a mistake to dismiss Dr. Holick because he has a point – and he shouldn’t be ignored. We spend too little time in the sun, and now we’re paying for it.
At the same time, sunlight isn’t the only answer. It may not even be the best answer, because it’s so hard to figure out if you’re getting the right amount of the right kind of sunlight, and on a consistent basis.
For example, the earth’s winter tilt means millions of people in places like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, and Seattle get almost no real D from the sun for part of the year – even if they do spend plenty of time outside.
People in other cities may get some better sun – but in most cases, not enough to generate what your body really needs.
Want proof? Check the Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that 77 percent of Americans aren’t getting enough vitamin D.
Since it’s hard to know exactly how well you’re doing when it comes to this nutrient, you could visit your doctor and order up a regular blood test to check your levels… or save yourself the time and use your co-pay to buy a quality supplement instead.
It’s one of the few vitamins that I can recommend for nearly everyone, everywhere, in all health conditions. Even Harvard University is urging people to take a D supplement – and researchers at that institution rarely recommend vitamins of any kind.
The U.S. government says you need 400 IUs each day, but ignore that – that’s the barest of bare minimums. Many leading health experts suggest around 2,000 IUs each day. And if you have darker skin or get very little sunlight, you may need up to 4,000 IUs daily.
In return, you’ll get an amazing array of benefits that seem too good to be true – especially when you consider that they come from a single inexpensive and widely available vitamin.
One new study confirms previous research, which found that vitamin D prevents premature death from all causes in seniors. Another recent study shows that D can help improve insulin resistance and sensitivity, which could lower your risk for diabetes.
And that’s in addition to its many well-established benefits, which range from immune system function and calcium absorption to increased muscle strength and a decreased risk of falls and fractures. Some studies have shown that vitamin D can fight diseases like cancer and osteoporosis.
But while everyone should be taking vitamin D every day – there’s one “daily” pill you should use rarely. Keep reading to find out…
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Evelyn
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
Thank you Michelle for helping to bring to light the plight of my sisters in the Congo. I have escaped to the UK, but many of my family and friends are still there.
Cherika
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Hafa adai
It seems that the military is busy fooling the people about their real intentions concerning the huge military presence they are planning for Guam.
________________
By Jeff Marchesseault
GUAM – Wrapping up his tour of Asia with a stopover on the American Territory of Guam in the summer of 1969, U.S. President Richard Nixon announced at an island news conference the makings of a force-reduction policy that would become known alternately as the ‘Nixon Doctrine’ or ‘Guam Doctrine’.
Uncle Sam Does A 180
Fast forward four decades and President Obama’s recent overtures to East Asia seem to be a reversal of the United States’ longstanding ‘Guam Doctrine’ – launched by the 37th President on his momentous Territorial stop 40 years ago. Nixon then set the stage for East Asian allies to defend themselves with secondary augmentation, rather than frontline ‘primary’ trooping, from the U.S.
Didn’t Know What We Were Getting Into
It was a different era. The War in Vietnam was increasingly unpopular at home as the American body count piled high. And the ‘communist containment’ strategy fought by Americans on North Vietnamese terms was looking more and more unwinnable in a booby-trapped realm of terra incognita.
Furthermore, by then America had been embroiled in Asian wars for nearly 30 years — from the Second World War’s Pacific Theater in the ’40s to Korea in the ’50s to Indochina in the ’60s.
Older, Wiser, No Worse For The Wear
But after a generation of active military engagement in the Middle East, 40 years of technological advancement, and years of gradual defense reduction in the Far East, America is reemerging better equipped and more remarkably allied as Protector of the Pacific.
It all comes together (1) at a time when the Air Force in particular and Department of Defense in general are enjoying high public approval ratings in the U.S. and Guam; (2) at a time when the Navy is aggressively pursuing an agenda of carbon reduction; (3) at a time when DOD is increasingly committed to job satisfaction; and (4) at a time when the Pentagon is demonstrating that its commitment to humanitarian assistance trains soldiers while dissolving negative attitudes about the U.S. military worldwide.
Guam At The Cusp
As Obama renews security commitments to the region, buttressed by his whirlwind East Asia tour earlier this month and a state dinner for India’s prime minister at the White House last week, US-Guam’s military-buildup symbolizes America’s growing resident power in the Pacific.
Although invited more than once to visit Guam on his return trip from Asia, Obama didn’t have time for his own Presidential stopover to the Territory this go-around. But as the buildup takes hold and Guam’s stock rises on the global stage, an Obama visit remains foreseeable, if not imminent.
Perhaps by the time he does visit, an Obama Doctrine will be firm in hand. One that is presaged by diplomacy; driven by active engagement; supported by a strong defensive posture; and prioritized by peace. And instead of announcing a withdrawal from East Asia, he’ll instead be celebrating a new era of economic prosperity protecting mutual interests and deterring common foes.
_____________________________________________
So we are to now believe that is military build up on Guam is about protecting the Pacific? My question is are there real aliens in and around Guam? This could be another scare tactic.
Peter
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:12 am
Michelle
What is your take on Tiger? Today he admitted to “transgressions.” I guess he couldn’t keep it in his pants. I’d f*k him. But why did he get married in the first place if he wasn’t through f**king around?
Men, as Floyd said are stupid.
Linda
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
Michelle
The plight of women is desperate everywhere. Here in the Pacific we are being tortured, murdered and our bodies mutilated.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By Jeff Marchesseault
GUAM – The low level of depravity and human degradation has only grown worse now that news has broken in the Philippines that nearly all of the women among those massacred at Maguindanao Province had been shot in their private parts.
The Boston Globe quotes Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera: “It was horrible. It was not done to just one. It was done practically all the women.”
Read the Boston Globe story, “Women victims in massacre in Philippines were mutilated”, November 28, 2009.
The Times Online reports that the women were sent to file election papers on behalf of provincial gubernatorial candidate Esmael Mangudadatu because it was thought that Muslim traditions of nonviolence to women would prevent them from being attacked by rivals. But the Mangudadatu clan’s assumptions proved wrong and as many as 22 women lost their lives during the attack. The rival Ampatuan clan is suspected to be behind the mass execution.
Read the Times Online story, “Philippines massacre: women thought they were saft. They were wrong”, November 28, 2009.
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Hafa adai
Anna