Women’s economic role vital
to national development.
Increasing women’s participation in economic
activities has been vital to improving the lives of their families and entire
societies as well as their countries, the US Ambassador at Large for Global
Women’s Issues Catherine M. Russell says.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women and Economy Forum in Nusa Dua last weekend, Russell said that promoting gender equality and advancing the status of all women and girls around the world, including those living in the Asia-Pacific region, remained the biggest challenges at the present time.
“It is important to enable women to participate in economic activity. It is one of the ways for any country in the world to accelerate development and to eliminate poverty as women will invest their incomes in their child’s health, nutrition and education that will in turn improve their family’s living condition,” said Russell, who was in Bali from Sept. 5-9 on her first overseas mission since being appointed to her present position.
“Attending the APEC Women and Economy Forum in Bali, Indonesia, is my first overseas duty and I am very excited to learn about women’s conditions in the country,” she said.
During her stay in Bali for the APEC Women’s Forum, Russell made the opening remarks for the APEC WEF Young Women’s Innovators Awards during the Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy.
She addressed the APEC Joint SME-WEF Ministerial Meeting, which included SME ministers and ministers responsible for women’s issues, highlighting the US State Department work in support of women’s entrepreneurship.
Russell also discussed bilateral issues with government officials from APEC economies and met with private sector leaders to examine ways to strengthen women’s economic participation in the region and further integrate gender considerations into the APEC process.
She praised Indonesian women’s entrepreneurship upon visiting a silver jewelry factory owned by Balinese businesswoman Nyoman Desak Suarti in Ketewel village, Gianyar, which employs more than 100 workers, mostly women. “She can become a role model from Indonesia for women’s entrepreneurship. I will share her success story,” the ambassador said.
In efforts to boost participation in the public sphere, she underlined the need to give wider access to girls and women to education, health, job opportunities and working capital.
The US has strongly committed to raising the status of women and girls around the world and underscores its commitment to preventing and responding to gender-based violence, including domestic violence and violence against girls and women.
“Domestic violence has been so pervasive even in the US,” she said, adding that such violence undermined the safety, dignity and human rights of the millions of individuals who experience it, as well as threatened public health, economic stability and security.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Kristen F. Bauer noted that the US government had supported various girls and women’s empowerment programs, such as sports exchange for girls, gender equality in athletics, training for young female entrepreneurs, education and scholarship.
“Half of our scholarship recipients are girls and women,” Bauer said.
“Despite our [US government] strong commitment and the commitment of every world government to address women’s issues around the world, it is the women in every country who have to stand up, to raise their voices and to fight for their basic human rights,” stated Russell.
Through the APEC platforms, governments, private sectors and all stakeholders must work together to enhance the lives of girls and women, to increase their participation in economic and political fields to achieve gender equality and to eliminate any form of discrimination against women and girls, she said.
In an interview with The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women and Economy Forum in Nusa Dua last weekend, Russell said that promoting gender equality and advancing the status of all women and girls around the world, including those living in the Asia-Pacific region, remained the biggest challenges at the present time.
“It is important to enable women to participate in economic activity. It is one of the ways for any country in the world to accelerate development and to eliminate poverty as women will invest their incomes in their child’s health, nutrition and education that will in turn improve their family’s living condition,” said Russell, who was in Bali from Sept. 5-9 on her first overseas mission since being appointed to her present position.
“Attending the APEC Women and Economy Forum in Bali, Indonesia, is my first overseas duty and I am very excited to learn about women’s conditions in the country,” she said.
During her stay in Bali for the APEC Women’s Forum, Russell made the opening remarks for the APEC WEF Young Women’s Innovators Awards during the Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy.
She addressed the APEC Joint SME-WEF Ministerial Meeting, which included SME ministers and ministers responsible for women’s issues, highlighting the US State Department work in support of women’s entrepreneurship.
Russell also discussed bilateral issues with government officials from APEC economies and met with private sector leaders to examine ways to strengthen women’s economic participation in the region and further integrate gender considerations into the APEC process.
She praised Indonesian women’s entrepreneurship upon visiting a silver jewelry factory owned by Balinese businesswoman Nyoman Desak Suarti in Ketewel village, Gianyar, which employs more than 100 workers, mostly women. “She can become a role model from Indonesia for women’s entrepreneurship. I will share her success story,” the ambassador said.
In efforts to boost participation in the public sphere, she underlined the need to give wider access to girls and women to education, health, job opportunities and working capital.
The US has strongly committed to raising the status of women and girls around the world and underscores its commitment to preventing and responding to gender-based violence, including domestic violence and violence against girls and women.
“Domestic violence has been so pervasive even in the US,” she said, adding that such violence undermined the safety, dignity and human rights of the millions of individuals who experience it, as well as threatened public health, economic stability and security.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Kristen F. Bauer noted that the US government had supported various girls and women’s empowerment programs, such as sports exchange for girls, gender equality in athletics, training for young female entrepreneurs, education and scholarship.
“Half of our scholarship recipients are girls and women,” Bauer said.
“Despite our [US government] strong commitment and the commitment of every world government to address women’s issues around the world, it is the women in every country who have to stand up, to raise their voices and to fight for their basic human rights,” stated Russell.
Through the APEC platforms, governments, private sectors and all stakeholders must work together to enhance the lives of girls and women, to increase their participation in economic and political fields to achieve gender equality and to eliminate any form of discrimination against women and girls, she said.
1.)
“Attending the APEC
Women and Economy Forum in Bali, Indonesia, is my first overseas duty and I am
very excited to learn about women’s conditions in the country,” she said. ( Direct - Present Continues )
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- People in Alabama's 7th
Congressional District need jobs if the area is to be lifted from the bottom of
national prosperity rankings and lowered from the top of poverty and population
loss listings, both candidates agree.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and her
challenger, former Birmingham city attorney Tamara Harris Johnson, say that economic development is
the most pressing issue in the district that runs from Birmingham down to the
Black Belt.
But Sewell
and Johnson offer different approaches when it comes to making significant
improvements, as they describe in a recent question-and-answer session with
AL.com.
See a
portion of their answers in the video below.
What Role Can The Federal Goverment Play To Address Health And Economic
Issues In District 7 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - District 7 unfortunately remains at the top of the
negative lists when it comes to economics and health. What role, if any, can
the federal government play in addressing some of these issues? Terri A. Sewell
and Tamara Harris Johnson candidates for the 7th Congressional District met
with members of the Alabama Media Group Editorial Board to discuss questions
facing the district in Birmingham, Alabama Monday May 5, 2014.
District 7
struggles with a 14 percent unemployment rate, and more than half of the
256,000 households, 140,483, earn less than $35,000 a year, according to census
numbers. In fact, 109,000 households earn less than $25,000.
"How we've tried to address the
job situation is head-on with a results-oriented solution," Sewell said,
noting her series of job fairs throughout the district as one of several
initiatives.
Sewell, who seeks a third term, said
she sponsored several bills in Congress to enhance opportunities, but was frank
in her forecast for sweeping legislation.
"The political reality in this
Congress is that as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled Congress, those
probably won't go anywhere," she said. "So I've concentrated on local initiatives like
annual job fairs and realizing that this district is vast and there's no one
size fits all."
Sewell said she has been successful
in collaborating with two-year colleges for job training through her project
READY, a workforce development initiative launched last year.
Sewell also
formed a Workforce Advisory Council composed of local employers, nonprofits and
state and educational institutions that focus on career training and
development.
Johnson has
panned Sewell's job fairs, questioning the placement rate, costs and overall
success of the highly public events. Instead, Johnson proposed what she called
a "tripartite approach"' to job recruitment: infrastructure, training
and transportation.
"I'm not really a proponent of
the job fair kind of category because there are so many moving parts,"
Johnson said. "You've got to be able to have the infrastructure in place
when you're trying to seek people to come to the state.
"I
believe in a collaborative effort, and there's investment and buy-in as
well."
Johnson said
that the district, because of its diverse nature, requires a dynamic approach
to development. Needs in urban Birmingham are much different than in the Black
Belt rural areas.
The election
is June 3.
2.
"How we've tried to address the job situation is head-on with a
results-oriented solution," Sewell said, noting her series of job fairs
throughout the district as one of several initiatives. (direct
– past perfect)
3.
Sewell, who seeks a third term, said she sponsored several bills in Congress
to enhance opportunities, but was frank in her forecast for sweeping
legislation. (indirect – simple past)
4.
"The political reality in this Congress is that as a Democrat in a
Republican-controlled Congress, those probably won't go anywhere," she
said (direct – simple past)
5.
Sewell said she has been successful in collaborating with two-year colleges
for job training through her project READY, a workforce development initiative
launched last year. (indirect – prefect continus)
New faces join Indonesia’s Thomas
and Uber Cup teams
The
Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) has decided to include new talent in
its 20-strong team for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup championships, which will
take place from May 18 to May 25 in New Delhi, India.
Among
the new names is Ihsan Maulana Mustofa, who will turn 19 in November. As the
youngest player in the Thomas Cup team, PBSI has high hopes that Ihsan — who
brought home a bronze medal during the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships
last year — will be able to help the team snatch the coveted trophy.
“I
was surprised to be included in the team because there are many senior
players,” Ihsan said on Wednesday.
Ihsan
was chosen from 33 candidates, ousting 2007 World Championships silver medalist
Sony Dwi Kuncoro, and more experienced players such as Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo and
Riyanto Subagja.
As
Indonesia aims to bring home the Thomas Cup, the men’s team will be spearheaded
by men’s singles world number five Tommy Sugiarto as well as the world’s top
men’s doubles team Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan.
The
last time Indonesia won the Thomas Cup was in 2002 in Guangzhou, China, by
defeating Malaysia 3-2. Since then, Indonesia only managed to reach the final
in 2010, bowing down to China 3-0.
Indonesian
is in Group A with Thailand, Nigeria and Singapore, while defending champion
China is in Group D with Chinese Taipei, Russia and France.
Last
tournament’s runner-up South Korea is in Group C with Malaysia, Germany and
host India. Group B consists of Japan, Denmark, Hong Kong and Britain.
During
the 10-day simulation program for the Thomas Cup in Kudus, Central Java, last
March, Ihsan outplayed Sony in a straight game 21-19, 21-18.
“I
don’t know why I was chosen, but I am grateful for the trust they put in me and
I hope I can contribute to the team should I play in the tournament,” he said.
According
to team manager Christian Hadinata, they selected the players based on several
factors, not only experience but also improvement over the last few months.
“They
all are good players but since we have limited quota [only 10 players each for
Thomas Cup and Uber Cup], we can only
choose 10 players [out of 33]. Hopefully with this team, we can bring back the
Thomas Cup,” he said.
As
for the Uber Cup team, captain Adriyanti Firdasari will be fighting to bring
back the title after a hiatus of 18 years, as it was last won by Indonesian in
1996 in Hong Kong.
“I
really did not expect to be selected for the Uber Cup team this year. But I’m grateful. Therefore, the team members
and I will give our best to Indonesia,” she said.
Firda,
as she is affectionately called, left the PBSI training camp in Cipayung, East
Jakarta, in January after struggling with a foot injury over the past two
years. Skipping several tournaments due to the injury, her world ranking
dropped to 82 from 31 in September 2013. Her highest ranking was 15 in 2009.
Fifth-ranked
Indonesian is in Group B with runner-up Korea, Australia and Singapore.
Defending champion China is in group A with Chinese Taipei, Britain and
Singapore. Group C consists of host India, Thailand, Canada and Hong Kong while
group D comprises of Japan, Denmark, Malaysia and Germany.
6.
we can only choose 10 players [out of 33]. Hopefully with
this team, we can bring back the Thomas Cup,” he said
( Direct - Modals )
7. But I’m grateful. Therefore, the team
members and I will give our best to Indonesia,” she said
( Direct - Simple Future )
Professors: Becker changed
economic thought
Pottsville-born Nobel prize-winning economist Gary S. Becker
profoundly influenced economics by using its rational analysis to study
ordinary human behavior, several economics professors said Monday."He was able to take economic concepts and apply them to topics people had not used economic analysis on," said Margarita Rose, chairwoman of the economics department at King's College, Wilkes-Barre.
Those topics included marriage and even suicide, she said.
"He looked at that decision making from an economic point of view," said Rose, who has used Becker's study on the market for marriage in her class. "I think he applied economics to social topics like suicide. That was something no one had done before."
Becker, 83, a professor of economics and sociology at the University of Chicago, died Saturday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. He received his Nobel Prize in economic sciences in 1992 for applying principles from his field to a variety of human behaviors, including marriage, child-bearing and crime.
He was born on Dec. 2, 1930, in Pottsville, a son of Louis and Anna Becker. His father operated Becker's Army and Navy Store, 319 N. Centre St., before the family moved to Mount Holly, New Jersey, when the future Nobel Laureate was 4 or 5 years old.
Farhad Saboori, a professor of economics at Albright College, Reading, said that before Becker, economists tended to shy away from issues of right and wrong.
"Economists have traditionally found it easier to deal with issues from a positive point of view," he said.
Becker, however, broke that mold, using economic tools to deal with issues traditionally believed to be noneconomic ones, Saboori said.
"It was controversial," Saboori said. "He was able to bring very powerful tools of economic analysis to social problems of society. He provided a very rich field of research."
Saboori said he, like Rose, uses Becker's writings in his classes.
"I use of lot of his (work)," Saboori said. "I do use a lot of his approach."
One of Saboori's colleagues, Associate Professor of Economics Lisa Wilder, also thinks Becker continues to have significant influence on economic thought.
"Becker was revolutionary in the way he applied economic thinking to questions traditionally outside of economics. His methods and applications are important today as tools to understand important decisions we make and to help us devise effective social policies," she said. "He looked at important issues like discrimination and education and put social questions in the framework that economists use to approach many different topics. He considered marriage, the impact of changing women's roles on fertility, the reasons for continuing discrimination and crime."
Bloomsburg University Professor of Economics Nakul Kumar also said Becker's work broke new ground.
"Becker was a pioneer in using tools of economic analysis to study ... decisions of individuals," he said.
One example Kumar cited was in discrimination, where Becker showed that those who discriminate in a free-market economy will suffer because of their actions.
M. Halim Dalgin, a professor of economics at Kutztown University, disagrees with some of Becker's conclusions but acknowledges his importance. Becker's teaching of both economics and sociology is no coincidence in Dalgin's eyes.
"He's the guy ... in the juncture of economics and sociology," Dalgin said of Becker. "He got into family life, why women get into the workforce. These are the topics not in the usual economic agenda."
Dalgin said Becker's analyses assumed people behaved rationally, and that is where he parts company with him.
"We are more than calculating machines," he said. "There are so many other factors. Is everything really reducible to dollars?"
Wilder said Becker holds a powerful influence at Albright.
"His methods and examples are commonly used throughout our economics classrooms as they both demonstrate the power of economic thinking and help us understand issues and questions that are relevant to every person," she said.
8. Those topics included
marriage and even suicide, she said.(indirect – simple present)
9. "Economists have
traditionally found it easier to deal with issues from a positive point of
view," he said. (direct- modals)
10. "We are more than
calculating machines," he said. "There are so many other factors. Is
everything really reducible to dollars?" (direct
– present continues)