Women are the solution, not the problem
Posted on 26. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, feminism, health, inspirational people, international, startling statistics
Tonight I met one of my heroes: NY Times journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof. I heard him address an alumni group about his work and his new book, Half the Sky. Other than my family and our president, there’s probably no one I’ve blogged about more. I have immense respect for how eloquently he tells the stories of people who are unfairly treated, and for how deeply he cares about what happens to them.
Here’s a quiz based on what I learned this evening:
- Which do you think there are more of in the world: males or females?
- If the 19th century was defined by slavery, and the 20th by totalitarianism, what is likely to define the 21st century?
- True or false: As many American women died in childbirth during World War I as men died on the battlefield.
- A female sex slave in Cambodia can be purchased for several hundred dollars. Approximately how much in today’s dollars would a 19th century American slave be worth?
- Which of the following concerns Kristof the least when he visits an African warlord: car accident, banditry, or dying at the hand of the warlord?
- In some developing countries, families spend 2% of their income on education. What do they often spend 20% on?
Answers:
- Males. Even though statistically there should be more females, so many females are aborted and such a low priority is placed on the health of women that in many parts of the world, boys outnumber girls by an outsize margin.
- Gender inequity. It’s a huge problem in much of the world, and holds many societies back. Also, see question 1.
- True. American maternal mortality improved when women got the right to vote, and politicians thought the electorate demanded adequate medical care.
- $40,000. As poorly as American slaves were treated, their masters had more of a financial interest in keeping them healthy and productive. A female sex slave is worth so little that if she causes problems, she’s expendable. In some instances, her fellow slaves are made to beat her to death if she’s a troublemaker.
- Dying at the hand of the warlord. Caveat: that holds true when he’s in the territory of the warlord. The warlord doesn’t want to be known for being responsible for killing an American journalist. I agree about the car accidents; one of my fellow writers from The Stanford Daily recently died in a car accident in Africa. :(
- Tobacco, alcohol, prostitution and elaborate celebrations. Kristof argued that this is why women should be empowered to make more financial decisions. He said he’s seen families whose children have died of malaria for lack of a $5 net, and yet the father spends $1.50 on alcohol 3x a week.
Kristof doesn’t want to just make people feel sorry for the people he writes about: he wants to spur them to action. Here were some areas where he said improvement would make a drastic different not only in the lives of the women they affect, but would have a ripple effect in helping the societies in which they live:
- End sexual slavery. Nearly 1 million women and girls a year are trafficked as sex slaves, and at least one reputable group estimates that there are 27 million people in bondage worldwide at this time.
- Improve female education. He said that when he’s talking to leaders of poor nations, he makes more headway on this issue by explaining that females are their country’s biggest untapped resource than by appealing to moral arguments.
- Improve maternal health. Today, a woman in Niger has a 1 in 7 lifetime chance of dying in childbirth. Women in many other countries don’t fare much better. A poor woman in a rural setting has two strikes against her, but there are techniques and practices which could be used to serve even these women better.
- Empower women financially. Micro-loans have been particularly successful in allowing women to not only provide for their family’s livelihood and education, but it’s allowed them to have more of a say in how the family money is spent.
If I were a journalist, I’d want to be like Kristof. But I’ve chosen a path where I can be around my family more, so I try to do my part by volunteering, creating websites for non-profits, and blogging.
Kristof was correct when he said that what makes us happiest is when we help others. It’s immensely satisfying to have a positive impact on the world. And Kristof definitely does.
If you’re interested in hearing Nicholas Kristof speak, he’ll be in Southern California for a bit longer. Here’s his schedule of events.
La Canada Flintridge parcel tax passes with nearly 75% of the vote
Posted on 30. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, local news
La Canada Flintridge voters have overwhelmingly approved Measure LC, a tax of $150 per parcel to help fund local schools. Election results as of this evening indicate that nearly 75% of the votes approved of the tax. Some votes have yet to be counted, but they won’t bring the percentage below the 2/3 needed to pass the tax.
This will bring about $900,000 per year to our local school district. It won’t cover the whole shortfall the district will need to cover due to decreased state funding, but it’ll definitely help lessen the pain.
Thanks to all who supported Measure LC and our schools!!
Ralphs loses competitive edge over Vons; Trader Joe’s in the lead
Posted on 24. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, environment, food, shopping, things that bug me
Imagine my horror when I discovered that Ralphs is cutting costs by eliminating the handles on its paper bags! Hopefully this will be the incentive I need to remember to carry my cloth bags in the car, but this evening it meant I chose plastic for the rest of my groceries.
It’s a tough life, but I’ll manage somehow. Or I’ll just go to Trader Joe’s.
Nearly 80 percent of homes for sale in one zip code are foreclosures
Posted on 06. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, local news, startling statistics
My sister-in-law is lucky: her hard work, loyalty and dedication have paid off, and contrary to current economic trends, she just got a promotion. Her company is moving her to their Moreno Valley, CA location, so she’s looking for a house nearby. She’s settled on the 92508 zip code in Riverside.
For curiosity’s sake, I looked up what homes are available there. I found that there are 661 homes for sale today in zip 92508:
As the circle above indicates, this includes homes that are being foreclosed on. Here’s what happens when you uncheck the “Resale” and “New Construction” boxes: 525 of the homes for sale are foreclosures.
That’s 79 percent of all the homes on the market.
If you think that means my sister-in-law has lots of choices, you’re wrong. She’s had a hard time getting in to see more than a handful of homes, because the banks aren’t ready to show the houses yet, or aren’t willing to sell them at these prices. So they sit there…and no one wins.
What do the numbers look like where you live? Foreclosures are everywhere. Here in La Canada, 46 of the 168 homes on the market are foreclosures. That’s 27 percent. It’s sad to see homes I recognize, and people I know.
I hope the economy gets better soon, but I’m not optimistic.
Pink Friday at La Canada High School
Posted on 13. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, local news, shopping
Teachers, students and parents all turned out at La Canada High School to protest that California is cutting even more from public school system budgets. We wore pink because today is “Pink Friday,” the day that teachers who are being laid off must receive their pink slips by.
As I said in my previous post, we’re lucky that La Canada has enough reserves to absorb most of the impact of losing $1.9 million from the state this year. But I learned at this morning’s PTSA meeting that we’re expecting to have to cut $11 million from our spending in the next three years. Ouch.
I found out today that a friend got a pink slip in a nearby town, and another friend who was training new teachers saw all those people get pink slips. She won’t be training new teachers anymore (since there won’t be any) but she’s lucky she’s been around long enough to keep a job with her district.
It’s hard to believe California once took pride in its schools.
In keeping with my tradition of highlighting my favorite Etsy find of the week, here’s the pink slip I wish they were handing out instead.
Wear pink this Friday in support of California’s public schools
Posted on 11. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, education, local news, politics
As if California’s public schools aren’t already hurting, the new state budget is going to make things even worse. According to Pink Friday,
California’s public schools, colleges and universities are facing more than $11 billion in state budget cuts. These cuts are going to impact an entire generation of kids and alter public education for years to come.
March 13 is the deadline for school districts to issue preliminary pink slips to California’s teachers. Last year, more than 10,000 teachers got pink slips and nearly 5,000 lost their jobs. And this year could be much worse.
“Pink Friday” is a movement to get people to wear pink this Friday, March 13th (how appropriate!) to protest further school budget cuts. Besides wearing pink, you can also attend an event in your area or write to an elected official.
If you live in , you can also help get out the vote for the proposed parcel tax of $150 per property. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what you already pay in taxes, but the schools really need it.
Did you know that San Marino has to trim over $5 million from its already lean $29 million budget. OUCH! Thankfully, La Canada has saved its reserves and isn’t in that situation. But things are tight here, too.
Rolls Royce spotted at local McDonald’s
Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, food
It’s no wonder that McDonald’s is doing well in this lousy economy. The food is so tasty and reasonably-priced that even the man who drives this convertible Rolls Royce brought his friends (and his little Westie!) to our local McDonald’s.
I bet his Shamrock Shake had four leaves.
Car wreck, financial wreck, the joy of childhood and the love of a dog
Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, economy, inspirational people, my life, parenting, shopping
While I was on my way to take my daughter’s car to the body shop today,
three people called me on my cellphone, but I was a good girl and didn’t pick up the phone. But when I stopped at the corner of Lake and Walnut in Pasadena, I took my camera out of my purse and snapped some pictures of the people protesting in front of IndyMac:
Later in the afternoon, my daughter and I had fun watching these delightful children in the fountain at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. They waited patiently for the water to come back up, and would step on where the water had come out previously to get it to come, just like adults press elevator buttons over and over.
When the water finally came, they laughed and giggled with such delight that it took a cold or hurried soul not to stop and smile. I think Paseo Colorado management should pay kids to play there and make us all happy.
When I got home, my dog ran to the window to greet me.
It’s the little things that bring the most delight.
Economic barometer: More people begging at Lake and 210 Freeway
Posted on 31. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in economy
I’ve never seen as many people begging on the corners at the intersection of Lake Ave. and the 210 Freeway in Pasadena as I did today. It was so, so sad. Besides the young woman from Texas, I think the saddest was the older gentleman on the corner by the entrance to the east 210. He had clean clothes on, and it looked like someone had made his sign for him. He looked completely humiliated.
I heard someone on NPR once say that when they lived in Germany, they never saw homeless people. Why can’t that be the case here?
And of course, this is nothing compared to what happens in Third World countries.
I wish we could wave a magic wand and make it all better. I guess we just have to do what we can and hope it all adds up.
If he can wind up on Skid Row, so can we
Posted on 14. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, non-profits, religion
The other day my son asked me whether anyone could wind up homeless. So it was striking yesterday when I received the Union Rescue Mission newsletter, which featured a man living on Skid Row who had lived a solid middle-class life until recently:
For almost 15 years, Colin lived the American Dream. He earned a degree in economics from Westmont College. Built a successful career working in a string of four-star hotels. Started his own coffee-importing business. Got married and fathered a beautiful daughter.
But last spring, Colin’s business collapsed and the home he was renting went into foreclosure. Almost overnight, Colin, his wife, Jackie, and their 3-year-old daughter, Shema, found themselves walking the streets of Skid Row to Union Rescue Mission.
Thankfully, Colin’s hotel background helped him to become URM’s Hospitality Coordinator, so he’s able to help other people in dire straights. Here’s how he describes his experience:
“It just shows how quickly things can unravel,” says Colin. “When we came to Skid Row, we were suddenly surrounded by a lot of hurting people, and we could literally feel the poverty and danger. All I could think was, ‘What am I doing here? This isn’t my story.’
“But our experience is far more widespread than people want to admit. When I started listening to people’s stories down here, I realized anyone can suddenly find himself here. Whether you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a beggar on the street, things outside your control can quickly change.
“They say an untested faith can’t be trusted. This experience has tested my family’s faith. Faith is no longer an abstract term we just talk about — we literally have to live by faith every day.”
When my son had asked me about who might become homeless, I had told him that the more education a person has and the stronger their support network is, the less likely they are to become homeless. Still, as Colin’s case proves, it can happen when you least expect it.
Just a reminder to appreciate your blessings and show compassion for those who need it.
34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:34-40
Should I pay for college or buy a bed?
Posted on 20. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, shopping
My daughter’s 17th birthday is fast approaching, and I need to decide what to get her.
Should I save for college or get this $47,000 bed?
I think I’ll skip the bed. My daughter always liked Belle better than Cinderella anyway.
Perhaps this is why some of the first casualties of this economic crisis are high-end baby stores.
Why do we treat dogs better than humans?
Posted on 19. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, non-profits, shopping, things that bug me
When Andy Bales‘ Facebook status said that the Union Rescue Mission urgently needed teen gifts for the last day of its Christmas Store, I kicked into high gear. As the mother of two teens, I’m a pro at shopping for that demographic. So I went on a major spending spree at Target and had fun choosing everything from basketballs to electronics to hooded sweatshirts. I headed down to Los Angeles’ Skid Row, and dropped off the goodies at the Union Rescue Mission loading dock.
On the way back, I passed through some of the worst of Skid Row. My heart broke. There were throngs of people spilling into the streets, including families with little kids. The streets were so thick with pigeons that I had to slow down to avoid hitting whole flocks. Then, just as I thought I was out of the bedlam, there was a body in the road. Dead? I don’t know. But traffic was stopped on the north side of Pershing Square as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I sat in my car, only feet away, hoping to see some sign of life. I saw none. It was all too much…I cried. I felt so foolish for crying. After all, I used to volunteer at Union Station in Pasadena. I’ve also updated the Outreach portion of our church website for years, and have read many stories about and seen many pictures of Skid Row. But this was way more than I expected.
I had one more errand to run: I wanted to drop off some extra dog supplies at the Pasadena Humane Society. After I made my donation, I walked around the facility. What a contrast to the hell on earth I’d just seen downtown. The dogs, sad as they were to be in pens, were many times better off than the humans I’d just seen 30 minutes before. They were kept in clean cages and were well-fed. Volunteers were going from cage to cage to cuddle them and let them know they were loved. There was only one pigeon.
I bet that many of the people on Skid Row would have been happy to trade places with these dogs.
What kind of society is this that we treat our fellow humans this way?
I’m glad that I brought the gifts down there today, but I feel like it’s just a drop in the bucket of what’s needed. I wish I could make more of an impact, and I wish that our society as a whole cared for the needy better.
PS – I had my camera with me, but I didn’t think it was respectful to take pictures. I looked for pictures on the internet that depicted scenes similar to what I saw today, but I couldn’t find any. There were tons of pictures of Skid Row, but none that were nearly as dramatic as what I saw. I checked Google Street View, and their cameras only show a minute fraction of the number of homeless I saw today. Go to the corner of 5th St. and San Julian St. in Los Angeles and see for yourself. Then do something.
A year of highs and lows at the tank
Posted on 18. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, local news
Today I filled my near-empty Prius tank for a total of $14.10. Wow. This spring I blogged about people spending upwards of $100 for a tank of gas. Long live my small hybrid and low gas prices! (Although I’m not expecting the latter to last long.)
According to the letters to the editor in today’s La Canada Outlook, I won’t be buying my gas at the Union 76 station up the street after Dec. 31st. The owner blames local construction and poor traffic patterns for an unsurmountable loss of business. I’ll miss it, but not that much. I tried getting my husband’s car smog-checked there a few weeks ago and the mechanic told me to come back the next day and allow four hours to get it done. I went across the street to Shell, and they did it in 25 minutes. Shell also has the mini-mart and the drive-thru car wash, so they get the bulk of my business.
Mostly I’ll just be unhappy to see yet another one of the four corners at the top of my street surrounded by a chain-link fence.
Yet one more Business I’ll Miss.
Yolicious is no longer delicious
Posted on 16. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, food, local news
Yolicious has closed its Montrose location. Perhaps it was the economy, but more likely it was the competition from Dolci Mango down the block. We loved Yolicious. They had great frozen yogurt, and if one of the teenage boys was serving you’d get a lot. They also had ample seating and eclectic music. The only downside was that we’d sometimes feel compelled to sit inside because people at the outdoor tables of the restaurant next door smoked.
Dolci Mango, on the other hand, has been busy since the day it opened on the northwest corner of Honolulu and Oceanview, in the heart of Montrose. As much as I liked Yolicious, I prefer Dolci Mango because you only pay for as much or as little fro-yo and toppings as you serve yourself. You can also mix and match flavors and toppings, so you get exactly what you want.
I’m still sad to see Yolicious close, however. I’ll have to dig into my purse and toss all my frequent buyer cards. At least we still have equally attractive fro-yo alternatives.
I’m adding Yolicious to my list of Businesses We’ll Miss.
Businesses We Miss
Posted on 13. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in economy, local news, movies
At 4:00 pm yesterday, the Gordon Biersch restaurant in Old Town Pasadena closed its doors to the public. No longer will we be able to reserve the private room with the round table and nibble on garlic fries and calamari as we sample fine micro-brews.
I wonder whether some day my kids will tell their kids, “Back in my day, there were stores dedicated to the most specialized products and restaurants for every cuisine. In some places, it seemed like every street corner had a fancy coffee store, and there were more cleaners, nail salons, and framing stores than we could count.”
Is that day coming soon? While I admit that we consume way too much, and could easily scale back, I’ll miss some of the places that have closed or that are likely to close soon. I also feel bad for the owners and workers at these establishments, as it’s tough to find a new job in this economy.
So today I’ve started a “Businesses We Miss” page on this blog. I’ll also include a New Business section, and would love to see that be bigger than the Closed Businesses section. This page will include businesses that I frequented or were located near where I live. I may even include a few others that are just so cool I don’t want to forget them.
Please let me know if I miss any!!
Besides Gordon Biersch, I’ll miss its next-door neighbor at One Colorado, the Laemmle Theater. The last movie I saw there was the poorly-reviewed Clone Wars, an animated Star Wars spin-off. I saw it with my son and our young friend Obed from Pakistan. We enjoyed seeing the wish trees afterwards. The theater’s been purchased by an Australian firm that’s converting it to a high-end viewing experience, complete with gourmet food and blankets when you get cold. I can’t wait to put that in my New Business section.
I also hear that Triangle, the little clothing store next to the La Canada Vons, is closing. I never went in there. I wonder if Vons will ever wind up expanding? I used to go there all the time so that the eScrip dollars would go to my kids’ school, but when Ralphs added their school rewards program I decided to shop there instead.
Recent Comments