16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign: World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. This day marks the beginning of an annual campaign designed to encourage public support for and development of programs to prevent the spread of HIV infection and provide education and promote awareness of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. It was first observed in 1988 after a summit of health ministers from around the world called for a spirit of social tolerance and a greater exchange of information on HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day serves to strengthen the global effort to face the challenges of the AIDS pandemic.

For more information about World AIDS Day, contact UNAIDS Secretariat, 20 avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, ph: (41-22)791 3666, fax: (41-22)791 4187, e-mail: unaids@unaids.org, website: http://www.unaids.org

What does HIV/AIDS have to do with violence against women?

Um, a hell of a lot!

Violence against women constitutes a global human rights emergency that has devastating impacts on women’s health, including compromising women’s ability to protect themselves from infection and hampering access to information and services for the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Read more from CWGL's 2006 report, "Strengthening Resistance: Confronting Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS."


Oh and if you ever wondered how condoms are made tested, enjoy this lil video from Lifestyles:



PS: To everyone who has helped me get a quarter of the way to my goal, THANK YOU! There's still plenty of time for you to help the Chicago Abortion Fund.

Holy Pointless Gimmick, Batman

Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze

There he goes again.  In an effort to "appeal to Republican leaders leaders" in order to find what the New York Times calls a "a common approach to restoring the nation’s economic and fiscal health," President Obama announced he will freeze the pay of civilian federal workers for two years.  A symbolic gesture that will have minimal impact on the deficit led Daily Kos to dub Obama "President Gimmick."  Even assuming -- without conceding -- the deficit must be addressed immediately by cutting spending (but see Growth is Good, Let 'Em Eat Catfood), this plan will do little but punish mostly middle class federal workers.  And what concession did Obama get in return from Republicans?  Nothing, of course.  As Lawrence Michel of the Economic Policy Institute stated:

This is another example of the administration's tendency to bargain with itself rather than Republicans, and in the process reinforces conservative myths, in this case the myth that federal workers are overpaid. Such a policy also ignores the fact that deficit reduction and loss of pay at a time when the unemployment rate remains above 9% will only weaken a too-weak recovery.

All President Obama has succeeded in doing is again buying into the misguided Republican notion that rather than temporarily increase spending in order to stimulate the economy, the government must tighten its belt, i.e., gut government programs.  It sure would have been refreshing on the eve of his meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders for Obama to come out fighting.  As the Times suggested in an editorial Sunday, Obama "should pound the table for a clean, yearlong extension of unemployment benefits, and should excoriate phony deficit hawks — in both parties — who say that jobless benefits are too costly, even as they pass vastly more expensive tax cuts for the rich."  Instead, we get Mr. Freeze.

Sauteed Fennel with Roasted Garlic and Thyme

Last November I went on my first silent retreat.  I wanted to do something that challenged me and also scared the crap out of me.  A 5-day silent retreat was the best idea that I could come up with. 

For those of you that have never experienced a silent retreat, it's basically just what it sounds like. The retreat center that I go to is a Buddhist center situated in the middle of 15 acres of forest.  After the first meal, we take the vow of silence and do not break it until the end of the retreat.  There are usually "interviews" with the teacher where you can speak and ask her questions about meditation or what is coming up for you in your practice.  Outside of these specific times, everyone operates in total silence.

I was so thankful to be going again this year.  It's a very different world there.  Everything is controlled by the ringing of gongs and bells.  Movement is slow and intentional.  And you can't beat seeing the entire sky lit up by stars every night. 

You might think that the silence would make you feel a little crazy.  It does for me at times.  But, I also really appreciate the quiet because we usually get so little of it in our fast-paced world.  It's nice to slow down for a change.

I was standing by a lake there when the first flakes of snow fell.  Just a few flakes at first.  Then a few more.  The next thing I knew I was watching a flurry of snow fall before my eyes into the water.  It was gorgeous.  Please remind me of this the next time I am exhausted by my inbox of email and the pile of dirty dishes that never seem to stay clean. 

My favorite part of the retreat, of course, was the food.  I can never tell if the food there is amazing simply because they make amazing food or if it's because it is one of the few times in my life where I sit and do nothing besides focus on what I'm eating.  I'm sure it has to be both.

During my last meditation session I grew anxious and eager to come back home.  Part of me was concerned about driving on the icy roads.  Part of me missed my life in Seattle.  And part of me just wanted this fennel.  It's good to be home.  

This recipe comes straight from Birgitte Antonsen's Vegetarian Holiday Feast class at PCC.

Serves 4 - 6.

4 to 6 small to medium-size fennel bulbs, cut into quarters
12 to 15 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper

Place the fennel, garlic, and olive oil in a skillet.  Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add thyme, broth, salt, and pepper.  Let simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, covered.  Serve warm.

Evolving Justice

Justice John Paul Stevens

After the Supreme Court struck down existing death penalty laws as unconstitutional in Furman v. Georgia, 37 states enacted new death penalty regimes which sought to address Furman's concerns over the arbitrary application of the death penalty.  In 1976, four years after Furman, the Court upheld several of these statutes.  Justices Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens voted with the majority.  In 1994, a few months before he retired from the bench, Blackmun famously, if belatedly, changed his mind.  Stating that "the death penalty experiment has failed," Blackmun declared he would no longer "tinker with the machinery of death." 

Justice Stevens also reconsidered his views on capital punishment late in his tenure, after years of tinkering.  In a 2008 concurring opinion, Stevens, like Blackmun before him, denounced the death penalty as unconstitutional.  He wrote:  "I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes."  After Stevens retired, at the end of the last term, he has become more outspoken about the fatal flaws of the death penalty.  He stated in an interview with NPR in October that the one vote he regretted in his long career was the 1976 vote to uphold the death penalty.  In an article just published in The New York Review of Books, On the Death Sentence, in which he reviews the book Peculiar Justice by David Garland, Stevens discusses his growing opposition to the death penalty in more detail and great candor

When Justice Stevens voted to uphold the constitutionality of the death penalty in 1976, he believed there would be sufficient safeguards in the law to ensure that it would be limited to a narrow category of defendants and that facts unrelated to moral culpability would be excluded from the sentencing decision.  What Stevens did not account for was what he refers to as "personnel changes" which have resulted in "regrettable judicial activism and a disappointing departure from the ideal that the Court, notwithstanding changes in membership, upholds prior decisions."

The Court, according to Stevens, overturned established precedent in several cases, leading to far "broader application of the death penalty," which he states would not have occurred but for the change in the Court's composition.  Stevens cites the abrupt reversal of established case law which had prohibited the admission of highly emotional testimony on the impact of the crime on the victim's family which "could serve no purpose other than inflaming the jury."  Legal principles did not evolve to warrant this change; what happened was that Justices Powell and Brennan were replaced by Justices Kennedy and Souter. 

Stevens provides other examples, including: (1) a case allowing death eligibility for defendants who participated in a felony that caused death even if they did not intend to kill; and (2) cases making it easier to exclude prospective jurors from capital cases if they express opposition to the death penalty even if they are willing to set aside their personal beliefs.  Finally, Stevens criticizes the notorious 1987 decision of McCleskey v. Kemp, which upheld a death sentence in a Georgia case despite a comprehensive statistical study which established that in Georgia murderers of white victims were eleven times more likely to be given the death penalty than murderers of blacks. (Justice Powell, who wrote the McCleskey, later told his biographer this was the one case he regretted).

Justice Stevens often claimed that he didn't move to the left, it was the Court that moved to the right.  But it really can't be disputed that Stevens evolved over the course of his career and ultimately became, as the New York Times described him, "an eloquent voice for civil liberties, equal rights and fairness."  Stevens, Blackmun, and recently-retired Justice David Souter as well, reconsidered their views on the death penalty and other issues based on their experience on the bench and upon seeing the impact their decisions had on people and on society at large. 

What a stark contrast to the conservative bloc on the Court:  Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Roberts.  As the Citizens United case recently proved, these four (when abetted by Justice Kennedy) are willing to reverse long-standing precedent for partisan reasons because they can.  Unlike great justices, such as John Paul Stevens, it is impossible to imagine these ideologues ever wavering from their deeply entrenched views on criminal justice, civil rights, the role of the federal government, and free enterprise, or ever expressing regret about a legal opinion -- unless it had the unintended consequence of undermining a preciously held conservative tenet.  Instead, it is we who are left with deep regret that they were nominated and then confirmed to serve lifetime appointments.  [Related posts: Waxing Nostalgia, Waning Outrage, Activist Judges, Corporate Takeover]

Monday Jumpstart: Fanfarlo

The Walls Are Coming Down by Fanfarlo

How primary care doctors choose the specialists to refer their patients

Dr. Kirsch, a blogging gastroenterologist lists some of the reasons why certain medical specialists are chosen:

- Reciprocity - patients are referred in both directions
- Personal relationships
- Corporate enforcement keeping consultations within the network
- Economic pressure exerted by consultants to maintain referrals. I have seen this happen.
- Specialist willingness to do tests and procedures on request
- Habit
- Patient or family request

References:
How doctors choose which specialists they refer to. KevinMD.com

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign: Day Five

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS DAY, NOVEMBER 29TH
Defending Women Defending Rights is an international campaign launched in 2004 for the recognition and protection of women human rights defenders who are activists advocating for the realization of all human rights for all people. The campaign asserts that women fighting for human rights and all activists defending women’s rights face specific violations as a result of their advocacy or their gender. November 29th is a day of recognition for women human rights defenders, and it is a day to commemorate activism, advocacy and courageous acts of resistance. The campaign focuses on defense of rights and the impact of abuses by state and non-state actors (including family and community members), the rise in militarism and fundamentalisms, and the many ways defenders are targeted because of sexuality, including the perception of being lesbian or gay.

For more information, check the women human rights defender campaign website at http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/ for videos, action alerts, reports, and other materials you can use to celebrate International Women Human Rights Defenders Day in your community.

Why give to the Chicago Abortion Fund?

Because access to abortion is a human right. 

Sadly, due to the political nature of health care in the USA, low-income women have had little access to their right to abortion since Henry Hyde thought he knew better. In order for many women in the USA to access their constitutional right to privacy and obtain a safe abortion, they need money. That's where we come in. 

CAF does not fund the entire amount of the procedure. CAF's average grant is a little over $300. The rest of the amount comes from the woman as well as CAF's negotiation with the provider on lowering the price. CAF does more than simply negotiate, they visit each provider to ensure that they are working with providers who respect the women CAF supports.

It's almost December and almost 2011. It's time for people to do their end of the year giving. 

Please take a moment to click over to my CAF giving page and donate $10 to help a woman in need. All money collected goes directly into CAF's account. I handle NONE of your donations. I am merely here asking you to donate and giving you a venue to donate. 

My goal is $500 within the 16 days of activism against gender violence campaign. 

Thank you for supporting CAF and the women they serve.

Great Jazz Albums (IMO) #9

Clifford Brown, Clifford Brown & Max Roach (1955).  It is hard to disagree with the assessment of Clifford Brown as "the most brilliant trumpet player of his generation, an original and memorable composer, a dynamic stage presence and one of the authentic legends of modern jazz."  According to another critic, he "had a fat warm tone, a bop-ish style . . . and a mature improvising approach; he was as inventive on melodic ballads as he was on rapid jams."  In about a 3-to-4 year period before his tragic death at the age of 25, Brown produced an incredible body of work, including the amazing two volume Art Blakey, A Night at Birdland (with Horace Silver and Blue Mitchell), Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown, and At Basin Street (with Max Roach and Sonny Rollins).  My favorite is Clifford Brown & Max Roach.  Ben Ratliff includes it in his top 100 jazz albums and says it is "one of the strongest studio-made albums up to that time in the nascent LP era," and includes "four of Brown's great performances in Parisian Thoroughfare, Jordu, Daahoud and Joy Spring."  [Related posts:  Really Great Jazz Albums,  #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8]

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Tomato Sauce

How was your Thanksgiving?  Who did you spend it with?  Any family drama I should hear about?  Like, which family member had a little too much wine or who you will never talk with about politics again?

Family dynamics always intrigue me - whether it's my family or someone else's.  Part of the reason I was drawn to a degree in psychology and then organizational development is because of my curiosity about human behavior and relationships.  I'm sure Freud would say it has more to do with my own relationship with my family.  But, I guess I'll leave it to him to be the final judge on that one.

My family was never one for "traditional" holiday food.  There was definitely more than one occasion where we had spaghetti instead of turkey on Thanksgiving.  I personally think it gives our family history a little character.  And I have to say that no one ever minded because my mom's spaghetti was fabulous.

I've been playing around with spaghetti squash this season and this is my favorite recipe that I've come up with so far.  The sauce is creamy and rich and brings out the flavors in the squash beautifully.  The spaghetti squash is also wonderful mixed with angel hair pasta or some gluten-free pasta of your choice.  I don't expect you to be serving this up at your next holiday meal, but I won't tell anyone if you do.

Serves 4-6.

4 spaghetti squash
1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours (then drained)
1/2 cups water
6 oz tomato paste
1 medium tomato
2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium), chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings

Spaghetti Squash:
Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds. Bake rind-side-up in a 375 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Separate the strands by running a fork through the inside of the squash from the top to the bottom. The strands should easily come apart.

Creamy Tomato Sauce:
Add your olive oil and onions to a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions become transparent. Add your garlic and saute for an additional two minutes.

Blend your cashews, water, tomato paste, and tomato.  As long as you soaked your cashews for about 4 hours or longer, you should need about 1/2 cup of water.  If you did not soak them or soaked them for less time, start with 1/2 cup of water, adding a little more water as necessary for blending. (I tried a batch with unsoaked cashews and ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water.)  You want the consistency to be thick, but it should be able to easily run through a blender.

Add this sauce mixture into the pan with your onions and garlic. Add your seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Pour over your spaghetti squash and serve.

Does The GOP Want To Destroy the Country In Order To Save It?

Start with the point often made by historian Rick Perlstein that there is an unwavering block of Americans, including many elected Republicans, who do not believe a Democratic president is legitimate or that liberalism is a legitimate form of government.  Then add Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's admission that "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.... Our single biggest political goal is to give [the Republican] nominee for president the maximum opportunity to be successful."  (And don't forget Jim DeMint declaring how critical it was to defeat health care reform for political purposes:  "If we're able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo.  It will break him").

The question is how far will the Republicans go.  Paul Krugman questioned the motives behind the "odd" and "incoherent" Republican attack on the Federal Reserve's plan to buy longer term debt in order to lower interest rates and create jobs.  Krugman dared to speculate that "Republicans want the economy to stay weak as long as there’s a Democrat in the White House."  According to Matt Yglesias, given that the Republican leadership wants above all else to defeat Obama, together with the obvious point that "tangible improvements in the economy are key to Obama's re-election chance," you have Republicans "do[ing] everything in [their] power to reduce economic growth."  Steve Benen, like Yglesias, suggests that it is not merely that the GOP does not want the economy to recover before 2012, but, in a provocative post, None Dare Call It Sabotage, furthers the hypothesis that Republicans may be purposefully and knowingly undermining the economy in order to win the next presidential election.  As Benen put it, if you wanted to do the most economic damage:

You might start with rejecting the advice of economists and oppose any kind of stimulus investments. You'd also want to cut spending and take money out of the economy, while blocking funds to states and municipalities, forcing them to lay off more workers. You'd no doubt want to cut off stimulative unemployment benefits, and identify the single most effective jobs program of the last two years (the TANF Emergency Fund) so you could kill it.

Still not convinced?  Let's throw in for good measure the Republican scuttling of the START nuclear treaty with Russia for no comprehensible reason.  Obama has referred to ratification of the treaty as a "national security imperative," and has the support of the Secretary of Defense and former defense and national security leaders from both Republican and Democratic Administrations.  The only logical conclusion to be drawn from Republican opposition to the treaty is that they simply don't want to give Obama a political victory regardless of the consequences.  (See What's Up With Arizona)

There is plenty of evidence that the Republicans are not about "Country First" but Party First.  Isn't it time, then, for the President and his fellow Democrats to stop meekly seeking compromises on watered down bills that won't sufficiently get the country back on track and start calling out the Republicans for their unpatriotic motives?  This would not only show Americans that the Democrats are actually willing to fight for their principles and the good of the Country, but it just may shame at least some Republicans into doing the right thing -- not the right wing thing.  [Related post:  Greider On Obama]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Holiday Wrap Up

Here is a recap of some of the nuttier stuff that's been happening, proving once again that crazy has a right wing bias:
1. Electric Shock.  Conservatives went berserk after Motor Trend named GM Volt Car of the Year.  Notwithstanding the huge success of the government bailout of the auto industry, The Weekly Standard derided the electric hybrid as “Obama-approved" and "government-subsidized."  George Will's column, "What's Driving Obama's Subsidies of Chevy's Volt, snarks about the government “spending some of your money” to sell the Volt and essentially "bribing" people to buy it.  And then there is Rush Limbaugh, who went off on a total rant about Volt winning Car of the Year.  This is not the first time Rush criticized the concept of an electric car.  In July, he argued that liberals have been pushing the electric car "for a hundred years" despite the fact that it has so little promise. 
2.  Let 'em eat McVenison.  Sarah Palin criticized Michelle Obama for "this kick" she is on with regard to child nutrition and anti-obesity.  According to Palin, the first lady "is telling us she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat."  Palin believes that "instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us according to some . . . politician's wife priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back, and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions and then our country gets back on the right track."
3.  Don't touch his junk.  Glenn Beck's take on the airport security controversy is that it is all a secret plot by President Obama to create a private army.  It goes like this:  People will hate TSA, and its employees will then "beg for somebody to protect them and represent them," i.e., a union.  And, of course, "if you wanted to really have a security force, wouldn't a unionized TSA under the umbrella of Homeland Security be the best thing? I mean, why start a whole new security force when you already have one?"

Crazy, right?   But, there is a method to all this madness.  A wide swath of the country listens to these voices and their rhetoric about a dangerous and distrustful government that wants to interfere with decision-making of families and businesses. And they don't just vote on Dancing With the Stars.  [See related post:  Convenient Ignorance From Climate Zombies]

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign: Day One

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Learn more at the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.

For the next 16 days, Viva la Feminista will be joining thousands of voices in marking 16 days of activism against gender violence. In conjunction of this campaign, I am also asking Viva la Feminista readers to join me in an end of the year fund raiser for the Chicago Abortion Fund. You'll notice a ChipIn widget on the side bar. You can also go to my ChipIn page for CAF.

After five years with the Chicago Abortion Fund, I stepped off the board when I started my PhD program. This is solely due to a lack of time. I am still 100% committed to CAF and helping to raise money for the women of Chicago who need our support.

While I did not work hands on with the women and teens who called the CAF hotline, I did hear some of their stories. And yes, we received calls from women who were in violent relationships, survivors of rape and other violent situations. Without our support, some of the women would had found themselves in even worse situations. The women called because they did not want to bear the child of their rapist or bring another child into an abusive home. They did not reach that decision lightly.

This week CAF will get calls from more women than they have funds for.

This is where we come in.

Please give whatever you can. $5, $25, $100. Every dollar helps.

Thank you.

Do Managers Really Matter?

Casey Stengel

The Mets hired a new manager, Terry Collins.  Will it matter?  George Carlin, in one of his classic routines, riffs on the differences between baseball and football, and points out that "only in baseball does the manager wear the same clothing as the players do."  While Carlin speculates this is because you wouldn't want to see (then-Oakland Raiders coach) John Madden in a football uniform, it is really because only in baseball is the manager permitted onto the field of play.  I wonder, though, whether the manager is less important in baseball then in football or in basketball, where the coaches are far more involved in play-calling throughout the game.  In baseball, the manager fills out the lineup and pretty much lets the players play.

Indeed, other than flashing the occasional sign for a player to steal or bunt, the manager does not really seem to do much during the game until the later innings, when he must decide such things as whether to take out a pitcher or bring in a pinch hitter.  Even these decisions are usually dictated by the mythical "book," the unwritten code of baseball tenets.  This includes baseball's collected conventional wisdom on when to intentionally walk a batter (don't put the tying run on base), when to bunt late in the game (play for a tie on the road and a win at home) and when to lift a batter for a pinch hitter (right-handed batters should face left-handed pitchers).

The same managers can be brilliantly successful with some teams and dismal failures with others.  Casey Stengel and Joe Torre won many World Championships when they managed the Yankees but could not win at all with the hapless Mets.

After Endy Chavez's miraculous catch in the 2006 playoffs, followed by a devastating loss, the Mets have been in a downward spiral.  Neither Willie Randolph, who managed the 2006 team and was fired halfway through the 2008 season, or Jerry Manuel, who replaced him and was not re-signed after last season, were able to salvage what have been a pretty dismal few years.  I am glad Manuel's gone.  In my opinion he was a terrible manager.  He stayed with lousy players way too long, bunted way too much, and handled the bullpen atrociously.  But frankly, while a better manager probably could have squeezed a few more wins out of the team, I'm not sure it would have made a difference.  Bottom line is that success in baseball comes down to the quality of the players and the ability of management to obtain quality players.  So, good luck, Terry, you're going to need it.

Outlook Bright for Communications Profession

Looking ahead to 2011, the outlook for the communications profession remains bright, according to a panel of thought leaders speaking Nov. 22 at the final IABC Atlanta monthly member meeting of the year.

Photo caption (photo back L to R Ken Boughrum, TUNE Communications; Debbie Curtis-Magley, UPS; front L to R: Sara Pilling, PGi and Lauren Jarrell, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The packed meeting included a large contingent of students from the IABC student chapter at University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Ken Boughrum, a 25-year communications strategist who runs TUNE Communications and spent most of the past decade at PR agency, Ketchum, noted that the communications profession is finally making a metamorphosis, moving away from being an “information distribution business to being in the business of influencing the business. That really happens by establishing a relationship with all of an organization’s stakeholders whether it’s through social media tools or using tried-and-true methods,” he said.

All the panelists stressed the impact on social media on the way they communicate externally and internally to key groups.  “The cool thing about being in the communications function is we get to shape that dialogue,” Boughrum said.

More Intimate Dialogue

Lauren Jarrell, director of communications for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, noted that the hospitality industry has always relied on deep connections with partners and customers. Social media (check out Twitter feed) “gives a louder voice to the message shaping we’ve been working on for years.” Jarrell added that the ability to communicate so quickly and so often is also exciting because it allows her team to leverage people who are influencers and who are most passionate about her organization’s “product” -- Atlanta as a destination -- to serve as voices to key audiences.

Sara Pilling, marketing director for PGi, a global application software and services company that enables real-time, virtual meetings, says social media has allowed has given her PR team new ways to tell her company’s story well. “A lot of casual tone and the approachability of influencers now give us a great opportunity to have a much closer dialogue.”

Storytelling Still King

While digital technology’s influence is evident everywhere, audiences still need strong storytelling. Boughrum agrees: “A good story, well told, trumps technology any day. Yes, there are so many channels to tell you story, but at the core it’s still about the story.”

As communicators get better at demonstrating the impact of digital and new media tools, you can gain executive buy-in and ultimately more followers.

Measurement is a big part of Debbie Curtis-Magley’s job at UPS. As corporate public relations manager, she works closely with colleagues in Customer Communications, HR and Employee Communications on several social media efforts, including content for the UPS blog, upside. Curtis-Magley describes her role as part communicator and part “data nerd.”

“The data has been helpful for us in building the business case about the importance of our participation in these channels,” she said.

Several high-profile events affected UPS’s brand in the last year, from a plane crash to the discovery of suspicious packages originating in Yemen found on UPS and FedEx planes.  Curtis-Magley also recalled following the Haiti earthquake, a rumor circulating on social media sites mentioned that UPS would ship packages under 50 pounds for free to Haiti. "People didn't check our website to see that we had suspended service to the country in the wake of the earthquake," she said.

Curtis-Magley analyzes online chatter, enabling UPS to connect data to the stories and better understand which stories caught the interest of a wider audience, and which stories had shorter or longer life cycles. UPS’s PR team also generates quarterly reports on key business topics, to see the impact of the company’s messaging and to better understand the sentiment around conversations around the brand.

“It’s allowed us to show some progress in the areas of customer service and environment," she said. "We’ve been able to provide a lot of numbers to whatever situation we encounter and it’s enabled us to provide business intelligence. Whatever group has an interest, we are able to provide some data that they now connect to the business reality (of the situation being measured)."

Trust Rising, According to Edelman

All the panelists agreed that trust in organizations is important – Boughrum noted that trust and transparency in companies are “as important as quality and service.”

Panel moderator Marilyn Mobley, senior vice president and strategic counsel for Edelman, shared results of the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer. This annual opinion leaders study found an 18 percent uptick in trust globally in business.

Employees as Brand Ambassadors

Employee engagement in telling an organization’s story will continue to grow in prominance among forward-thinking companies. Great examples of this approach are IBM’s Smarter Planet campaign, which offers a succinct global message that resonates with audiences, unifies IBM staff and celebrates the employee, noted Boughrum. He also cited Cisco’s Human Network and Intel’s Rock Star Sponsors of Tomorrow TV commercial, featuring Intel 's co-inventor of the USB being treated as a rock star by colleagues.

Curtis-Magley said that with more than 400,000 employees, UPS has a rich source of compelling stories from drivers who make deliveries to other staff, who have stories to tell that people are “interested in hearing." “It humanizes the brand and shows we’re a company made up of people just like you,” she added.

Influencers, Blogs to Follow

Concluding the discussion, panelists offered the following resources for communicators who want to stay ahead of trends in social media and communications in 2011:

Blogs/Influencers:

Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang  Since 1996, this blog has delivered insight on disruptive technologies and their impact on how companies communicate with their customers.

Forrestor blog, Groundswell  -- This blog targets readers interested in social applications and technology empowerment inside and outside companies. Its written by two Forrestor analysts --Josh Bernoff, co-author of the BusinessWeek bestseller Groundswell, who serves as senior vice president, idea development, at Forrester Research, and Ted Schadler, vice president and principal analyst in Forrester's IT Research Group.

Sarah Evans, owner of Sevans Strategy, a public relations and new media consultancy, who initiated and moderates #journchat, the weekly—and first-ever—industry live chat between PR professionals, journalists and bloggers on Twitter.

James Andrews, social media strategist, founding partner of EVERYWHERE, blogger, author, speaker, DJ, occasional CNN social media expert.

Website -- Harvard Business Review – Working Knowledge – an early look at faculty research to help communicators stay ahead of the curve of what's coming in academic research.

Book -- Drive by Daniel H. Pink -- addresses the secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—namely, the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Movie Review: Tangled (with a note on Megamind)

This review is for parents worried about what messages this movie may send to our daughters and sons. As a feminist parent, I wish I could pre-screen every movie and TV show before my daughter views it, but I just can't. Thus this review is more for that purpose as opposed to whether or not it is a good movie. In otherwords, if you kid is begging you to see this movie, but scream at the thought of another princess movie, this is for you. AKA THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!


Disclaimer: I was given a sneak preview pass through Klout because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

Plot: Rapunzel's mom (the Queen) is dying in child birth, saved by magic flower that Mother Gothel was hiding. The flower kept Gothel youngish for centuries. Without it she turned old. Flower was turned into a drink that saved Mom. Rapunzel was born with the power of the flower - in her hair. Gothel tried to clip some hair for the power. Alas the power only works when attached to Rapunzel AND can't be cut. Magic blond hair turns brunette after being cut. Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel. On the eve of Rapunzel's birthday, she wants to travel to see the "magic lights" that go up each year on her birthday. Gothel tells her she's too fragile & weak to be outside the tower. Selfish evil people would want to use her for her magic hair. Thief Flynn Ryder has just stolen something from the King (Rapunzel's dad) decides to hide in the tower. Rapunzel blackmails Flynn into taking her to the kingdom to see the lights. On their journey they have to keep Flynn from being caught, fall in love and all sorts of adventure.

Feminist parent analysis:

• Earlier this year word got out that Disney changed the title of the movie to "Tangled" to attract boys. I don't think that the movie was overly boy'd out. The adventure (boy parts) were similar to the chase scenes in "Aladdin." There was a lot of discussion about what this meant...I think those criticisms are fair and totally valid.
• I don't think Rapunzel is saved. She wanted to get out of that tower despite her love for Gothel. Flynn was merely her guide to freedom. Rapunzel knew nothing of the outside world. Had no idea where to go. Plus she swings a mean cast iron skillet.
• Yes, they fall in love, get married & live happily ever after. Can't get away from this ending. Although Flynn, who narrates the movie, does make it clear that they don't get married right away. 
• Flynn narrates the movie. Her story is told through his voice. 
• The mother-daughter conflict is crystal clear. Her "mom" kidnaps her and keeps her 'safe' in a tower. *gag*
• Flynn is transformed by Rapunzel's love. *gag*
• There's a throw-a-way line about Rapunzel being physically strong since she pulls up Gothel. This is proven over and over by the way Rapunzel slings her hair around like a whip, saving Flynn and herself. Not to mention her mean swinging of the cast iron skillet.     
• Can't believe I forgot this one!  Flynn dies for Rapunzel! But since I told you that they live happily ever after, Rapunzel does save him. Flynn goes to save Rapunzel from Gothel, but Gothel stabs him in the gut. As he lays dying Rapunzel goes to save him with her hair. Instead he cuts it all off, thus cutting off Gothel from her reason to want to take Rapunzel away. Rapunzel heals him with her tears. Gothel dies in a great scene.

I didn't like the songs. My favorite Disney movie is "The Little Mermaid." I felt a few of the songs were trying to be too much like TLM.

Overall is was a good movie. I cringed move over the bad songs than any gender issues. Maybe someone without love of a good Disney song can help point out issues I missed. I liked Rapunzel's Revenge better.

Apparently this is going to be Disney's last princess movie for some time. They are going to go hard after the boy market. Hopefully this means our girls can be girls again and not perpetual princesses. But parents with boys...be warned! When Disney sets its aim at a population it doesn't let go until it's been bleed dry. And while it might look cute, there's a dark underbelly.

Edited to add: We also saw "Megamind" last weekend. If I had to choose between "Tangled" and "Megamind" I would have to say "Tangled" hands down. Megamind is a total "boy" movie with super hero, villains and a damsel in distress. But the take home message in this movie is directed towards boys. On one hand, Megamind learns that he can change his evil ways and be good (good message)...in order to get the girl, Roxanne (bad message!). This is of course after Megamind's creation Titan turns bad due to greed AND being dissed by a girl. Of course it's the same woman since these types of movies only have one woman. After getting dissed, Titan kidnaps Roxanne and tries to kill her. SUPER BAD MESSAGE! While we laughed a lot at this movie, but the violence against Roxanne based on her not reciprocating Hal/Titan's love puts this movie in the "HELL NO" pile.

By the way, when showing 3D movies, the theater should make sure the glasses are clean. The kid spent almost half the movie with smudged glasses. We never go to 3D movies cause I think it's unnecessary. 2D is just fine.

Questions?

Snow Day Pancakes with Blueberry & Cranberry Compote

I'm back from my retreat and am just settling into life again. I have some great stories to share with you, but I'd rather focus on the snow for now.  And pancakes.

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and safe.  Bonus points if you get to spend time with those you love and eat good food together.  It's that kind of day.  With schools, offices, and many roads closed in Seattle, it's safe to call today a Snow Day.

Ashley and I couldn't get the thought of warm pancakes out of our heads so we went about making some.  I pulled out my stack of cookbooks from the library and came across a simple recipe in Vegan Yum Yum.  Ashley decided to make an old family recipe and braved the snow by foot to secure some buttermilk and eggs.

I kept trying to convince her to have some of my pancakes, or at least to use some soy milk and egg-replacer so that she wouldn't have to leave the house.  After all of her brave efforts, half of her pancakes burned and all of them turned out lopsided.  She joked that I should picture her pancakes here just to make my vegan ones look even better.  I'll spare you the sad sight and show you a cute snowman instead. 

Serves 2.

Pancakes (Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum)
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs agave syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Add the soy milk to a blender, followed by the spelt flour, all-purpose flour, oil, agave, baking powder, extract,  and salt.  Blend for a few seconds until combined.  Scrape down any dry flour stuck to the side and blend again.

You can use the batter immediately or refrigerate over night.  If using the batter the next morning, add 1-2 tablespoons of water, and then blend to mix.  This thins the batter, which thickens overnight. 

Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend about half of your cranberries with the maple syrup and vanilla extract to create a smooth sauce.  Add this sauce to a pan with your remaining cranberries and blueberries.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve over pancakes.  

Note: you can easily substitute strawberries or other berries that you might have on hand.  I just happened to have blueberries and cranberries in my freezer. 

Thank You Steven Gladstone, Wherever You Are

I was in 11th grade in 1975.  A classmate, Steven Gladstone, was touting an album, Born to Run, by a guy with the Jewish-sounding name of  Bruce Springsteen.  Turns out, Springsteen is a Dutch name, and Bruce was raised Roman Catholic.  No matter.  His songs, with their epic stories about the love, rebellion, and lost innocence of working class folks on the Jersey Shore resonated with this relatively privileged kid from Long Island.  Throw in a great band, blistering guitar and a saxophone, and  I was hooked.  I bought his two earlier records, and gleefully anticipated his next release.  But due to legal wrangling with his manager, the next album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, did not come out for three years, an excruciatingly long time to wait.  But then came the album's eventual release and the Darkness Tour.

Madison Square Garden in the summer of 1978.  I had never seen a performance like it before.  There was a relentless energy and intensity throughout the marathon show.  And there was the sheer joy Bruce and his E-Street Band conveyed on stage and the sincerity of the stories Bruce told in the lead-up to some of the songs.  And, of course, there were the great songs themselves.  When I returned to college in the fall I was a fanatic, and sought to spread the gospel of Bruce to my friends by endlessly playing the bootlegs of his concerts that I had obtained.  Then I learned that the tour was coming to my school.  My friend Henry and I, as well as a few other acolytes, slept out overnight for tickets.  We were rewarded with third row seats, and the show remains unforgettable.

Springsteen sort of lost me with some of his later albums and I can't say I listen to his music much anymore.  But it may be time to revisit the past with the release of The Promise and its 21 previously unreleased songs recorded during the period between Born to Run and Darkness.  As with the excellent but very stark album Nebraska that came out as a counter to its predecessor, the over-hyped Born in the U.S.A., Bruce did not want to follow Born to Run with a huge commercially-appealing pop album.  So, he stripped the obvious hits from Darkness, and gave them to other artists (e.g., Because the Night to Patti Smith and Fire to the Pointer Sisters).  Now we can hear those great songs as originally cut, together with other songs from that remarkably fertile period.  Three years was too long to wait for Darkness on the Edge of Town.  It has been a 35-year wait for The Promise.

Mid-Week Palate Cleanser: Surfer Blood

Floating Vibes by Surfer Blood

The Lancet: Commonest cause of maternal death is post-partum haemorrhage - one woman dies every 7 minutes

99% of all deaths in childbirth are in the least developed countries - 45 million women deliver without a skilled birth attendant every year, a situation in which the greatest number of maternal deaths occur.

The commonest single cause of maternal death is from post-partum haemorrhage, from which one woman dies every 7 minutes.


Health Technologies to Save Mothers. PATH.org video.

References:
Maternal mortality: one death every 7 min. The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9728, Pages 1762 - 1763, 22 May 2010.

Keep Truth Alive

Officials at the Bush Presidential Library consider whether or not to retrieve the Mission Accomplished banner from storage and put it on display, while Bush goes on Oprah and hawks his new book in a "jokey interview."  Yes, I am still harping on Bush's attempt at rehabbing his sullied reputation (see, e.g., Bush Rehab, Pitfalls of Only Looking Forward).  But I'm not only doing this because I enjoy it.  I believe that Bush's attempts to mitigate his gross malfeasance with falsehoods and misrepresentations must be challenged and that he not be allowed to escape responsibility and rewrite history.  As Dan Froomkin says, if the case Bush keeps making for himself "goes largely unrebutted by the traditional media, as it has thus far -- then perhaps he can blunt history's verdict."  So, please read Froomkim's article, "The Two Most Essential, Abhorrent, Intolerable Lies of George W. Bush's Memoir, which takes Bush down on his two more egregious lies -- that he had legitimate reasons to invade Iraq and legitimate reasons to torture.  And, please read David Corn's articles, including Omission Points, Bush Photoshops Rove Out of Plame Scandal, and Still Not Telling the Truth About Iraq and WMDs. And please read the invaluable Robert Parry, George W. Bush:  Dupe or Deceiver?.  And please read George Packer's blistering review in The New Yorker, which concludes thus:

Bush ends “Decision Points” with the sanguine thought that history’s verdict on his Presidency will come only after his death. During his years in office, two wars turned into needless disasters, and the freedom agenda created such deep cynicism around the world that the word itself was spoiled. In America, the gap between the rich few and the vast majority widened dramatically, contributing to a historic financial crisis and an ongoing recession; the poisoning of the atmosphere continued unabated; and the Constitution had less and less say over the exercise of executive power. Whatever the judgments of historians, these will remain foregone conclusions.

Waxing Nostalgia, Waning Outrage

What should have been

In recognition of the 10-year anniversary of Bush v. Gore, Sunday's N.Y. Times Op-Ed page provides tender reminiscences of hanging chads and dimpled ballots.  It is one thing for Ted Olson, counsel for Bush-Cheney, to recount (so to speak) popping expensive bottles of champagne in victory.  But what of the other side?  We have Laurence Tribe bravely accentuating the positive, focusing on "decency" and "perseverance," and Ron Klain speaking wistfully of the hopelessness of a negotiated settlement.  And then there is former Supreme Court reporter for the Times, Linda Greenhouse, who cleverly refers to the decision as a"bad hair day," rather than a tragedy or travesty.

There is no sense of outrage.  Whether this is because the Times chose only moderate voices or because of a waning sense of disgust over what happened is unclear.  What should be clear is that this was one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the Supreme Court.  The decision which stopped the Florida recount and handed the presidency to George Bush was a severe blow to democratic rule.  It was a legally unsound, politically motivated decision.  Conservative justices, who invariably relied on principles of federalism to avoid redressing unjust actions by state governments, intervened in a state's voting process, relying on an indefensible interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause.  The opinion itself implicitly conceded its flawed legal reasoning by explicitly stating that it was “limited to the present circumstances” and could not be cited as precedent.  Justice Souter, appointed by the first President Bush, was so disturbed by the ruling that he considered resigning at that time. 

Bush v. Gore was plain and simple "crudely partisan," as Souter later described it, putting a lie to the notion that the liberals on the Court were the judicial activists.  Justice Breyer, in dissent, described the majority decision as a "self-inflicted wound -- a wound that may harm not just the Court, but the Nation.”  Prescient words.  The harm to the Court, as Justice Stevens dissented, was that it gave credence "to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges" and undermined the country's "confidence in the judge as impartial guardian of the rule of law."  (This view has only been exacerbated by such cases as Citizens United, which also blatantly ignored established precedent to reach a nakedly partisan result). 

By a narrow 5-4 margin, the Supreme Court interfered with a presidential election and gave us George W. Bush, the majority's preferred candidate.  That would be "the wound" that "harmed the Nation."  There should be more outrage and fewer fond remembrances.

Monday Jumpstart: Yeasayer

Sunrise by Yeasayer

Convenient Ignorance From Climate Zombies

This is simply mind-boggling.  The National Academy of Sciences urges the United States to "act now to to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.”  But this won't happen because a significant number of Republicans don't believe in man-made global warming.  ThinkProgress reports on a survey which reveals that more than half of the incoming Republican caucus are "climate zombies" who deny climate change based on a host of disproved myths.  76% of the Republicans in the Senate and 52% of incoming Republicans in the House publicly question the science of global warming.  The report concludes that "there are no freshmen Republicans, in the House or Senate, who publicly accept the scientific consensus that greenhouse pollution is an immediate threat."

Are the Republicans really that ignorant or are they being driven by their ideological aversion to regulation and their financial ties to pollution-making industries?  The answer doesn't really matter, I suppose.  Either way, climate change legislation seems doomed despite the urgency.  Instead, incredibly, Darrell Issa, the incoming chairman of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, reportedly intends to investigate Climategate, the phony scandal of purported data manipulation by climate scientists, whose allegations have already been deemed unfounded after several inquires.

But again, we can't just blame the Republicans.  Before the mid-term elections, the Democrats put forward a bill that would have at least imposed a nationwide cap on emissons.  But, as The New Yorker's Elizabeth Kolbert states, "After months of posturing and further concession-making, Senate Democrats failed to come up with a bill that they were willing to bring to the floor. While the Senate dithered, President Obama was silent. He did nothing to rally public opinion on the issue, and what he did do—open up new areas to offshore oil drilling, for example—only undermined the negotiations."  So, here we are.

Great Jazz Albums (IMO) #8

McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy (1967).  I have been lucky enough to see McCoy Tyner perform solo, in a small group, and in a big band.  He is one of the truly great and influential jazz pianists of the 20th Century.  His playing has been described "as a blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand [which] has transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music."  The Real McCoy was the album he made after his long and wonderful stint with John Coltrane.  It features Joe Henderson on saxophone, Ron Carter on bass and Elvin Jones on drums.  Every track is a Tyner composition and each one is a classic. [Related posts: Really Great Jazz Albums #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7]

Hide and Seek

This fall, the State of California rushed to execute Albert Brown before the expiration date of sodium thiopental, one of the drugs used in the lethal injection "cocktail," lapsed. There is a nationwide shortage of the drug, and Hospira, the only U.S. company that manufactures it (and has objected to its use in executions) cannot produce more until early next year.  After Brown's execution was called off, California revealed that it had obtained a new batch of sodium thiopental from an undisclosed supplier.  In late October, Jeffrey Landrigan was executed in Arizona after officials there obtained a new supply of the drug from an unnamed source in Great Britain. 

Lethal injection is supposed to provide a more painless and less grisly method of execution than the gas chamber, hanging, or the electric chair, the other recently used methods of state killing in the United States.  The combination of drugs used was designed in the 1970s by a state medical examiner from Oklahoma without scientific testing and then adopted by the other states without further examination. (Oklahoma is now taking a different route, hoping to experiment with a new untested drug now that they can't obtain sodium thipental).  Contrary to common belief, lethal injection may cause excruciating pain that is masked by the paralytic effect of one of the drugs -- particularly if incorrectly implemented.  Despite countless examples of botched executions, state governments are demanding the benefit of the doubt.  They insist on relying on new sources of sodium thiopental -- and, in Oklahoma, a new drug -- that for all anyone knows are untested, unsafe, and could result in unnecessary pain and suffering.

The refusal of the states to provide meaningful information about how they have obtained new drug supplies is as mystifying as it is disturbing.  Hopefully, various challenges to the states' recalcitrance will result in more transparency.  A lawsuit has been brought in London, challenging the export of the drug to facilitate an execution in Tennessee, on the grounds that this violated the E.U.'s ban on the sale and export of devices that can be used for executions.  In Texas, a ruling yesterday requires its state correctional department to disclose the source of its supply of sodium thiopental.  And a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Northern California this week seeks records from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) about its recent acquisition of sodium thiopental.

The more the governments that engage in state killing allow us to peak behind the curtain, the more we will learn about how flawed and how grotesque the process is.  And that, undoubtedly, is why the government is trying so vehemently to keep their methods and sources a secret.
[Related posts:  Drug Problem, Banality of Evil]