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THE EQUALITY STANDARD |
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This is the newsletter on women's issues, local and global,
published by Fifty/Fifty Leadership, a non-profit organization promoting women's equal leadership. |
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Segolene Royal, who is in a runoff for President of France on May 6th |
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In this issue: |
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IN THE NEWS
ERA Back on the Agenda
U.S. House Representative Carolyn Maloney re-introduced the Equal Rights Amendment, to amend the constitution. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over the Amendment and have promised to put it on the Committee's agenda this year - the first time since the 1980's.
With this Amendment, we would not have to keep making the case that equality includes gender. It has been 87 years since we got the vote.
In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment, was proposed to promote equality for women in employment (equal compensation), insurance, pensions, social security, lesbian and gay rights, education, and reproductive rights. It has the support of California and 34 states but it needs the support of 3 more states to become the 28 th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Its about time!
Supreme Court Decision
On April 18th, the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on abortion. The ban, which contains no exception to protect women's health, criminalizes types of abortions which are performed as early as 12-15 weeks, and which doctors say are the safest and best to protect women's health. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated that the decision is one that "cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this court."
Are we really willing to let the courts decide on what affects our bodies and our health? Please contact your local Planned Parenthood, NARAL or NOW and see how you can help. Write to your Senators and Congressional representatives to tell them this is just not acceptable. Do we really want to go back to the dark ages of illegal abortions? Make no mistake - abortions WILL take place. What is in question here is whether they will put the mother at risk or not. Please let your voice be heard.
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| Mexico City Legalizes Abortion |
| On April 24, the Mexico City Legislature approved a bill that would allow pregnant women to obtain a legal abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. |
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Pro-abortion activists demonstrated before the watershed vote by Mexico City's legislature |
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| Prior to this bill, illegal abortions were the 5th leading cause of death for women in Mexico and the 3rd leading cause of death for women in Mexico City. |
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NATIONAL TEEN DATING ABUSE HELPLINE
Thanks to Lana Haddad, staff to the Glendale Women's Commission for letting us know about this hotline:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne Inc. have launched loveisrespect.org the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (NTDAH), a 24-hour national web-based and telephone helpline created to help teens (ages 13-18) experiencing dating abuse.
"If teens are not turning to their parents for help, it is essential that they have a private outlet where they can discuss their fears with someone who will provide immediate assistance" said Sheryl Cates, chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Texas Council on Family Violence. "This helpline and website were designed exclusively for teens so they can speak to a peer or an adult advocate anonymously and confidentially."
Teens and parents anywhere in the country can call toll free, 866-331-9474 or log on to the interactive Web site, loveisrespect.org and receive immediate, confidential assistance. In addition to a toll-free phone line, loveisrepect.org is the first interactive dating abuse website, staffed by trained advocates, where teens can write and immediately get assistance in a one-on-one private chat room.
"My boyfriend terrorized me in a number of ways, but one of the most effective was through email. Email became one of his primary methods of control, especially when my parents refused to let us speak on the phone. He wanted to know where I was every second of every day " says Kendrick Sledge, a teen dating abuse survivor. " If there was a teen dating abuse helpline when I was being abused, I might not have stayed in the relationship as long as I did ."
The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) is a project of the Texas Council on Family Violence in Austin , Texas . NDVH provides empowerment-based crisis intervention, information and referral to victims of domestic violence and their friends and families. The Hotline serves as the only center in the nation with access to more than 5,200 sources of help including 2,000 battered women's shelters in the United States , Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
NDVH and ndvh.org operates 24 hours each day, 365 days every year, in over 150 different languages, with a TTY line available for the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing. All calls to NDVH are anonymous.
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WOMEN AND BOOKS 2007
Thanks to Launa Romoff, Artist for letting us know about this
WomenandBooks2007.com is conducting a study. The genesis of the study has roots in two observations:
- Women buy a lot of books, fiction and non-fiction.
- Very few female authors make it to non-fiction best-seller lists.
We began by pondering if there is a cause-and-effect relationship between these two observations. Could it be that women who buy non-fiction, and thus influence the best-seller lists with their purchases, have a preference for the writing of men? Or do they have a subconscious bias against women authors? Or maybe there just aren't enough women writing, or enough publishers signing and promoting women who write non-fiction?
Answers to some of these questions can be hypothecated by carefully reviewing book- industry statistics on books published and sold, and we are in the process of doing that. But we also wanted to talk to women and explore their attitudes, preferences, intentions, and demonstrated behaviors. It's not practical for us to conduct thousands of personal interviews, so we decided to create a comprehensive survey to serve as the foundation of the study.
The survey runs through May 13, 2007 (Mother's Day). We're reaching out to women's groups and individual women in an effort to aggregate thousands of responses. The survey will be administered to a non-random sample. We'll also be conducting virtual focus groups with small groups of women who complete our survey. We plan to announce the results at Book Expo America in New York City this summer. Every woman who participates will get a copy of the report.
Do take a few minutes and complete the survey. Click here: Do the Survey
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MOTHER'S DAY
Thanks to the Nebraska Women's Commission for letting us know about this program
As we are deciding which restaurant to go to for Mother's Day - Sunday, May 13th - what gift to give our mothers, how and where to be with our children, take a moment to think of children who do not have a loving mother.
The Pajama Program, a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization, provides new, warm pajamas and books to needy children in the United States , and around the world, many who are waiting and hoping to be adopted. These are youngsters who may not know the comforts of a mother or father to tuck them into a cozy bed and read them a bedtime story. Too many have been abandoned, most deprived of any love at all.
The Pajama Program's mission is to provide a loving environment for children who have lived through a great deal of hurt in their young lives to give them hope for a better tomorrow. The program identifies key institutions in major cities in the U.S. and other countries where children are living temporarily as they wait and hope for adoption.
It is to the children in these circumstances and temporary living quarters that the pajamas are delivered with love and affection. The Pajama Program was founded in 2001 by Genevieve Piturro and Alice Pagano Quirk.
So perhaps on this Mother's Day you can help the Pajama Program help these children. Please visit their website and think about making a donation.
http://www.pajamaprogram.org
Support Women's Rights in Honor of Mother's Day
The United Nations Association USA (UNA-USA) is joining a diverse coalition of 200 national non-governmental organizations in using the occasion of Mother's Day (celebrated on May 13th) to call for US ratification of the Treaty for the Rights of Women (CEDAW).
Visit www.womenstreaty.org and click on the "Take Action Now" link in the middle of the screen to contact your Senators and call on them to support ratification of the Treaty for the Rights of Women.
A New Book for our Daughters
Women: A Celebration of Strength , is a fact-filled, boldly designed interactive book with surprises on every page, including pop-ups and our nation's most important documents on women's history. |
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By exploring women's experiences in art, culture, sports, careers and politics, the book presents the challenges and celebrates the achievements of all women - from your local hero to those in the national spotlight. Flipping through the book is like walking through an interactive museum exhibit with hands-on features that make the issues of the past and present come alive. For more information and to buy the book, visit the website celebrationofstrength.org |
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SHOES, SHOES AND MORE SHOES
Thanks to Nancy Montuori Stein, filmmaker, for letting us know about this organization
OK, take a guess, how many pairs of shoes in your closet have you never worn, grown tired of, or have not worn in at least a year? 5 pairs? 10? More? Well, here's an organization that will help you clean out those unwanted shoes - maybe to make room for new ones to come? - and pass them on to people who otherwise have no shoes.
Soles4Souls has two warehouses, one in Las Vegas and one in Alabama , where they gather and store your donated shoes. Then they ship the shoes to wherever they are needed. Go visit their website at www.soles4souls.org to find out where to send your shoes - or a financial donation if you would prefer. |
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WOMEN CHOOSING SPOUSES
Thanks to Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Award-Winning author for sending us this article:
In this archipelago of 50 islands of pale blue water, Orango Island , Guinea-Bissau off the western rim of Africa , it's women, not men, who choose. They make their proposals public by offering their grooms-to-be a dish of distinctively prepared fish, marinated in red palm oil. It's the equivalent of a man bending on one knee and offering a woman a diamond ring, except that in one of the world's matriarchal cultures, it's women that do the asking, and once they have, men are powerless to say no.
In recent years, however, young men have become increasingly bold, going so far as to openly propose marriage - a dangerous turn, say traditionalists. "The choice of a woman is much more stable," says one islander. "Rarely were there divorces before. Now, with men choosing, divorce has become common."
Women built all the grass-covered huts here, dragging driftwood back from the ocean to use as poles, cutting blankets of blond grass to weave into roofs and shaping the pink mud underfoot into bricks. Only once the house is built, a process that takes at least four months, can the couple move in and their marriage be considered official.
More than two decades ago, a young girl set off for the closest beach looking for the ingredients with which to propose to the man she loved.
She waited for the tide to recede, then dug in the wet sand for clams, collecting them in a woven basket. She was embarrassed, she said, that she was too poor to afford a proper meal of fish and could only offer her groom-to-be what she could gather with her own hands. So after preparing the dish, she placed it in front of him, then ran and hid behind a tree, peeking out to see his reaction.
"He did not hesitate and ate right away. I could see the love shining in his eyes," she said, a glow spreading across her cheeks.
Do you agree with the statement, "The choice of a woman is much more stable"? Why do you think there were less divorces? Do let me know what you think and I will publish them in the next newsletter. Email your thoughts to: pfield@Fifty/Fifty.us |
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OPPORTUNITIES
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The City of Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women has a job opening for a Media Outreach Consultant position. Please see information below and pass along to qualified individuals. Resumes may be submitted by fax, email or hard copy. If you have any questions, please contact me at the Commission Office, number listed below. Thank you
Human Trafficking Media/Outreach Consultant Exempt, Salary $50,000 .
- Provide expertise and professional skills in public relations, media outreach to ethic and cross-cultural medial outlets.
- Provide assistance in the development, analysis and implementation of the human trafficking media outreach program.
- Provide strategy for the implementation plan for a local media campaign; develop press releases, PSA's, editorial and other written pieces for print, pitch local media. Familiar with all new media.
- Provide coordination and technical assistance to the Commission on the Status of Women's Human Trafficking program as directed by the Senior Project Coordinator.
- Coordinating and assisting with the monthly local Coalition meetings for members Support and improve the quality of identification activities surrounding human trafficking in all sites
- Build the organizational and technical assistance capacity of the sub contractors that address human trafficking issues and victims in need.
- Responsible for assisting in the creation of all monthly reports
- Responsible for assisting sub-contractor with data base and resource director
- Site visits with outreach coordinator in all sites and contractors
- Responsible for attending all Coalition meetings and other Human Trafficking events/activities as defined by the Senior Project Coordinator
- Keeping records of all meetings and the distribution to Coalition members, BSCC, City Council, Mayor and other interested individuals.
Anne Dunn, Sr. Project Coordinator, Human Trafficking, Commission on the Status of Women, City Hall, Room 2111, 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles , Ca. 90012, 213-978-0300, Anne.Dunn@lacity.org |
CEOs Needed - Girl Scouts - Northern and Central California
One position is for a chief executive officer to head the consolidation of 5 Girl Scout Councils in northern California (headquarters location in the San Francisco Bay Area to be determined). Compensation is in the area of $200k or higher. A second position is for a chief executive officer to head a realignment of 2 Girl Scout Councils in the Central Coast area (headquarters location to be determined). Compensation for this position is in the area of $125 or higher.
These positions require a record of bringing excellence to organizations undergoing growth and transformation. Girl Scouting is bringing a high capacity model of services to deliver even more leadership opportunities to girls in these regions of California . The individuals selected will play key roles in this process.
If you know anyone who may be qualified and interested in these positions, please pass this along. For more information and details about these positions, call Anne Marie McKibbon or Bob Perodeau at 800 286 4009. |
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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.
Wednesday, May 2 - 5:30 doors open, 6 p.m. curtain
New York City
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.
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Saturday, May 12th - 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
It's a Woman's World 2
Join us for the opening reception of the works
of
J. Natasha Kostan, Launa D. Romoff and Baby Smith
at
The Source on Lake
1565 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena
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Sunday, May 13th
The Standing Women Project
Thanks to Ria Severance, Executive Development Consultant for letting us know about this:
The women of Ohio , U.S.A. , call upon the women of the world, from day-old babies to our most senior elders, to stand with us on May 13, 2007, to save the world. Our project is based on Sharon Mehdi's book The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering. If you don't know the story, a summary of the original version is on the website http://www.standingwomen.org/ .
We will be standing for the world's children and grandchildren, and for the seven generations beyond them. We dream of a world where all of our children have safe drinking water, clean air to breathe, and enough food to eat. A world where they have access to a basic education to develop their minds and healthcare to nurture their growing bodies. A world where they have a warm, safe, and loving place to call home. A world where they don't live in fear of violence--in their home, in their neighborhood, in their school, or in their world. This is the world of which we dream. This is the cause for which we will stand.
If you share this dream, please stand with us for five minutes of silence at 1 p.m. your local time on May 13, 2007, in your local park, school yard, gathering place, or any place you deem appropriate, to signify your agreement with this statement. We ask you to invite the men and boys who you care about to join you. We ask that you bring bells to ring at 1 p.m. to signify the beginning of the five minutes of silence and to ring again to signify the end of the period of silence. During the silence, please think about what you individually and we collectively can do to attain this world. If you need to sit rather than stand, please feel free to do so. Afterwards, hopefully you and your loved ones can talk together about how we can bring about this world.
See http://www.standingwomen.org/ for more details and to register your commitment to stand with us. The website is in 15 languages and links to a YouTube video. We hope to see a 24 hour wave of women and men all over the globe standing to save the world.
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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
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Saturday, June 2nd
Tea Party
Shepherd's Door Domestic Violence Resource Center invites you to put on your hat and your dress and come to the Tea Rose Garden in Pasadena at this FUNdraiser. For more details call (626) 683-1640 or email them at shepherdsdoor2001@yahoo.com
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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
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GET RID OF THAT CAR, BOAT OR RV
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.
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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! |
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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.
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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 |
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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)
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Support Fifty/Fifty Leadership While You Shop
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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
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FINAL WORDS
Do you have a favorite quote?
We would love to hear from you - and we will even give you credit!
From Linda LaZar, our Web designer, sent in the following:
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position
that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles which
he has overcome while trying to succeed." |
| — Booker T. Washington |
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Pauline Field
818.243.2322
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