Tuesday, July 28, 2009

discouraged from attending

Almost every woman believes in equality whether it's in the workplace or in life in general. Unfortunately, women's equality has yet to be achieved. In almost every single company, men earn more. All the while women still face sexual harassment, degradation and isolation.

ILARY Magazine: Is it true that there are companies out there that discourage women from applying for prominent positions, and instead encourage their male counterparts?

Martha Burk: Yes. There are many more companies than people realize which exclude women from work groups, some informally and some not so informally, such as giving women lesser assignments, or assigning them to "lost cause" accounts and projects. Informal networks outside the workplace are a problem too. We found that in the case of client entertainment at Augusta National, where companies can spend up to $500,000 in a week, women were not told they couldn't participate, but "strongly discouraged" from attending, according to one division head.

hostile place for trade and business

Indonesia is the easiest place in the world in which to do business. The 'World Competitiveness Scoreboard' currently ranks Indonesia at 45, only two places ahead of Russia (47), and in stark contrast to countries such as Australia (13), Singapore (2) and the US (1). Clearly, in terms of the measures used by the producers of this scoreboard, Indonesia at the moment is found severely wanting, with its potent brew of traditional cultures, bureaucracy, legal uncertainty and social instability combining to give it the appearance of being a rather hostile place for trade and business. Indonesia is currently undergoing a radical transition towards becoming a more modern and efficient economy, and the road ahead remains uncertain.

Nonetheless, given a proper understanding of cultural, social and legal-regulatory environments, business and investment in most parts of Indonesia is relatively safe and profitable. Many promising changes are underway in Indonesia - notwithstanding the pain being experienced by many sections of Indonesian society - and there is good reason to be hopeful Indonesia shall emerge from its present trial-by-fire to become both an attractive investment destination, and a profitable market for Western products.

This essay seeks to give an overview of those elements that are important when undertaking business in Indonesia, including the social and cultural landscape, recent developments regards 'governance', law and legal certainty, business structures, and labour issues. Much emphasis is given to the issue of culture, more specifically, the perceptions, outlooks and/or beliefs that affect human interaction. In the past, perhaps, Western business peoples understanding of 'culture' has been relegated to the realm of manners or etiquette, of simplistic 'do's and don'ts'. However, cultural misunderstanding or miscommunication is generally far more likely to occur at the level of perception and outlook, rather than etiquette. This is not to suggest that etiquette is unimportant, but merely to attempt to shift emphasis from those external or visible cultural expressions to those expressions that are not immediately obvious, in particular as this affects communication.

Club of Luxembourg

The American Women's Club of Luxembourg was founded in 1959. Its mission is to foster and encourage social, educational, cultural and philanthropic activities among its members in Luxembourg and to assist in furthering American-Luxembourg relations.

The AWCL is a member of the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO), an international network of independent American women's associations. FAWCO brings member clubs together to support American women living abroad and to provide an avenue for coordinated action on subjects of common interest. FAWCO holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is a founding member of the World Federation of Americans Abroad.

With over 400 members, the AWCL organizes numerous activities and events, both social and charitable, and publishes several publications for its members and the public.

The AWCL Clubhouse is conveniently located with ample street parking in the Hollerich section of Luxembourg City. Bus Lines 8 and 12 have stops within a couple blocks. Aside from holiday closings, the Clubhouse is open from September through July during the following times (telephone messages are taken during limited summer hours in July and August).

Sunday, July 26, 2009

MAKE OVER

There are many ways to reach Semarang from my city Bandung. I can choose train, plane, bus or travel agency.

I usually choose travel agency because unlike other options, they are able to pick me up directly from home or anywhere I choose. And when I arrived in Semarang, they also will drop me anywhere I want. So if you are totally blind about your destination, travel agency is a good solution for you. I have 2 favourite travel agency, Sentral Travel and Fortuna Travel (dial 108 to find out their numbers), and this time I only get Sentral Travel for my trip since the other is fully booked. Travelling from Bandung to Semarang took about 8 hours and they picked me around 8:30. So I finally arrived in Semarang around 5 in the morning. There are plenty of time for me before my meeting at 9, so I took a walk around Simpang Lima, the center of Semarang city.

You can read the rest of the story and many pictures of Semarang in my blog at http://travel-indonesia.blogspot.com :)

Monday, July 6, 2009

Women: Brains, Bodies and Barbies

In 1992, Mattel Toys released a talking Barbie doll that said the phrase, "Math class is tough!" The doll caused controversy, especially among parents and teachers who thought that it reinforced the stereotype that girls are not good at math. Standardized test scores seemed to support the stereotype -- in general, boys' scores in math were higher than girls'
­ H­owever, other researchers argue that men aren't really better at math. Girls often make better grades in math than boys do. Researchers theorize that the stereotype that women are not good at math may be partly to blame for this discrepancy. According to Dr. Robert Josephs of the University of Texas-Austin, women fear that their performance on standardized tests will prove that they're bad at math. For this reason, they don't do as well on tests, regardless of whether they've made good grades in math classes. Men, on the other hand, see such tests as an opportunity to prove that they are good at math, so they perform better [Source: Psychology Today].

In addition, women tend to receive higher scores on math tests when they take them without men in the room. According to one study that evaluated men and women who had made similar SAT scores, women's scores increase by up to 12 percent when taking tests without men in the room. Researchers say this is due to a stereotype threat, or a fear that a person will conform to a common stereotype [Source: Cook].

Regardless of how well they score on standardized tests, women seem to be able to develop math skills that are equal to men's. A large-scale analysis of data also suggests that there's very little difference between men and women's abilities in math [Source: Economist].

Women and Emotions

A 2001 Gallup poll asked American adults whether a series of qualities applied more to men or to women. Ninety percent of those surveyed said that the characteristic "emotional" applied more to women. The survey didn't ask about particular emotions or specify positive or negative connotations for the word "emotion." But it seems likely from the results that most Americans view women as either able to experience or prone to experiencing a wider, more intense range of emotions than men do.
Are women more emotional than men are? Do they cry more?

The perception that women cry more than men is pretty widespread. But as babies and children, boys and girls cry about the same amount on average. Only during puberty do girls begin to cry more than boys do. According to a 2005 New York Times article, by age 18, women cry four times as much as men.

A possible explanation for this is the hormone prolactin, which contributes to how much people cry. Prolactin is present in blood and tears, and it's more prevalent in women than in men. Women's tear ducts are also shaped a little differently from men's, which could be either a cause or an effect of increased crying [Source: New York Times]. In addition, people who are depressed may cry four times as much as people who are not, and two-thirds of people diagnosed with depression are women [Psychology Today].

Of course, another common explanation is that some societies encourage women to cry while discouraging men from crying. In the United States, an exception to this standard seems to be the business world. In some businesses, crying is discouraged -- a woman who cries in the office may be viewed as weak or ineffectual [Source: New York Times].

In the next section we'll look at how women handle stress.

the history of HowStuffWorks

If you believe what you see on TV, women are inscrutable, conniving, hysterical and apt to change their minds without reason or warning. Some women's magazines perpetuate these stereotypes by offering advice on how to entrap men or keep them guessing. And some of the basic differences between men and women can seem a little confusing, depending on your point of view. So it's not surprising that one of the most requested articles in the history of HowStuffWorks is "How Women Work."

The irony is that from conception until the eighth week of gestation, men and women are almost exactly the same. The only difference is at the chromosomal level, deep inside the embryos' cells. Inside every cell of a person's body, DNA is tightly wound into pairs of structures called chromosomes. One pair of chromosomes determines whether the person is male or female. Except in the case of extremely rare abnormalities, a person with two X chromosomes is female, and a person with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome is male. For a few weeks, these chromosomes are all that differentiates male embryos from female embryos.
­Of course, by the time an embryo has grown into an adult wo­man, many attributes make her different from a man. On average, women are shorter and smaller than men are, although women have a higher percentage of body fat. Women have reproductive organs that can support a developing baby and nourish it after its birth. Their blood pressure is lower, and their heart beats faster, even when they're asleep [Source: FDA]. Women also have faster blood flow to their brains and lose less brain tissue as they age than men do [Source: Psychology Today].

­And then, of course, there are hormones, which a lot of people view as a huge difference between men and women. But every person's body, whether it's male or female, uses hormones to regulate and control a wide range of processes. Hormones are the products of the endocrine system, which includes numerous glands located in various parts of the body. For example, two well-known hormones are adrenaline, which comes from the adrenal gland, and insulin, which comes from the pancreas. These and other hormones are vital to the lives and health of both men and women. To learn more about the endocrine system, watch this ADAM animation.

­­Sex hormones, on the other hand, work a little differently in men's and women's bodies. In men, the testes produce the hormone testosterone, which regulates sperm production and causes masculine secondary sex characteristics. In women, the ovaries produce hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which regulate reproductive processes. Men's bodies convert a little testosterone into estrogen, and women's bodies make small amounts of testosterone, so neither hormone is exclusive to one sex or the other.
A man's testosterone levels can fluctuate throughout the day as his body regulates its production of sperm. But a woman's sex hormone levels fluctuate as part of her reproductive cycle, which takes about a month to complete. During a woman's childbearing years, the recurring changes in her hormone levels can cause symptoms like irritability and moodiness, known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). When a woman reaches perimenopause, her body slows down its production of sex hormones. During the process, her levels of estrogen and progesterone can vary significantly, causing symptoms like hot flashes and trouble sleeping.

Sex hormones can affect a woman's emotions and physiology throughout most of her life. But contrary to some people's perceptions, they're not responsible for every facet of her behavior. In this article, we'll look at some other common perceptions and stereotypes about women as we examine how they work.

Smart Women

Best Small Business Ideas: Smart Women / Small Business FABGuides Outstanding

Overwhelmed by the thought of what goes into starting a small business these days? You definitely have the desire, the drive, but where are you going to find the time? And where do you get started?

Many people find it tedious, confusing, and often frustrating when researching potential small businesses. Are you one of these? Even though the Internet has a wealth of information, it also has a bunch of @#$% small business products that you need to be able to sort through. And we're not even talking about all those scams!
Small Business Ideas with Step-by-Step Blueprints

After spending hours upon hours searching for the best small business resources, we discovered these great guides from the folks at FabJob. In each of these comprehensive Smart Women, Small Business FABGuides, you get step-by-step advice including the Fundamentals of the Business, How to Get Started, Necessary Skills for the Business, How to Break into the Business, How to Get Hired, Strategies for Success, Sample Forms for the Business, and links to many key resources including professional associations, key business resources, recommended books and magazines of the trade. Written by real small business owners not hired writers, these guides literally take you by the hand and show you how to create and run your own successful small business.

Why do we like them?

* Very comprehensive...these are not general overviews of a business
* Customized for each business...not a template with a lot of generic information
* Authors are successful owners of the business they write about
* No risk, money back guarantee if you are not happy with the guide you bought
* Great value - a fraction of what is charged for more generic, template-based products

Who else likes them?

These small business guides have been featured or mentioned in the Wall Street Journal Online, CBS Marketwatch.com, Entrepreneur.com, Woman's World Magazine, Woman's Day, and others main stream media. We're not the only ones that like them!

So if you're looking for small business ideas along with step-by-step advice in how to get started and what it takes to be successful, take a look at these Small Business Guides. They'll take your from crawling, to walking, to running your own small business. Oh, and they're a great value, too, which is important for those struggling in this tough economy.
Become an Advertising Copywriter
Become a Book Editor
Become a Business Consultant
Become a Cake Decorator
Become a Cartoonist
Become a Caterer or Personal Chef
Become a Childrens Book Author
Become a Corporate Trainer
Become a Daycare Owner
Become a Dog Daycare Owner
Become a Dog Walker
Become an Etiquette Consultant
Become an Event Planner
Become an Event Planner by Jill Snodgrass
Become a Fashion Designer
Become a Fashion Stylist
Become a Food Critic
Become a Gift Basket Business Owner
Become a Home Stager or Redesigner
Become a Human Resources Professional
Become an Image Consultant
Become an Interior Decorator
Become an Inventor
Become a Jewelry Designer
Become a Landscape Company Owner
Become a Life Coach
Become a Makeup Artist
Become a Management Consultant
Become a Massage Therapist
Become a Motivational Speaker
Become a Movie Reviewer
Become a Mystery Shopper Become a Mystery Writer
Start a Nonprofit Business
Become a Party Planner
Become a Personal Concierge Business Owner
Become a Personal Shopper
Become a Personal Trainer
Become a Pet Business Owner
Become a Pet Sitter
Become a Pet Groomer
Become a Private Investigator
Become a Professional Organizer
Become a Professional Photographer
Become a Public Relations Consultant
Become a Published Writer
Become a Real Estate Agent
Become a Recording Artist
Become a Romance Writer
Become a Screenwriter
Become a Social Entrepreneur
Become a Songwriter
Become a Stand-Up Comic
Become a Super Salesperson
Become a Technical Writer
Become a Television Producer
Become a Television Reporter
Become a Travel Consultant
Become a Travel Writer
Become a Video Game Designer
Become a Web Developer
Become a Wedding Planner
Become a Wine Merchant
Become a Yoga Teacher

Let me rest tonight

I've got the children to tend
The clothes
to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
The baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
I've got shirts to press
The tots to dress
The can to be cut
I gotta clean up this hut
Then see about the sick
And the cotton to pick.

Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.

Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again.

Fall gently, snowflakes
Cover me with white
Cold icy kisses and
Let me rest tonight.

Sun, rain, curving sky
Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone
Star shine, moon glow
You're all that I can call my own.

Maya Angelou

a woman's work is never done

Although the majority of women chose to stay home, where society believed a woman should be, many ventured out into the working world either to begin their own business or to work for others in order to support themselves and their families. But whether a woman sought paid employment, or stayed at home to work in the domestic realm, she was always working. As Martha Ballard, a well-known eighteenth-century woman, wrote in her journal on Nov. 26, 1795, "A womans work is Never Done as ye Song Says, and happy Shee whos Strength holds out to the End..."
This exhibition brings together a selection of images from the Society's collections that illustrate many facets of American women's work, from the beginning of the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution.

Friday, July 3, 2009

The Prevention of Breast Cancer


Each year in the United States, approximately 180,000 women will be told they have breast cancer. While there is ample information in the public about the medical aspects of treatment, by comparison, information on prevention is still lacking. This article will provide some current information on how Chinese women work toward prevention of breast cancer. While this article addresses women, breast cancer does rarely occur in men (less than 2% of the cases each year).
Diet

Diet plays a major role in prevention of breast cancer. Breast cancer rates among Japanese and Chinese women are approximately one-tenth of those of American women. The typical Asian diet is lower in fat and dairy products, and much higher in soy products, green vegetables, and whole grains compared to Western societies. Breast cancer rates have increased for immigrant Japanese women in California who have gradually switched to a more western diet. This also includes descendants. This does suggest that diet factors do play a big role especially while the body is still young and growing. An overweight female also has higher risk. Eating more fish instead of red meat can reduce the intake of saturated fat. Asians also tend to eat fresher foods, which have less preservatives. Farming in Asia tends to use less chemical fertilizers and pesticides due to the initial high cost of chemicals, though this has been changing rapidly as farming has increasingly become "westernized". Organic farming has become more popular of late and does provide a better source of produce.
Stress

Stress can stimulate excessive hormone secretion in the body, which can lead to higher rate of breast cancer. Evaluate your daily life. Busyness does not equal more stress. Worrying excessively can create tension in the body and should be reduced if possible. Look at having a more positive outlook in life. My mother always told me, "When you are angry, 10 million cells in your body die or become toxic; when you are happy, all your cells are happy and functioning."
Alcohol, smoking and coffee

Alcohol and coffee consumption and smoking have been directly linked to higher cancer rates. These habits tend to develop at a young age. It's important to teach our daughters very early on. It's also important to avoid persistent second-hand smoke.
Meditation and energy exercises

Exercises such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and Yoga can be a good benefit in reducing stress and tension in our body. Meditation can relax our mind and bring our body to a more balanced state. These exercises are not difficult to learn and can be incorporated into our life style relatively easily. Since the 1970's, Chinese people have been experimenting with Qi Gong in the treatment of breast cancer. While the medical Qi Gong treatments have shown some effectiveness in controlling the cancer, more importantly Qi Gong does help delay the growth and the onset of cancer.