THE EQUALITY STANDARD

Subscribe to the Newsletter

APRIL 2007

IN THE NEWS

Spain lawmakers OK women's equality law
Thanks to Margalo Ashley-Farrand for sending us this:

Parliament passed a gender-equality bill aimed at getting more Spanish women into elected office and corporate boardrooms.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

"Today is the first day of a different society," Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a self-proclaimed feminist, said during a debate before the vote.  Zapatero's 16-member Cabinet includes eight women, a first in Spain .

Highlights of the Law:   
Grants 15 days of paternity leave to new fathers, changing a little-used, current arrangement in which mothers of newborns can lend all or part of their 10 weeks' leave to the father. In 2013, the 15 days' leave will expand to a month.

Women must make up at least 40 percent of the lists of candidates that parties field in elections. It will be applied for the first time in May when Spain holds regional and municipal balloting.

In the business world, companies that achieve more of a male-female balance among their executives and at lower levels will receive favorable treatment when they bid for government contracts.

How Are We Caring for Our Children?

Thanks to Monica Hubbard, Non-Profit Consultant, Activist and Musician for making us aware of this:

Congratulations: Children in the United States do not have the worst quality of life in the developed world. That honor is held by Britain --with the United States a close second. America 's infant mortality rate is exceeded only by Hungary 's; New Zealand is the only country where more people under 19 meet violent deaths each year. On teenage motherhood, we're way ahead: forty-six births for every 1,000 girls between 15 and 19. The closest challenger ( New Zealand again) can manage only thirty. Children born in the richest nation on earth are also the most likely to be noticeably poorer than their neighbors: 21.7 percent of America 's children live in households whose income is less than half the national median. Britain , at 16.2 percent, comes second in the inequality sweepstakes.

This is just a small piece out of the report just issued by UNICEF, Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries . To read more staggering statistics, Click Here for the Unicef Report

Kenyan MP Nominated for US Award

Thanks to Kimani Kimani for keeping us up to date on news from Kenya

Ms Njoki Ndung'u, has been nominated for the US Secretary of State's award for courageous women. US Ambassador to Kenya Mr Michael Ranneberger said the embassy nominated Ndung'u for her efforts towards the enactment of the Sexual Offences Act.

Ms. Njoki Ndung'u

"Thanks to her dedication and perseverance, the subject of sexual abuse of women and children has become a household topic, bringing the critical issue out of the shadows," he said. 

In May, 2005, Ndung'u presented the motion of intention to bring the Sexual Offences Bill to Parliament. The Bill was passed into law in 2006. Before then, the law on sexual violence was spread through four different pieces of legislation, which complicated matters for victims, the police and judiciary.

The definition of the offence of rape was also very limited and the law categorised rape as an issue of morality. Sentencing was entirely at the discretion of magistrates and in many cases the punishment for offenders did not fit the crime.

It's not easy being mayor in Neiva, Columbia

Cielo Gonzalez

Mayor Cielo Gonzalez travels with 10 guards, has received a gift from President Uribe of a heavily armored SUV, and her house is buttressed by stacks of sandbags to absorb any blasts.

In the three years since she was elected mayor, would-be assassins planted 2 bombs outside the readio station where she took citizen calls every Thursday.  One bomb was in a parked sedan that draw authorities' attention:  it exploded as it was being towed away.

Why is she the object of these attempts on her life?  Because she supports the tough anti-guerrilla policies of the President.

SAVING ON HEALTHCARE

Thanks to Stephanie Schus, Consultant, for letting us know about a way to save some money on ever spiraling health care costs.

The Best Benefits health discount card is a low-priced membership card that gives you access to a national provider network that can save considerable money on things like prescription drugs, eyeglasses, contacts and dental care.  One membership covers everyone in a household, regardless of age or health history.  The company behind this specific card is the largest discount health care provider in the country, so their provider networks are very large and their savings are real.  (I personally saved over $200 when I got my mother prescription glasses two  years ago.)

To find out more, click onto the website.  Click Here for Health Care Savings

TAKE JUST A MINUTE

Thanks to Launa Romoff, Artist for letting us know about this

When was the last time you wondered if the women's shelters in your state were getting enough feminine hygiene products to meet the need? Fortunately, Seventh Generation, a green paper products and cleaning products company, actually thinks about this stuff and will donate a box of sanitary products to a women's shelter in your chosen state - just for going to the link below, choosing a state and dragging a heart into a little house.  Now how fun & easy is that?
  Click Here to Help

AND ANOTHER MINUTE

The United States stands nearly alone in its failure to ratify the Treaty for the Rights of Women, also known as the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The United States can provide a powerful voice for the women in Iraq , Afghanistan , and other countries around the world who need our help ending trafficking in women, educating girls, reducing violence against women, and ensuring equal protection before the law.

Help strengthen the United States ' voice in support of global women's rights by calling on your Senators to actively endorse ratification of the Treaty for the Rights of Women.

To Act Now, Visit www.unausa.org/action .

(back to contents)

EVENTS

Please let us know of events in YOUR area that we can post here.  If you know of conferences, programs that will inform, educate and inspire, we will consider them for publication.  Ed.

Tuesday, April 3rd
Making History: The Roadmap to the Future

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

US Women's Chamber of Commerce presents

Making History: The Roadmap to the Future

Fifty/Fifty Leadership is a member of the US Women's Chamber of Commerce and part of the Women's Ownership Movement.  If you own your own business - or are thinking about it, clear your calendar and attend this event on Tuesday.

Introduction to the Women's Ownership Movement TM : How the power of Women O ,   Women to the Ownership Power TM is transforming the influence of women in America .

The Women's Ownership Movement is unifying the collective strength of our community to take our rightful place as the most powerful economic force in America .  Topics include:

• Women at the crossroads to financial and leadership power
• Own the Future
• The Four Forces of Change
• Transformation: Harnessing the Power
• Application: Practical Applications of WomenO in Your Life and Your Community

New Century Insurance Services
16 N Second Street, Alhambra , CA 91801

(Free Parking)

USWCC & NPC Members $10, Non-Members $20

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

----oooo0000oooo----

Tuesday, April 3rd
Election Day - Glendale

Remember, we need to exercise our right and our duty as citizens of this wonderful country.  It doesn't take much time, but can make an enormous difference.  Need more information, go to our website for quick links to Smart Voter and to the City of Glendale

Click Here for Links

----oooo0000oooo----

Thursday, April 12
National Women's Political Caucus

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

"What Does it Mean to Have Hillary in the Presidential Race?"

Hear from Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor on Women's Outreach.

Women voters will be a significant voting block for the 2008 presidential election.  Candidates know the importance of the woman vote and are courting our membership vigorously.  Please join NWPC-LA Westside to hear from inside the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

NWPC Members $35/Non-Members $50

Reception held at a private residence in Beverly Hills

Mail Reception contribution to NWPC-LA Westside, PO Box 241647 , Los Angeles , CA 90024

Checks payable to NWPC-LA Westside PAC

Call 310.836.8550 to RSVP and receive venue location.

----oooo0000oooo----

Saturday, April 14th
Earth Day on the Promenade

10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Thanks to Margalo Ashley-Farrand, Attorney and activist for reminding us to honor our planet today

The famed Third Street Promenade is one of the premiere shopping and entertainment destinations in all of Southern California , with hundreds of upscale stores and restaurants and over 20 movie screens. 

Spend Earth Day with 13,000 other shoppers and entertainment seekers and learn what can be done to save our environment, what is being done, and what you can do

To see other events in Los Angeles , go to www.earthdayla.org

----oooo0000oooo----

Tuesday, April 17th
Election Day - Pasadena

Thanks to Monica Hubbard, Non-profit Consultant, Activist and Musician for reminding us to vote.

Runoff elections will take place in Pasadena and there are three women who received the most votes in their respective races, Jacque Robinson (District 1), Margaret McAustin (District 2), and Renatta Cooper (PUSD Seat 2)  Now it is time to get out and vote again and give them the votes they need to be in office.   

----oooo0000oooo---

Friday, April 27th
Star Light, Star Bright, You Are the Star Tonight

The Villa located at, 15081 Beach Boulevard Westminster , CA 92683

Join Crime Survivors in their Annual Gala and Fundraiser celebrating their accomplishments in aiding victims this year. The National Crime Victims Week this year is April 22 nd - 28 th with the theme of - Every Victim, Every Time.

Please contact Ngoc Ma at 714.272.3114 or ngoctoma@gmail.com for more information

----oooo0000oooo---

Sunday , April 29th
Reunion, Readings , Refreshments & Women's Music!
2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club
1650 Mountain Blvd. , Oakland, CA

Fifty/Fifty Co-Chair Ellen Snortland is one of the "biographees", so join us as we take this rare opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the powerful diversity of early Second Wave feminist leadership and accomplishment. Feminists, friends and fellow travelers are also cordially invited to attend this high-energy afternoon!

Books will be available for purchase (30% discount!) and signing. Tickets: $5 advance $10 door

Tickets available online at: www.margieadam.com (click on Barbara Love link on Home Page) or by mail at:   MWCAC, 1650 Mountain Blvd. , Oakland , CA 94611

* Barbara J. Love 's Feminists Who Changed America , 1963-1975 is the first comprehensive directory to document many of the founders and leaders (including both well-known and grassroots organizers) of the second wave women's movement. The book includes 2200 individual women and a few notable men who together reignited the American women's liberation movement. Barbara J. Love has worked as an editor, writer, and journalist, and is currently a member of the board of the Veteran Feminists of America . She is the author of Foremost Women in Communications and coauthor (with Sydney Abbott ) of Sappho Was a Right On Woman .

----oooo0000oooo---

Wednesday, May 2
"Now That She's Gone"

Please Join
Gloria Steinem & Helen LaKelly Hunt
for a showcase evening of:

"Now That She's Gone"

Gloria Steinem says, "Ellen Snortland's one-woman play, "Now That She's Gone," is what good theater is all about. Her funny and tragic, particular and universal story sends us home with a better understanding of our own."

5:30 doors open, 6 p.m. curtain
Norwegian Seamen's Church, 317 East 52nd St. , New York , New York 10022
(between 1st & 2nd Aves).
www.kjerka.com

Suggested Donation: $40
To benefit Women's Funds in NYC
Reservations: call 201-669-9927, Or e-mail:  rsvp@hunt-hendrix.com
Tickets available at the door if there are still seats.

Now That She's Gone is a play that explores Ellen Snortland's often wacky, irreverent and sometimes torturous relationship with her Norwegian-American mother. Now That She's Gone has been described as a Lily Tomlin/Garrison Keillor/Eve Ensler hybrid...passionate, poignant and funny in turns.  A memoir piece with Eleanor Roosevelt, sex, drugs and lutefisk, the play and performance have received rave reviews and standing ovations in California , New York , and Washington , D.C.

----oooo0000oooo----

Monday & Tuesday - May 21st , May 22nd
Human Trafficking from Asian Citizens into the Western Hemisphere

Organization of American States is hosting this conference at

Marina Village Conference Center

1936 Quivira Way , San Diego , CA

For information contact Marisa Ugarte (619) 336-0770 or email sdbscc@yahoo.com

Fifty/Fifty LEADERSHIP ON THE MOVE

Fifty/Fifty Leadership is growing and no longer fits in our houses.  So, we are looking for office space.  Do you, or anyone you know, have an extra office in their suite?  Perhaps they would be willing to let us have the space as their donation.  Or maybe someone you know has an extra office and could use a little (!) extra cash to help pay the rent.  If you know of any such space, please call Pauline Field at 818.243.2322 or email her at pfield@Fifty/Fifty.us

(back to contents)

SPRING CLEANING

As you clean out the closets and clean out the garage to prepare for Passover or Easter, don' t overlook that car, boat or RV that you really would like to see gone.  It can actually do you and Fifty/Fifty Leadership good!  You may be able to claim the deduction on your taxes and Fifty/Fifty Leadership gets half the value of your vehicle.  So call today, 800-766-2273 or click below.

Cars 4 Causes ® Car Donation

Donate your used car to Fifty/Fifty Leadership!! It's simple! Donate your vehicle to raise money for Fifty/Fifty Leadership — and qualify for an IRS tax deduction through the nationwide charity car donation program, Cars 4 Causes ®. Click the Cars 4 Causes link (left) to begin!

(back to contents)

LEADERSHIP CIRCLES

If you would like to help with the completion of the Leadership Circles documentation and packaging, please email us at info@Fifty/Fifty.us and let us know.

Leadership Circles are small groups, held in homes, offices, restaurants, church halls, community rooms, etc.  They provide an opportunity to hone your leadership skills and learn new ones.  Leadership Circles will help you recognize the leadership you already have and express it.  "Leadership" has mostly been defined by men; through Leadership Circles we will add our voice to the definition of leadership.  The program will be expanding nationally so that everyone who wants to be a leader will have a place to go to share successes, learn how to overcome barriers and break through the ceilings.

ABOUT Fifty/Fifty LEADERSHIP

Our Vision That 50% of leaders are women

 

Our Mission To transform the culture within which we live to one that naturally includes women on an equal basis in the selection of leaders

MEMBERSHIP - Tell a Friend

Becoming a member in Fifty/Fifty is your statement that you want to add your voice to help transform our culture such that when leaders are chosen, they are chosen equally - women to men. What else is in it for you?

• Your subscription to this newsletter, The Equality Standard so you'll have facts about women and girls locally, nationally and internationally, plus learn about events of interest in Los Angeles, New York, D.C., Sacramento, and more

• Discounts at many events put on by Fifty/Fifty Leadership

• Your name will be added to our website as a supporter of the work we are doing

• Your membership may be tax deductible - please check with your tax professional

Can you be involved without becoming a member? Yes. Subscriptions to The Equality Standard are $12 per year. As a special offer for the launch of this new newsletter, if you subscribe between now and December 31, 2006, you will receive the newsletter until December 31, 2007. You can pay by check or credit card. Please send your check or the credit card information below to Equality Standard, P.O. Box 11202, Glendale, CA 91226 or you can call or email your credit card information to PaulineField@charter.net , 818-243-2322

(Click here for printer-friendly subscription form)

Name (as it appears on the card)__________________________________________

Billing Address _______________________________________________________

City______________________________________State________ Zip____________

Telephone ( )_________________________________

 

Card # __________________ Expiration Date ___/___ 3 or 4 Digit on back of card_____

Amount $_____ Date___________

Support Fifty/Fifty Leadership While You Shop

Fifty/Fifty Leadership is now listed on Giveline.

 

 

 

If you're unfamiliar with Giveline, it is an online retailer which gives an average of 16% (up to 33%) of sales to your selected nonprofit organization. It's simple: you shop in the online store, choosing from over one million bestselling name-brand products, and with each transaction Giveline will send Fifty/Fifty Leadership a significant cash donation.

Giveline.com is an online store created for the community-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to Fifty/Fifty Leadership - an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices - the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today, and if you decide to buy, remember that Fifty/Fifty Leadership will earn significant funds in support of our mission!"

So, click here and start shopping! http://www.giveline.com/charitypromote.asp?V=V087912649&p=&mc=MC000&S1= - exclusivelink

Or if you are more comfortable shopping through Amazon.com, click on the Fifty/Fifty Leadership website and click on the link to Amazon.  Every time you purchase something through Amazon, Fifty/Fifty Leadership is credited with a percentage of your purchase.   

http://www.Fifty/Fifty.us/Products.htm

FINAL WORDS

Do you have a favorite quote? 
We would love to hear from you - and we will even give you credit!