Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

Independence in financial decision-making has led to a sense of personal empowerment in women, with 44% saying they prioritised creating a financial plan, 40% saying they committed to saving more, and 23% increasing their investments. One in five women (22%) started to invest for the first time amid the pandemic.

These are the findings of an annual survey by digital wealth manager Scripbox on womens investing habits and financial goals. The survey highlights a growing trend of women taking greater control of their money, accelerated by the economic impact of the pandemic.

Scripbox digitally surveyed over 750 women across India through February 2022, on womens communities on social media, including Gurgaon Moms and Mumbai Moms.

Women are proactively seeking to educate themselves on money matters, reveals the survey. Nearly 30% of women share that they had sought to educate themselves on personal finance during the pandemic. 30% of them rely on digital investment platforms for information on financial planning and investing, 20% depend on friends and family and 15% refer to articles on personal finance.

Around 70% of women (60% in 2021) have said that they are either independently managing their own money (32%) or are actively involved in financial decision-making with their spouse (38%). Compared to last years survey, there is an 11% uptick in the number of women who are independently managing their expenses today. Prudence has been the order of the day, with only less than 10% of women resorting to revenge shopping.

Despite these strides taken with investing their money, women continue to be cautious with their savings. Mutual funds is the most preferred investment instrument among 22% of women surveyed, followed by shares and gold. 34% of women prefer to put their money in a mix of traditional investment options like fixed deposits, recurring deposits, PPF and savings accounts.

The survey highlights a progressive reduction in gender role gaps and increased independence in women with wealth management. With an increase in awareness and interest in financial planning and wealth creation, we are witnessing a positive shift in investment preferences, goals, behaviours and mindsets. Women are motivated to save and invest and take control of their financial journey now more than ever. As a digital wealth manager, our aim is to help investors make these informed decisions that allow them to achieve their life goals," said Atul Shinghal, Founder and CEO at Scripbox.

Long-term life goals continue to be a priority. Saving for retirement (20%) and for childrens education (20%) emerged as the most important financial goals for women across India. While women under 35 years wish to make more money as their next financial goal, women over 35 years have said that they would prefer to create an emergency fund.

The simple truth is that being in control of your own money, means youre in control of your own life. Investing, just like any other skill, needs to be developed. Its encouraging to see women bring their natural predisposition to action to this important area of their life. Only positive things can come from this change!" said Neela Kaushik, Founder and CEO, GurgaonMoms & a Community Specialist & Columnist.

Taking money matters into their own hands helps create a virtuous cycle of benefits. 70% of women have said that it gave them a greater sense of confidence and independence, and helped improve their overall well-being.

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One in five women started investing for the first time amid covid: Survey - Mint

The BSV blockchains Switzerland-based global industry organisation that works to advance business with the BSV blockchain, today announces that it has appointed two new BSV Ambassadors as part of its global ambassador programme. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega and Geoffrey Weli-Wosu have both been appointed as BSV Ambassadors for West and East Africa.

BSV Ambassadors are experienced professionals from the BSV ecosystem who work to raise awareness and improve understanding of the BSV blockchain and its corresponding digital currency, as well as the power of the BSV data network protocol to enable a massively scaled data and payments network distributed around the world. With todays additions, there are now 29 BSV Ambassadors representing 30 different countries and territories.

Geoffrey Weli-Wosu and Mohammed Ibrahim Jega collaborate on several technology ventures across Africa. They are Co-Founders of Domineum Blockchain Solutions (where Weli-Wosu also serves as CEO), which provides blockchain-as-a-service solutions built on the BSV blockchain for government and enterprise use. Domineum will be deploying blockchain solutions for government departments across Africa and through collaboration with Baze University, Domineum will be providing Credentials Verification Management on BSV Blockchain in Nigeria.

The pair also work together at VoguePay, where Weli-Wosu is Co-founder and Chief Marketing Executive and Jega is a Director and Chief Business Development Executive; VoguePay is an online payment processing company serving Africa. In addition, Weli-Wosu serves as a director on the boards of several prominent financial and technology-related companies, and Jega, a serial tech entrepreneur, start-up mentor and blockchain advocate, Is the Founder of Startup Arewa, an ecosystem that stimulates tech entrepreneurship and fosters economic growth in Nigeria. Together, Jega and Weli-Wosu each offer decades of high-level experience in business, technology and start-up management, making them an invaluable component of the BSV blockchain ecosystem.

Speaking on todays announcement, Founding President of BSV blockchains association, Jimmy Nguyen commented:

Both Jega and Weli-Wosu are truly passionate about the BSV blockchain and its ability to provide a platform to enable digital transformation for countries and personal empowerment for individuals from every socio-economic background. They have generously contributed their time and expertise to growing the adoption and knowledge of the BSV blockchain across Africa and around the world. In their roles as BSV Ambassadors for West and East Africa, Jega and Weli-Wosu will advocate for adoption of the BSV blockchain on the African continent and grow awareness and education of the technology throughout the region.

Commenting on his appointment as BSV ambassador for West and East Africa, Mohammed Ibrahim Jega said:

The BSV blockchain has the potential to empower businesses, governments, developers and consumers across West and East Africa through its unbounded scaling and fast, cheap microtransaction capabilities. In this new role as BSV ambassador for West and East Africa, I hope to raise awareness of the role BSV blockchain can play in the digital transformation of this region, and to grow education of the technology among the many developers and young talent on the African continent.

Speaking on his appointment as BSV ambassador for West and East Africa, Geoffrey Weli-Wosu said:

I am passionate about the potential for the BSV blockchain to empower people and businesses on the African continent through its creation of an accessible and scalable network for micropayments and data applications. In my new role as BSV Ambassador for West and East Africa, I will work to improve awareness of the BSV blockchain in the region and act as a touchpoint to facilitate further adoption and education that will lead to more businesses and individuals building on the BSV blockchain.

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About the BSV Blockchain

BSV is the ideal blockchain for enterprise and government projects. With unbounded on-chain scaling, theBSV blockchainmeets the needs of large-scale technology applications: high transaction volumes, fast speed, predictable low fees, micropayment capabilities, and greater data capacity. Its powerful technical capabilities enable smart contracts, tokenization, IoT device management, computation and more. As a public ledger, BSV also enables transparency, auditability and more honesty for governments, citizens and enterprises. Applications on BSV now span a wide array of industry sectors media & entertainment, social media, online games, Metaverse/AR/VR, digital advertising, data integrity, ID management, government services, supply chain, accounting, RegTech, distributed network intelligence, Internet of Things, and financial services. BSV also supports an environment-friendly and regulation-compliant blockchain ecosystem that enterprises and governments want.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

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Geoffrey Weli-Wosu and Mohammed Ibrahim Jega appointed as BSV Ambassadors for West and East Africa - CoinGeek

Political undertones aside, the anti-hijab view is seeking a uniform dress code on the arguments of equality and public order". But the weeks-long protests for their rights by college-going students has made their education a parallel casualty. This is something that could very well have been resolved at the college level, but it was blown out of proportion in the politically charged atmosphere of coastal Karnataka," said Zakia Soman, a womens rights activist. Come what may, institutions should be most concerned about education disruptions for these women, she said.

Muslim girls still lag behind other social groups in education, but if forced out of state-run institutions for not removing the hijab, they could lose out on their great strides made in recent years. School attendance among Muslim girls has significantly grown across India since 2015, including in Karnataka, shows the National Family Health Survey. Colleges, too, have seen an uptick: 10.3% of Muslim women in the age group 18-23 were enrolled for education in 2019-20, up from 7.4% in 2014-15, shows an analysis based on the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). The overall enrolment ratio for women in this age group is 27.3%.

Campus diversity

The current episode is not the first case of targeting of marginalized groups on campuses. The improving representation of various communities is making campuses more diverse. In the last seven years, the proportion of Muslim students as well as those from the scheduled castes and tribes have risen noticeably, albeit at different rates.

When presence of any community increases in any institution, their social and cultural identity also get reflected on campuses," said Khalid Khan, an assistant professor at Indian Institute of Dalit Studies who has analysed AISHE data. The increasing presence of these new forms of identities, he said, are often considered a threat by conventionally dominant groups, resulting in identity-based confrontations on campuses as well, Rohith Vemula's 2016 suicide being one of the extreme outcomes of it.

Muslims, in general, have faced greater discrimination than other religious groups in recent years, shows a 2019-20 study by Pew Research Centre. Such a phenomenon could inevitably be spilling over to campuses, too, as Karnatakas example shows.

Hijab question

In criticizing the hijab, Hindu nationalist groups have called it a patriarchal practice. Almost two in three Muslim women in India told the Pew survey they wore the burqa, 12% wore the naqab, and 8% hijaball different forms of face veil. But covering the head outside home is also highly common among Sikh women, and to a lesser extent, Hindu women, too.

True, there is enough evidence that the hijab is a patriarchal imposition, Soman said. But women may wear it for various reasons, including personal choice, religious commitment and assertion of identity, and it also has a special role in taking Muslim girls closer to school, Khan said.

"Those from weaker sections may wear hijab to negotiate with their parents to continue higher education by convincing them that their cultural identity would not be at risk because of attending educational institutions," said Khan.

Cultural discrimination on campus will marginalize not just Muslim women but women in general, pointed out Reshmi Sengupta, an associate professor at FLAME University, Pune, who worked as a consultant with a government committee set up to review the implementation of an earlier panel's (Sachar committee) recommendations on the status of Muslims in India.

Dropout risks

When France banned the Muslim face veil in 2004, it led to increased school dropouts among girls in the community, a Stanford study shows. In India, too, such controversies could bear similar results. They put girls between the twin burdens of a patriarchal clothing and discriminatory singling-out by political outfits, said Soman.

Enrolment among Muslim girls already drops sharply at higher education levels. Upto middle school, their representation is in sync with, or even exceeds, their share in population. But it starts falling short in secondary school, and by college, was an abysmal 5.6% as of 2019-20.

If hijab restrictions prompt dropouts, it is highly likely that these girls will soon be married off, and marriage is one of the prominent reasons for drop-out among older girls", said Khan. If the motivation at all is to discourage the hijab, what is a better tool than education and empowerment of these women, argued Soman.

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Way to empowerment is through a class room - Mint

The goal was to raise $100,000 to expand and renovate the museum located on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tyler.

TYLER, Texas The Texas African American Museum and the Empowerment Community Development Corporation held its annual gala and fundraiser Saturday night.

The goal was to raise $100,000 to expand and renovate the museum located on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tyler

That goal was surpassed at the gala, with guest speaker Dr. Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the former wife Muhammad Ali, who announced she was donating $1 million to the museum. Dr. Camacho-Ali was married to the boxing great from 1967-1976.

"All I can say before I make my speech is I am actually going to donate $1 million to the Texas African American Museum," said Dr. Camacho-Ali. "I'm here to express the fact that we need to know our history, we do not have a future without it. We don't live in the past, but we learn from the past."

She also shared her personal story and the journey she and Muhammad Ali shared during the Civil Rights era; along with the legacy her ex-husband still carries today.

Dr. Camacho-Ali says her love for Black history inspired her to give this generous donation to the museum in an effort to help expand and educate the East Texas community.

"It's very important," said Dr. Camacho-Ali. "I'm an educator and I love to have deep and in-depth information about our history. This is education for our future children, they need to know and be impacted by what's been told in their story, positive or negative; it's all a plus in the long run."

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Dr. Khalilah Camacho-Ali, ex-wife of Muhammad Ali, donates $1 million to Texas African American Museum in Tyler - CBS19.tv KYTX

Performing their duties has never been easy for women journalists in Pakistan. This is partly on account of the overall state of women empowerment in the society. While empowerment of women has been a key objective of several interventions in recent years, especially on terms of legislation, a lot still needs to be done in this regard.

Women journalists have always been on the forefront in this struggle. They have also taken an active part in various civil society-led movements. They have also highlighted the importance of enhancing womens role in public sphere as one of the major instruments to ensure womens overall social, economic and political empowerment.

Despite the challenges they face, women journalists in Pakistan have been writing some of the most remarkable tales of a successful struggle. They have successfully expanded their space in the mainstream media. This development has coincided with the heartening fact that women are increasingly assuming leadership and decision-making roles in various walks of life.

The journey is remarkable because women face a number of challenges in all parts of Pakistan. The hurdles hamper their economic empowerment and stop them from achieving their full potential.

The major issues pertaining to economic development that women and girls face in Pakistan include: lack of income generating activities, limited access to decent employment, discrimination in wages, lack of access to the market and unpaid and unrecognised work at home.

The adverse impacts of climate change on the lives of women and girls, especially in the rural settings, have also increased the level of their economic deprivation.

Another factor that contributes to womens disempowerment is gender based violence. Statistics show that the numbers of women subject to violence is alarmingly large. Besides, the general anti-women behaviours and stereotypes prevalent in the society discourage many women from active and effective participation in social, political and economic activities. This adds to their marginalisation.

The Covid-19 pandemic has multiplied the existing hardships of women, especially for working women through reduced mobility and fewer economic activities.

It is good to see, however, that despite facing all these challenges, women and girls in Pakistan in some areas have shown a great deal of resilience. Many have become role models by overcoming the obstacles and challenges.

Political participation by women has improved gradually over the years. It is argued that progress in women development and political participation must be inclusive and women from religious minorities and women with disabilities should also be encouraged to come forward and play their active role.

Removing barriers for effective participation of women in all spheres of life is particularly important now. The measures need to be taken at every level to strengthen political, social, and economic development of the women. The role of women in the decision-making needs to be strengthened.

This agenda for women empowerment in Pakistan cannot be advanced without the active role of women journalists. They have dealt with the unprecedented situation resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The new problems they have been facing after the outbreak of the pandemic almost two years ago include issues pertaining to reduced mobility, lack of transport facilities and unhealthy work environments.

Stress management at home and workplace also requires a lot of patience while often dealing with additional tasks at home besides a permanent fear of catching the virus. Women journalists have not only managed to respond to challenges at the personal level but have also continued to contribute to positive journalism, especially by covering stories containing pandemic-related information and awareness raising messages. Their dedicated work in covering stories from the perspective of women and girls, their specific challenges and voicing of their urgent needs has contributed to improvement of healthcare services.

It is important to mention here that the pandemic related crises have proved a global reminder of the vulnerability of the healthcare sector. This is particularly relevant in developing countries like Pakistan where healthcare infrastructures are not very robust.

Like most of the South Asian countries, social sector investment in healthcare sector has not been significant in our country. Government expenditure on health has increased from 0.7 percent of the GDP in 2014-15 to 1.0 percent of the GDP in 2017-18. It is still far too less than the globally acceptable 5 percent.

Practices in health, education and agriculture are directly related to the well-being of women and girls in any society. Thus, these sectors need special attention from the media who should highlight key issues and the role of relevant line departments in improving the on-ground situation.

Women journalists have to play a key role in this. They have first-hand experience of dealing with such challenges. Women journalists have already shown great resolve and commitment towards objective reporting. One hopes that with the passage of time this role will be further strengthened.

One hopes that the women in the media industry in Pakistan will continue to play their dynamic role of highlighting the importance of an inclusive society where women and girls are fully supported to achieve their full potential. The relevant organisations and the society are also expected to accept the change.

The writer is the founder of Digital Time Communications

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Of women empowerment and the media - The News International

The Skate Rising youth program will resume free skateboarding events for girls ages 4 to 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. on March 12 and every second Saturday of the month at the Encinitas Community Park, 425 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas.

ENCINITAS March 12 marks the return of Exposures youth program, Skate Rising. After pausing in-person programming due to COVID-19, Exposure Skate will resume free Skate Rising events for girls ages 4 to 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. every second Saturday of the month at Encinitas Community Park, 425 Santa Fe Drive.

Girls interested in skateboarding are encouraged to attend these free classes. Equipment and skate coaches will be provided. The first community service project will be geared around anti-bullying and kindness.

Skate Rising works to teach compassion through service and empowerment through skateboarding. Free monthly classes consist of a teaching moment where girls learn about a need in the community, a service project designed to alleviate that need and a learn-to-skate clinic taught by professional and Olympic skateboarders. Skaters of all ability levels are welcome. Offering more than just skateboarding, Skate Rising gives girls the chance to gather together and give back to at-risk and underprivileged populations.

Skate Rising teaches girls to set goals and confront not only personal challenges but those facing their communities, said Olympic skateboarder and Exposure Skate co-founder, Amelia Brodka. Past Skate Rising events have targeted issues such as bullying, homelessness, and domestic violence.

Participants in the Service Learning projects have compiled support kits for homeless individuals and international refugees, activity kits to entertain hospitalized children, back-to-school backpacks for lower income communities, and empowerment journals for victims of domestic abuse. Participants are further invited to stand up to bullying by signing a Commit-to-Kindness contract.

In addition, for adults interested in skateboarding, more than 18 clinics will launch on March 26. For more information on Exposures youth and adult skateboarding programs, visit exposureskate.org or @exposureskate on Instagram. Following the focus on community, Skate Rising girls are given access to equipment and safety gear rental as they are taught new skills by visiting skateboarding professionals in a fun, community-oriented setting.

Calli Kelsay started the program in 2016 after watching her two oldest daughters learn to skate. My little 6- and 8-year-old girls were learning to overcome fear, think creatively and the benefits of working hard, said Kelsay. I saw first-hand skateboarding help my children grow in confidence and resilience which transferred to many aspects of their lives.

Inspired by her girls, Skate Rising was born, as Kelsay began exploring ways to share skateboarding and connection with the broader community.

Sarah Daugirda, parent to two participants, said, I attended these events monthly for two years. In that time I watched hundreds of girls come in shy, timid and insecure, and leave two hours later all smiles, exuding confidence, proud and eager to be better humans.

Skate Rising volunteer and Olympic skateboarder, Bryce Wettstein, shared that Skate Rising ties a beautiful twine around everyones hearts (where) we all learn more about each other and that dreams are possible.

Exposure Skate is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to empowering women, trans and nonbinary individuals through skateboarding.

Link:

Skate Rising is back to teach girls to skateboard and help others - Coast News

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 15: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Avril Lavigne performs onstage at the ... [+] 2022 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO presented by Capital One at The Forum on January 15, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

Twenty years after her multi-platinum debut, Let Go, Avril Lavigne is embracing her pop/punk past with the superb new collection, Love Sux. Working with producer John Feldmann and writing with boyfriend Mod Sun, as well as teaming on tracks with Blink-182's Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus, Love Sux finds Lavigne totally in her element as she tells me over a recent Zoom chat.

Combining the frenzied energy and fervor of her youth with the 20 years experience she has under her belt since Let Go, Love Sux is Lavigne ready to reclaim her status as a true superstar. If there was any doubt about that it was erased this past January when she took the stage as a surprise guest at iHeartRadio's Alter-Ego show. Greeted by a thunderous ovation and screams of joy from the sold-out crowd, she was given a hero's welcome.

It was a fitting way to start off what looks to be a huge year for Lavigne, including a lot of touring. This Friday, February 25, she will celebrate the album's release with a special show for Sirius XM at the Roxy in L.A. And in October she will be one of the headliners for the highly anticipated When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas, which has sold out three days.

I spoke with Lavigne about bringing the new album to the stage, showing her vulnerability on the beautiful "Dare To Love Me," her secret passion for painting and much more.

Steve Baltin: I'm excited to talk to you. I did the Forbes piece on the Alter-Ego show on Saturday. Was that as much fun for you as it looked like it was from the audience?

Avril Lavigne: Yeah. It was a radio show and I jumped up and played like four songs and I got to hang out backstage and meet other bands that were there. That's always really fun. And I was really excited, being able to get back up on stage. It's been so long with this damn pandemic. So yeah, I was very excited to be there.

Baltin: You can't plan this kind of response though. You do your thing, there's no way to predict how people are going to respond. So you've been gone a couple of years, you come back with this, and the whole Forum just lost their minds like you have been gone for 20 years.

Lavigne: Yeah. I was a surprise guest at the Forum and at the radio show. No one knew I was going to be there, and they actually pulled it off. So right before I went on, they announced me by not even saying my name. I think they referenced a song lyric in "Ska8er Boi," and then the whole crowd started cheering, so I definitely got a really warm welcome from everybody, which was really nice.

Baltin: You also did "Bite Me" off the new record. How much fun is it to mix new songs with songs that are 20 years old?

Lavigne: Absolutely. At this point in my career, 20 years in, this is my seventh album. So going on tour, I get to play this album. The theme will be Love Sux, and they'll be playing a lot of the songs off the new record. But I also will be mixing it with all of the big singles from my last albums. It's very important to still play all the songs because those are like big milestones for me, songs that reached a lot of people, and so it's really fun to go back and play some of the older songs as well.

Baltin: Are there some of the older songs that you either have a new appreciation for or that you've missed playing the last few years?

Lavigne: Yeah. I've played a couple of times, like I played "You and I," and then I played a Halloween Party with Travis Barker, and I did "Girlfriend" and "Ska8er Boi" a couple other times recently. But I haven't played "My Happy Ending" since my tour at the end of 2019 in the fall. And yeah it was funny because in band rehearsals, I was like, "Wait, I just need to make sure I still remember this." But yeah, it's crazy. It feels great to just to sing my babies, my old babies, to bring them back out and those are songs that did well for me too. So in a situation where it's a full audience that's not necessarily there for me [like Alter Ego] it's nice because I've been so blessed to have songs that have done well on the radio that they know it and sing along, and it feels really good, and it's really rewarding.

Baltin: So which of these songs from this new record are you most excited to bring to the stage?

Lavigne: "Love Sux" is a personal favorite for me. Then I'll be excited to play the singles, so, "Love It When You Hate Me," featuring Blackbear and"Bite Me," "Bois Lie." I'm actually most excited to play "Love Sux." That's actually one of my favorite songs. I think half of them are my favorite, but that's a personal favorite, for sure.

Baltin: Were there things that emerged writing the record that surprised you?

Lavigne: So with the album, "Love Sux" was one of the first ones that I kind of wrote. I wrote that one earlier on and that ended up setting the tone for the rest of the record. Then I was like, "I need a minute. I need a break from relationships, I'm over love." That was the headspace I was in. And then through the process of making the record, I got into a relationship. And then a song like "Dare To Love Me" I was like, "Okay. It's a more vulnerable song." I went to a place where I was like, "Okay, I have to open up here." And to be honest, it was not an easy thing for me to do at that point in my life. I was like, "Don't mess with me, don't hurt me. And if you tell me you love me, you better make sure that you really mean it." Like, "Don't say it unless you mean it." And because it's not easy to let down the walls and open back up I didn't even really want that song on the record, but Feldy [John Feldmann] loved it so much. He was like, "This is my favorite song. You have to put this song on the record." I was like, "Okay, fine, I'll put it on the record." But I think what you're saying, it's nice 'cause it breaks it up a bit.

Baltin: And "Love Me When You Hate Me" was actually co-written with Mod Sun, right?

Lavigne: Like most of them were, yeah.

Baltin: And Feldy, Travis and Mark [Hoppus] all work together and are a tight-knit group. All of these people have their own style and their own sense. How much fun is it for you to get to incorporate their style and what they bring with what you've done over the last 20 years?

Lavigne: I feel like this group of guys that I worked with all really got me, and we all kind of get each other. We come from the same type of musical background, and I felt like working with them was so easy. It was so much fun, it was so natural, and there was just such an organic epic flow. Like when I started writing with Mod Sun and John Feldmann, I felt like we all complemented each other. When I started working with Feldmann, I was like, "Where have you been in the last 10 years of my life? I feel like I've been waiting to meet somebody like you." Working with him was just so fluid, it was like we would write a song and have it recorded in a day. And maybe that's his style, but that's my style. So he works the same way I like to work, which is fast and you're inspired and you're writing and laying it down. And I loved his style, like his guitar playing. Like normally, I'd have to sit there with a f**king producer and be like, "Okay, no, replay it this way. Do more like this. Change the distortion." And everything about Feldy's guitar playing, I was like, "Feldy, you're my favorite guitarist." Everything that he was doing just felt and sounded so cool to me. So he was an awesome producer, and working with the two of them, it felt like we all just complemented each other, and it was just so fun and so easy and effortless. And then I worked with Travis in his studio, and that was a different dynamic. I would write some stuff at home to tracks he sent me and come in, grab, what I wrote, and then Travis would sit with me and we'd work on the lyrics together and actually finish the songs together, some stuff we started together. But seeing Travis, over the years, go from just being in the band and a drummer to being a songwriter, producer, it's incredible to see how much he's grown. And so, yeah, working with these guys, I felt like I was just like hanging out with friends.

Baltin: It's a fun record. When you go back and you hear it, do you feel like it captured the sense of ease you had making the record working with all these guys?

Lavigne: Yeah, definitely. And though it's called Love Sux, it's very light-hearted and playful and fun and feisty and funny, and there's a really good message there too. It's like self-empowerment, having self-worth, knowing when to say no, putting yourself first. It's like the trials and tribulations of love, and love is not easy, but also like you live, you learn and you know what you want and deserve, and there's that message in there.

Baltin: I was there with a friend of mine who's like 27 and then afterwards we ran into four friends of mine who are all in their 20s. And every single girl was screaming every single word you sang. So how gratifying is that to you to be able to deliver that message to fans who have grown up with you?

Lavigne: Well it's really cool to see so many fans have followed me throughout the years. I feel so lucky to still be here making music at 20 years in and to have this incredible supportive fan base. And it's really unique that so many girls have looked up to me. And I do think I've done a decent job of vocalizing that it's okay to be a strong woman and to fight for what you want, and people seem to identify with that. Or also just to be true to yourself just as a person of male or female, and people seem to identify with that and relate to the songs and that's really cool.

Baltin: Who were those artists that did that for you?

Lavigne: I feel like rock and roll in general you're allowed to say whatever the f**k you want and be the way you want. You don't have to be pretty and polished and perfect. And that's why I love this genre of music. I think artists like Alanis Morissette did it right. She was a woman who said whatever the f**k she wanted and was so brutally honest, raw, really just exposed her feelings and emotions and put it out there with just not holding back at all. And I had so much respect and admiration for somebody like her and she just seemed so cool to me. And also just so poetically genius and just so intelligent. And she's just her own and there's no one like her. But she's definitely somebody that I'd say back in the day just was really able to do that and do that well. And she's definitely one of my favorites.

Baltin: Do you see in the shadows how much people have been missing you and how excited people are for your music?

Lavigne: Because of social media and being able to see the fans commenting , I can see and feel their passion and their wanting new music. They're vocalizing and being so expressive on Instagram and Twitter where I can see them. And so I feel them, even though I'm not in their country. And that's the one f**king thing I love about social media is that I can connect with my fans on that. So yeah, I feel them. I feel them still there and their passion. And then, I agreed to do the Rock In Rio festival and it was just like everyone kind of lost their s**t. And it's so heart-warming and so special to still have that fan base there be so solid and over the years like this. And I honestly attribute that to how much work I did and how long I toured. How much time I've spent over in all these other countries and how dedicated I was. And they were so dedicated and I was so dedicated and I've dedicated my whole life to my music. But I often think about it just how special and unique this is to have this as my life. And I'm just so thankful and grateful.

Baltin: Do you feel like right now being older and also having gone through illness you appreciate it more now?

Lavigne: When you go through anything hard and challenging in life, and then you come out on the other end, everything just has so much more of a glow and a spark to it, it's more vibrant, you see it differently. I've always had a really good head on my shoulders, and I come from a small town, I worked very hard to get where I got, I got here on my own, and I'm a very grounded person. But I do think when you have the simple things taken away from you, it's that much more rich, it's that much more vibrant and beautiful. And what's nice is, I'm here today making music because I truly want to, it's not 'cause I feel like I have to or it's a job. I just love it so much, and I get to have fun with it. And I think even after the pandemic too, I'll appreciate being out on tour even more and me going out to dinner with my friends and family. But I've never taken anything for granted in life that I worked hard to build.

Baltin: I want to go back to something you said about Travis and how he started in a band and now is a producer and a songwriter of course. As you watch how people evolve and grow, are there people that you admire for the way their careers have evolved and made you realize you want to do different things?

Lavigne: Yeah, I have a clothing line, Abbey Dawn, and that's a lot of fun for me. And I'm turning "Sk8er Boi" into a movie and that's gonna be a massive project that I work on, that I've already been working on for two years. I'm making a documentary. And there are always little other projects that's usually tied into my music. So yeah, it's fun to do other stuff, but I also feel when I'm in an album cycle that takes all my time. But yeah, it's really fun to have Abbey Dawn, which I'm revamping currently right now, 'cause the fashion ties in with the music, and it's just fun for me as a visual person. I like to paint, so I love to design clothes, and I love to cook and decorate my house and things like that. So I'm a very visual person, so any type of way I can create and see things, that's very fulfilling.

Baltin: I didn't realize that you paint. Do you show your stuff as well? Or is it something that you just do for you?

Lavigne: No, I've always been so private in my entire life. I've always made sure that no one could ever see my paintings, I don't know why, like in the background especially when people are taking pictures. I've kept it to myself and I was like, "Oh, maybe one day my paintings will be in a museum in Japan or something, or in New York city." I'd love to have an art show one day, have a party and have an art show in New York or L.A. I guess. I've been painting my whole life.

Baltin: When you listen to Love Sux all the way through, what do you take from it start to finish?

Lavigne: There's just like a lot of energy and passion, and it's fun and it feels good. This record was really made for taking out on the road and playing live. I just see so much in front of me, and I'm so looking forward to the tour and to see the fans and their faces and hear them singing along, and just to be back out there, I'm just so grateful.

Baltin: Who are you excited to share the stage with When We Were Young in Las Vegas?

Lavigne: There are just gonna to be so many cool people there, different bands from over the years. I'm really excited to see My Chemical Romance. I see a lot of these bands in different festivals. I've seen them throughout the years. So I think I'm really excited to see them and like AFI. I'm excited to see Paramore. It's just so fun to be around other bands, other musicians and just catch up. And yeah, I'm excited to see My Chemical Romance for sure.

Read more here:

Sunday Conversation: Avril Lavigne On 'Love Sux,' Her Relationship With Her Fans And Being Grateful - Forbes

News

Akshara and Abhimanyu are quite inclined towards empowerment. The only character in the show who needs to be taught how to respect is Harshvardhan, he has no guts to speak in front of Mahima. He can escape in front of Manjari, somewhere he has a problem with her and I am waiting to know how will it get unveiled to the viewers and me too.

21 Feb 2022 09:35 PM

Mumbai

MUMBAI: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has become the longest-running show on TV right now. Abhimanyu and Akshara are winning hearts with their love.

Also read: EXCLUSIVE! Ami Trivedi has an INTERESTING connection with Rajan Shahi's shows Anupamaa and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

Well, fans are loving the mom and son Jodi of Manjari and Abhimanyu aka Ami Trivedi and Harshad Chopda in the show. After the recent episode of Valentine's special, fans have fallen for Manjari and Akshara's bonding and can't wait to see more of their bonding scenes. We got in touch with the beauteous to know what does she feel about it. Ami had some intriguing answers to share that you really wouldn't want to miss.

Manjari is someone who has kept quiet by her choice, the day she speaks up there will be a storm, tell us something about it?

Honestly, in my life, I have never done a character like this, a woman who is subject to torture. The torture comes from her husband, I enjoy the scenes. Definitely, it isn't the message that I am giving. While he essays the torture all I have back in my head is, do whatever you can, one day I will speak up. The audience has also been waiting for a while, I think she has time to open up and there will be a solid track that would turn into the major reveal. I would love to keep the anticipation on. This is the story of many women, we would want to educate the women that this is wrong. Even in my personal life, I have experienced that to avoid arguments I would keep quiet. It isn't right and I can't wait to see how will Manjari address it.

As Manjari do you think of giving a message of empowerment?

Women empowerment is anyway there, if we see Akshara and Abhimanyu they are quite inclined towards it. The only character in the show who needs to be taught how to respect is Harshvardhan, he has no guts to speak in front of Mahima. He can escape in front of Manjari, somewhere he has a problem with her and I am waiting to know how will it get unveiled to the viewers and me too.

How exciting has it been to enter Social Media?

I am still in the learning phase, I am enjoying how to make reels and learning new things on social media. I believe it has brought me closer to the audience and I can see their reaction and understand what are they expecting from my character in the show.Also read: AWESOME! AbhiRa's this cute moment will take you on a nostalgic ride in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

For more exciting updates, stay tuned to TellyChakkar.

Read more:

EXCLUSIVE! 'Manjari's story relates to many women in our society' Ami Trivedi on the current track in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai; keeping up with...

In 1992, three computer scientists in the Bay Area created a new mailing list designed to discuss cryptography, mathematics, politics, and philosophy. They called it The Cypherpunks.

Q4 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Then, as the popularity of the internet continued to grow, the cypherpunks knew that it was only a matter of time before the government got involved and began to monitor and censor the web.

They aslo knew that the only possible way to prevent this was through cryptography.

So, since the world wide web grew and surveillance and monitoring of users became widespread, an interesting question emerges: Longing for much needed privacy and almost predicting the lack thereof what would cypherpunks say about the crypto world of today?

Currently, our online activity is completely dominated by a handful of global websites that allow us to connect with everyone weve ever met but it wasnt always like this.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the internet was still ruled by hobbyists and hackers. The web felt absolutely endless, full of new and exciting nooks and crannies just waiting to be explored you never quite knew what you were about to click on, for better or for worse.

Over the past few years, weve slowly watched the cypherpunks predictions come true. If you dont quite believe this, just take a look at the stories about The Great Firewall of China, Amazon monitoring its employees with AI cameras, and Facebook monitoring its users through its apps.

Given the upcoming rise of Web3 which is essentially an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web-based on blockchain technology privacy is at the forefront of many of our minds.

For many people, Web3 is so exciting because it is an opportunity to move away from using huge free tech platforms in exchange for our private data. Anyone will be able to participate, without having to give away their personal data.

But its becoming increasingly clear that there are still some big questions that need answering.

However, in a recent Binance Live panel, Nym Technologies chief strategy officer Jaya Klara Brekke, asked: What should be private, and what actually needs to be transparent in order to protect the privacy of the rest of us?

Weve come a long way since the cypherpunks mailing list. And yet, in many ways, we are still facing many of the same problems. In spite of all the time that has passed, cypherpunks would be unimpressed with where we are today.

As Brekke points out, Web3 is presenting us with many of the same centralized, controlled business models that we have seen over and over again.

In this line if we are not careful we will end up compromising our privacy all over again. If we dont want to repeat the same mistakes and be stuck in the same position in 30 years' time, we need to start thinking right now about the privacy issues that will inevitably come up as we move forward towards Web3, and how we can begin to address them.

As the famous quote attributed to Mark Twain goes, history doesnt repeat itself, but it rhymes.

The idea of Web3 has gained traction but its still largely unknown to the general public and its potential users. This evolution of the internet is set to offer various innovations based on the paradigm of decentralization.

If we go back to 90s web, the HTML language that was a novelty back then didnt allow for much interaction.

Fastforward to today, and Web3 encompasses different technologies that operate in tandem, such as artificial intelligence or machine learning to build a new ecosystem, which represents a welcomed data empowerment for internet users.

In the ecosystem, each person doesnt have to give away their data to every supplier and can also control who they give it to. In this line, Web3 proposes protocols so that users themselves are the ones who keep the data and relinquish it as seldom as possible.

One main criticism is that DApps decentralized applications are entrenched in the blockchain and driven by crypto adoption, but it was actual people who created the blockchain and launched digital assets.

In this respect, a significant chunk of the blockchain business is controlled by capitalists and silicon valley entrepreneurs. So, Web3 apps could be taken down anytime at the whim of a narrow group of people who dominate the crypto market.

Also, it was not so long ago when the Bank of International Settlements defined DeFis decentralization as unreal by asserting that some form of centralization is inevitable. The bank went further and said it has few real-world applications at present.

Developer and blogger Stephen Diehl also wrote in a widely successful post that Web3 is a vapid marketing campaign that attempts to reframe the publics negative associations of crypto assets into a false narrative about disruption of legacy tech company hegemony.

Web3 supporters argue the new version of the web will increase user privacy by allowing people to have full agency on their data, through personal data stores.

However, detractors assert that the transparent nature of public distributed ledgers, which make transactions visible to all participants, is antithetical to privacy.

Tor Bair, co-founder of private blockchain The Secrecy Network, tweeted; Right now, web3 requires you to give up privacy entirely. NFTs and blockchains are all public-by-default and terrible for ownership and security.

Apparently, the cypherpunks would not be much convinced by the privacy Web3 is touted to offer.

Go here to read the rest:

What Would The Cypherpunks Say About Crypto Today? - Entrepreneur

This article byJennifer Wolowic, Simon Fraser Universityoriginally appeared on the Conversation and is published here with permission.

While enacting the Emergencies Act may clear our streets, the protests have revealed the foothold alt-right extremism has in Canada. The government response has been outmatched by internet-based misinformation, organization and recruitment.

For the last three weeks, we have watched radicalization happen in real time.

Experts note that radicalization often begins with a persons desire to belong, and belonging is cultivated around shared interests, fears and opportunities to feel heard. People then join a group by embracing the shared symbols and rhetoric movements become radical extremism when people embrace personal attacks as a means to feel empowered at the expense of others.

Supporters of the freedom convoy have used COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a rallying cry and hatred has been used to empower and bind the movement together. Leaders of the movement are using common populist tools to turn frustrations into rhetoric of rage and symbols of fear.

The result: more than 400 reported incidents of hate in Ottawa in three weeks.

While freedom convoy supporters may be a minority in Canada, social science has shown it only takes a committed minority to shift a whole group.

To turn back the tides of radicalization and hate, Canada needs investments in our democratic culture, improvements in policing and support for grassroots efforts. We can look to international and local examples for practical solutions.

Invest in democratic culture

Canada ranks as one of the strongest democracies in the world, but our research at the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogues Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initative has shown that many people have a hard time explaining how their personal actions relate to democracy. Democracy feels disconnected from community and civic life.

To heal the rift, we can look to the Council of Europe for help. Their Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture names a total of 20 critical understandings, values, attitudes and skills that people must cultivate in competent democracies. The framework also puts these ideas into practice for ministries of education and practitioners.

As part of its commitments to democracy, the federal government needs to invest in a national effort to develop its own framework of democratic skills, attitudes and knowledge, immersed in truth and reconciliation and adapted to our particular form of immigration and multiculturalism.

We need a formal process for creating a national dialogue about the attitudes and behaviours we want in our democracy.

Invest in police reform

Canadians promote respect for the rule of law, but the protests have documented the truth: the law treats Canadians differently based on their skin colour.

RCMP are quickly militarized to push Indigenous people off their land when they blockaded pipelines, but police have not removed white protesters with the same vigour.

The hypocrisy of the last three weeks erodes trust in all our institutions.

To restore trust, the rest of Canada should follow Nova Scotias lead. Last month, Halifax released a list of 36 recommendations to re-task police, reform practices and accountability to improve public safety.

All levels of government need to invest in similar commissions and, more importantly, enact their recommendations.

Invest in de-radicalization

The federal government may have a 2018 National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence, and invested in countering misinformation through its Digital Citizen Initiative, but they have yet to be scaled up effectively.

To shrink the foothold of alt-right fascism, we can look to Norway and Germanys EXIT programs. These approaches model a national strategy that supports grassroots counselling and family support to help those leave radicalized groups.

They encourage people to build new productive relationships and promote trust among communities and institutions. They are hailed as one of the most successful de-radicalization strategies, and in Norway, their efforts are believed to have eliminated the threat entirely.

Effective grassroots programs exist in North America and can be scaled. Life After Hate uses support networks to help people move away from radicalization. In Canada, the Organization for the Prevention of Violence works with communities to develop public education campaigns tailored to different extremist beliefs. These approaches also fulfil the need for community that often draws people to extremism in the first place.

Most de-radicalization approaches emphasize using dialogue: building empathy and exploring the values and motivations at the foundation of someones ideas.

Its challenging to forcibly convince someone they are wrong, but loved ones can reintroduce them to trustworthy news sources, reduce confirmation bias and reconnect with communities that bring them joy.

Invest in local democracy

If radicalization is tempting because it creates belonging and a sense of empowerment, we need to invest in democratic forms of those experiences in our own backyards.

Scotland, for example, has passed the Community Empowerment Act. The act provides a fund to allow communities to tackle poverty on their own terms. It also creates community councils to elevate citizen voices in government and encourages deliberative activities to involve residents in solutions.

Canada often creates funding opportunities and programs to encourage solutions to important problems its time to ensure those take place at national and local levels to promote democratic skills, belonging and empowerment. Proven solutions exist. We just need to invest in them.

Kelly Grounds co-authored this article. She has worked as a junior policy analyst in cybersecurity and as a research assistant on disinformation projects.

Jennifer Wolowic, Co-leads the Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative at the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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OPINION: Investment in democracy and de-radicalization needed to rebuild trust in government - BarrieToday