The world is in mourning for those who have not survived this pandemic and concerned for those who bravely battle its pervasiveness. The Covid-19 pandemic is changing the very fabric of our lives, how we live and work.

Leading educational organisations in a global pandemic brings challenges beyond what could have been previously surmised

Educational leaders are not exempt from these pressures and are leading in extraordinary times. There is certainly no tried and tested rule book to which leaders can refer in this eventuality.

We have been thrust into an age of risk-focused, flexible and responsive leadership, where those at the helm must quite rightly focus even more carefully on employees somatic and psychological wellbeing as well as delivering on organisational goals.

Leading educational organisations in a global pandemic brings challenges beyond what could have been previously surmised, but then, a calm sea never a good sailor made.Education systems have responded with remarkable agility, moving to online teaching and learning and synchronous and asynchronous delivery of curricula.

Educators in the main, have overcome residual recalcitrance towards the virtual classroom, embracing it to avoid losing their connection with students. As teachers, we instinctively prefer to engage in person with our students, so while online teaching may not be our preferred mode of engagement, a deep commitment to students takes precedence and has moved teachers beyond their pedagogical comfort zones into new and innovative online methodologies.

The sense of efficacy that educational organisations will foster from this will pay dividends, in the face of current and future adversities they know they can manage it because they already have!

Leading education in this crisis has not been easy. Educational leaders, navigate these choppy waters with their staff, all the while motivating, encouraging and reassuring them, problem-solving, troubleshooting, organising resources, and fostering the empowerment and self-concept of their team, oftentimes when these same team members might not have any sense of their own capacity.

While leading remotely (a phrase that might have seemed an oxymoron before) they foster collegiality, resilience, and encourage others to step up, to lead in their own fields (distributive leadership).

They are decisive; they protect their team and ensure their stakeholders remain as previously engaged. They provide care for those in need, as often they know particulars in the lives of those most in need both in their teams in a way that others do not.

It might appear a gargantuan task (and sometimes thankless, leaders rarely keep everyone happy), but it is profoundly rewarding. Educational leaders have proved themselves adroit, innovative and have reassured their respective nations that their education systems are in good hands.

Educational leaders have reassured their respective nations that their education systems are in good hands

Historical theories of leadership previously espoused that leadership was bound up in the possession of personal traits or characteristics. You were a born leader or you werent.

Thankfully more contemporary relational and distributive conceptualisations are popular for modern leadership. Educational organisation are more fluid, dynamic and change prone requiting astute, responsive and vibrant leaders. Educational leadership functions best when fostered, nourished and supported.

Underpinned by understandings of how crucial excellence in leadership education is to organisational success, the international online Masters in Education Leadership at the University of Limerick is a fully online programme for educational leaders (aspiring and current) that successfully fosters leadership dispositions skills and attributed that so that our graduates become thriving leaders whose schools and teams flourish under their care. For more information, see here.

Prof. Patricia Mannix McNamara is Head of Education at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Patricia leads the national programme for aspiring school leaders, a government initiative for the education of school leaders including principals and middle leaders funded by the Department of Education and Skills. Her research expertise is in leadership, mentoring and coaching, wellbeing, and organisational culture in educational organisations.

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Opinion: Leading education in unprecedented times - The PIE News

Written by Jayashree Narayanan | Pune | Updated: May 19, 2020 7:25:04 pm Here is what transparent masks look like. (Source: Nachiketa Rout/NIEPVD/Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment)

While most of us instinctively reach out for the safety of face masks when we step out, for the hearing impaired and deaf community that uses lip-reading and facial expressions to communicate, this poses a major challenge in the ongoing pandemic. Among them is 37-year-old Madan Kumar P, who works with the Governments Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE). The issue struck Amit Sharma, vice principal, National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), Dehradun (under the MSJE, Government of India). Which is why, he along with his team at NIEPVD came up with transparent or clear masks in the last week of April.

While face masks are personal protective devices which, when used properly, help one to stay safe from contracting seasonal diseases, and have become the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to Sharma, a transparent sheet mask or transparent mask can help persons with hearing impairment. There are two types of masks which are useful for various categories of persons depending upon the work environment. One is double layer cotton mask and the other is double layer cotton mask with transparent sheet. While the first is useful for members of the public such as office-going persons, security persons, sweepers among others, the second type is useful for hearing impaired persons as well as general population. The transparent sheet in the middle of the mask helps ensure that such people have no problem with lip-reading. The mask is breathable so there is no discomfort for the user, Sharma told indianexpress.com.

As much as 70 per cent of the communication is non-verbal and a major part of it is contributed by lip-reading, stated Nachiketa Rout, director, NIEPVD. It becomes very important for children with auditory processing disorders as well as those with learning disabilities (who do not have any peripheral hearing loss and are legally not disabled) to have ample speech reading skills, which may be blocked by use of regular masks, Rout said.

Harish Soni, assistant professor, ISLRTC (Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center), New Delhi agrees that speech reading may not entirely help the deaf, but nonetheless it supports them in understanding many words. This transparent mask will not only help in understanding words, but facial expressions as well, which is not the case with regular masks, he told indianexpress.com.

These are made of cotton and biodegradable plastic made of sugarcane fibre, which is also called bio-polypropylene. As a polymer derived from plants, bio-polypropylene is seen as an effective alternative to harmful plastics.

While observing social distancing norms and hygiene protocols, the masks have been designed by the institutes medical team and a tailor, with Sharma spearheading the project.

We have already produced 800 masks and distributed 250 masks to Uttarakhand Police. Adults with hearing loss and some pensioners of NIEPVD who are above 60 years have also received them. They have been appreciated by Dr Sunni Mathews, director, AYJ National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disorder, Mumbai. A few children with hearing impairment, too, have been using the masks, informed Rout.

While Sharma mentioned the masks are being provided to deaf and hearing impaired institutes, Rout mentioned that the project has been given for approval to the Department of Disability Affairs, MSJE, Govt of India (so that it can be up-scaled). Without labour costs, it costs around Rs 10, and taking that into account, it is estimated at Rs 20, which is way cheaper than presently used N95 masks, remarked Sharma.

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Some dos and donts while using the transparent masks, as per Sharma.

*Unfold the pleats; make sure that they are facing down.*Place over nose, mouth and chin.*Fit flexible nose piece over nose bridge.*Secure with tie strings (upper string to be tied on top of head above the ears, lower string at the back of the neck.*Ensure there are no gaps on either side of the mask, adjust to fit.*Do not let the mask hang from the neck.*Change the mask after six hours or as soon as they become wet.*While removing the mask, great care must be taken not to touch the potentially infected outer surface of the mask.*To remove mask, first untie the string below and then the string above and handle the mask using the upper strings.

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Transparent masks for the deaf and hearing-impaired: All you need to know - The Indian Express

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have diverted their often inadequate public health infrastructure to combating the novel coronavirus. However, beneath the surface, a global human rights crisis looms large in the form of an unprecedented threat to reproductive rights. The UN Population Fund has warned that the pandemic has severely disrupted access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health services; Human Rights Watch has flagged the impact that the ongoing crisis could have on abortion access and maternal care. To mitigate this threat, WHO has urged governments to treat abortion as an essential healthcare service.

In countries with no legal impediments to abortion, the threat manifests in the form of shortage of contraceptives and medicines, strained medical facilities and dwindling personal incomes. In countries like the US, where abortion is a contested issue, several states have attempted on the anti-choice side of the abortion debate to restrict abortion access in the shadow of the pandemic by declaring it a non-essential medical procedure.

The Guttmacher Institute recently estimated that even a 10% proportional decline in use of contraceptive methods in low-and middle-income countries due to reduced access would result in an additional 49 million women with unmet need for modern contraceptives and an additional 15 million unintended pregnancies over the course of a year. Experience with previous epidemics, such as those of the MERS-CoV, SARS and Ebola viruses, provide enough evidence of the negative outcomes for sexual and reproductive health during such crises, and ought to serve as a warning for governments.

In India, the nationwide lockdown to flatten the COVID-19 curve has been followed by reports of increasing domestic violence, mirroring the global trend, and which UN Women has called a shadow pandemic. This places women at an increased risk of unwanted pregnancies with fewer means to assert their bodily autonomy. There is a pre-existing issue with contraception access, especially in rural areas, which could become aggravated as public health workers responsible for distributing contraceptives are engaged with COVID-19 issues. Further, disruptions in pharmaceutical supply chains are likely to impact the availability of contraceptive methods and medical abortion drugs.

Also read: The Professor Who Had to Spend Half His Life to Make the Drug India Needs

A public health crisis of this scale renders invisible the rights of those already at the margins. Reports have begun to emerge of women struggling to access abortion services during the lockdown even though the health ministry has classified abortion as an essential service. Even otherwise, India has a poor record in sexual and reproductive health services.

In 2017, the Comptroller and Auditor General of Indias performance audit report on reproductive and child health under the National Rural Health Mission flagged several issues with physical infrastructure, equipment and medicines, human resources, and provision of safe abortion services. Despite the relatively liberal medical termination of pregnancy laws, women face barriers in abortion access. The recent amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 were meant to remedy some longstanding lacunae in the law, but the pandemic threatens to undo all progress on this front.

Abortion and maternal care are time-sensitive interventions. Recognising this, a PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court for directions to the Centre to ensure access to medical services for pregnant women. As a relief measure, the high court directed the Delhi government to ensure a helpline service is made available for pregnant women and is publicised through newspapers and the social media.

Even after the lockdown lifts, normalcy may not immediately return, with physical distancing norms, movement restrictions, increased burden on public health systems, and supply chain issues expected to continue. Hence, ensuring sexual and reproductive health must be an integral part of the governments immediate response strategy. Relegating it as a problem for another day could have cascading effects not only on reproductive health but also on female well-being and empowerment. It could cause immeasurable damage to the progress that India has made in meeting the sustainable development goal of gender equality. Reproductive rights are inalienable and have legitimate demands on public resources even during, and especially during a crisis.

Some potential interventions

* Drawing from the helpline intervention model set up by the National Commission for Women for domestic violence cases, and as directed by the Delhi High Court for pregnant women, nationwide helpline services to ensure abortion access must be extended.

* Adequate supply of contraceptives and medical abortion drugs should be ensured. Interestingly, family planning kits have been home delivered in UPs Ballia district amidst concerns of a population boom. State governments could consider the possibility of adding family planning kits to the distribution of other essential ration supplies.

* To tide over the acute shortage of obstetricians and gynaecologists, nurses and AYUSH doctors may, as an interim measure, be used to expand the provider base in first trimester medical abortion.

Also read: Will COVID-19 Change AYUSH Research in India for the Better?

* Currently, the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research dont mention reproductive health services. Taking a cue from other countries, the use of telemedicine can be explored to improve access to medical abortion services. France has extended the time limit for at home medical abortion to nine weeks using medicines which can be prescribed over phone or by video consultation by doctors or midwives. Even UK and Germany have attempted to use telemedicine to address the abortion needs of women.

The government must widely publicise the fact that abortion services are essential health services, so the women who need them are not turned away from health facilities.

From a long-term strategy perspective, capacity-building to ensure uninterrupted delivery of sexual and reproductive health services must be built into the epidemics and disaster management policies. There are several important lessons for policy makers to learn from the pandemic, one being that gender concerns tend to become unseen at such times, but neglecting them can pose catastrophic consequences for millions of vulnerable women.

Rupavardhini B.R. is a civil servant and Vrinda Agarwal is a lawyer and legal journalist. The views expressed here are the authors own.

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The Pandemic Can't Be an Excuse to Overlook Women's Reproductive Rights - The Wire

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam speaks at a news conference earlier this year with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau and Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos in Ottawa.BLAIR GABLE / REUTERS

Listening to experts is what good leaders do

Re: When the bureaucrat is the boss, May 15.

I fundamentally disagree with Prof. Thomas Klassens take. Listening to the advice of experts with evidence is not abdicating leadership; it is the essence of modern leadership.

When Ontario Premier Doug Ford was first elected and came up with a partisan and pandering budget, his approval rating was under 30 per cent. Now that he has evolved as a leader who resists political gaming and clearly listens to and follows the experts and the science, his approval rating has been clocked at over 80 per cent. Democratic leadership in this time demands that politicians set aside messy partisan politics and have the fortitude to follow rational calculations and recommendations.

At the end of the day being democratic is about following the will of the people and right now Canadians want leaders who follow experts and evidence.

Steve Montague, Ottawa

Fear of bureaucrats is overblown

Speaking as a former federal public servant, I find Thomas Klassens concerns about the influence of faceless bureaucrats overblown.

It is the role of the public servant to provide analysis and advice, based on experience and expertise, to elected officials. Particularly at this time of pandemic, I am grateful that here in Canada we value the judgment and professionalism of people such as Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam. They are public servants of integrity and wisdom.

I will take that professionalism any day over ignorance and the wilful denigration of expertise masquerading as populism.

Michael Kaczorowski, Ottawa

Public servants advise; politicians decide

Thanks to Thomas Klassen for a great and timely op-ed on the empowerment of technical experts in the COVID-19 crisis and modern government generally. Still, Id like to provide a bit of reassurance regarding government by unelected technocrats.

Its true that ministers are often out of their depth in specialized areas such as science, medicine, tax policy and law. But the formula remains: public servants advise, elected officials decide. And only exceptionally is a policy decision based exclusively on a single branch of technical knowledge.

Public servants work within frameworks set by elected governments and must act in the public interest. That doesnt mean what they personally think is the public interest. It means: 1) not acting in their own personal interest or the interests of those they favour; 2) giving best practice analysis from their areas of expertise; and 3) advancing the agenda of the elected government.

The third point is critical. Elected governments set the direction of policy, based on their values and on the balance they think should be struck among competing interests and objects. Officials may not share their views, but its not their job to oppose government. Itistheir job to identify the consequences of policies, intended or unintended. And its their job to put forward options for achieving the governments objectives.

Admittedly, this isnt always understood. Theres a big difference, for instance, between scientific evidence and science policy, and clearly both public servants and elected officials have sometimes misunderstood that difference. But the principles are sound and in practice Canadian governments mostly get it right.

Karl Salgo, Executive Director, Public Governance, Institute on Governance, Ottawa

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Today's letters: Of bureaucrats and politicians, and who wields power - The Province

Some of these newly formed habits will tend to stay on with us. There will be things that we repeat, some we will give up along the way.

Earlier this week, we just crossed the 49-day mark of the national lockdown and give or take a few days, most office establishments announced the work from home policy. Employees around the country have gone through unique personal experiences during WFH, where personal and professional space merged to form new habits, patterns, learnings, observations and experiences. Much of it has been stressful and annoying. Equally, physical proximity and access to loved ones has perhaps neutralised the anxiety and toxicity of work-related interactions.

Forty-nine days is of significance when it comes to the subject of human condition. Many of us have involuntarily or otherwise, adopted new practices, we have created space in our mind for them. For instance, sitting regularly in a demarcated space for a Zoom call. Some of us have also made the necessary adjustments in our environment to accommodate new habits, such as an adjustment in our time schedule. As per the Yogic system, 48-49 days (Mandala) is what it takes time for the mind and body to be tuned to new patterns.

Some of these newly formed habits will tend to stay on with us. There will be things that we repeat, some we will give up along the way. The strong ones, with our intent, can form a firm impression in our neural pathways and the only way to integrate them into our daily life is to keep repeating them until they become default settings.

Here are seven things I am going to keep with me and take them along, when I return to office post-lockdown:

1. Do-it-yourself: Engaging in several household tasks in between work, including cleaning up, doing the dishes and other kitchen duties has not only helped therapeutically, but also helped polish basic skills and created a sense of empowerment and self-dependence to do tasks that would otherwise be delegated.

2. Respect for personal space: One of the biggest banes of open-office plans is the absence of soundproof walls around each one of us; culturally we are conditioned to accept and ignore the din around us as white noise. Unaware of our own sound levels, some of us are over-audible while on calls; we find it perfectly normal to walk up to anyones workstation and start a conversation, not realising that we could be disturbing their thought process. WFH has made us conscious about boundaries with elders or babies sleeping in adjacent rooms; spouses working in the same room and sharing the same wi-fi; any instance of involuntary encroachment is met with instant feedback.

3. Seat glue: Zoom, Webex and MS Teams meetings ensured I stayed visible, in-frame therefore relevant to the context. While I complain of a frozen neck (cultural anthropologists should term it Zoom Neck and get consulting assignments) I do feel I have largely stuck to agenda and duration, forced to give up my fidgety habit of getting up, walking around and consuming precious executive time. These calls gave little room for getting up and walking away to do multi-tasking and that is a shame, but yes, I experienced some benefits. So, no more distractions and impulsive coffee-machine walks, will try and perch with all essentials next to myself prior to the meeting.

4. Minimise munchies, eat healthy: Eating on time has returned as a habit, since the whole family was around and kitchen had to wrapped up, unlike a running cafeteria, ready to cater to cravings anytime. Also, due to lockdown and supply constraints many of us wouldnt have stocked the pantry with unhealthy snacks, which now will be a very clear a watch out as I get back to office.

5. Horizontal breaks: The virtues of a short afternoon nap have always been widely acknowledged as a productivity booster so long as it doesnt turn into the legendary Spanish Siesta. Daytime sleep is known to have mediated and reduced cardiovascular stress in people. The ready availability of a horizontal space such as a couch, bed or simply a clean floor made napping through WFH possible. I am carrying a Yoga mat to work and finding a flat space or a corner in the conference room - to take that horizontal break is definitely on my return-to-office list.

6. Creativity kit: Some of us made Dalgona coffee, some created memes, some of us doodled away with our childrens box of crayons. Some of us sang on Smule. Some starred in Tik Tok. The joy of discovering another empowering facet of self is unparalleled; it opens up exciting new possibilities where one imagines the self in various avatars, beyond a narrow role definition that the workplace environment tends to stifle you in. The trick is to figure out where and how one will take that creativity break while at work. I am carrying the paint tubes, brushes and Play-Doh to office.

7. Nature gazing: The frequent trips to the window or balcony to gaze at the unusually blue sky; listen to the happy chirping birds and observe the changing colour of leaves between spring and summer. We have perhaps experienced sunrise to sunset in one location and the light play changing shadows at home only as toddlers. One could have done this at the workplace too; but the eagerness to be constantly productive, or at least to appear so has robbed us of this simple, primal and immensely soul-nourishing practice. While smoke breaks are regarded as stress busters elicit understanding and management empathy, walks around the office building or sitting in a corner are often judged as acts of distraction. I wouldnt care about that anymore.

Overall, it has been an interesting and insightful time to observe oneself from the outside, trying to perform multiple roles within the same physical space. Office or workplace is an arena, where one is constantly engaged in proving ones worth; our primary responses to interactions are driven by multiple emotions akin to that of a warrior in a battle-ground; home is a space where the self is nourished, nurtured and healed with the loved ones around. The intertwining of these two distinct performance stages for the actor was initially met with confusion, with very little time and space to interchange the masks we wear daily- but practice seems to have made us somewhat better and centred.

(The author is Executive Director, TBWA India. The article was first published on the authors personal blog on LinkedIn and has been reproduced with permission.)

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Seven things I am taking back to office from the lockdown - afaqs

Life is difficult when one is disabled. COVID-19 has made the situation just worse. In the 21st century when we talk about modernization and progress the attitude towards persons with disability has remained an enigma for society.

There are deep-rooted stigmas which have been nurtured over the ages. In the present times, there has been a change in the governmental approach and some non-governmental agencies are actively working for their social acceptability and equal rights. However, these efforts might have brought relief for some but a large number are still languishing. They dont need empathy, they need empowerment.

Often looked down upon and subjected to the ridicule they are fighting a giant monolith of prejudice which is staring at them with disdain. COVID-19 has added to their woes.

When the world is worried about the health risk of the aged population when the migrant labourers in India walk miles and die unattended on the roads they may have toiled hard to build, the disabled somewhere find life to be cruelly unjust to them.

Though some newspapers have commented on their plight they hardly get any national television coverage. This brings us again to that controversial question. Are they not that significant for the TRPs or they dont qualify to be used as pawns in the political slugfest?

The lockdown that has been imposed by the government is to save a populous country like India from severe community transmission. As I write, the numbers of infected are rising and deaths are being reported across the country.

A sudden lockdown had its fallout. Migrant labourers, poor daily wage earners have been badly hit. Though policies have been announced for their relief, there are cases of death and starvation as the essentials didnt reach them. But what about the disabled? They are among the worst hit.

Hand washing is one of the mandatory precautions for viruses like COVID-19 but many of them find it difficult to follow this practice.

Social distancing can be a nightmare as they have to depend on others because of their bodily constraints. Accessing hospitals and rehabilitation centers is another challenge.

An article in The Print, while commenting on the hardships faced by persons with disability, narrates the plight of a lady entrepreneur from Kolkata who was prescribed hydroxychloroquine because of her acute arthritis but failed to procure the drug after people went on a hoarding spree.

She was unable to access food as in the initial days of lockdown food delivery was hit and she had to survive on the kindness of people around. Caregivers unable to reach people like her compounded the problem.

United Nations in its Disability-Inclusive Responsive Policy brief observes that people with disabilities are among the most excluded groups in the society and are among the hardest hit because of the pandemic.

Eighty per cent of the one billion populations of persons with disabilities reside in developing countries. They are most vulnerable to this virus because of their inability to implement basic protection measures.

They are susceptible to secondary conditions and co-morbidities like lung problems, diabetes and heart disease, and obesity. People residing in institutional settings like nursing homes, social care homes, psychiatric facilities and penitentiaries suffer due to barriers in implementing basic measures and limited access to COVID-19 related information, testing and healthcare.

Evidence across the globe suggests that persons with disability in institutional settings are experiencing the highest rates of infections and deaths from COVID-19.

They are staring at a loss of employment and social protections are hard to come by. Disabled students are less likely to benefit from distance learning solutions. While measures to contain the virus spread have led to significant disruptions to their support systems, women and girls with disabilities have been subjected to domestic violence.

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India has come up with Comprehensive Disability Inclusive Guidelines for protection and safety of persons with disabilities during the pandemic. The ministry has acknowledged the fact that persons with disabilities are at greater risk because of their physical, sensory and cognitive limitations.

They have laid down the guidelines which include information about COVID 19, precautions and services offered to be made available to them through Braille and audiotapes, video-graphic material with subtitles and sign-language interpretation, ensuring essential support services, personal assistance to them during quarantine, allowing caregivers to reach such persons during the lockdown, priority delivery of food, water, medicines to their residence or where they are quarantined.

It also calls for priority in treatment and exempting persons with disabilities in the public and private sector from essential service work, online counselling to deal with stress and 24x7 helpline numbers with facilities of sign language interpretation and video calling.

There is provision for state nodal authorities to deal with disability-specific issues during this crisis period. They look impressive on paper. The real concern is the ground implementation.

In a report published in a national English daily the head of an NGO working with the disabled lamented that neither cops nor response teams formed by the government understand sign language used by those who are deaf and mute. The guidelines issued by the government department matters little to the disabled persons in the unorganized sector as they find it difficult to have access to these.

We are living in the worst of times amidst the best of opportunity to look at life afresh. Its time we rethink on the way we have treated persons with disabilities.

Today we are all suffering from a disability to move out, to socialize on the roadside caf. We are unable to travel wherever we wish. Persons with disability are living with acute limitations every day.

The societal discourse must give utmost importance to their hardships. News channels must take up their stories and through visuals and debates drive home the message that they are among the worst hit. A large section of the population is crying in silence. Lets give them the justice which has been long denied.

(Dr Soumya Dutta is Assistant Professor, Dept of Journalism & Mass Communication, Loreto College, Kolkata. He can be reached on soumyadutta.dutta@gmail.com)

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The Disabled during COVID-19: Missing in the National Discourse - indiablooms

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS To meet the evolving needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Steamboat Creates newest program has gone through some major updates, including its theme, format and timeline, and its ready to welcome you to participate from wherever you may be.

Pivot Point is a series of free, weekly creative sessions led by local creatives and mental health professionals. The program seeks to create a safe, supportive space to explore creativity and work through uncertainty, anger, depression or fear, working toward mastering coping mechanisms and strengthening ones sense of personal empowerment.

Originally, the program was set to take place in person in fall 2020, with a focus on survivors of sexual assault and their allies. The idea had been inspired in part by the In Our Shoes series, a monthslong project combining reporting, art and discussion, presented by Steamboat Pilot & Today, Advocates of Routt County, Young Bloods Collective and Steamboat Creates, as well as Steamboat Creates Executive Director Kim Keiths experiences with Rangelys TANK Center for Sonic Arts.

The intention was for the program to eventually be replicated to focus on different needs, including those of veterans and people in bereavement.

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But in the past month and a half, as the scale of the pandemic emerged and it became clear that spring 2020 was going to present challenges unlike any the community had ever experienced, the creators of Pivot Point decided to redesign the program to be as helpful in the immediate circumstances as possible.

The spring series of Pivot Point welcomes anyone who could use community, creativity and coping strategies, for whatever reason. The series designed for survivors of sexual assault will still take place this fall.

Spring classes will take place entirely over Zoom, which participants may access by video, by audio only or by calling in by phone, which allows participants to be as anonymous as they wish. Each class opens and closes with a short mindfulness exercise, with the main event being a 45-minute creative activity. Creative activities include mandala creations, poetry, expressive writing, sonic arts and dance, and all can be done with basic supplies.

Pivot Point is for people to participate without any prior artistic experience, said Steamboat Creates Program Director Sylvie Piquet. There is zero expectation for what is created its all about the process.

The process of each activity is designed to help participants to slow down, embrace mindfulness, balance their thoughts, strengthen resilience and learn creative tools for personal empowerment. A mental health professional will be available at each session, ready to connect with participants and provide resources.

Artistic expression activates part of your brain to create a new perspective on whats going on, said Dr. Jo Anne Grace, who works as a hospice chaplain and also focuses on brain health and emotional mental health issues. Grace will be teaching the Black Out Poetry session May 7.

These exercises are designed to allow a person to integrate the left and right sides of your brain, and to confirm the wisdom thats deep inside you, Grace said.

Through Pivot Points creative activities, we want participants to find opportunities to transform the weight and challenge of this time into hope and find creative coping skills for personal empowerment to take flight, Piquet said.

This idea is symbolized by the programs logo an anchor thats transforming into a flock of birds.

Pivot Point classes are scheduled for 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays, beginning April 30. The seriesis set to continue through May 28, but Piquet notes theres potential for the program to continue into the summer, whether online or in person, depending on the state of the pandemic, community participation and program funding.

Pivot Point is free to participants. Creative instructors and mental health professionals are paid through an Arts in Society grant that Pivot Point was awarded. Steamboat Creates continues to seek grants and accept donations to provide Pivot Point programming.

In July, Pivot Point is set to take the form of an exhibit at the Depot Art Center. Entitled Hope, the show will display pieces created by Pivot Point participants, representing spirit, courage and the transition from being wounded to restored.

Learn more about Pivot Point and find the full series schedule at steamboatcreates.org/pivot-point-creative-tools-for-personal-empowerment.

Julia Ben-Asher is a contributing writer for Steamboat Pilot & Today.

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Pivot Point program blends art, mindfulness, mental health support - Steamboat Pilot and Today

Services and studies

Cornerstone Outreach Ministries A nondenominational ministry at 1229 California St., Columbus. The Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m.

Bible study is on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call 812-375-4502.

Dayspring Church Apostolic Worship begins at 11:15 a.m. at the church, 2127 Doctors Park Drive, Columbus. Every visitor will receive a free gift.

The Sunday Education Session starts at 10 a.m.

Bible Study is Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and is a group session sponsored by Heart Changers International, LLC on Depression, Perfection and Anger with hand out questions. These help build our Personal Empowerment and walk.

Our Prayer of Power starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and is preceded with requests and instructions on prayer.

Ignite is the Youth Growth Session that happens every third Friday.

For more information, call 812-372-9336, or email dayspringchurch@att.net.

East Columbus United Methodist East Columbus United Methodist Church in-person services and Bible studies are canceled due to the pandemic.

East Columbus Christian Church will only be offering on-line services until further notice.

Fairlawn Presbyterian Weekly Worship Service on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom (links and numbers below or folks can check fairlawnpc.net or visit our Facebook page for login and phone information).

Please use Zoom to call in by phone and/or login online.

Join the Online Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/431070245 with the Meeting ID of 431 070 245

Dial in using landline or cell phone: +1 253 215 8782 US; +1 301 715 8592 US; Meeting ID: 431 070 245

For more information, visit Fairlawns Facebook page or website (fairlawnpc.net), email office@fairlawnpc.net or call 812-372-3882.

All are welcome! Please call or email the church office for most up to date information at 812-372-3882 or office@ fairlawnpc.net

The church is located at 2611 Fairlawn Drive, Columbus.

Faith Lutheran The church has suspended all in-person activities until further notice. Wednesday and Sunday worship services are streaming live on Facebook: Faith Lutheran Church Columbus, as well as times for prayer each day at 9 a.m., 6:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.

More information is at Faithontheweb.org or call 812-342-3587.

The church is located at 6000 W. State Road 46, Columbus.

First Christian Church The church will only be having an online service at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FCCOC) and at http://www.fccoc.org/sunday/watch-now.

Details at http://www.fccoc.org

First Baptist Columbus will not be holding public worship gatherings at present. The church does offer a live stream worship connection at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays.

First Presbyterian First Presbyterian Church has canceled all in-person gatherings, including worship and committee meetings, and the office is closed until further notice. If you need to be in touch, please call 812-372-3783 and leave a message, and the church will be back in touch with you as soon as possible.

Streaming of worship services is available here https://www.facebook.com/groups/56933406910/ each Sunday, until the church is meeting back in person. Join the church as we worship together through technology!

Please know that we are praying for our church, our community and the world in this time of crisis, and we encourage you to join us in prayer. God bless you.

Information: fpccolumbus.org

First United Methodist Until further notice, First United Methodist Church will continue to live stream worship services instead of congregating in person. On Sunday, May 3, Reverend Howard Boles will deliver the message Back to the Basics. The scripture will be Acts 2:42-47. The service will be live streamed at 10 a.m. on the church Facebook page.

Services and sermons will be available on our website as well http://www.fumccolumbus.org

Information: 812-372-2851 or fumccolumbus.org

Flintwood Wesleyan The church is located at 5300 E. 25th St.

In response to the current Covid-19 (coronavirus) situation, Flintwood Wesleyan Church is canceling all in-person services and activities. This includes Sunday worship, choir practice, Celebrate Recovery, I-Kids, Youth, and Bible study.

A Livestream worship service will be available Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. via the Flintwood Wesleyan Church Group Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Please remember to check our various communication spaces Facebook, Website, Mobile App for updates. Your Flintwood staff will be doing everything possible to keep our congregation encouraged. We need to do all we can to keep our staff encouraged. Above all pray!

For further information about services or our ministries, please call 812.379.4287 or email flintwoodoffice@gmail.com. Church office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our website is http://www.flintwood.org

Garden City Church of Christ Garden City Church of Christ will continue to honor the Indiana stay-at-home order and has suspended all in-person gatherings including Sunday services, Bible studies, youth & childrens activities, and meetings. Please visit our website or Facebook page for updates.

Weekly sermons can be viewed at http://www.garden citychurch.com/media/ listen-to-sermons by 10 a.m. each Sunday. Weekly packets go out to families with grade school age children that include a family devotion, video, and activities. The Youth Group and the College and Career group are meeting via video chat.

In absence of our weekly gatherings, you are encouraged to continue giving your tithes and offerings through the website and the GivePlus app.

Garden City Church of Christ is located at 3245 Jonesville Road, Columbus.

For more information or to get connected, email us at gccc@gardencitychurch.com or call 812-372-1766.

Grace Lutheran Worship is at 9 a.m. and can be livestreamed at www. gracecolumbus.org/livestream.

All services will be live streamed but if you miss it, they are all available as recordings at the same location.

The church is located at 3201 Central Ave., Columbus.

North Christian Church Gather with the church for virtual worship! Services are regularly uploaded to our YouTube channel on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. YouTube: North Christian Church Columbus, IN

Find supplemental worship materials and resources at http://www.northchristianchurch.com. Follow them on Facebook for updates.

The staff continues to work remotely. No building access is available at this time. The church will continue to monitor this ever-changing situation, and update their response as appropriate.

Information: 812-372-1531

The church is located at 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus.

Old Union United Church of Christ The Sunday worship service will being at 10 a.m. Sunday school will be at 9 a.m. with fellowship at 9:40 a.m.

The church is located at 12703 N. County Road 50W, Edinburgh.

Petersville United Methodist Church The Rev. Stormy Scherer-Berry will be presenting her sermon. The church continues to be closed until further notice, but a message on Petersville United Methodist Churchs Facebook page will be posted each week.

Information: 812-546-4438; 574-780-2379.

Sandy Hook United Methodist Sandy Hook United Methodist Church has cancelled all public worship services and meetings through the month of April. Weekly messages are available on our Facebook Page or the Pastor Stephen W. Austin Youtube channel.

The church is located at 1610 Taylor Road, Columbus.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church All in-person activities at the church are suspended until further notice. Sunday Eucharist is being hosted on ZOOM at 10:15 a.m. each Sunday morning.

The First Thursday Ladies Lunch will also be on ZOOM, May 7 at 11:30 a.m. (see website for ZOOM meeting ID).

St. Paul Lutheran The Sunday worship services and the children and youth Sunday School lessons will be posted online Saturday morning, May 2 at http://www.stpaulcolumbus.org and at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnNwPk8yYCeX_bAnyMsXEsA

Ten minute services of Confession and Communion, following all CDC guidelines for social distancing, will occur continuously Sunday from 8 a.m. to Noon at the church.

Radio Worship Service every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on 1010 AM and 98.1 FM.

Open enrollment for the 2020-2021 preschool registration continues. Classes are for children who are 3-, 4- or 5-years old by Aug. 1. Information: 812-376-6504 or stpaulcolumbus.org.

Information: 812-376-6504.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus At this time, the church has postponed in-person gatherings until further notice. Please join the church virtually! Follow the church on Facebook or visit uucci.org for more information.

The church is at 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus.

Information: 812-342-6230.

Westside Community Until further notice, all in-person and onsite activities, including Sunday worship, are suspended. Please visit http://www.WCCShareJesus.com for recorded sermons, as well as Facebook for daily Points to Ponder by Pastor Dennis Aud.

When able, WCC has plans to host a community-wide garage sale. Be on the lookout for more details in the upcoming weeks. If interested in participating, while you are stuck at home this might be a good time to clean out your basements, closets, garages, etc.

For more information on studies or small groups that meet throughout the week, contact the church office at 812-342-8464.

Events

Eckankar of Southern Indiana All Eckankar events in Indiana are suspended through May 31, 2020. This is to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes the monthly Eckankar Spiritual Discussion held the third Sunday of the month at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation building in Columbus, Indiana.

Check http://www.eck-indiana.org for the latest update on events in Indiana, and you are invited to browse the main Eckankar website for videos and reading material at http://www.Eckankar.org.

North Christian Church The church is temporarily suspending all church activities, effective immediately and for the foreseeable future due to caution concerning the coronavirus outbreak. The offices of the pastor and staff members will be closed as well. The church will reopen as soon as recommended by health officials.

Continue reading here:

Religion news May 2 - The Republic

IMOUKHUEDE LECTURE SERIES

The 2019 and maiden edition of the Joseph Imoukhuede Lecture series was a huge success. The second edition would have held this month but for the COVID-19 pandemic. Samuel Ajayi reports the takeaways from the maiden edition

The maiden edition of the Joseph Imoukhuede Lecture series held in Benin on April 29, 2019, was a bang. Joseph Enaifoghe Imoukhuede was a top civil servant who was trained at Cambridge University and was the first non-Yoruba Permanent Secretary in the civil service of the Old Western Region. He was also the pioneer secretary to government and head of service of the then newly created Mid-Western Region.

Delivering the maiden lecture last year April was no other person than Prof. Tunji Olaopa, a technocrat, former Permanent Secretary at the Presidency and Executive Vice-Chairman of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy. And even the roll call of who was who that graced the occasion showed how much the late Imoukhuede was loved. There was renowned poet, Odia Ofeimun, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shuaibu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment who is also a son of the late top civil servant, Afolabi Imoukhuede, among other dignitaries.

Olaopa traced the trajectory of the career of the late Imoukhuede which coincided with those of other public service greats such as Allison Ayida and late Chief Simeon Adebo. Olaopa said there was a convergence of historical, administrative, and personal dynamics that made the career of Imoukhuede unique.

The trajectory of Chief Joseph Imoukhuedes life and career is a testament to the coincidence of historical, administrative and personal dynamics that makes Imoukhuede one of the most significant administrative figures in Nigeria, Olaopa said.Speaking further, he said: Let me make a confession at this point: delivering this lecture brings me face to face with a huge absence in my reform and administrative scholarship. And that absence is constituted by the towering and redoubtable achievements of Pa Imoukhuede, especially within the ensemble of great pioneers that I have dedicated my intellectual energies to profiling for the rehabilitation of Nigerias institutional dynamics. And yet, Imoukhuede stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in that period that marked what has often been regarded as the golden era of the public service in Nigeria.

Olaopa further said the top civil servants of that epoch were committed and patriotic in their dealings as well as in their service to their fatherland. He explained that they were schooled in the value-based administrative tradition of the British colonial masters who laid a foundation of a profession that was the envy of not just other professions in the country but also all over the world.

He added: First, there were a corps of pioneer civil servants schooled in the value-based administrative tradition instituted by the British, and who were eager to lay a foundation of a prestigious profession that was world-class. These pioneers belonged to a Nigerian society that had its time-honoured value foundation intact, an era when people attained positions of responsibility that were earned by dint of learning achievement, distinct professionalism, a deep sense of self-worth underpinned by honour, exemplary conduct and the noblest of character. Meritocracy was sacrosanct in staffing and appointments, even as the quota system was already a guiding policy in diversity management.

He said the then federal Public Service Commission was unqualifiedly incorruptible in the discharge of its work of professional gate-keeping which it guarded jealously and with the utmost integrity, explaining, Policy work thrived under a seminal spirit that allowed the public service to take advantage of an institutionalized town and gown multidisciplinary cross-fertilization of knowledge and skills available in the academia, industry, the civil society, Donors technical assistance and the global community of service and practice; very much unlike the reigning anti-intellectualism in the policy space today, a tendency dominated by the attitude that dismisses every attempt to reinforce the policy process with research findings as theory and therefore not practicable. Motivation and condition of service were administered to preserve the prestige and professionalism of the service. So, what went wrong?Unfortunately, the 2020 edition of the lecture series would not hold until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

In a communique, the organizers said: As stated during last years inaugural lecture that the memorial lecture in daddys honour would be an annual event to be celebrated on his April 25, (which is his) birthday, plans had been in full gear to host the second edition this April. Sadly, we regret to announce the postponement of this years edition until further notice as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic that has grounded economic activities globally.

The health and safety of you all, our friends and families is of paramount importance to us, as such we enjoin each and every one of us to please follow the basic protective measures the World Health Organization (WHO) has put in place to prevent and also reduce its spread.

The statement expressed the family of the late patriarchs appreciation to those who graced the inaugural edition of the lecture series last year which also marked the 30th anniversary of the transition of the late top public servant.

It, therefore, advised the populace to adhere to safety measures instituted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) against the spread of the dreaded coronavirus. These include regular washing of hands, social distancing, avoidance of touching of the face, nose, and mouth, self-isolation if there is any suspicion of having contracted the virus, the practice of respiratory hygiene, covering your mouth and nose when sneezing and staying informed and following advice given by your healthcare provider.

Read the original post:

Memories of 2019 as COVID-19 Puts 2020 Edition on Hold - THISDAY Newspapers

The issue rages as to whether or not to "relax" the "lock-down"; the dichotomous debate centering on the juxtaposition of public health vs. economic recovery. In that vein, one counters the argument of the one against an allegedly equally valid concern of the other, in endless stalemate of otherwise legitimate considerations.

Perhaps the argument is ill-framed; the essential issue being one of civil liberties and a renewed focus upon the responsibility of each citizen to exercise, in an 'open' society, his or her rights with sensitivity and accountability. At the bottom-line, we Canadians lack that primordially important libertarian streak which alone ensures the dignity of the individual and the viability of a collective, societal freedom.

Individual civil rights lie at the heart of any democracy. The ensuing, related attributes of civility, civics and civil discourse - nay, civilization itself - guarantee a frontier beyond which government does not dare to encroach and personal activity refuses to transcend. Today, that border has been so blurred that we, the Nation, cower in isolation on two-week periods of brutally futile hope of freedom.

Each waking day we succumb blindly to the dictates of individual leaders whose power over each of us, and over us all, has become so unlimited as to quash our respective logic, perceptions and resolve. Humans have become automatons; thinkers have abdicated independence; and the "data" has become weaponized to break our spirits...!

Social distancing?...Yes; masks and gloves? OK...! Personal hygiene and raw, calloused and bleeding hands? ...No problem...! But, mind-control...No...! Collective catatonia? ...G-d Forbid...! Uncritical slavishness to bully-pulpits in control of all means of communication...Never...!

Our spirit of kinetic progress, balanced reasoning and measured responsibility must outweigh the unilateral, often unjustified, totally politicized and enormously dangerous Governing Will. In our troubled and highly-trying times, such empowerment of the few has destroyed the power and Will of the many. A Notwithstanding Clause has overridden each and every one of our individual rights...!

So, my fellow citizens, look closely at the data; weigh incisively the various arguments; and consider, as is your responsibility to do so, the factors and the risks affecting your own personal decisions. But, for the love of Heaven and your own good, including the collective Good, take the decision out of the Halls of Power and return them to the realm of your own critical and discerning governance over your life, livelihood, sensibilities and risk-aversion in light of family-concerns.

For my part, I vote to "open-up"; "shelter" in public and exercise my rights while respecting those of others not to do the same. We can protect the vulnerable; respect our seniors; educate our kids; exploit technology to allay fears; and follow some basic rules protecting the Collective even while maintaining the expression of innately indefatigable, individual Spirit.

Accordingly, respect basic guidelines of social intercourse in these socio-pathetic times, but stop cowering...Get out there...and let the Powers At Be beware the wrath of their constituents. Take the blinders off. We have been duped into complete submission. Business as usual means no business at all. It means economic death and, worse, broken spirits. Enough...No More...!

Let's act like citizens of a free society, with every accounting which that entails, not as Zombie-Acolytes.

See more here:

Measured individual responsibility must outweigh dangerous collective will - The Suburban Newspaper

Students from the UPEI faculty of business recently competed in the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition, which was held virtually this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Enactus UPEI team participated in three categories and took home hardware in each.

Students submitted five-minute video presentations for each challenge, narrated by two students from the team. The results were announced in a live stream hosted on Enactus Canadas Facebook page.

Enactus UPEI was named runner up in both the Scotiabank Climate Change Challenge and the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge, each of which earned the team a $1,000 prize. The team was named second runner up in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, earning a $500 prize.

Enactus UPEI is preparing to compete again, this time at the national level in early May.

The team is preparing a twelve-minute video showcasing all aspects of its Bury and Bloom project, which was founded in 2018.

Bury and Bloom is a student-owned, non-profit company that makes and sells greeting cards with seeds embedded in the paper. The cards are created using wastepaper from the university. A portion of the companys revenue is directed toward an educational component, in which the students involved visit elementary classrooms to teach children about the importance of the environment.

Daniel Timen, co-president of Enactus UPEI, said the project has something to offer to students from all disciplines.

It has been a phenomenal learning opportunity to work together with engineering, biology, computer scienceand more students as one big team.

Team member Ashley Doucette said Enactus UPEI continues to grow Bury and Bloom, while supporting the personal and professional development of its students.

We have made a huge impact on our community, which we plan to continue in the years to come.

Enactus UPEI was named the society of the year by the UPEI student union. The student union also named Doucette executive member of the year for her work with Enactus UPEI.

Timen was awarded the Founders Bursary by Enactus Canada.

Enactus UPEI received funding for the second consecutive year from 3M.

The club also became a resident of the Charlottetown StartUp Zone, which gave students access to resources such as sales coaching, marketing events and workshops.

Enactus is an international organization committed to shaping generations of entrepreneurial leaders passionate about advancing economic development, and social and environmental responsibility. Each club uses the power of conscious capitalism for positive change and rallies students who see business as a way to address social issues.Enactus teams create and implement community-empowerment projects and business ventures in communities coast to coast. Enactus Canada has 75 academic institutions and more than 3,500 participating students.

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UPEIs faculty of business team places in virtual competition - The Journal Pioneer

As governments fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Snopes is fighting an infodemic of rumors and misinformation, and you can help. Read our coronavirus fact checks. Submit any questionable rumors and advice you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease.

In April 2020, as conspiracy theories swirled about former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates alleged connections to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic, images supposedly showing an eerie quote ostensibly uttered by him circulated on social media.

Text from a February 1997 issue of George magazine was presented in such a way that suggested Gates had said an over-populated planet would be choked to extinction by a lung-attacking virus:

Practically the only thing connecting Gates to the quote in this image is the neon green line drawn between them.

The above-displayed images are both genuine and both come from the February 1997 issue of George, a magazine founded by John F. Kennedy, Jr. and published between 1995 and 2001. Although this issue does feature a lengthy interview with Gates, the quote featured here comes from an entirely different article.

The February 1997 issue of George magazine included a Survival Guide to the Future that featured various commentators describing how the world was now and providing their thoughts on what the world would be like in 2020. The actual article, titled A Nations Future Foretold, was divided into themed sections such as transportation, education, environment, crime, warfare, and food. The quote shown in the viral image comes from the disease section of this article. Heres a screenshot from a digital copy of the magazine, which more clearly shows the author of this text:

The end of the article comes after a page break, where you can read the pull-quote in context:

Gates did not write that an over-populated planet would be choked to extinction by a lung-attacking virus. This article was actually written by poet and science writer Arno Karlen.

However, social media users did find an actual quote from Gates in this issue of George that they presented as equally controversial as the lung-attacking virus quote. A second image showing an excerpt from this issue appears to show Gates talking about funding population control:

This, again, is a genuine image from the February 1997 issue of George magazine. And this time, it is a genuine quote from Gates. He made this comment shortly after he was asked about how he keeps his personal opinions separate from his business decisions:

While this quote is often shared as if it revealed some secret and nefarious plot from the former Microsoft CEO, the truth is a bit more mundane.

This quote was widely circulated by those who adhere to the idea that Gates was using the COVID-19 pandemic to give himself an opportunity to microchip the population via vaccines. The above-displayed quote shows, according to proponents of this conspiracy theory, that Gates has long been planning to take control of the global population. We took a deeper look into the ID2020 conspiracy theory here.

However, the term population control isnt as literal as it may seem in this context. This term was widely used in the 1970s and 80s, but it fell out of fashion in the 90s and was replaced by terms such as reproductive health, family planning, and womens empowerment.

In writing about the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, the Christian Science Monitor noted a major philosophical difference between that years conference and conferences from years past:

If there is a major philosophical difference in the 1994 version of the once-a-decade international conference on population, it is the shift from population control to womens empowerment especially in areas of reproductive health, education, and economic opportunities, which planners of the UN conference see as closely linked to fertility rates.

Economic growth and improvement of quality of life have been fastest in those areas where women have higher status, and slowest where they face the greatest disadvantages, states the draft Programme of Action now being debated in New York.

Gates quote in this 1997 interview may have been a bit outdated, but it was not indicative of a nefarious plot to enslave humankind. Rather, Gates was noting his charitable work with global organizations that support reproductive health programs.

For example, in 1997, the year this interview was published, the Gates Foundation awarded a $2.2 million grant to Johns Hopkins University to support the Institute for Population and Reproductive Health to strengthen leadership and institutions in the developing countries. Two years later in 1999, Bill and Melinda Gates donated $2.2 billion to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Forbes explored Gates thinking on population control in a 2011 profile:

That same epiphany for his public health philanthropy came even earlier. Bills dad had set up a dinner at Seattles posh Columbia Tower Club with the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). While the meeting started with birth control among other efforts, PATH taught Chinese condom makers to test their products before shipping them Gates began consuming data that startled him. In society after society, he saw, when the mortality rate falls specifically, below 10 deaths per 1,000 people the birth rate follows, and population growth stabilizes. It goes against common sense, Gates says. Most parents dont choose to have eight children because they want to have big families, it turns out, but because they know many of their children will die.

If a mother and father know their child is going to live to adulthood, they start to naturally reduce their population size,says Melinda.

In terms of giving, Gates did a 180-degree turn. Rather than prevent births, he would aim his billions at saving the kids already born. We moved pretty heavily into vaccines once we understood that, says Gates.

Original post:

Did Bill Gates Tell George Magazine That an 'Over-Populated Planet' Would Fall to a 'Lung-Attacking Virus'? - Snopes.com

As India fights the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), it requires all stakeholders to take charge and deliver. Among those which are working on the ground, the women-led self-help groups (SHGs) have emerged as effective frontline responders, reaching the last-mile and ensuring an immediate relief and socio-economic protection to the countrys most vulnerable.

Their reach is staggering: Approximately 67 million women are organised into 6 million SHGs. Operating on the principles of self-help, cohesion and mutual interest, SHGs are voluntary groups of 10-20 women from their neighbourhood, who pool their savings and gain access to credit. As of today, these collectives have saved $1.4 billion, and leveraged another $37 billion from commercial banks. What began as a call to empower poor rural women under the aegis of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has since grown into one of the worlds largest institutional platforms for the poor.

To facilitate the workings of SHGs, the Union ministry of rural development issues policy directions and advisories to state missions.

SHGs have local as well as national reach. They are producing masks and personal protective equipments (PPEs), creating awareness about the pandemic, and delivering essentials goods and financial assistance to the most vulnerable.

For example, in Bihar, women under the JEEViKA platform (the State Rural Livelihood Mission) are active in identifying and surveying vulnerable households. Using innovative communication methods, SHG members ensure that the risks of Covid-19 and its transmission are easily explained to rural masses. Using the information education and communication material developed by the state mission, the didis, as they are locally called, use the network of 1.4 lakh state-wide SHGs to create awareness about hand-washing, social distancing, sanitation and quarantine.

In Uttar Pradesh (UP), with the help of Khadi Gramudyog, SHG members plan to produce masks worth six lakh metres of khadi fabric. In Kheri district, SHGs are working round-the-clock to produce PPE kits for frontline health workers and police personnel. Moreover, SHG women under the Prerna platform use methods such as rangolis, TikTok videos and songs to create awareness about hand-washing and social distancing.

In Jharkhand, SHG women use the Aajeevika Farm Fresh mobile app to sell vegetables, ensuring that social distancing guidelines are not flouted. They also use their networks to identify vulnerable households, flagging to the administration the pockets in need of food. They help run a 24-hour helpline by the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), which provides important information and counselling to the returning migrant. Every Panchayat in the state has a Muhkya Mantri Didi Kitchen, which provides free food to the needy. At present, the state has about 4,185 community kitchens in as many Panchayats, with SRLM providing Rs 20,000 each to SHGs running these centres.

In Kerala, through the renowned Kudumbashree network, women collectives have been on the frontlines, home-delivering groceries through a floating market to the most vulnerable, providing PPEs to local government hospitals, and running 1,300 community kitchens across the state. They also help in Covid-19-related myth-busting.

In several states, SHGs have taken up the task of production, packaging and distribution of take-home ration (THR) as anganwadi centres across the country are shut due to the lockdown. In Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the SHG women also distribute eggs along with THR. This ensures that the State reaches every child under five, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and vulnerable target groups.

In many states, SHG members engaged as BC Sakhi (banking correspondent agents) help home-deliver the Centres financial relief packages for the rural community facing socio-economic distress, pensioners, and those who are dependent on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

There are four main reasons why SHGs play an important role in serving the poor:

One, they have a better understanding of local communities, and in times of crises, have immediate access on the ground.

Two, they serve as an integral community communication channel, help reach the last mile, and are trusted by local communities.

Three, they can provide short- and medium-term social and economic protection, serving as a critical conduit for providing relief to the most vulnerable.

Four, they quickly set up the production of relevant items using their well-honed skills, and put to use village distribution and supply chains.

As we celebrate and acknowledge their contributions in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, we must continue to strengthen them, and replicate the model across the country. They must be given a requisite economic and social empowerment. Governments and society must recognise that effective emergency response and the social and economic protection of the most vulnerable is critically dependent on institutions like SHGs.

Nita Kejrewal is joint secretary, ministry of rural development

The views expressed are personal

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Covid-19: In times of crisis, women self-help groups lead the way - Hindustan Times

Viewpoint by Azadeh Moaveni and Ali Vaez

The two writers are affiliated to the Crisis Group: Azadeh Moaveni is Project Director, Gender; and Ali Vaez is Iran Project Director. This commentary is being republished by courtesy of the Brussels-based Crisis Group which first carried it on 6 March 2020.

BRUSELS (IDN) On 21 May 2018, less than two weeks after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched Washingtons New Iran Strategy before an audience at the Heritage Foundation. In his remarks, he insisted that Iranian womens long struggle for inclusion and equality matters dearly to Washington.

As if to prove the point, the U.S. State Departments social media feeds since that day have interspersed announcements of new choking sanctions with twinkling reminders of Iranian womens potential (Congratulations to Iranian-American and new #NASA Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli!).

In January 2020, the State Department released a two-minute video on the history of Iranian womens rights. To a melody of maudlin piano and soaring strings, the video sweeps viewers past scenes of bare-headed women in silk blouses, wistfully recalling an era when Irans women purportedly enjoyed freedom and equal opportunity, before shifting to dark footage from after the 1979 revolution, when womens rights in #Iranregressed. No Iranian woman from either era actually speaks in the video, about either the Shahs regime or the Islamic Republic. But the final caption promises nevertheless: The women of the U.S. will stand with the women of Iran.

Washingtons evocation of Iranian women and their aspirations has become a feature of its marketing for maximum pressure the campaign of economic coercion aimed at precipitating Iranian capitulation to U.S. demands or regime collapse. The marketing is stunning for its hypocrisy, focused as it is on the plight of Iranian women even as it says nothing about the injustices women face at the hands of Middle Eastern governments allied with the U.S. Moreover, as Washington has widened its claim that the Islamic Republic disallows any space for women, it has grown more detached from reality.

One tweet this past December maintained that the Iranian regime denies women the opportunity to participate in public life during a month when Iranian female directors and actors were shining at the Tehran film festival. Women have long been engaged in almost every aspect of Iranian public life from politics to political activism and from diplomacy to flying planes and driving heavy trucks. But perhaps the most regrettable feature of this U.S. policy spotlighting the suppression of Iranian womens rights is that it has damaged the activism and independence of the very women it claims to support.

Of course, and despite womens prominence in public life, the Islamic Republic has a long and dismal record of keeping Iranian women second-class citizens in terms of civil and personal rights. The surge of women into higher education and the work force that accompanied the 1979 revolution galvanised women to demand more legal and social equality, not less. Yet the state has, for decades, defended a status quo of discriminatory laws like mandatory hijab. It was only in December 2019, under international pressure, that Irans Football Federation committed to allowing women to attend matches in the domestic club league.

Restrictions on womens public conduct and appearance have sown increasing resentment and alienation, especially among millennial women and girls, who are less inclined than their elders to view the relaxation of rules as sufficient progress. As one 19-year-old sports champion put it: My generation wants [dress codes] removed. We compare ourselves to the rest of the world, where everyone is modernising and evolving, and we find this strictness ridiculous.

For much of the past two decades, the Iranian womens movement has encompassed diverse strands of activism: there have been radical and gradualist wings, single-issue campaigns seeking an end to mandatory hijab or access to sports stadiums, drives to reform divorce and domestic violence laws, and grassroots efforts aimed at mobilising rural and working-class women behind such legal changes.

On occasion, these different currents have brought their particular struggles into the streets and endured crackdowns, before shifting course. The authorities have never smiled upon womens activism, and every subset of the womens movement, from state-affiliated religious feminists to secular-minded organisers, has encountered some level of official hostility and obstruction.

The authorities intolerance for womens organising has grown so severe in recent years that most of the movements luminaries are now in prison, in exile abroad or in a self-imposed state of quiescence. But the states response has not been limited to repression. At times, it has grudgingly tolerated and even conceded to womens demands as a reality with powerful electoral implications. Womens turnout has been critical to presidential wins by more moderate candidates since the late 1990s, and politicians now regularly emphasise womens concerns when courting voters.

The Trump administration is trying to appropriate the Iranian womens cause. Whether they are skirmishing with authorities in anti-hijab street confrontations, joining labour protests, such as last years May Day demonstrations, or agitating against the governments November hike in fuel prices, women have been active in airing specific grievances.

Most demonstrators have pointedly demanded an end to hijab laws, but they have received loud support whether solicited or not from anti-regime voices in Washington and among certain Iranian opposition figures outside the country, whose objective is toppling the regime.

If this external pressure was supposed to help, there is little evidence that it achieved its goal. Irans security apparatus, under siege and suspicious of citizens real or imagined links with the outside world, hasover the past year doled out some of theseverestsentencesfor women activists in recent memory.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Iranian women waged sophisticated and far-ranging battles against both discriminatory laws and the patriarchal culture, shared by men and women alike, from which those laws partly emanate. But in recent months, all those intense and public rows among women, between generations of activists with varying priorities, over whether the most suitable terrain was the family living room, ones personal relationship or the public street corner, have fallen eerily silent. Internal debate among women activists in Iran now is largely about the frightening, pervasive threats to the countrys security and well-being.

A sanctions campaign as broad and blunt as that which the U.S. has built up is bound to have inadvertent consequences for the target population. As the economy reels from sanctions, women entrepreneurs, particularly those in cash-based or service industries, have been particularly hard-hit.

The 2010s saw a flourishing of women-owned businesses, with successes piling up in sectors women found themselves able to enter from online clothing sales to cafs and restaurants. Those sectors might have appealed to women because they could better control their hours and workload, sidestep workplace exploitation or harassment, or discover opportunities for real economic advancement.

But as the Iranian currency began to sink in value in the summer of 2018, first in response to the Trump administration withdrawing from the nuclear deal, and then more precipitously, in anticipation of increasingly severe sanctions, sometimes falling by double digits in a single day, families coped by cutting back on leisure spending, on everything from clothes to hair salons to eating out. Small shops and retailers saw their revenue drop, while their rents skyrocketed.

Many women I know, often younger women who used to be activists or journalists and had turned to running cafs, are now going out of business, said Sussan Tahmasebi, a long-time civil society activist who retains close ties with women counterparts in Iran. Theyre not just losing economically, but losing that liberating force of being able to be financially independent.

Sanctions have also forced tens of foreign firms to close shop and lay off Iranian workers. These companies tended to offer forward-thinking and empowering workspaces for women, setting high standards everything from attractive salaries to more professional management and expected conduct that Iranian companies would have to match. Some organised anti-sexual harassment training for employees, to bring them in line with minimal codes of conduct in European firms. Sanctions halted that progress.

The record thus appears clear: by imposing stifling sanctions, the Trump administration has deprived Iranian women of economic empowerment and the social independence that can accompany it; by politicising the womens movement in the service of its own goals, it has exposed them to graver danger; and by zeroing in on womens rights in Iran while it ignores them elsewhere in the Middle East, it has highlighted its own insincerity.

The monumental challenges that Iranian women face in fighting their governments discriminatory laws and repressive policies are difficult enough without the debilitating impact of sanctions. If they could collectively send a message to Washington, they might draw from the words of the thirteenth-century Persian poet, Saadi, who said: I do not expect any favours from you. Just do no harm. [IDN-InDepthNews 02 May 2020]

Photo source: The Crisis Group.

IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.

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US Coercive Measures Against Iran Hurting Women - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

New York, NY, April 30, 2020 With two more cases of COVID-19 confirmed in northeast Syria, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is warning that hundreds of thousands of people will be at risk if the disease starts to spread.

With only 28* beds currently available in Intensive Care Units across the northeast, and only 10* ventilators, the organization is concerned that the regions weak health system will quickly become overwhelmed if the disease takes hold.

Although the IRC will be bringing 30 more ventilators and ICU beds online in the coming weeks - and other humanitarian agencies and local health authorities are working hard to also bolster their responses - huge gaps still remain in the regions ability to respond.

Christine Petrie, Country Director for the IRC in northeast Syria, said:

Now that COVID-19 has reached northeast Syria, were going to see how truly virulent this disease can be. There are 160,000 extremely vulnerable people living in camps and communal shelters across the region and they have limited ability to protect themselves.

In Al Hol, the population density is 37,570 people per square kilometer and there are over 65,000 people living in extremely close proximity. There is absolutely no way for people to practice social distancing in this camp, and many are already living with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma, which means they will be particularly badly affected by this disease if it spreads.

Although we have been raising awareness of COVID-19 prevention and containment measuresin Al Hol, it has been difficult to do so in the area where foreign women and children live. We provide health care through one of our mobile medical units in that area, but the camp authorities do not allow home visits, which means that agencies can only raise awareness among those who come for treatment and many people are therefore not provided with accurate information to be able to properly protect themselves. This underscores the urgency for countries to repatriate these women and children who have been languishing with no prospects for far too long and are now at very high risk.

Outside the camps, the situation is not much better as Dr Mohammed Adbalgadir - Health Coordinator for the IRC in northeast Syria - explains:

In addition to the camps in northeast Syria being overcrowded, the towns and cities are congested too and there is a large elderly population in the region - one of the groups most at-risk. In Hassakeh, hundreds of people who fled during the military offensive in October last year are living crammed together in schools. In Raqqa too, there are thousands of people living in informal camps and dilapidated buildings, with poor sanitation and limited access to health care.

People have been through so much already. The additional burden of this pandemic is going to take its toll and they are in as great a need as ever. Our health teams are continuing to do their vital work providing healthcare to displaced people through health clinics and mobile medical units, and we have been working hard to raise awareness of the disease among those we support so that they are as prepared as they can be.

One of our top priorities is ensuring that our health staff are able to safely continue their life-saving work. All of our health clinics remain open and are prepared to transport suspected cases to the designated hospitals, but at the moment we only have enough personal protective equipment to last for one month. We are sourcing additional supplies, but it has been proving a challenge for us, as for all humanitarian agencies. In January, the delivery of aid was severely compromised when the UN Security Council stripped the Yaroubiyeh border crossing point from Resolution 2504, preventing the UN from providing medical supplies, pharma and other critical COVID related aid across the border into northeast Syria. The Council must urgently address this, particularly given the need to scale-up the response to fight COVID-19. We need unfettered and direct access to those in need as well as urgently needed funding, more supplies and more medical equipment so that we can avert a disaster.

ENDS

*Figures taken from the WHO Emergency Readiness & Response Plan for COVID-19 in Northeast Syria

The IRC has been delivering aid in Syria since 2012, and last year - along with partners - the organisation delivered services to almost a million people in the country. The IRC is the largest provider of health care in northeast Syria and is the only international NGO providing mental health services and emotional support across all its medical facilities. The IRC runs womens empowerment programmes in a number of camps and cities across the region, and provides legal support to IDPs and refugees as well.

About the IRC

The International Rescue Committee responds to the worlds worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and over 20 U.S. citieshelping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities.Learn more at http://www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter & Facebook.

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Hundreds of thousands will be at risk if COVID-19 spreads in northeast Syria - International Rescue Committee

- Former presidential candidate, Chris Emejuru, is not happy with the distribution process of palliatives nationwide

- Emejuru has called on government at all levels to employ a new strategy in reaching the vulnerable

-The U.S-based Nigerian lamented the fact that some of the palliatives so far shared did not get to those who deserve it

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Founder of Chris Emejuru Foundation and a United States of America based Nigerian, Chris Emejuru, has called on government at all levels to employ new strategy, especially technology in sharing of palliative measures to the real vulnerable Nigerians across the country.

Emejuru lamented the fact that some of the palliatives so far shared did not get to those who deserve it, hence the need to change the approach.

Speaking to journalists via a teleconference interview on Sunday, May 3, Emejuru stated that the right approach and logistics in achieving the purpose of reaching the poor were still lacking.

Emejuru spoke to some journalists via a teleconference interview on Sunday, May 3Source: Original

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His words: I believe that they have been proactive in their response but they havent addressed the underlying issues.

For example, funds have been created to provide palliatives for Nigerian citizens but logistics is the challenge. How do you get these food items to the most vulnerable? This requires a strategy and technological approach that is not currently present within the system.

There is cash transfers that have been implemented but how does that deal with the overall issue of poverty? The lockdown is helping in stopping the spread of COVID-19, but then how do you deal with the issue of hunger, lack of money, leading to kidnapping, armed robbery and other security issues.

There have been some approaches through the deployment of resources, but the overall strategy at the government level is lacking.

Reacting to what he described as conspiracy theories concerning the coronavirus, Wuhan China and Bill Gates, Emejuru urged Nigerians to disregard some of the speculations.

While narrating his personal experience about Bill Gates, Emejuru described the richest man in the world as a good man.

His words: I first became an aspirant for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2017 in preparations for the 2019 general elections. I had created some awareness in the political space and gained some attention although limited.

As I began to push my social media campaign, fighting for a better Nigeria, it was Bill Gates who messaged me, although indirectly, encouraging me never to give up and continue my move for the presidency.

Although I withdrew my ambition for personal reasons, I will never forget his kindness and sincerity. He is a humanitarian. And as a humanitarian, you care about the welfare of everyone. That is something that should not be forgotten. That is Bill Gates.

Speaking on his foundation (Chris Emejuru Foundation), Emejuru said the goal was and still to alleviate poverty throughout the six geo-political zones of the country.

This will be achieved through youth Empowerment in education and training, woman engagement and by delivering palliatives (Food items, sponsorships, etc) to those most vulnerable.

Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic will allow for adjustment in the implementation of our operations but we are confident we will succeed in our goal of creating a better future for Nigerians.

Recall that anti-corruption group, Say No Campaign, recently complained about the distribution of palliatives in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The group lamented that the process by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Authority failed at ensuring equal distribution, either in the number of items given to each household or in determining the beneficiaries of the palliatives.

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Larry Greenfield, a New York-based fitness coach announces the launch of his website, featuring a blog section where he can share his know-how in the evolving fitness and nutrition space.

New York, NY - Fitness coaching expert from New York, Larry Greenfield, magnifies his reach online, giving valuable perspectives on fitness and nutrition for people over 40 years old. Mr. Greenfield announced the launch of his website today and stated, Its what Im passionate about: staying healthy and helping people get into the shape of their life.

Larry Greenfield will use his website to share the lessons learned over a fitness career that has lasted more than two decades, offering personal training routines specifically for people over 40. Larrys philosophy of empowerment is built on a simple process where he considers his clients energy levels, preferences, body composition, availability of equipment, and lifestyle.

It is estimated that for every decade after 40, caloric intake should decrease by 1%. A persons body at 40 doesnt burn fat or build muscles as it did back in their 20s.

Likewise, when the body is subjected to increased physical activity at this age, the results show a significant risk reduction of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other terminal illnesses. An average weekly total of 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running, fast-paced walking, swimming, among other activities, are usually recommended. One of the best ways to ease into a weekly routine is to attach exercise goals to an underlying motivation.

This positive association keeps people going as theres a need to stay healthy in order to fulfill their ambitions. At 40, it is crucial to have a physical evaluation prior to starting a fitness routine. Start low and go slow is a common phrase used among people in this age group.

Mr. Greenfield further explained, Its very important to build healthy habits gradually without making any drastic changes in lifestyle that are not sustainable in the end. Many of my clients have tried dieting and got no results, so we often have to work with mindset blocks and overriding those old patterns of thinking. You have to eat in order to lose weight. It sounds like a no brainer, but many people still dont believe it.

In addition to his extensive success as a certified fitness coach, Larry Greenfield is also an art lover and a huge supporter of the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Contact Details

Larry Greenfield

Larry Greenfield New York Training

(738) 245-6125

info@larrygreenfieldny.com

https://www.larrygreenfieldny.com/

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New York Based Fitness Expert Larry Greenfield Announces the Launch of His New Personal Website - LatestLY

Sonal Jindal, Founder-Director, MEDUSA (a B2C exhibition platform), and Managing Partner at Medusa Source, is an inspiration for budding designers in India.

Known for her impeccable personal style and her no-nonsense approach to business, Sonal took the world of fashion business by storm.

In a tete-a-tete with YourStory, Sonal discusses the world of fashion and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry

Q. What brought you into the fashion business? Who has been an inspiration behind your choice of career?

A. My in-depth research got me into the fashion business which helped me find the gap between the seller and the buyer. I identified this lack of connect and a real B2C platform, which is an important link in the experience of shopping. My grandmother is the inspiration behind me choosing this career. When I was just 11 year old, she asked me what I wanted to become and that question inspired me to be a working woman. Though she was a homemaker, her journey of winning many awards in her life for her home-made pickles inspired me. At 16, I made a business plan with her to start my own Pickle and Jam business. However, that plan never flourished since my father told me to get professional education to start another business.

Q. What has been your main focus as an entrepreneur money or experience or both? What does Medusa do ?

A. To be straightforward, both were my main focus since Medusa was created out of zero investment with in-depth R&D. In this context, it was equally important for us to explore more opportunities and to evolve money. Medusa functions as the fertile ground on which creative designers of fashion, jewellery and footwear get the right environment to flourish. We take care of promoting their talent, making the world aware about their unique qualities and help monetize creativity. This leaves them to focus on what they do best creation. We do this through exhibitions and shows at select venues, handling entire logistics and marketing. Each show, each event, is marked by a unique theme and presence of leaders in respective segments. Event support includes security transportation and catering at the back end. The result is seamless flow of an event that impresses and achieves desired objectives.

Q. What was your eureka moment as a businesswoman? Would you like to share the credit with anyone?

A. My Eureka moment came when I saw a lot of women entrepreneurs being born out and alongside Medusa. It gave me a new sense of social responsibility as a businesswoman and since that day, my focus has been on women empowerment. The credit for this also goes to my mother. Since childhood, she has rooted in me a sense of social responsibility.

Q. Do you think even in the 21st Century, a glass ceiling exists in the business world, especially for women?

A. Yes, definitely there is a glass ceiling which exists in the business world, especially for women leaders. I would say gender inequality is the biggest challenge I have faced so far in my professional journey. This is the reason behind my initiative to work towards women empowerment and building a strong sustainability on gender equality in my organisation. Despite substantial rise in the number of women joining the workforce in India, gender parity continues to suffer, especially at senior positions. In fact, 16 percent of organisations have no women on their boards. Even as a businesswoman, it has been tough for me as well since our world is not yet ready to see women in the role of serious business.

Q. Do you think in comparison to men, women find it more difficult to maintain a balance between professional & personal lives?

A. I think women are way ahead in their skill sets because we can multitask. We are emotional as well as practical. We can balance the work life and family very efficiently. The most important thing I figured out is that we women are very strong. Being strong is all about multitasking. Males and females alike recognise that women in positions of power must be strong to survive the pressure of power. . I feel the five major areas that women can multitask in are -

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-Assurance

3. Connection

4. Resilience

5. Patience

Women are self-aware. They are adept at leading well and seeking out feedback that alerts us to our blind spots and helps us identify areas of growth and development.

Q. What are the major concerns for the Indian fashion industry arising out of COVID-19?

A. The major concerns are loss of business and job cuts. The industry forecast says that it will take large and small companies anywhere between 6-12 months to recover and revive. With the apparel manufacturing industry employing about 12 million people, seven million in just the domestic sector, job losses and salary cuts are going to have a severe impact on the sector.

Q. How can Indian fashion industry review its sales and sustain its future post-COVID-19?

A. A robust survival plan is the need of the hour. I believe that it will be the ingenuity and creativity that the manufacturers as well as the retailers will show at this juncture, which will see us through. I would say the businesses need to look after the workers safety and sustenance. Out-of-the-box thinking is required to move forward during and post-COVID-19 era, just like the world gathered itself and survived the World Wars, Spanish Flu, The Great Famine, etc.

Q. The Medusa Sources vendor network is spread through India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. What problems are you facing with respect to COVID-19?

A. Our problems are the same as the rest of the world. We are concerned about the future of our business interests as well as the well-being of our employees and workers. We have taken suitable measures to take care of our staff and we have ensured that our facilities follow all the guidelines prescribed to fight this disease.

Q. What is the best thing about being an entrepreneur?

A. The best thing about being an entrepreneur is that you get to call the shots and make the decisions that ultimately determine the success or failure of your business. Nobody can get in the way of your vision, of creating something out of nothing. Every business starts as an idea. You get to create it from the ground up. As an entrepreneur, people will look up to you. You have the ability to be a role model for family, friends, employees and community members. Your success serves as a motivation and inspiration. It is a great feeling to be able to step back and say, This is my company, while holding your head high. Being an entrepreneur takes an incredible amount of work and those few words feel so good coming out of your mouth. There is no age barrier, I want to keep working till the last day of my life.

Q. Your inherent sense of style is the talk of the town. How do you look at that? Do you consider it a burden or your strength?

A. As per the Merriam Webster dictionary, inherent literally refers to something that is "stuck in something else so firmly that they can't be separated. A plan may have an inherent flaw that will cause it to fail; a person may have inherent virtues that everyone admires. Since the flaw and the virtues can't be removed, the plan may simply have to be thrown out and the person will remain virtuous forever. So I consider my inherent sense of style an inherent virtue and it is a part of me. It is one of my strengths.

Q. What message would you like to give to women who want to become an entrepreneur?

A. For all the women out there, just remember you are strong and you can multitask. If somebody tells you otherwise, they are scared of your strength. To be an entrepreneur, getting yourself educated is vital, as professional education does help one in their entrepreneurial journey. I have learned a lot and have acquired skills during my MBA days. This has helped me a lot. So, for any aspiring entrepreneur, I would recommend them to enrol in a suitable professional course. By doing so, they can navigate well through their journey as an entrepreneur.

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? And how are you dealing with it? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus Disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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A robust survival plan, ingenuity and creativity is important in this trying time, says Medusa head Sonal Jind - YourStory

"There's little doubt about the paintings' messages of female empowerment"YouTube/The National Gallery

Content Note: This article contains discussion of sexual abuse

The feminist art movement of the 1970s was monumental for kickstarting a new and much-needed approach to the history of art, by criticising the dominant ideology of the western patriarchal canon. As explained by Dr Alyce Mahon in Eroticism and Art (2005), there was a new focus on identity politics, extending from Marxist socialist theory, in which issues of gender, as well as race and class, were interrogated.

Many people will be familiar with the daring and often vulgar images of 70s art in which female artists sought to reclaim their own bodies as artistic subject; artists such as Carolee Schneemann and Lynda Benglis spring to mind. This was the decade in which Linda Nochlin posed the monumental question: Why have there been no great women artists?

Of course, she was not implying that female artists, or even feminist artists, had not existed before the 70s, but was emphasising the fact that female artists simply had not been represented in the canon. In a now-postponed exhibition at the National Gallery, a phenomenal example of a female artist obscured by the canon for centuries was supposed to be finally given the credit she deserves. Artemisia Gentileschi was a feminist artist ahead of her time.

Without overtly referencing the female body or sexuality, she asserts that they are both the possession of the individual.

Born in Rome in 1593, Artemisia was the daughter of artist Orazio Gentileschi, who taught her how to paint at a young age. In a period when female artists were not socially accepted, her paintings were displayed under her fathers name and only due to her fathers enthusiasm for her talent was she able to paint at all.

In 1611, Orazio hired a fellow painter, Agostino Tassi, as a private tutor for his daughter. Tassi, however, raped Artimesia and continued to have sexual relations with her under the guise that, having taken her virginity, he would marry her. Eventually realising that this was not the case, Orazio pressed charges and a seven-month trial ensued in which Artemisia was tortured using thumbscrews and, at the end of which, Tassi was exiled but his sentence was never actually carried out. Today, there remains many misconceptions surrounding the attribution of Artemisias paintings, although theres little doubt about the messages of female empowerment they hold.

Artemisias most famous work, Judith Slaying Holofernes (1610), of which there are two versions differing only in the colour of the protagonists dress, depicts an Old Testament tale. A widow named Judith, having discovered plans for the destruction of her home tome, beheads the Assyrian general, Holofernes, when he invites her to his room on account of his desire for her.

Typically, Judiths maid accompanies her and carries the victims head away, but in Artemisias depiction, both women are active in attacking Holofernes. The maid presses his chest down and tries to control his flailing arms while Judith holds his head down with one hand and saws his throat with the other. Blood spurts and trickles down the side of the bed with gruesome clarity.

The parallel between Judith and Artemisias stories is undoubtable, as they are both victims of male desire and domination, and their lives are shaped by their experience of sexual perversion. The brutality of Artemisias painting signifies her retaliation to Tassis actions and supports female independence, and cleverly adopts a Biblical tale which ensured it would be well-received and publicly displayed. Without overtly referencing the female body or sexuality, she asserts that they are both the possession of the individual.

In 2016, the Guardian published an article about the piece titled More savage than Caravaggio, comparing Artemisia to Caravaggio, who is understood to be the primary stylistic influence on her and her father. Although acknowledging the symbolic significance of the paintings feminist subject, this comparison overlooks the fact that Artemisia lived a unique artistic life, and almost demonises her feminist motive with the negative connotations of savagery.

The critical theories of the feminist movement progressed in the 1980s, and one of the most significant was Laura Mulveys analysis of the Gaze within culture and art in her Visual and Other Pleasures of 1989. Extending from Freudian theory, she asserted that imagery of women has been constructed in a way that makes them vulnerable to the objectifying gaze of men, and in a way that welcomed, or even invited, scopophilia. Put simply, female bodies were objectified by male artists for the pleasure of male spectators.

Artemisias depiction of another religious tale and a popular Renaissance subject, Susanna and the Elders, was thought to be by her father until relatively recently, and objects against the gender balance constructed by the Gaze long before the theory of the power of looking was formulated. Comparing Artemisias version with Tintorettos, in which Susanna is oblivious to the perverted gazes of the elders who subsequently threaten to rape her, Artemisia depicts the young innocent protesting against their prepositions. She twists her body away from the two men, pulling a face of disgust and raising her hand to shield herself from their gazes.

By simply making Susanna conscious of the voyeurs, the artist raises her from victim to heroine. Through this character, Artemisia expresses not only her personal experience of victimisation, but highlights the rights of all womankind and projects a female war-cry that demands respect.

The National Gallerys Artemisia exhibition was supposed to be open now. No doubt visitors would have been marvelling at the empowering narratives found in every painting, in addition to the incredible painterly skills. It is certainly time to tell and celebrate the story of this heroine of art history. We can only hope that once the National reopens, it will do her justice.

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding, and during this unprecedented global crisis, we have a tough few weeks and months ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content for the time being.

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as 1, to help with our running cost at least until we hopefully return to print on 2nd October 2020.

Many thanks, all of us here at Varsity would like to wish you, your friends, families and all of your loved ones a safe and healthy few months ahead.

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Artemisia Gentileschi was a feminist ahead of her time - Varsity Online

Three generations of working mothers. My grandmother, at home with 10 children between the wars, took in sailors washing to make ends meet. She had no schooling after the age of 12 and remained a housewife, dependent on my grandfather. In the 1950s my mother, a school-leaver at 14, worked part-time while her three kids were small, then full-time in the accounts office of a big department store. In the 1970s my older sister left home, trained as a teacher, married and also had three children. She retired a headteacher on a professional pension; her life was poles apart from my grandmothers.

Yet all three women led double lives, fitting their paid jobs around housework and childcare. Their labour was also typically female. Laundry work such as charing or cleaning has been a perennial standby for the poorest women in society. Girls like my mother, with some schooling, turned to the factory, shop or office work; those with more qualifications have been ushered into the caring professions such as nursing and, above all, teaching. There are no typical lives, Helen McCarthy writes in her impressive and nuanced study. Each is unique. But the best history writing, like hers, shows how representative the individual life is.

Double Lives begins in the mid-19th century, but its vantage point is very much that of the present. Three quarters of British mothers now work, an astonishing shift from the Victorian era. And a mothers desire to earn independently is largely viewed as legitimate. Yet despite this cultural sea change, and despite inroads made into all the professions, the majority of working mothers are in low-paid, insecure jobs with rigid hours and no childcare. Just as their Victorian predecessors finished garments or glued matchboxes, todays home-workers make baby slipper-socks or attach crystals to greetings cards.

Well into the 20th century the majority of British men and women, including most feminists and womens organisations, argued that motherhood was a womans prime vocation. Women entering the professions felt they must choose between mothering or a career. The good mother only worked because she had to. A deserted wife, a widow or a lone parent was to be pitied. The bad mother worked because she wanted to. How much, McCarthy asks, has changed? The ideal of the male breadwinner, always able to earn enough to keep wife and children at home, no longer holds sway. But todays employers and policymakers still mostly assume the worker to be male. Social welfare provision all too often merges the needs of the mother and child and sees the wife as dependent on her husband. The home is still imagined to be the mothers not the fathers place.

McCarthys is an economic and social history, but she also wants to give shade and texture to what has been thought and said about working mothers. In this she succeeds magnificently. She is as much at home with popular novels and journalism as she is with cabinet memos, parliamentary commissions, employment law, or sociological reports. She never treats her sources as gospel, neatly characterising much early social investigation into the lives of the poor as a genre-crossing blend of statistics and sentiment, empiricism and emotionalism. And always the voices of working mothers are raised above the cacophony of official and unofficial commentary.

The worst-off women were never simply victims. While the majority certainly worked from economic necessity, they could also enjoy their jobs. Home-workers were often proud of their skills. Industrial employees relished the camaraderie and the taste of freedom. One young mother in a Midlands jam factory met with disapproval from a female inspector when she confessed she would hate to stay at ome all dye to mind the blessed byby it ud give me the bloomin ump! She spoke for many in the decades to come.

Part-timers often found themselves without any chance of promotion, refused sick pay and holiday entitlement

Double Lives sometimes reads haltingly as it hedges its arguments. The early 20th century saw droves of women take up clerical work, but new marriage bars limited their prospects. Wartime administrations called up mothers for their reserve army of labour, focusing on their needs and even providing workplace nurseries, but only for the duration. Part-time work expanded enormously after the second world war, thanks to a consumer boom, but employers used its temporary nature to justify unequal pay. Treated as a stopgap between matrimony and childbearing, or as extra housekeeping for the older mother returning to work, part-timers often found themselves without any chance of promotion, refused sick pay and holiday entitlement. Two steps forward, one step back. In the long run, though, the figure of the working mother became more ordinary and acceptable.

McCarthy writes with calm authority. But she is not neutral. The narrowly conformist 50s come in for particular criticism. Yet in that decade far more mothers, like my own, found satisfaction in working outside the home. Double Lives is dubious about theories of maternal deprivation, such as John Bowlbys or Donald Winnicotts, which have so often been used as a stick to beat working mothers. A history of childhood experience would obviously be a different book; McCarthys few retrospective testimonies leave the issue wide open.

In the postwar decades a second income became a source of pride and prosperity. Higher aspirations were inextricably linked to consumerism, on spending for the home and on leisure. Todays two income families have inherited the assumption that personal fulfilment is linked to buying and having more. Families have shrunk in size since reliable contraception and abortion have gradually become available a seismic shift for many women, who are no longer subject to endless childbearing. Double Lives says little about new forms of peer pressure to have children, or the burgeoning commodification of motherhood (Mothercare, founded in 1972 and now defunct, would be a case in point).

McCarthys final chapters chronicle recent advances in employment law, pay battles, and anti-discrimination policies. More working mothers than ever find self-esteem and economic independence in many more walks of life. They speak out more in public and they are listened to. But still they are guilt-ridden and often exhausted. While the media has amplified and distorted debates about the selfish mother, the women who work too hard, and those who want to have it all, the competitive individualism of many professional workplaces is hardly feminist, let alone enjoyable. The language of professionalisation gives women status but reproduces male corporate models of marketisation (McCarthy, a historian at Cambridge, briefly refers to her line-manager). So-called empowerment comes at the expense of an underclass of other women doing the housework, the majority of them black or from ethnic minorities. Men havent shifted that much into domesticity or childcare. And in some communities husbands still prefer their wives not to work.

At different times both Labour and Conservative administrations after 1945 invested in maternity services and nursery education. McCarthy argues that despite ideological differences, governments have gone on viewing the interests of women and families as one and the same thing. In the 70s feminists critiqued the family for shoring up the housewifes role and for enshrining children as possessions. Fewer of us now live in conventional families, but the rhetoric of the family, preferably hard-working, is still constantly deployed. As the cornerstone of conservative visions of social life, the family remains idealised. During the current pandemic, as so often in past crises, women, and especially mothers, are being asked to shore up this fantasy while working twice as hard.

Alison Lights A Radical Romance is published by Fig Tree. Double Lives: A History of Working Motherhood is published by Bloomsbury (RRP 30).

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Double Lives by Helen McCarthy a history of working mothers - The Guardian