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Vol. 13 Issue 1…Dedicated to the Dialogue on
Race…January 3, 2010
Intuit's Vibe
Phenomenal Woman
By Maya Angelou
(1978)
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say, it's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
that's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say, it's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
that's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say, it's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
that's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say, it's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
that's me.
Klaus Martin Schwab
Born March 30, 1938 in
In 1971, Dr. Schwab founded the
World Economic Forum (WEF) as a non-profit foundation committed to improving
the state of the world. Today, the WEF is a global partnership of business,
political, and intellectual leaders.
From 1972 to 2002, he was
Professor of Business Policy at the
From 1993-1995, Dr. Schwab served
as a member of the UN High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. He
was Vice-Chairman of the UN Committee for Development Planning from 1996-1998
and member of the Earth Council when it was located in
In 2004, Schwab created the Forum
of Young Global Leaders using the US$ 1 million prize money from the Dan David
Prize he received that year. The foundation aims to bring together over 500
people under age 40 from all walks of life who have demonstrated their
commitment to improving the state of the world, and encourage them to work
together over the span of five years to identify and realize global change.
Dr. Schwab is the recipient of
numerous international and national honors, and he holds numerous positions of
civic, academic and editorial leadership. He was a member of the board of the
Lucerne Festival, and has served on the company boards of The Swatch Group, The
Daily Mail Group, and Vontobel Holding. He is an honorary professor of the
Ben-Gurion University of Israel and the China Foreign Affairs University.
Currently, he serves as Trustee for the
Dr. Schwab is a member of the Overseers' Visiting Committee at the JFK School
of Government, an Advisory Board Member of the Center for International
Development at
Dr. Schwab is married and the father of two. With his wife, Hilde Schwab, he
co-founded in 1998 the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a
non-profit organization based in
Gender Gap Report
2009
First conceived in January 1971,
The World Economic Forum began as a patron of the European Commission and
European industrial associations in
The Forum continued to expand to
include a Centre for Public-Private Partnerships which engages businesses,
civil society and political authorities in initiatives ranging from improving
health in
The index seeks to provide an
objective framework that allows countries to compare and contrast their
societies with similarly situated neighbors within their region, while
simultaneously comparing their standing internationally. By focusing on parity
between women and men, girls and boys at whatever level of economic development
a nation currently occupies, the index attempts to paint a realistic picture of
obstacles individual societies face.
For instance,
The Report's Gender Gap scores
can be interpreted as the percentage of the gap between women and men that has
been closed. Countries at the top have the greatest reduction in the gap
between women and men, while lower ranking countries reflect the least
progress.
The GGGR measures gender
inequality in four critical areas: Economic participation and opportunity -
outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled
employment; Educational attainment - outcomes on access to basic and higher
level education; Political empowerment - outcomes on representation in
decision-making structures and Health and survival - outcomes on life
expectancy and sex ratio. These categories allow the GGGR to "Assess
countries on how well they are dividing resources and opportunities among males
and females irregardless of the overall levels of these resources and
opportunities. Providing a clear framework for assessing and comparing the
relative gender gaps among societies, the GGGR makes it easy to identify those
countries that are doing a good job and those doing poorly. The Report serves
as a catalyst for greater awareness as well as greater exchange between
policymakers." Go to www.weforum.org/gendergap
and read the entire Global Gender Gap Report 2009.
Slave Descendants Deserve A GGGR
By John Burl Smith
The 2009 Global Gender Gap Report
(GGGR) is truly a noteworthy undertaking and the plight of females in regards
to inequality, sexism and discrimination deserves international attention.
Moreover, it shows what can be done when powerful individuals and institutions
unite and mobilize resources to address a problem. Concomitantly, when men
cease wagging their heads in dismay, seemingly intractable problems become
manageable, even solvable.
Victims of colonialism and slavery currently experience the widest gap in
socioeconomic and political disparities of any ethnic or gender category around
the world. By far, they are the most exploited and languish at the bottom of
every positive or at the top of every negative variable used to measure
"quality of life."
Beginning in the late 1400s, Europeans enslaved Africans and other Indigenous
people to build the wealth they use to dominate the world today. Through
avarice and brutality, the ancestors of those who run the world today
established systems based on racial and cultural discrimination that continues
to strangle the development and opportunities of colonial and slavery victims.
Obviously, white people are committed to maintaining inequality, racism and
discrimination as part of their heritage and the key to holding on to their
wealth and power.
The goals pursued by the 2009
GGGR -- "Economic participation and opportunity - outcomes on salaries,
participation levels and access to high-skilled employment; Educational
attainment - outcomes on access to basic and higher level education; Political
empowerment - outcomes on representation in decision-making structures and
Health and survival - outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio" - are
admirable ones that address needed improvements. Aimed at reversing the
inequalities women face, these principles advocate using "quotas" to
achieve an equitable balance between men and women. As a matter of fact, the
use of "quotas" in this instance is advocated by Americans as a
furtherance of democracy and human rights.
Conversely, the situation is
viewed as 'reverse discrimination' when victims of slavery are the objects of
such remedial action in the United States (US). The world turned blind eyes and
failed to speak on behalf of slave descendants when the US Supreme Court ruled
that the use of "quotas" to end inequalities blacks endured violated
white people's rights. Yet, the
According to Klaus Schwab, WEF
Founder and Executive Chairman, "Girls and women make up one half of the
world's population and without their engagement, empowerment and contribution,
we cannot hope to achieve a rapid economic recovery nor effectively tackle
global challenges such as climate change, food security and conflict. The Forum
works year-round with leaders on ways to close gender gaps through its Women
Leaders and Gender Parity Programme, and this report underpins their work. The
Global Gender Parity Group, a community of highly influential leaders from
business, politics, academia, media and civil society, is 50% women and 50% men
who seek to share best practices and identify strategies to optimize the use of
talent."
Victims of colonialism and
slavery are of both genders and make up well over 50% of the world's
population; they need such a "year-round" advocate to close the
racial gap. There are no prestigious groups seeking to enlighten the world
about inequality levels in their societies and how these levels can be lowered.
Co-author Ricardo Hausmann,
Director of the Centre for International Development at Harvard University, USA
opined, "Out of the 115 countries covered in the report since 2006, more
than two-thirds have posted gains in overall index scores, indicating that the
world in general has made progress towards equality between men and
women."
Director Hausmann is associated with a university that maintains an entrance
policy that is discriminatory against slave descendants, whether in
undergraduate or graduate school, not to mention professorships. Moreover many
of its endowments were given by men who made their fortunes from the blood and
sweat of slave labor. Unlike the issue of gender disparity, victims of
colonialism and slavery were the world's economic engine for centuries and many
of those in the forefront of the fight for women inherited fortunes tainted by
slavery. It is far easier for such men to embrace a cause that will help their
wives and daughters.
"The GGGR demonstrates that
closing the gender gap in all aspects of life provides a foundation for a
prosperous and competitive society. Leaders should act in accordance with this
finding as they rebuild their battered economies and set a course for
sustainable long-run growth," offered co-author Laura Tyson, Professor of
Economics and Business Administration,
Co-author Saadia Zahidi, head of the Forum's Women Leaders and Gender Parity
Programme said, "Countries that do not fully capitalize on one-half of
their human resources run the risk of undermining their competitive potential.
We hope to highlight the economic incentive behind empowering women, in
addition to promoting equality as a basic human right." Even though
colonial victims and slave descendants taught the world much of what it knows
about fighting for human rights, those in leadership around the world have not
used that knowledge to fight inequality and discrimination against colonial
victims and slave descendants.
"Thirteen out of the 14
variables used to create the Index are from publicly available 'hard data'
indicators from international organizations, such as the International Labour
Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Health
Organization." Therefore, these same data bases could be used to construct
an index to measure the gap between slave descendants and slave masters in
societies in which they live. The same people who care so much about gender
inequality accept and some even engage in discrimination against slave
descendants and victims of colonialism, or they would be acting just as
forcefully to create initiatives to end those inequalities too.
Discrimination
against Women
The United Nations Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was
adopted on December 18, 1979. It guarantees the right of women to be free from
discrimination and sets out obligations for states to ensure legal and practical
enjoyment of that right.
The Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which consists of twenty-three (23)
experts on women's rights from around the world, is the independent body that
monitors implementation of CEDAW.
Nations that sign and ratify the
treaty are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights
of the Convention are implemented. During its sessions, the Committee considers
each nation's report and addresses its concerns and recommendations.
The CEDAW Committee formulates general recommendations and suggestions. It can
also receive communications from individuals or groups of individuals
submitting claims of violations of rights protected under the Convention and
initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women's
rights. However, these procedures are optional and only available where the
concerned state has accepted them, since states can and do offer reservations
to their ratification of the treaty.
Many countries that are signatory
to the treaty have improved their laws, but in most cases, have failed to
protect women from everyday violence and abuse. Numerous studies show that
millions of women worldwide face discrimination of every description. Annually,
hundreds of thousands of women are forced into prostitution; many suffer
beatings at the hands of pimps, customers and policemen. Countless others
endure domestic abuse.
According to UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, "Women's situation is not going to change unless men,
particularly those in power, are willing to change their behavior. Changing
mindset and habits of generations is not easy. We must work together to state
loud and clear, at the highest level, that violence against women will not be
tolerated, in any form, in any context."
Women activists, who work closely with the UN, note that since the 1995 World
Summit in
When the UN Commission on the Status of Women convened its annual meeting in
2009, delegates expressed hope that new
The
DISHing It Up Hot!
On Raising Sex Objects!
By Dot
I recently watched a PBS program
- Raising a Girl with a Positive Body Image - that exposed ways in which
society transmits to and influences impressionable young women to pursue an
unrealistic body type. You know the one they were speaking about - the thin,
emaciated looking, Barbie doll body, generally white, that is the only kind
found on fashion runways and in style magazines. Don't forget the long straight
hair that completes the sexy image that is broadcast constantly by all forms of
media. Whether music videos or television commercials, young girls are
subliminally encouraged to be sexual objects; sex sells everything from booze
to vacuum cleaners.
The program reminded me of an
incident that occurred during the summer my elder granddaughter turned three.
We were in Wal-Mart. I promised to buy her an outfit, something reasonably
priced that fit my meager budget. Sitting in the shopping cart dressed in a
pink top and shorts, she eyed the selection of skirts and dresses like a
seasoned shopper. For her inspection, I held up a blue jean skirt that I
thought was cute; it fit my budget too. She adamantly shook her head and said,
"Grandma, that's not my style." I was floored by this child of three,
who was already on her way to becoming a hot pink sex object. Naturally, she
settled on something in that color!
According to feng shui, her lucky
colors are green and brown; she likes them, but pink holds sway. Who can fault
her; pink has been the dominant color in most outfits she has worn her entire
life? It is the color girls are dressed in from birth, a point made by the
program.
Young girls are influenced by
their parents, peers and the dominant society. Whether you like it or not, the
latter two exerts the greater influence on what they choose to wear, their
makeup and hair styles. For the young, it boils down to being liked. Everyone
wants to be liked, especially young girls, and they dress to please and want a
body image that is supposed to be pleasing.
Who do we blame when
impressionable young people try to achieve an unrealistic body image via drugs
or other unhealthy habits, such as purging? The media bear a tremendous
responsibility for grooming young women to view themselves as sexual objects.
Parents and the rest of society are also responsible for how young women and
women, in general, are viewed.
The PBS program and web site at http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisinggirls/bodies/image.html
offer some excellent parenting tips, including eating disorders, strategies and
talking points to assist girls in developing healthy eating habits and
exercising to manifest a positive body image. As parents and grandparents, we
must strive to help our girls become positive contributors to society, rather
than sex objects!
Disgruntled feels: Over-medicated!
As a society, we rely far too heavily on medicine for every ache and pain; even
soreness from exercising is medicated. Rather than making a life-saving change
in lifestyle, we reach for a bottle of pills or rely on something more serious
to make us feel good. Far be it for me to disparage marijuana and the other
sundry illegal drugs when legal ones do far more harm. We pump our little ones
with antibiotics, rather than take them off milk, because "milk is
supposed to be good for growing bodies." So, to ease the ache of constant
ear infections and to protect diary industry profits, doctors prescribe
medicines; the regime also makes big pharma happy. We are so over-medicated
that we no longer know what drug-free really means. It certainly does not refer
to our public school zones, where a large percentage of the student body is
given daily doses of the drug Ritalin or some other mind-altering legal
substance.
Disgruntled says: It is that time of year
again when people make resolutions and predictions for the New Year. For this New
Year, I am resolved to make no promises about weight loss and such. I want to
enjoy life as much as possible no matter my dress size. And, as far as
predictions are concerned, I have never been accurate, even though I have been
close to being right on a few occasions. With that thought in mind, I predict it
will be a year like no other. Whether that is good or ill, only time will tell.
Disgruntled
wants to know: Major General Anthony Cucolo III, who commands US forces
in Northern Iraq implemented a policy in November that made it illegal for
soldiers and civilian military personnel to become pregnant or cause a soldier
to become pregnant, even though it may have been consensual. The policy was
reviewed and rescinded by General Raymond Odierno, the top
Mailbox: E-Mails,
Faxes and Telephone Calls
Email http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/
Making Them (R) Squirm... The President signed the appropriations bill today.
Within the Appropriations Act is Sen. Al Franken's (
Email www.racialicious.com... Still Getting It Wrong
on Affirmative Action...By Darrell Dawsey...Affirmative action suffers a public
relations problem. Affirmative action is frequently discussed in terms of race
-- both by proponents and opponents of the practice. The problem is the word
"minority", which in our society (
Email ...So long "Mr.
P" ..."People may forget what you said. People may forget what you
did. But, people will NEVER forget how you made them feel." ..On Thursday,
December 31, 2009 Dr. William "Bill" Powell, Hall of Fame golfer and
beloved humanitarian passed away surrounded by his family. His daughter (Renee),
the second black female golfer on the PGA tour, offered her thanks to all the
fans and friends who helped to make Mr. P's last year such a wonderful
experience for him and his family. Services will be held at the
Email www.summitdaily.com ...
Email jocelynlamont@thehandstand.org
...Happy and Successful New Year to you and your husband Dot. Although I live
so far outside of your world I value every edition of your magazine for the
knowledge of