The newsletter on women's issues, local and global,
published independently by Pauline Field
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NEWS
This edition of the Equality Standard
is dedicated to The Glendale Commission on the Status of Women
This newsletter, The Equality Standard,
evolved out of an update I sent out to the many people who supported the effort to establish a women's commission in the city of Glendale. The Commission was not only established, but is now two years old!
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GLENDALE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
As with any government agency, the wheels of change move slowly, but despite that, the Commission has done a lot. Here's a sampling:
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Voter outreach event in collaboration with the League of Women Voters
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Women's Words of Wisdom salon series including "Lessons Learned from the Campaign Trail", and a discussion of Proposition 73: Parental Notification
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Gathering of Sisters: a Women's Fair
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Hosting of Association of California Commissions on the Status of Women Quarterly meeting
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Honoring two Glendale women as "Jewels" of Glendale at a gala event that included A Taste of Glendale
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Partnering on events with the Los Angeles County Commission on the Status of Women; State Legislators; Armenian Relief Society
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Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Glendale - almost complete
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At the Gathering of Sisters: (l to r) Lena Bozoyan, Angela Sevoian, Guitarig Kocharian, Pauline Field |
At meetings of the Association of California Commissions on the Status of Women, to which most of the other California women's commissions belong, many of the other Commissions around the State have not only been awed by the amount of work the Glendale Commission has done, but in several instances has copied what has been done. The Glendale Commission has been an inspiration and a positive "shot in the arm" for women's commissions around the State.
On December 2, 2005 my term on the Commission was complete. On December 20, the Glendale City Council voted 3-2 against re-appointing me to the Commission.
(Click below to read what the media had to say about the vote:)
Pasadena Weekly
Glendale News-Press
Needless to say I was shocked. I have had, however, an outpouring of support from many of you, too much to include here, and I send you a heartfelt thank you.
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Committee working to
establish the commission |
The Commission will continue to do a stellar job I am sure because the current Commissioners: Maria Rochart (Chair), Karla Kerlin (Vice Chair), Lena Bozoyan and Nayiri Nahabedian, along with the student Commissioners, Jennifer Westhoff & Maria Garcia, as well as the newest Commissioner, Paula Devine, will continue to work hard for the women of Glendale. There is much to be done.
To see what I am putting my energy into now, see my Editor's Comments below.
FREE CELL PHONE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE
Thanks to Launa Romoff, Artist, and Barry Allen, Security Consultant for the following:
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 or more for 411 / information calls when they don't have to.
When you need to use the 411 / information option, simply dial 1 800 FREE 411 or 1 800 373 3411 without incurring a charge at all except for the minutes required to make the call.
OFFICE MANAGER POSITION AVAILABLE
Thanks to Chris Carson, League of Women Voters for the following announcement:
The Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California is looking for an Office Manager. If you would like to see the full posting, visit their website at www.apalc.org
Please mail or fax cover letter, resume, and three references to: Human Resources, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, 1145 Wilshire Blvd., Second Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017, fax (213) 977-7595
SOME FACTS ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF WOMEN
- A November UNICEF report has found that of the world's 115 million children who do not receive primary education, 90 million are girls. "Education of children, especially girls, is the cornerstone to national progress," the fund's executive director, Ann Veneman, said in a statement. "It leads to greater economic productivity, reduced infant and maternal mortality, and a greater likelihood that the next generation of children will go to school."
- A recently released study from the Jamaican Bureau of Women's Affairs has found that Jamaican women are outnumbered in the workforce despite being better educated than their male counterparts, the Jamaica Observer reported on Sunday . Men represented 57.9 percent of the Jamaican workforce in 2004 and, at 7.9 percent, have an unemployment rate that is less than half that of the 16.4 percent rate among women.
And here in the U.S.:
- The "vast majority" of the 1,300 people who died in New Orleans from Katrina were old. They were ignored, kept waiting for aid, died alone; somehow they fell to the bottom of priority lists. Almost 25 percent of women over 65 in New Orleans were poor, double the national average , according to the Washington-based Older Women's League.
- According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), at least half of all women in prison, including those jailed for nonviolent offences, were abused by spouses before their incarceration . According to Harvard University domestic violence researcher Angela Browne, women who kill men in self-defense -- and where there is evidence of severe assault prior to the killing -- are acquitted only 25 percent of the time. Yet the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that the average prison sentence of men who kill their female partners ranges from two to six years , while women who kill their partners are sentenced to an average of 15 years . In states ranging from Florida to South Carolina, many are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
- Gender breakdown of Commissioners on all commissions in the city of Glendale -In 2002 during the formation of the women's commission, there were 35% women commissioners. Last year that ratio had diminished to 28%. Today it stands at 20%.
EVENTS
Exceptional Women of Power, Empowered Women On Purpose
Monday, January 9, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
For You Network presents Dr. Sharon Forrest at their monthly dinner meeting. The For You Network is dedicated to helping women grow both personally and professionally. The For You Network is made up of 42% Small & Home Based Businesses, 35% Corporate Business, 15% Network Marketing Companies, and 8% other.
Michaels Bar & Grill, 2825 West Olive Street Burbank. $20.00 Members $23.00 guests
Contact: Linda Ornelas, Director at 818-426-9287 or email lornelas01@earthlink.net .
Please RSVP as the network needs to give Restaurant count prior to meeting.
Glendale Commission on the Status of Women
Monday, January 9, 6:30 p.m.
Council Chambers, 2 nd Floor 601E. Broadway, Glendale.
Free parking entrance on Wilson
Debunking the Certification Myth
Thursday, January 12
US Women's Chamber of Commerce presents this virtual online meeting. A must for business owners thinking of going for certification as a women-owned business. Go to their website at www.uswomenschamber.com and you can register for this and the many other programs they are offering.
Talk with the Author:
Sex & Sensibility, the Thinking Parents Guide to Sex Education
Tuesday, January 24, 7:00 p.m.
Planned Parenthood of Pasadena, Inc. is sponsoring a forum with respected sex educator Deborah Roffman, author of Sex & Sensibility, the Thinking Parents Guide to Sex Education in the All Saints Church Forum Room, 132 Euclid Ave. Pasadena. Reservations are recommended! Please feel free to contact Buff Megaw (626 794 5737 ext 130) or Sue Keppler (ext. 105) with any questions.
Special Event - "Now That She's Gone"
** Thurs., January 26, 7 p.m.
Throop Unitarian Church, 300 S. Los Robles Ave.,Pasadena
This showing of Ellen Snortland's play is to raise funds forthe attendance of Ellen Snortland and Pauline Field as UNA delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. If you have already seen it, but would like to share it with someone, please pass this on. If you haven'tseen it, please mark your calendar and come on down!
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Ellen Snortland receiving a Beautiful People Award in November, 2005 |
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."
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. The play and performance have received rave reviews and standing ovations in California, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Other opportunities to see Ellen's play that you will want to send to your out of town friends:
Bismarck, North Dakota -- January 9th, 7:30 p.m., ND Heritage Center Auditorium , $5.00 suggested donation at the door to the United Nations Association. Contact Andrea Collin, 701-222-0947 or e-mail: acollin@btinet.net -- sponsored by Smoky Water Press
Grand Forks, North Dakota, -- January 12th & 13th, 7 p.m., Empire Arts Center, Downtown Grand Forks, tickets - $15 for adults, $12 students, seniors and children. Chester Fritz Box Office: 701-777-4090, for information: www.nordicinitiative.com
Minneapolis: The Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55408 Sat., January 14, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., matinee only on Sun., January 15, 2 p.m. $22.50 for adults. E-mail: orlyn@nordic-home.com for reservations and/or information. Sponsored by Nordic Home, Norsemen Federation and the Nordic Initiative.
Women and Technology
Tuesday, January 31, Teresa Bailey
Fifty/Fifty Leadership presents a presentation and discussion with Teresa Bailey on the history of women and technology and the opportunity we have to enlarge the definition and conversation of technology and how the world of technology would be different with more women involved in it.
Teresa Bailey is an artist and teaches technology at UCLA. She is a past president of the Glendale/Burbank League of Women Voters and has been very involved in the community and in women's rights.
Fifty/Fifty Leadership is a nonprofit organization whose mission is: To transform our culture within which we live to one that naturally includes women on an equal basis in the selection of leaders.
Fifty/Fifty Leadership Members - Free. Non-Members - $5 For more information visit the website www.Fifty/Fifty.us or call 818.243.2322 Mark your calendars. Location to be announced.
Permanent Collection
Saturday, February 11, 2:00 p.m.
League of Allied Arts presents this play at the Kirk Douglas Theatre 9820 Washington Blvd. at Duquesne Ave., Culver City. Tickets: $45 (Benefit League's Scholarship Fund for arts students) Mail checks to: Carol Hall Holliday-1224 South Wilton Place-LA, CA 90019-3543 Call Carol for more information at (323) 731-3374 - Office
Speak Out For Reproductive Freedom
Wednesday, March 29, 9:00 - 4:30
Sponsored by The California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom Sacramento Convention Center
- EDUCATE your Legislators
- CAUCUS with Women's Health Advocates from all over California
- PROTECT Women's Health Rights
- LEARN about emerging issues
For More Information Contact Jo Ann Madigan, 415-346-0563 jomadigan@earthlink.net
THINGS TO DO IN L.A.: CULTURE ALERT NEWSLETTER
Thanks to Monica Hubbard, Consultant for the following:
Want to find something new do to in Los Angeles? Want it to be free and open to the public? The you will want to get the Culture Alert Newsletter published by Rina Rubenstein. Rina publishes this newsletter monthly and says it will soon be available as a website.
If you are wondering what there is to do in Los Angeles, for January Rina has identified about 600 things!! And that's just for January! From a Bird Walk in Baldwin Hills to a Food Festival in Pasadena, Music in Santa Fe Springs to Political Art in Santa Monica, Kids Music at Storyopolis to Native Hip Hop at the Autry Museum. Want to find out more? Email Rina and ask to be added to her email list: CultureAlert@hotmail.com
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
Have you made them? Do you scoff at doing such a thing? Well here's seven ideas of things to think about putting on the calendar or on your "to do" list this year:
1. Schedule your annual gynecological check-up. No matter what your age, it is a good idea to make sure that everything is as it should be. Cancer strikes women with no age discrimination. Young, middle aged, old. Don't leave it to chance. As well as seeing your doctor, don't forget to insist upon -
2. A mammogram - this is still the best thing we have for catching lumps in our breasts. Yes, its uncomfortable, but from what I have heard of cancer, i'll take this few minutes of discomfort any day.
3. A monthly breast exam. Not sure how? Go to www.komen.org and check it out. Remember, tumors that are caught when they are very small are almost 100% curable.
4. A Pap Smear - This checks your cervix. If you have never had one, it is painless.
5. A CA-125 Blood Test - Ovarian cancer cannot be detected by any of these other tests. The symptoms are severe abdominal bloating and constipation with or without diarrhea. Doctors do not often recognize these as symptoms of ovarian cancer and most doctors will not suggest this test. Carolyn Howard-Johnson, whose name you have seen often in these pages, is a survivor and strongly urges us all to get this simple test - and if you have insurance, insist they pay for it.
6. Get a massage. Reward yourself for doing all the above by calling Mabel Liota at 310-721-7038. She will come to your house and give you almost any style massage you like best. Mabel has been taking the knots and kinks out of my muscles for years - she has that extra something that is hard to explain, but you get more than your money's worth with Mabel. Give her a call, you'll be glad you did.
7. Volunteer. What do you feel strongly about? Helping babies, children, youth, single mothers, the elderly, the grieving, education, health, housing, politics, peace, international issues, cultural issues... this list is endless. There are more than 700,000 federally recognized nonprofit organizations, 150,000 of which are in California.
So there will not be a problem finding an organization that is addressing the issue that touches your heart. So don't let another day go past. Do the research and find an organization to give some time to. Just give up one TV show a week and you will get so much more in return.
And if you have children at home, there are opportunities to volunteer as a family - what a great way to teach the value of community to your children.
Here's a few websites to help you get started:
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volunteermatch.org
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servenet.org
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idealist.org
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worldvolunteerweb.org
The first three allow you to put in where you want to volunteer and will then give you a list of organizations looking for help in your area. The fourth is for helping others in other countries.
If you cannot find something that sounds right, don't give up. Search on Google, Yahoo or your favorite search engine.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
"Your newsletter is wonderful; thank you for keeping me on the list; I will send you a check for another year's subscription."
Alexis Powers, Board Member, YWCA, Albuquerque, New Mexico
"The newsletter is, again, fantastic. Collecting, editing, and presenting the information is a huge job and very important to all of us. THANK YOU so much for all you do."
Linda LaZar, Writer, Webmaster
"I just read the December Newsletter. Just a heads up, Argentina had the first woman president, 1974-1976, Isabel Peron. Was overthrown by the military and exiled from Argentina."
Mabel Liota , Argentinean Massage Therapist
EDITOR'S COMMENTS
A new year. A clean slate perhaps. I hope that you have enjoyed the holidays and are ready to take on the challenges that face you this year.
Over the last several months I have been examining the direction my career has been going and how I can effectively include my 20+years of consulting expertise and my commitment to women's development.
After many conversations and much introspection, I have decided the way I can best combine my two passions of consulting and the empowerment of women is to focus on businesses owned and run by women. Out of the consulting programs I have for business owners, from start-ups to thriving businesses, I put together three speeches. My aim is to speak to groups of women so if you know people who belong to any kind of club - women's club, service club, etc, I would appreciate you passing my name and contact information on to them.
Also, as you can see from the Events section above, I have been invited to be a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. They meet for two weeks in New York every year, and this year will be its 50 th anniversary. Women come from many countries to attend this Commission, so it will be an incredible opportunity and I am honored to have been invited. It is an expensive proposition, however, so if you would like to contribute, I would be most appreciative. $5 or $50 - everything helps. See below under Subscriptions for information on where to send the check or credit card information. Thank you.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
A year's subscription is just $12!
A new year. Have you been putting off subscribing? Why not start the year off by supporting the continuation of the news and events specifically targeted to you. Because I do not want to exclude anyone from receiving the newsletter, however, subscriptions are not mandatory - If you cannot afford it, its my pleasure to send it to you. I do, however, thank you for honoring me and my time with your contributions.
Thank you to those of you who have already subscribed.
Subscriptions to The Equality Standard are $12 per year, prorated monthly. So, for those of you willing and able to pay the subscription, please send a check made payable to Pauline Field for $12 for the period ending December 31, 2006 to Equality Standard, 1315 Ruberta Avenue, Glendale, CA 91201 or complete the credit card information below and email back to PaulineField@charter.net
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FINAL WORDS
Thanks to Joann Deutch, Attorney for the following:
" Do not follow where the path may lead...Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Robert Frost
Let's make 2006 Count!
Pauline Field
818.243.2322
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