Benefits of Internship

One of the highlighted part as a graduating college student was conducting On-the-job training or internship. This Training exposes us to the real environment of a certain organization. Thus, adjusting oneself and mingling others is a must to cope up with different standards and attitudes of every individual in a particular field of industry. In furtherance, OJT will be a bridge to enhance our skills in communication and technical activities that makes it a plus point the sooner we landed a job and help ease the culture shock while dealing with different specialized people of their expertise.May 30, 2012 was the date when I started my on the job training at The Nielsen Company, located at Edsa Mandaluyong City. It is an international publishing and information company that is active in the markets for consumer and professional information. In line with my course, I was assigned in IT Department of the Company. Our task has something to do with Networking and Troubleshooting. And as a n OJT technical support, we also assemble lines and switches for local area networks (LAN), creating connections between several workstations by using cables and also wireless technology.We ensure the proper function of computer networks by making certain components are connected properly throughout the LAN/WAN infrastructure and by monitoring server deployment and security. We are also tasked to set up and configure computers. My first day as intern is not that easy, mixed with excitement and unexplainable fear, it is my first time to enter the reality of our chosen field. Since my schedule starts from 9:00 in the morning, I have to awake as early as 7:00 am.At first, it is a big challenge for me to wake up that early, but as the days goes by, I learned how to cope with that situation. At first, our supervisor oriented me on what to do and exposed to other employees as well. As the days pass by, I learned to adapt new things with this kind of environment. This was serve as a bridge for more learning. To tell you honestly, I have a lot of first time in my stay in Nielsen including my first time to have a conversation to a foreigner. All employees are very nice to be with , made my stay very easy.After finishing my internship here at Nielsen, I may now say that I am ready for my future career in the field of ICT. The knowledge and experiences that this company shared to me will help me in the future to become a successful engineer. In 5 months of being an intern here, I gained more confidence and learned how to communicate well with other people. Therefore I conclude that being an intern here at Nielsen is far more enjoyable than I expected. I will treasure all my experience and learnings for the rest of my life.

Ela Bhatt

Ela Bhatt : Hilary Clinton’s heroine – WASHINGTON: US secretary of state  Hillary Clinton  has hailed India's eminent social activist Ela Bhatt as one of her â€Å"heroines† for her pioneering work in empowering women. â€Å"I have a lot of heroes and heroines around the world,† Clinton said on Thursday, adding that one of them is Ela Bhatt, who started an organization called the Self-Employed Women's Association (Sewa) in India many years ago. She was a very well educated woman who had the options available to those in her class with her intellectual ability, but she chose to devote her life to organizing the poorest of the poor, women who worked in fields, who sold vegetables, who were domestics, who struggled to eke out a living for themselves and their families, women who were considered the last to eat, the least important,† Clinton said while speaking very highly of Bhatt. (Source:http://articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. om/2012-06-23/us/ 32381949_1_ela-bhatt-heroines-hillary-clinton ) Ela Bhatt is founder of  SEWA, India’s largest labor union which represents 1. 2 million women in the informal sector from women stitching embroidery and making food products to day-laborers, artisans, waste collectors, street vendors and small farmers. She has received numerous international awards for her work and is a member of  The Elders, a group of eminent global leaders who were brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007. The Gandhian Movement ; Penning of the book on the Gandhi movement The grand history of Khadia was retraced when Ela Bhatt, founder of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), released the book `Mahatma ki chaon mein' or ‘Under the shadow of Mahatma' penned by her maternal grandfather late Dr Manidhar Shankarlal Vyas who was a freedom fighter and a revolutionary who had participated in the Dandi March. ———————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- A founding member of Women's World Banking, Ela Bhatt is also the founder of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), one of the most successful organizations for the economic empowerment of women in India.She also founded SEWA Cooperative Bank in 1974. In 1989, she was the first woman appointed to the Planning Commission in India. Prior to this, she was a member of the Indian Parliament. Mrs. Bhatt's many awards include the Right Livelihood Award and the Ramon Magsasay Award and she was named to the Elders Project by Nelson Mandela in 2007. She has served on the WWB Board of Trustees since 1980, and was Chair from 1988 to 1998. Ela Bhatt â€Å"I realized that although eighty percent of women in India are economically active, they are outside the purview of legislation. † Ela's StoryBorn in 1933 to a middle class, well-educated family, Ela Bhatt has spent her life fighting for the rights and welfare of India's ‘invisible' worke rs. Her grandparents worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the non-violent struggle for Indian Independence from the British. Deeply influenced by Gandhi, Ela has followed his ideals all her life. She has pioneered the idea that people themselves, no matter how poor or uneducated, are able to solve their own problems if they organize together to do so. To help provide this, she founded SEWA, the Self-Employed Women's Association.Called â€Å"one of the best – -if not the best – – grassroots programmes for women on the planet,† SEWA proved so successful that it has become a model for micro-finance programs in other parts of the world. Ela started as a lawyer with the Textile Labour Association (TLA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a union founded by Gandhi, who had deep respect for India's textile producers. Working in the women's division, Ela soon found that women were doing many of the labor-intensive tasks needed in textile production, as well as in other fields of wor k. However, as workers, they were invisible.Out- raged, Ela said, â€Å"Personally, I don't think there can be any greater injustice to anybody in the world than to have one's work contribution negated†¦ Who is the backbone of any economy in the country? It's the poor! Yet they are not recorded as workers in the national census. They are described as non-workers! † Home-based workers are the least visible of all. In the textile industry, contractors give the women cloth pieces which are already cut out to form parts of a garment. The women sew the garments together at home and return them to the contractor. The women have to work fast and for long hours, because they are paid by the piece.Often, young daughters help with the sewing after school. The contractor would pay whatever he wished, often an extremely low rate of 4-5 rupees per day. The women, because they were unorganized, had no way to demand higher rates. Other women workers in the informal sector also had very difficult working conditions and were often exploited. These women included vegetable sellers, rag pickers, bidi rollers (a hand-rolled cigarette), incense makers, cleaners, laborers, cart pullers, and silk and cotton workers. â€Å"I realized that although eighty percent of women in India are economically active, they are outside the purview of legislation. Ela recognized that these women needed the help that they could get only through organizing together as a large group. To meet that need, she founded SEWA in 1972 to organize for better pay and working conditions. SEWA, which today has 250,000 members, helped workers at the lowest level of society become empowered to take control of their lives. It soon became apparent that women workers had a serious problem with money and banking. Even though many of the women worked twelve hours a day or more, they made little money, had no savings, and never had enough capital to improve their conditions.For example, a home- based textile assembler might have to pay high rent on the sewing machine she used. She never had enough money at one time to buy the machine. Even if a woman was able to get a little money together, the money often was not safe at home, where men felt entitled to whatever was in the house. If a women wanted to borrow money to further her business (for example, to buy extra vegetables to sell in the market), she would have to borrow from money lenders at outlandish rates, sometimes 50% per day.Since women's wealth was often in the form of jewelry, they also got funds through pawning. Because they were largely illiterate, these women were unable to sign their names at a bank and were unfamiliar with banking routines. A male relative would have to sign for them, gaining access to the money. In addition, bankers, who had never dealt with illiterate low-income women, treated them badly. SEWA had a meeting to which 2000 women came and told of their difficulties with the banks. Finally, someone said, à ¢â‚¬Å"Let's start our own bank! † Others agreed, and the idea was underway.SEWA Bank was registered in 1974 with 4,000 members. When money had to be raised to register the bank, the women, saying, â€Å"We are poor, but we are so many! † raised the needed RS. 100,000 within six months. Ela says that the idea that illiterate women cannot be decision-makers in finance is an untrue middle-class notion. A major problem was that the women could not sign their names. How could they be identified at SEWA Bank? SEWA found a way that was so successful it is now used in banks throughout India. Each woman was photographed holding a slate with her bank account number on it.One copy of the photo was in her bank passbook, while another copy was kept at the bank. This definite identification meant that women could now have money in their own names: men were no longer part of the process. When a woman joins SEWA Bank, the first step is saving. The woman must save an amount every week, no matter how small. Even if she makes only RS. 4, she is encouraged to save half a rupee. SEWA even provides a locked piggy bank for the purpose, and representatives from sewa come to the woman's home to take the savings to the bank.After acquiring the habit of saving, a woman will be allowed to take out a loan. Designed to meet the needs of low-income women, the loans are small with a long payback period, up to 36 months. Ela pioneered the concept of micro-lending, the idea that very small amounts, as small as $5, may be all that is needed to make a difference. Women used the loans for practical purposes: buying equipment they had formerly rented, expanding a business, installing indoor plumbing, and paying for children's education. Over 95% of the loans are repaid on time, a much higher repayment rate than for other banks.SEWA Bank also educates and assists the women through other services, such as day care, maternity protection, and job training. SEWA Bank, which now has over us $3 million in assets, has been so successful that there are now branches in other parts of India, and men have even asked to be included. It is important to realize that all this has been accomplished without any outside financial help whatsoever. The women did it themselves. Most important, the SEWA Bank model, through its concepts of micro-finance, has been used to empower poor women throughout the world.Towards this end, Ela joined with nine other women at the first UN World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975; these women shared the belief that the world's financial institutions must become accessible to low-income women. Incorporated in 1979, Women's World Banking now has 43 affiliates in 35 countries. Ela Bhatt has served as its chair since 1985. The far-reaching effects of Ela Bhatt's work have been recognized internationally through many awards, including the Right Livelihood Award (the alternate Nobel Prize) for ‘Changing the Human Environment' in Stockholm in 1984. Formal EconomyIn India today, only about 11% of workers hold regular jobs with formal employer- employee relationships. These jobs are documented and the workers are protected by whatever laws are available. Informal Economy Nearly 89% of India's workers are undocumented. Their work in the informal sector is usually not covered by legal protection that may be available to workers in formal sector jobs. They work either on their own, or as piece workers with a contractor or middleman, in relationships that depend on verbal agreement. Home-based Work Part of the informal economy, this work is done at home, usually by women.She gets raw materials from a contractor or middleman, assembles the finished product, and brings it to the middleman for payment. Often at the mercy of the contractor, she must accept whatever pay he is willing to give. This type of worker is the most invisible in the economy. Macro-Finance Works with the large amounts of money used by banks, governments, st ock markets, corporations, and other large institutions. Micro-Finance Micro-finance works with the very small amounts of money actually used by low-income people. It is often the most appropriate way to implement social programs at the grassroots level.Things to Do and Discuss 1 Imagine that you are a poor woman working in Gujarat, India. Construct a family, home, and job for yourself. You may want to consult a book or encyclopedia to get more information. What problems do you think you would have? How would you use a loan from SEWA Bank to improve the lives of yourself and your family? 2 How is women's work considered in your own country? In what ways is it similar or different from the situation in India? Do you think that changes such as SEWA provides would be useful in your country? ————————————————- Ela R Bhatt ——————— ————————— Extremely gentle and soft-spoken, yet firm and determined and widely recognized as pioneer in pushing for entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development leading to women empowerment – this is the practicing Gandhian economics and septuagenarian, Ela R Bhatt, popularly known as Elaben by members of Self Employed Women's Association or SEWA, which she founded in 1972. She helped the self-employed women to organize themselves. Its members include vegetable vendors, fisherwomen, bidi-rollers, weavers, and saltpan workers who were exploited for generations by middlemen.SEWA empowered them to explore direct market linkages, removing middlemen from the chain. Next it propagated the concept of self-reliance by producing and marketing to other villages leading to self-sustained village economy. It has formed 102 cooperatives including milk and grain and a Rural Distribution Network called RUDI to help women lin k with other villages in a 100-km radius. Next came a cooperative bank called SEWA Bank in 1974 to help these women have access to banking services which otherwise were not available.Like a banyan tree the SEWA today has spread to countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. ————————————————- Ela R Bhatt ————————————————- Extremely gentle and soft-spoken, yet firm and determined and widely recognized as pioneer in pushing for entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development leading to women empowerment – this is the practicing Gandhian economics and septuagenarian, Ela R Bhatt, popularly known as Elaben by members of Self Employed Women's Association or SEWA, which she founded in 1972.She helped the self-employed women to organize themselves. Its members include vegetable vendors, fisherwomen, bidi-rollers, weavers, and saltpan workers who were exploited for generations by middlemen. ————————————————- SEWA empowered them to explore direct market linkages, removing middlemen from the chain. Next it propagated the concept of self-reliance by producing and marketing to other villages leading to self-sustained village economy.It has formed 102 cooperatives including milk and grain and a Rural Distribution Network called RUDI to help women link with other villages in a 100-km radius. Next came a cooperative bank called SEWA Bank in 1974 to help these women have access to banking services which otherwise were not available. Like a banyan tree the SEWA today has spread to countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. ————————————â €”———- Ela Bhatt Of SEWA Awarded Indira Gandhi Prize For Promoting Peace :New Delhi, 18 Feb (Tehelka Bureau): Ela Bhatt is a name which has seen the transformation of close to 17 lakh people in the last four decades. As one of the founders of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), she has promoted the cause of women relentlessly allowing millions of them to become independent and self reliant. The impact of her work has been recognized consistently and it was lauded once again on Monday when she was honored by the President of India with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development.This makes Bhatt only the third Indian in the history of the award to receive the prize constituted in the memory of the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The other Indian recipients are former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and father of green revolution MS Swaminathan. Bhatt used the opportunity to re-examine the idea of peace and interpreted it as an instrument which disarms and renders war useless. Equating poverty with day-to-day violence, she found it to be no less destructive than war and said that its removal is essential for building peace.Stressing on the need to address the â€Å"realities of our own countries rather than catching up with the western economic models†, Bhatt urged the people to follow a principle which ensures six basic necessities- food, shelter, clothing, primary education, primary healthcare and primary banking- are available within a 100 mile distance. â€Å"If these necessities are locally produced and consumed, we will have the growth of a new holistic economy,† she said. ————————————————- The President praised her by calling the prize a â€Å"tribute to her unflinching zeal towards the betterment of women in society†New Delhi, 18 Feb (Tehelka Bureau):  Ela Bhatt is a name which has seen the transformation of close to 17 lakh people in the last four decades. As one of the founders of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), she has promoted the cause of women relentlessly allowing millions of them to become independent and self reliant. The impact of her work has been recognized consistently and it was lauded once again on Monday when she was honored by the President of India with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development.This makes Bhatt only the third Indian in the history of the award to receive the prize constituted in the memory of the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The other Indian recipients are former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and father of green revolution MS Swaminathan. Bhatt used the opportunity to re-examine the idea of peace and interpreted it as an instrument which disarms and renders war useless. Equating poverty with day-to-day violence, she found it to be no less destructiv e than war and said that its removal is essential for building peace.Stressing on the need to address the â€Å"realities of our own countries rather than catching up with the western economic models†, Bhatt urged the people to follow a principle which ensures six basic necessities- food, shelter, clothing, primary education, primary healthcare and primary banking- are available within a 100 mile distance. â€Å"If these necessities are locally produced and consumed, we will have the growth of a new holistic economy,† she said   ————————————————- ————————————————-Dr. Ela Bhatt, recipient of the University of Chicago's 2007 William Benton Medal for Distinguished Public Service, presented a public lecture on Novermber 27th in the Weymouth Kirkland C ourtroom. Ela R. Bhatt is widely recognized as one of the world’s most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Known as the â€Å"gentle revolutionary† she has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India’s poorest and most oppressed women workers, with Gandhian thinking as her source of guidance.In 1972, Dr. Bhatt founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – a trade union which now has more than 1,000,000 members. Founder Chair of the Cooperative Bank of SEWA, she is also founder and chair of Sa-Dhan (the All India Association of Micro Finance Institutions in India) and founder-chair of the Indian School of Micro-finance for Women. Dr. Bhatt was a Member of the Indian Parliament from 1986 to 1989, and subsequently a Member of the Indian Planning Commission.She founded and served as chair for Women’s World Banking, the International Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet), and Women in Infor mal Employment: Globalizing, Organizing (WIEGO). She also served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation for a decade. Dr. Bhatt has received several awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, and the Legion d’honneur from France. She has also received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, the University of Natal and other academic institutions.In 2007, Dr. Bhatt was named a member of The Elders, an international group of leaders whose goals include catalyzing peaceful resolutions to long-standing conflicts, articulating new approaches to global issues that are causing or may cause immense human suffering, and sharing wisdom by helping to connect voices all over the world. The Benton Medal The William Benton Medal for Distinguished Public Service is given to individuals who have rendered distinguished public service in the field of education. This field includes â€Å"not only teachers but also . . . veryone who contributes in a systematic way to shaping minds and disseminating knowledge. † Previous Benton Medal recipients include John Callaway, Katharine Graham, and Senator Paul Simon. ————————————————- Source: http://www. law. uchicago. edu/node/1502 ————————————————- ————————————————- The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 18 February 2013 conferred 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development Award to Ela Ramesh Bhatt, a renowned Women social worker.The award was given away at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Ela Bhatt was given away the award for life time achievements in women empowerment, promotion of gra ssroot level entrepreneurship as well as contribution towards promotion of equitable development and peace. Ela Bhatt has her organisation SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association). President Pranab Mukherjee while giving away the award announced that SEWA was a vehicle of self employment and self reliance for the Indian women, while at the same time being synonymous with the rural inclusiveness. Ela Bhatt †¢ Ela Bhatt is the founder of more than 1 million SEWAs in India. Since years, Ela Bhatt has been working for women empowerment and bringing women out of poverty through promotion of Self Help Groups. †¢ SEWA has empowered women with freedom as well as financial self- reliance (Source: http://www. jagranjosh. com/current-affairs/ela-bhatt-conferred-2011-indira-gandhi-prize-for-peace-disarmament-and-development-award-1361254391-1) ————————————- It honours the hard work of the poor: Ela Bhatt Tuesday, Feb 19, 2013, 16:44 IST | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA Says Ela Bhatt on receiving Indira Gandhi peace prize.Noted social worker Ela Ramesh Bhatt was on Monday conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development by President Pranab Mukherjee. After receiving the award, Elaben (80), founder of Self-Employed Women's Association (Sewa), said the prize is recognition of hard work by the all poor working women and their leadership worldwide, who hold peace, disarm violence and reduce poverty with their honest work. She said that award has given her the opportunity to explore what constitutes the peace. â€Å"I have often stated that poverty is violence.This violence is by consensus of society that lets other human beings go without roti, kapada and makan. Poverty is not god given. It is a moral collapse of our society. Garibi hatao to me also meant, indeed, shanti banao. Garibi Hatao is a peace song,† said founder of Sewa which has 17 lakh members now. She said that when Mahatma Gandhi talked about Swaraj, he talked about economic decentralisation. She urged people to ensure that six basic needs are met from resources within 100 miles. ————————————————- â€Å"I call it the 100-mile principle.If food, shelter, clothing, primary education, primary healthcare and primary banking are locally produced and consumed, we will have the growth of a new holistic economy that the world will take note of,† she said. She insisted that catching up with the western economic models will turn us into incompetent followers, not leaders. ————————————————- (Source: http://www. dnaindia. com/ahmedabad/1801728/report-it-honours-the-hard-work-of-the-poor-ela-bhatt ——————â €”—————————- Ela Bhatt conferred prestigious Indira Gandhi PrizeFeb 18, 2013 Ela Bhatt, a well-known social worker, was honored for her life time achievements in empowering women and promoting grass root level entrepreneurship. Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), was presented with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2011 by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at a glittering ceremony today. Ela Bhatt was honoured for her life time achievements in empowering women, promoting grassroot level entrepreneurship and for her contribution towards promoting equitable development and peace.Ela Bhatt is known globally for her work over decades (though officially only since 1972) that has created SEWA with a membership in excess of 1. 3 million. She also founded the SEWA Cooperative Bank in 1974, which has an outreach of 3 million women —    simple figures that speak volumes of her dedicated efforts and leadership to successfully bring women out of poverty into a life of self-confidence and esteem. Speaking on the ocassion President Pranab Mukherjee said Ela Bhat's orgainisation SEVA has today become synonymous with rural inclusiveness and a vehicle of self employment and self reliance for women.The President praised her work for bringing women out of poverty and empowering them with the freedom to choose and attaining financial self-reliance through the promotion of Self Help. Congratulating her, the President said her life and work is reflective of the philosophy and ideals espoused by India's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in whose memory the prize was instituted. The President said Ms Bhatt’s example would spur many more initiatives in our country and elsewhere, aimed at renewal of society and all-round development of people. If women are under represented in the productive efforts of our economy, i t is not only injudicious but also detrimental to the cause of social progress,† the president. â€Å"Due to the untiring efforts of Ms. Bhatt, SEWA has become an effective vehicle for promotion of self employment and self reliance amongst women. To realize these goals, the organization has been providing support services in the areas of savings and credit, health care, child care, legal aid, insurance, capacity building and communication. It has become a multi-dimensional entity – a labour collective, a co-operative and a women’s movement. ————————————————- Speaking on the occassion, India's Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh said, â€Å"By saying that poverty is the moral failure of a society, Ela-ben throws down the gauntlet to society at large. Her own attempt to attack poverty by organizing poor women and helping them empower themselves economical ly is at once aimed at the twin evils of poverty and gender discrimination. † Ela Bhatt : The ‘gentle revolutionary’; a pioneer in women’s empowerment and grassroots development, founder of the more than 1 million-strong Self-Employed Women’s Association in India.There are risks in every action. Every success has the seed of some failure. But it doesn't matter. It is how you go about it. That is the real challenge. † Ela Bhatt has been a member of The Elders since the group was founded in 2007. Profoundly influenced by Gandhian thinking, she advocates local, grassroots solutions for those who are poor, oppressed or suffering the effects of violent conflict. She joined her fellow Elders to encourage peaceful Palestinian protest and self-reliance during The Elders’ two delegations to  Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.One of India’s foremost women’s rights activists, Ela Bhatt welcomed the Elders to India in F ebruary 2012, where the group lent their support to young people in the state of Bihar campaigning to end  child marriage  in their own communities. One of India’s foremost women’s rights activists, Ela Bhatt welcomed the Elders to India in February 2012, where the group lent their support to young people in the state of Bihar campaigning to end  child marriage  in their own communities. â€Å"We are poor, but so many†Ela Bhatt is one of the world’s most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Known as the ‘gentle revolutionary’, she has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India’s poorest and most oppressed women workers. In 1972 she founded the  Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), a trade union for women workers in India’s huge informal sector, who make up 94 per cent of the female labour force and yet have never enjoyed the same rights and security as those in f ormal employment.Today SEWA has more than 1. 2 million members across nine Indian states. â€Å"We may be poor, but we are so many. Why don’t we start a bank of our own? Our own women’s bank, where we are treated with the respect and service that we deserve. †Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Chandaben, SEWA member The following year, Ela Bhatt founded the  Cooperative Bank of SEWA. The bank helps women to gain financial independence and raise their standing in their families and communities – and puts into practice the Gandhian principles of self-reliance and collective action.Empowering women workers Among the organisations Ela Bhatt has created and inspired, she founded and chairs: * Sa-Dhan (the All India Association of Micro Finance Institutions in India) * The Indian School of Micro-finance for Women * Women’s World Banking * The International Alliance of Home-based Workers (HomeNet) * Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing, Organizing (WIEGO)| She has also served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation for more than ten years.In recognition of her work to improve the status of women and the working poor in India and elsewhere, Ela Bhatt was awarded the first-ever Global Fairness Initiative Award, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, and the Legion d’honneur from France. She has also received honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale and the University of Natal. ————————————————- Women, work and peace Ela Bhatt,  18 February 2013 â€Å"Poverty is day-to-day violence, no less destructive than war. Receiving the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, Ela Bhatt re-examines our idea of peace, arguing that equity, local economies and the empowerment of women through work are central to supporting economic freedoms, and therefor e peace. Honorable President of India, Honorable Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, Honorable Prime Minister of India, and distinguished dignitaries and friends: Thank you for this singular honor. I humbly accept the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on behalf of the self-employed women of  SEWA. This year, SEWA is 40 years old; I turn 80.We are a sisterhood of 17  lakh  [1. 7 million]. Our journey is long and perhaps endless. This prize has given honor to all working poor women and their leadership worldwide, who hold peace, disarm violence and reduce poverty with their honest work. And therefore, it gives me deep contentment to be here today. I still hope someday they will hold a central place in our economy. This peace prize gives us an opportunity to re-examine our ideas of what constitutes peace. Certainly, absence of war is not peace. Peace is what keeps war away, but it is more than that; peace disarms and renders war useless.Peace is a condition enjoyed by a fair and fertile society. Peace is about restoring balance in society; only then is it lasting peace. In my view, restoration and reconstruction of a society are essential and key components of the peace process worldwide. If we look carefully at our world, we find that where there is unfair distribution of resources, there is unrest. When people cannot enjoy the fruits of their labors fairly, when they are forced off their land and homestead and forest, we have the basis of an unjust society. Where there is violence and conflict, we invariably find poverty.And where there is poverty, we find anger and acute struggles for justice and equity. And we see governments resorting to repression for ensuring ‘law and order’. I have often stated that poverty is violence. This violence is by consensus of society that lets other human beings go without  roti  and  kapada  and  makan. Poverty is not God-given. It is a moral collapse of our society. Poverty strips a per son of his or her humanity and takes away freedom. Poverty is day-to-day violence, no less destructive than war. Poverty is lack of peace and freedom. In fact, removing poverty is essentially building peace.I know I am not saying anything new. Garibi Hatao  to me also meant indeed  Shanti Banao. Garibi Hatao  is a peace song. In India, we are proud of our multicultural society. Bahudha  is at the heart of what makes us who we are: social diversity, political diversity, religious diversity, biological diversity. But in our rush to modernise let us not forget one of our greatest assets: our economic diversity. In our markets, we have the street vendor, the cart seller, the kiosk owner, the shop owner, and the supermarket owner, all plying their trades at the same time.Let them cater to different strata of society, co-existing and competing in a natural, organic way. Let our planning include ample room for the millions of small entrepreneurs and self-employed, who cater to the widest strata of society, to flourish and grow. They are the agents of an economic development that reaches the grassroots; they weave the living web of social and economic relationships that will bind our nations together. Gandhiji talked about  swaraj; he talked about economic decentralization. I would urge us to ensure that six basic primary needs are met from resources within 100 miles around us. I call it the â€Å"100 mile principle†.If food, shelter, clothing, primary education, primary healthcare and primary banking are locally produced and consumed, we will have the growth of a new holistic economy, which the world will sit up and take note of. And it  is  possible in and around India – in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan – women have done it. Catching up with western economic models will turn us into incompetent followers, not leaders. But if we address the realities of our own countries, we can create a development that makes u s leaders of our destiny. Let me make clear, however, that the 100 mile principle is not a recipe for isolation.I am not asking at all that we go back but move forward with heightened awareness about how and where we spend our money and what our work is doing to us and those around us. In fact, technologies can help to share knowledge and ideas across countries. However, we do need to get away from a world where people grow what they do not eat, and eat what they do not grow; where they have lost control over their basic production and daily consumption; where they have become part of a system whose outcomes are determined by people far away, in a manner not in their interest and outside their control.This awareness is already growing among the younger generation the world over. In India, we have a running start because our local economies are still alive. Let us give them the respect they deserve by investing in people who survive despite our neglect. And where do we start? I have faith in women. Women have shown, if we care to observe, that disarmament in the end is not a treaty by two nations to render arms useless, though such treaties are much-needed in this world. In my experience, as I have seen within India and in other countries, women are the key to rebuilding a community. Why?Focus on women and you will find an ally who wants a stable community. She wants roots for her family. You get a worker, a provider, a caretaker, an educator, a networker, a forger of bonds. I consider thousands of poor working women’s participation and representation an integral part of the peace and development process. Women bring constructive, creative and sustainable solutions to the table. Also, in my experience, productive work is the thread that weaves a society together. When you have work, you have an incentive to maintain a stable society. You cannot only see the future, but you can plan for the future.You can build assets and invest in the next generation. Li fe is no longer just about survival. Work builds peace because work gives people roots, as well as allowing them to flower; it builds communities and it gives meaning and dignity to one’s life. Work restores man’s relationships with himself, with fellow human beings, with the earth and the environment, and with the great spirit that created us all. Being one of The Elders, I listen to Nelson Mandela, dear Madiba, telling us frequently that â€Å"money won’t create success, but the freedom to make it, will. True, in Gaza, the men and women said to me, â€Å"Without work we can neither forgive nor forget, because what have we to look forward to? † In a Sudanese camp, I heard refugees crying for work, not charity. After the earthquake in Kutch, when I visited the area, everywhere I went the women, who had lost everything, said to me, â€Å"Ben, have you brought work? † By work, I do not mean sweatshops and cheap labour in factories that leave a perso n a slave to yet another kind of exploitation.Treating land and forests and people and even work as a commodity cannot build a fuller human being, nor a holistic society. Such work strips them of the multifunctional, multicultural character of work that fosters a dynamic and organic growth in society. A woman who tends a small plot of land, grows vegetables, weaves cloth, and provides for the family and the market, while caring for the financial, social, educational and emotional needs of her family is multifunctional worker and the builder of a stable society.One who labours long hours at a factory where he has no control of his work or his skills, contributes one product to society whose work is ‘measured’ and therefore given greater credence by us, while her work is unaccounted and ignored. It is the GDP at the household level that matters. The use of word ‘domestic’ in GDP should not be overlooked. Peace and development cannot be measured in numbers. I do hope that one day peace and development will shine on the face of our land and the people, and the world will enjoy the wisdom of my India.Thank you very much. Ela Bhatt delivered this speech upon accepting the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, on 18 February 2013 in New Delhi. ————————————————- Source: http://theelders. org/article/welcoming-my-fellow-elders-india Welcoming my fellow Elders to India â€Å"We hope to listen to girls affected by child marriage, their parents, their teachers and community leaders – and amplify their needs and concerns in our conversations with government, media and other influential people. Ela Bhatt is joined in India by her fellow Elders Desmond Tutu, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson at the start of a week-long visit focusing on the empowerment of girls and women. I am very happy to be welcoming my frie nds Desmond Tutu, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson to India. This is the first time the Elders have travelled here as a group, and I hope that by the end of our visit to Delhi and Bihar, we will have become even â€Å"wiser†. Our aim is to listen and learn, not lecture. I also hope this is the beginning of a continued relationship with the people and leaders of India.As some of you may already know, the Elders work together as independent global leaders, supporting peace-building and human rights. These issues are closely related in my view. Peace, human rights and human development go hand in hand, and the Millennium Development Goals – the international benchmarks for progress on poverty, health, education and other issues – are a very important tool. I strongly believe that peace is not a political issue, it’s a human one, and will only be achieved when everyone has the freedom to grow at their own pace and to fulfill their potential.In India, the focu s of our visit is to support Indian girls in particular to realize their full potential by drawing attention to the practice of child marriage. In this way, we hope we will also contribute towards India’s own development as a peaceful partner in the global family of nations. In the developing world an estimated one in three girls is married before the age of 18. One in seven marries before 15. Around ten million girls a year are affected by child marriage and one third of them live in India. Child marriage is, however, a truly global practice.It occurs across all major religions and regions, from West and East Africa to South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and communities in Europe and the United States. There are many reasons why child marriage happens, but we now recognize that marrying later, delaying pregnancy and continuing girls’ education, providing them adequate skills and financial literacy, are all important ways to support development and build a more peaceful world. As I mentioned, the Elders are not here to lecture or prescribe.Nevertheless as home to a significant proportion of the world’s child brides, addressing this issue in India is very important on the global scale. What we hope to do is to listen to girls affected by child marriage, their parents, their teachers and community leaders – and amplify their needs and concerns in our conversations with government, media and other influential people. I am very sympathetic to the difficult decisions that families must make here in India. Even if they want their daughters to be educated, there are often no schools nearby, especially outside the big towns and cities.Physical security is a real concern if girls have to travel long distances or stay in dormitories away from home. In India, family and community are also central to most people’s security – both physical and financial. Marriages are not just between individuals, but weave together families and communities in mutually supportive networks. This makes marriage complex and important to social cohesion. Like everywhere in India, we are seeing change. I have seen differences in age of marriage from my mother’s generation to my own, and my daughters’. But it is far too slow.We hope that the Elders’ contribution will help to create an enabling environment where everyone works together – government, young people, media, NGOs, and businesses too – so that girls can become equal members of the family, not second class members, and can truly fulfil their potential. We look forward to sharing our thoughts along the way, and hope that you will join the conversation too. ———————————————————————————— Peace by practice: Mandela Day 2011 Ahead of Mandela Day 2011, Ela Bhatt asks how we can live up to NelsonMandela's example and discusses the power of â€Å"thinking local† to change our communities and create a better world. To me, Nelson Mandela is a supreme symbol of freedom’s struggle. Next week, on 18 July, he will celebrate his 93rd birthday, a daythat around the world people now recognise as ‘Mandela Day’. Let us take this opportunityto reflect on the life of a man we have come to know and respect as a great leader, one who sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of his people. How best do we honour his achievements? What can we do to live up to Madiba’s example? Looking for a solutionIt is often said that the problems facing our world are too overwhelming or intractable – that you find endless conflict, injustice and poverty. I agree that if you want to fixthe world’s problems, you have a mightytask. In my own country, India, the scale of the poverty we see is enough to break you r heart. After decades of independence, freedom has still not come to everycitizen – discrimination has taken new forms, and the poorest of the poor live on the margins, the invisible engine of our so-called ‘Tiger economy’. When we see such suffering, it is natural to wish to solve everything at once.We turn to our governments for a solution, and feel frustrated when theyfail to act. But I have never been one to argue that governments have all the answers. Change is up to us Our greatest source of strength is right under our noses; the families, work-places and communities that give us strong foundations, on which equal societies are built. Thinking local, we can turn power upside down. In my work with Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), I have seen some of the poorest, most vulnerable women transform their lives and the communities theylive in.From being home-based workers, landless labourers or illiterate food vendors they have claimed their right s and have become the owners of their own resources, the beneficiaries of their own land. They meet resistance from the authorities at everystage but theystand firm, together, saying â€Å"We are poor, but so many! † I believe strongly that to bring widespread change, we must first make that change ourselves. Another great teacher, Mahatma Gandhi, imagined this as ripples in water, small circles of change that grow ever wider.Our actions have an impact we may never even see. Peace by practice Rather than find yourself immobilised bythe scale of the world’s problems, look around you. Even when a problem is right under your nose, it is easyto ignore it – we curse fate, blame tradition or sayâ€Å"it’s God’s will. † But you will not have to search far before you find people who are hungry, lonely, downtrodden, persecuted – sometimes we just need a reason to reach out to them. When Nelson Mandela founded The Elders, he invoked the idea of ubuntu: that we are human onlythrough the humanity of others.What he describes is more than charity, it is a certain outlook or way of life. Byserving others, we actuallyfulfil our own humanity – these actions are full of faith, a form of prayer. This Mandela Day – a dayfor personal, local action – let us spend our energies serving our own communities to honour the 67 years Nelson Mandela dedicated to fighting for a better world. (Source : ————————————————- Harvard varsity to honour Ela Bhatt (Source: http://articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/2011-03-14/ahmedabad/28687384_1_ela-bhatt-sewa-honour )BOSTON: The prestigious  Harvard University  will honor Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), for her â€Å"life and work† that has had a â€Å"significant impact on society† . Bhatt (77), whose trade union has helped over a million women in  India  gain access to opportunities for themselves and their families, will be awarded the Radcliffe Institute Medal by Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She would be presented the medal, awarded annually to individuals who have substantially and positively influenced society, on Radcliffe Day on May 27.Some of the illustrious past winners include  Toni Morrison  in 2007,  Margaret Atwood  in 2003, Billie Jean King in 2002 and  Alice Walker  in 1992. â€Å"The Radcliffe Institute is proud to honor her this year, in which gender in the developing world is one of its dominant themes,† the Institute said. Recipient of several prestigious awards, Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1972. Conceived as a women's trade union, SEWA has grown into an NGO that offers micro-lending , health and life insurance and child care — all overseen by more than a hundred women-run cooperatives.In January 2010, SEWA membe rship had reached 1. 2 million. Bhatt has been recognised for her long battle for social justice. In November last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had honoured Bhatt with the Global Fairness Initiative Award for helping move more than a million poor women in India to a position of dignity and independence. Radcliffe Day is the Institute's annual celebration of women, as well as the alumnae and fellows of Radcliffe College and the Radcliffe Institute.It is traditionally held on the day after Harvard's commencement. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is a scholarly community where individuals pursue advanced work across a wide range of academic disciplines, professions and creative arts. Within this broad purpose , the institute sustains a continuing commitment to the study of women, gender and the society. ————————————————- An exhibiti on on Ahmadabad’s forgotten heroine TNN  Nov 17, 2012, 06. 44AM ISTAHMEDABAD: She was respected by lakhs of textile workers and the poor – Anasuya Sarabhai(1885-1972), fondly known as ‘Motaben', holds a unique place in the history of the country. She is best remembered for joining hands with  Mahatma Gandhi  in leading the historic strike of mill workers in Ahmedabad, which eventually led to the founding of the country's first Textile Labour Association (TLA), in 1920. A 13-day exhibition, starting on Saturday is being held in the city, chronicling Motaben's life. It also marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Sewa (Self-employed Women's Association) as well as the 127th birthday of Anasuya Sarabhai. Her reputation among mill workers, and the love and trust they showed in her leadership, were key to Gandhiji's eventual success,† says Somanth Bhatt, who conjured up rare pictures of Anasuya for an exhibition at Shantisadan on Mirzapur Road in the walled city. â€Å"Anasuyaben's thoughts and spirit nurtured Gandhi's ideologies. This is the first time a labour organization is getting involved in an exhibition for a labour leader, Motaben,† says founder of Sewa, Ela Bhatt, who first worked with Motaben in 1955. Shantisadan was where Ansuyaben lived and founded the labour movement. This is a rare oppurtunity to exhibit history in the place where it occured. The unique thing about this exhibition is that it is presented in a way that speaks about Anasuyaben in her own words and photographs,† says Bhatt. She further adds, â€Å"Many would not know this but Motaben was the force behind the major labour laws of our country. In my opinion, Motaben and her contribution to the reedom struggle and labour movement should become part of school textbooks. † ————————————————- Ela Bhat Source : http://www. tole rance. org/activity/ela-bhat) â€Å"I realized that although eighty percent of women in India are economically active, they are outside the purview of legislation. † Ela's Story Born in 1933 to a middle class, well-educated family, Ela Bhatt has spent her life fighting for the rights and welfare of India's ‘invisible' workers. Her grandparents worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the non-violent struggle for Indian Independence from the British. Deeply influenced by Gandhi, Ela has followed his ideals all her life.She has pioneered the idea that people themselves, no matter how poor or uneducated, are able to solve their own problems if they organize together to do so. To help provide this, she founded SEWA, the Self-Employed Women's Association. Called â€Å"one of the best – -if not the best – – grassroots programmes for women on the planet,† SEWA proved so successful that it has become a model for micro-finance programs in other parts of the worl d. Ela started as a lawyer with the Textile Labour Association (TLA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a union founded by Gandhi, who had deep respect for India's textile producers.Working in the women's division, Ela soon found that women were doing many of the labor-intensive tasks needed in textile production, as well as in other fields of work. However, as workers, they were invisible. Out- raged, Ela said, â€Å"Personally, I don't think there can be any greater injustice to anybody in the world than to have one's work contribution negated†¦ Who is the backbone of any economy in the country? It's the poor! Yet they are not recorded as workers in the national census. They are described as non-workers! Home-based workers are the least visible of all. In the textile industry, contractors give the women cloth pieces which are already cut out to form parts of a garment. The women sew the garments together at home and return them to the contractor. The women have to work fast and for long hours, because they are paid by the piece. Often, young daughters help with the sewing after school. The contractor would pay whatever he wished, often an extremely low rate of 4-5 rupees per day. The women, because they were unorganized, had no way to demand higher rates.Other women workers in the informal sector also had very difficult working conditions and were often exploited. These women included vegetable sellers, rag pickers, bidi rollers (a hand-rolled cigarette), incense makers, cleaners, laborers, cart pullers, and silk and cotton workers. â€Å"I realized that although eighty percent of women in India are economically active, they are outside the purview of legislation. † Ela recognized that these women needed the help that they could get only through organizing together as a large group. To meet that need, she founded SEWA in 1972 to organize for better pay and working conditions.SEWA, which today has 250,000 members, helped workers at the lowest level of societ y become empowered to take control of their lives. It soon became apparent that women workers had a serious problem with money and banking. Even though many of the women worked twelve hours a day or more, they made little money, had no savings, and never had enough capital to improve their conditions. For example, a home- based textile assembler might have to pay high rent on the sewing machine she used. She never had enough money at one time to buy the machine.Even if a woman was able to get a little money together, the money often was not safe at home, where men felt entitled to whatever was in the house. If a women wanted to borrow money to further her business (for example, to buy extra vegetables to sell in the market), she would have to borrow from money lenders at outlandish rates, sometimes 50% per day. Since women's wealth was often in the form of jewelry, they also got funds through pawning. Because they were largely illiterate, these women were unable to sign their names at a bank and were unfamiliar with banking routines.A male relative would have to sign for them, gaining access to the money. In addition, bankers, who had never dealt with illiterate low-income women, treated them badly. SEWA had a meeting to which 2000 women came and told of their difficulties with the banks. Finally, someone said, â€Å"Let's start our own bank! † Others agreed, and the idea was underway. SEWA Bank was registered in 1974 with 4,000 members. When money had to be raised to register the bank, the women, saying, â€Å"We are poor, but we are so many! † raised the needed RS. 100,000 within six months.Ela says that the idea that illiterate women cannot be decision-makers in finance is an untrue middle-class notion. A major problem was that the women could not sign their names. How could they be identified at SEWA Bank? SEWA found a way that was so successful it is now used in banks throughout India. Each woman was photographed holding a slate with her ban k account number on it. One copy of the photo was in her bank passbook, while another copy was kept at the bank. This definite identification meant that women could now have money in their own names: men were no longer part of the process.When a woman joins SEWA Bank, the first step is saving. The woman must save an amount every week, no matter how small. Even if she makes only RS. 4, she is encouraged to save half a rupee. SEWA even provides a locked piggy bank for the purpose, and representatives from sewa come to the woman's home to take the savings to the bank. After acquiring the habit of saving, a woman will be allowed to take out a loan. Designed to meet the needs of low-income women, the loans are small with a long payback period, up to 36 months. Ela pioneered the concept of micro-lending, the idea that very small amounts, as small as $5, may be all hat is needed to make a difference. Women used the loans for practical purposes: buying equipment they had formerly rented, ex panding a business, installing indoor plumbing, and paying for children's education. Over 95% of the loans are repaid on time, a much higher repayment rate than for other banks. SEWA Bank also educates and assists the women through other services, such as day care, maternity protection, and job training. SEWA Bank, which now has over us $3 million in assets, has been so successful that there are now branches in other parts of India, and men have even asked to be included.It is important to realize that all this has been accomplished without any outside financial help whatsoever. The women did it themselves. Most important, the SEWA Bank model, through its concepts of micro-finance, has been used to empower poor women throughout the world. Towards this end, Ela joined with nine other women at the first UN World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975; these women shared the belief that the world's financial institutions must become accessible to low-income women. Incorporated in 1 979, Women's World Banking now has 43 affiliates in 35 countries.Ela Bhatt has served as its chair since 1985. The far-reaching effects of Ela Bhatt's work have been recognized internationally through many awards, including the Right Livelihood Award (the alternate Nobel Prize) for ‘Changing the Human Environment' in Stockholm in 1984. Formal Economy In India today, only about 11% of workers hold regular jobs with formal employer- employee relationships. These jobs are documented and the workers are protected by whatever laws are available. Informal Economy Nearly 89% of India's workers are undocumented.Their work in the informal sector is usually not covered by legal protection that may be available to workers in formal sector jobs. They work either on their own, or as piece workers with a contractor or middleman, in relationships that depend on verbal agreement. Home-based Work Part of the informal economy, this work is done at home, usually by women. She gets raw materials from a contractor or middleman, assembles the finished product, and brings it to the middleman for payment. Often at the mercy of the contractor, she must accept whatever pay he is willing to give.This type of worker is the most invisible in the economy. Macro-Finance Works with the large amounts of money used by banks, governments, stock markets, corporations, and other large institutions. Micro-Finance Micro-finance works with the very small amounts of money actually used by low-income people. It is often the most appropriate way to implement social programs at the grassroots level. Things to Do and Discuss 1 Imagine that you are a poor woman working in Gujarat, India. Construct a family, home, and job for yourself. You may want to consult a book or encyclopedia to get more information.What problems do you think you would have? How would you use a loan from SEWA Bank to improve the lives of yourself and your family? 2 How is women's work considered in your own country? In what way s is it similar or different from the situation in India? Do you think that changes such as SEWA provides would be useful in your country? ————————————————- Interview with Ela Bhatt Founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) A good combination of struggle and constructive work Create, as a strategy, alternative economic organizationsAhmedabad, Gujarat, India | Ela Bhatt. Photo by Nic Paget-Clarke. | | Self-employed  vegetable vendors in Ahmedabad. Click  to see a series of photos. Photo by Nic Paget-Clarke. | Ela Bhatt  is the founder of the  Self Employed Women’s Association(SEWA) and was SEWA’s first general-secretary. Based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, SEWA is the largest single trade union in the country with a membership of 687,000 women. SEWA’s members are vegetable and garment vendors, in-home seamstresses, head-load ers, bidi rollers, paper pickers, construction workers, incense stick makers, and agricultural workers.They come from India's â€Å"unorganized sector† and organize for their just dues and rights. 96% of all women workers in India are in this sector. Among their achievements is the SEWA Bank whose capital is made up entirely of their own contributions. The SEWA Bank was founded in 1974 by 4,000 women each contributing ten rupees. This interview was conducted August 31, 2003 by Nic Paget-Clarke for In Motion Magazine in Ahmedabad. Also see interview with  Jayshree Vyas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Managing Director of SEWA Bank. * The Independence Struggle * Self-employed laborers * A leading role in the women’s movement You have to be for something * In Gandhi’s thinking * Civil disobedience and sit-in strikes * Satyagraha and street vendors * Face-to-face talk * Alternative economic organizations * Cooperatives and trade unions * Full employment and self-reliance – social change * The diversity of our society * Literacy education * Democratic values * To serve * Changes in the garment industry * Globalization: the construction industry * Embroidery and migration * Only because we had an organization * The interests of the local producers * Using the technology * Changing the balance of powerThe Independence Struggle In Motion Magazine:  What made you think you needed to start the organization SEWA? Ela Bhatt:  I’m a product of the later years of the freedom movement, the independence movement of my country. As we were studying in school and then in college our teachers and everybody around was talking about independence. In the family, also, there was the atmosphere of the independence struggle. My own grandfather, my mother’s father, was in the Salt March. He was in jail. My mother’s two brothers were in jail. (Editor: begun March 12, 1930, the Salt March led by Mohandas (Mahatma) K.Gandhi was a 24-day march from his ashram in Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea to make salt and protest the British ban of an Indian’s right to make salt. ). When I was studying in college, our teachers asked us to go the villages and live with the villagers. Mainly against injustice, against poverty. We never had to question how to do it because Gandhiji had shown the way — how to go about it and what kind of discipline you have to follow. There I met my husband (

Cross-Cultural Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cross-Cultural Interview - Essay Example Besides, Locke introduced an innovative model which consists of 10 elements to have deeper understanding on multiculturalism. Thesis statement: Can one prove the predictability of Don C Locke’s model through a structured interview with a member of minority population in the United States. The structured interview with a member from minority population pointed out by Locke in the text proves the credibility of the theory. Besides, the interviewee selected for the interview was a member of African American community. Don C. Locke opines that: â€Å"The African American population has undergone significant changes† (Locke, 1998) the African American minorities consists of a well knit community with growth and development. The questionnaire (see appendix-1) prepared for the interview consists of the model pointed out by Locke. The findings derived from the interview exposes the past of African Americans and their present condition in American society. In addition, the findings are to be evaluated with a futuristic outlook. The main findings of the interview are pointed out below. The first question asked was related to Acculturation and the multicultural characteristics of African Americans. The answer proves that the African Americans are capable to assimilate themselves into the American society. As the American society is an amalgam of multiracial, multicultural and multilingual factors, there is high chance for a minority race to accept the same as the part of their culture. The second question was related to the poverty and economic concerns. The interviewee made clear that he and his family face problems related to housing, employment and educational opportunities. The African American community faces certain economic and social problems especially on employment and higher education. The third question was related to the history of oppression which chained the African American community for centuries in the

What happens after we die Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What happens after we die - Essay Example In the modern times, people became interested with its occurrence that they applied science to test about the life after death. Some peer-reviewed studies had found such memories in children but they remained non-conclusive because no tests were sufficient to measure it.It was even doubted greatly by skeptic scientists. The life after death seems to be hard to be proven. It may or may not exist. Some naturalists may just say that life will just cease once biological death approaches and consciousness will fade too. It only means that the concept of the soul is even under debate if it truly exists or not. Personally, I may think of the concept of life after death as subjective because various people have different notions regarding it. It is still not proven by science until now. For the paper regarding the life after death, the focus would be on the work of Joseph Pieper, the author of Leisure: The Basis of Culture. Pieper was a philosopher from Germany who was the primary proponent of the New Thomistic wave as a philosophy since he is part of the Catholic Church. Joseph Pieper learned various fields in social science from sociology to philosophy from popular universities. He had worked as a writer and sociologist until he pursued being a professor in the University of Munster where he also studied. His perspective was influenced greatly by the ways of Thomas Aquinas together with the ideologies of the Greek philosopher Plato. In the first chapter which is entitled The Philosophical Act, Pieper was very philosophical. The meaning was so deep in the chapter where he talked about the common good and the common need (Pieper 78). He might want to tell something about how philosophy can cause disturbance but it was left to the reader to identify what kind of disturbance did Pieper want to convey to the readers. Probably he tried to connect the philosophy of common good and common needs as people go for the utilitarian world filled with work to satisfy the needs to s urvive. I can see his point regarding the philosophy that he promotes. Nowadays consumer culture is prevalent and sometimes it goes beyond the necessity. As a result, crimes increase, imbalance in nature is observed and destruction of the environment is noticeable and all of them happen in the name of greed. People live on the outside world and I may not say that I am not part of it. Sometimes being too busy with the supply and demand, people become accustomed to the materialistic world where all that matters is the functional basis of living and things are compartmentalized. Probably Pieper did not say that it is bad to engage in such a world or system but he wanted to also point out the importance of the oneness or the unity of people despite of differences. It is even linked to the practice of spending the seventh day of the week as a break from work and worship God. For him, it is also an essential component in life that even transcends beyond the common needs which the utilitar ian world provides. It only shows that the common need is a subset of the common good because the latter is more complex which requires something beyond the physical and material needs. December 1, 2012: Leisure: The Basis of Culture Chapters One and Two Another thing that Pieper pointed out was the definition of leisure. Sometimes culture had dictated what leisure is but actually the roots of leisure is seen when people are at work. They are busy. He also pointed out that leisure should involve not just the mechanistic or functional way of doing things without having time for rest or not serious activities. Sometimes work becomes not so engaging and people just do what they are doing for the sake of doing it. It is in contrast with what Pieper had said that work can be leisure if people have the time to reflect or contemplate. He pushed the idea of having enjoyment and appreciation on what is being done. Personally, the writer of the reaction paper thinks of it as an art

Interview in Cyberlaw Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interview in Cyberlaw - Assignment Example Adult 2: Am not happy with such sites since they do give some private information about a person which can sometimes create scandals in their lives. Also, one cannot control the information such sites are giving unless by use of law and this may cost one a lot of money and time. Adult 1: Yes the Federal Government should implement laws dealing on the way companies use ones personal information. For example, it should limit the company’s rights on posting their employee’s credit card information, family members’ information as well as social security number. Adult 2: The federal government should implement such laws as by doing so companies will have to consult their employees before posting some personal information. For instance, the government should include that a company should not to post any personal information regarding an employee’s financial status. Adult 2: I think the company should be the one held responsible. Let’s say the information given about any person contradicts the law, the organisation posting the information is the one that should be held responsible and not the individual. This should serve as a way of restricting the information that companies post concerning their employees. I would advice employees to be very careful when giving their personal information to the employer as they can find the information at any time in the

Ways in which contemporary art history engages with issues of Essay

Ways in which contemporary art history engages with issues of difference in class, power, culture, etc - Essay Example The paper "Ways in which contemporary art history engages with issues of difference in class, power, culture, etc" discovers the history of contemporary art and the issues it engages. Class has developed a number of issues when it comes to art. A class is a category of individuals having some properties in common differentiated from others by kind or quality. It means people that have been bound by similar setting different from others giving them a distinct difference from others and collectively showing similar behaviours also inclusive of their social status. In this light, a class can include religious class, social class and also a political class. In recent past, religious class grasps to ideas that favour their mannerism and whatsoever most of them would be conservative of their ways. Art mostly includes creatively displaying imaginative ideas that, for instance, may involve drawing, carving or coming up with expressions such as nude figures or distorted ones that would collid e with the values of a class engulfed in religion. Truly enough, a state entitled or having a Muslim or a Christian following would largely condemn art involving nude figures as it seems to be a violation of their religious exposure. A class that is more influential would favour or hamper art development as they would have the final say to nail the idea or exalt the idea. The political class would be cautious to tread in the ways of their subjects especially in a society that practices democratic election.

Ancient Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ancient Mythology - Essay Example We come now to the year of 1982 when Marion Zimmer Bradley published her astonishing book The Mists Of Avalon. We will compare Bradley's work with the original tales, to demonstrate that while the myth of Arthur was and is still powerful, the women in Arthur's life took center stage and became legends in their own right with Bradley's book. In the original legend, Arthur was born to Uther Pendragon and his wife Igraine. Arthur had an older half-sister Morgaine, also later known as Morgan Of the Fairies. Merlin the Magician was originally known as Taliesin, a Druid High Priest who transformed over time and many authors. The original tale of Arthur's destiny is kept true to form in Bradley's book, where Arthur winds up with a fatal wound at the hands of his son, Mordred. Some claim that Mordred was the son of Arthur and the golden-haired Guenivere, and others claim that Mordred was a bastard child of Arthur's who later attempted to lay claim as Arthur's heir to the throne since Arthur had had no other sons. Bradley's rendition of the Arthurian legend centers on the women of Arthur's life and court. Igraine was married to Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, with whom she had a daughter, the dark-haired, solemn-eyed Morgaine. Igraine loved her husband but felt a powerful draw to the beautiful, blonde Uther Pendragon. They were in love with each other, but could do nothing about it. Finally, Gorlois was killed in battle and Igraine married King Uther Pendragon, taking little Morgaine into the royal household with her. Later, their son Arthur was born, rightful heir to the Pendragon throne. This story took place in the early Christian times, when the pagans still held their festivals and Christianity had not yet dominated the land. When Arthur came of age, after having been tutored in the arts of kingscraft and druidism, he was to defeat the King Stag at the Beltain Fires and make love to the Maiden, representing Mother Earth. Arthur went to battle with the King Stag and won, then was led to the fires where he bedded with a prepared young virgin priestess. He later found to his horror that he had bedded his half-sister Morgaine. The child of Beltane would be Mordred. Bradley's book goes into a deeper explanation of the old religion, where the Isle Of Avalon was the place where the Lady Of the Lake (the High Priestess) was head of a special school for maidens who had the potential to become priestesses. In those days, unwed girls either went to nunneries or to the Isle Of Avalon. Viviane, the Lady Of the Lake, was Morgaine's grandmother with a vested interest in keeping the pagan traditions alive and defeating the Christian priests with their dirges and liturgies that oppressed women and insulted the Goddess. Morgaine trained under Viviane and did her bidding, like it or not. The first betrayal to Morgaine was the Beltane ceremony; Viviane knew full well that the royal blood of the Goddess must continue, and Morgaine and Arthur were the only two people possessing Viviane and Taliesin's bloodlines. Where the original legends portray Morgaine (Morgan Of the Fairies) as an evildoer determined to undermine Arthur's efforts, Bradley's Morgaine is the actual heroine as she struggles to keep the realm of the Goddess alive under the continued intrusion of the Christian pri

Mary Kay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mary Kay - Assignment Example One direct selling technique that was employed by Mary Kay was over-the-counter selling. After two financial years, direct sales from the two skin care products led to a 120% increase in the company’s revenue (Davies & Dewhirst, 2005). With respect to Mary Kay’s direct selling strategy, over-the-counter sales persons had to employ excellent interpersonal communication skills in enticing potential consumers to make purchases. Among the necessary requirements for Mary Kay’s direct sales persons included confidence, assertiveness, and persuasiveness (Davies & Dewhirst, 2005). In essence, most sales persons were skilled in expressing friendly demeanors and possessed in-depth knowledge on the products as a means of improving their art of persuasion. Admittedly, the 120% increase in Mar Kay’s revenue was attributable to the advantages of direct selling over other marketing strategies. Among the benefits of direct selling include enhanced customer satisfaction resulting from personalized product deliveries, and minimum marketing risks associated with positioning of products. Contrarily, direct selling strategies like those employed by Mary Kay possess certain setbacks which may include poor quality leads and inability to enhance repeat sales (Palade, 2011). Beauty Control TM is a results-oriented beauty product that allows consumers to get a clear skin within a minimum of only seven days. In essence, Beauty Control TM can be described as a new generation product that acts as a foundation for clear skin. As a new product in the market, the best marketing strategy to employ would be promotional marketing. Basically, promotional marketing entails the use of attractive sales techniques in enticing potential consumers, and influencing them to make purchases. Currently, there are multiple competitors within the beauty products market whose brand reputations are the main source of their competitive advantages in

Film Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Studies - Essay Example The film Amistad provides an accurate depiction of slavery in the North prior to the 1865 time line (Jones 14). Slavery in the US was a manner of slave labor that existed as a permissible custom since the early colonial period. Pursuant to the American Revolution between the year 1775 and 1783, northern states abolished slavery. Congress subsequently abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory. Slavery in North gained momentum after 1800 with the advent of the cotton industry before expanding to the Southwest. This resulted in the establishment of a slave and Free State system. In spite of this, the US law illegalized the international export and import of slaves in the year 1807. By the mid 19th century, the South vigorously defended slavery, as well as its expansion into other territories. In the North, however, a minute number of abolitionists condemned slavery as sinful, while a large number of anti-slavery movements denounced slavery as unfavorable to the rights of free individ uals. States attempted and failed to reach a compromise, and in the year 1861, eleven states disentangled to establish the Confederate States of America. In order to defeat the Confederacy, in 1862, the Union made abolition of slavery the main agenda, which the Union attained in 1865 (Jones 29). During this period, slave owners freed all slaves but did not receive any compensation. Through the system, chattel slavery became the dominant system in which ownership of slaves entailed the ownership of an individual and all of his or her descendants. The chattel system encompassed a racial element as slaves were predominantly blacks of African descent, while the owners were largely whites. Freedom from slavery was only possible by running away or being discharged by the owner. The film, Amistad depicts this phenomenon as slaves aboard the vessel sought to run away from their owners. Amistad is a historical drama film based on the true events of the 1839 uprising in which newly captured A frican slaves took over the La Amistad ship off the Cuban coast under the leadership of Joseph Cinque (Jones 21). Directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1997, the film paints a picture of the slavery menace that engulfed North America in the 18th and early 19th century. The film follows the story of Cinque’s life through his recurrent flashbacks. Of paramount importance is Cinque’s capture in Africa and journey to the Caribbean Islands through the infamous Middle Passage slave vessel called Tecora. Cinque shows the horrors engulfed in the Middle Passage like the drowning of fifty persons to save rations (Jones 37). Cinque recounts that, after their arrival at the Caribbean Islands, his unlawful sale to the owners of La Amistad ensued. Through Cinque’s flashbacks, the film accurately depicts the occurrences of the slave trade and slavery, showing how trade in Africans occurred like in commodity such as copper and crops. Through Cinque’s experiences, the audience appreciates the events of the slave trade and slavery and understands the pushing force for the establishment of US antislavery laws. The film goes further to describe the legal battle that ensued after the recapture of the African slaves on the La Amistad by a US revenue cutter. The legal battle entailed the group of African slaves charged with murder and mutiny and who received

Criminal Investigation Wk 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Investigation Wk 3 - Essay Example The application of the forensic DNA Technology has revolutionized investigation of all violent crimes due to its ability to exonerate the convicted offender or convict perpetrator (Abichandani, 2004). The homicidal and sexual assault cases, the use of DNA evidences have formed a powerful tool towards fighting these criminal activities. However, for these criminal cases there is a need to reevaluate both the biological and physical evidences for proper identification of the criminal particularly using the newly identified criminal investigation mechanisms. The most common DNA samples are often analyzed from the saliva, hair, skin tissues, blood, and semen that are often recovered from the crime scenes (Abichandani, 2004). They elements often help in investigating violent crimes including sexual assault and cold murders. The analysis of these element or samples is quite reliable  to  use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that has the capacity to magnify exceedingly small quantities of the DNA samples (Ashcroft, Daniels, and Hart, 2002). The significance of DNA results is that they can lead the investigation to the profile of a known suspect or victim that often matches the profile of DNA that were collected from the crime scene. Notably, if the DNA analysis report does not much the profile of the suspect, then the suspect or victim is excluded or exonerated from the case (Hess and Orthmann, 2010). In such cases, both the physical and biological evidences need reevaluation so that the precise information about the victim or the sus pect is extracted from the scene of the crime. The physical evidences often require deep criminalistics that require professional and scientific recognition, identification, collection, individualization, and interpretation of physical, criminal evidences. Application of physical evidences in crime investigation often needs the application of the natural science (Abichandani, 2004). The underlying concept in the evaluation of

Legal Alien Essay Example for Free

Legal Alien Essay Legal Alien, a collection from Chants, is a short free versed poem written by Pat Mora. The poem explores the lives of Mexican-Americans and the cultural tension they have to face. The poet discusses a bi-cultural person whose parents are from Mexico but the person was born and raised in America and is an American citizen by law. Although he can speak fluent English and Spanish, he still has a hard time being accepted by both or one race. Moras use of poetic techniques such as metaphor, tone and antithesis emphasizes her concerns in regards to the issue. Mora uses metaphor to highlight how a bi-cultural individual feels like not being acknowledged by both races. a handy token (line 16) informs the readers that a bi-cultural individual is like a handy instrument that can easily slide from back to forth, from English to Spanish (vice-versa). The person can also adapt very quickly, quicker than those who has only one culture. between the fringes of both worlds (line 18) notify the readers that although the speakers race is Mexican and his nationality is American the speaker isnt fully accepted by both races. Mexicans view the speaker as an alien (line 10) while American view him as exotic, inferior and definitely different (lines 9-10). In this situation, the speaker feels lost in both races thus having an identity crisis. Using tone shapes the ideas of the poem and expresses the poets aggravation towards cultural tension. able to slip from, Hows life? to _Mestanvolviendo loca_ (lines 2-3) this line informs the readers that while the speaker can speak both languages fluently she isnt accepted by both races entirely and the speaker is frustrated, this is evident when she said _Mestanvolviendo loca_(line 3) this means they are driving me crazy in English. By smiling by masking the discomfort of being pre-judged Bi-laterally (lines 19-22) the speaker is unease and sad because she is not accepted by both races. The speaker smiles to conceal his discomfort of being pre-judged immediately without knowing him first. Mora capitalizes Bi-laterally (line 22) and adds a hyphen to draw attention to the readers that the speaker is being judged by both of his heritage. Mora uses antithesis to make the readers more mindful of the opposition. Antitheses is almost visible in every line of the poem where the speaker is describing two different races, Mexican and American, side-by-side with each other but are complete opposites. Examples are Hows life? To _Mestanvolviendo loca_ (lines 2-3), Drafting memos in smooth English, able to order in fluent Spanish at a Mexican restaurant (lines 5-7), Viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic, perhaps inferior, definitely different, viewed by Mexicans as alien (lines 9-11), An American to Mexicans/ A Mexican to Americans (lines 14- 15). These lines of antithesis draw attention to the cultural tension between Mexican and American in an individuals knowledge. Pat Mora uses poetic techniques such as metaphor, tone and antithesis to show discomfort and frustration of fitting in and being accepted by both races. The readers is predicted to fathom that bi-cultural individuals dont have it so easy fitting in and being accepted by both races even though they can speak both languages, both of their race still dont accept them utterly. That leaves them having an identity crisis thus being called a legal alien, a person who belongs however is not entirely acknowledged by the community.

Several 300 Word Articles English Language Essay

Several 300 Word Articles English Language Essay The earth was corrupt before God and filled with crime. God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all living beings had perverted their ways on the earth. If it were you, how will you paint a picture of The Flood? The famous Bible story has been numerously portrayed as the end of the world or the future of the world. Movies often focus on the repentance aspect, on making you feel guilty and on believing on the hope of life symbolized by Noahs ark. Inspiring as it may seem, it takes away the topic at hand the flood. Lego came up with something no less than extraordinary. In the first few chapters of the Book of Genesis, you will read the part where Adam and Eve realized they were naked and they tried to hide from God. Of course God caught them and banished them from paradise, however, if you try to focus on the prior, where Adam and Eve realized something and they tried to hide it, youll realize now that the action is just human nature. That action has become a human trait that was passed on to one person across history to us. We must understand what Adam and Eve felt then, we wouldnt want to be caught naked by our parents, much worse, naked and making love with someone, do we? Now, if God went away for a business trip and we were left alone, what will we do? Stay home and do nothing? I guess not. And that was how it was like during the time of the flood. Lets say God focused on other matters and when the time came that He went back home to check on His children, what He saw was something too grave that he brought about the flood. The Bible was a little figurative with its description. Lego was literal. Lego captured critical elements that show people doing something against nature. This includes drinking too much, gambling, fighting or killing each other (whatever reason that may be), cutting down trees, whatever was depicted as wrong between couples (girl-boy and boy-boy) and whatever that man is doing with the lego sheep. This is a camera moment you wouldnt want to be part of, even if you are guilty. This is like being part of a you got busted program. And we all know what happened next, the flood came and we are alive. 300 words on http://www.thebricktestament.com/genesis/cain_and_abel/gn04_01a.html Talk about how detailed the creations are and then give a background on who Cain and Abel are. The good thing about the Bible is there is nothing malicious about what was being described. There is just the natural course of events. Adam and Eve was banished from Paradise and had to learn about life the hard way, they must have been really stressed with their situation. It was indeed a blessing, they had each other. Adam and Eve had sex as was depicted by the bricks and eventually, Eve bore a son they named Cain. The bricks captured a very detailed description. It portrayed the closest home possible at that time. It included fire which Adam and Even used to keep them warm and to cook food. It has a pet, a horse and the house seemed to be surrounded by trees and very near running water. If we were to follow the story, the place is conducive to raise a child. Their joy was even greater when they were blessed with another son, whom they named Abel. But the joy was to be cut short. The Brick Testament captured the story of Cain and Abel clearly without amiss. The bricks were arranged delicately showing abundant crops and fruits as well as a flock of sheep with horses, a cow and a goat which shall help one see that Cain became a farmer or tiller of the soil and that Abel became a shepherd. The bricks couldnt portray the fire but the next scene depicted the brothers giving God their offering. Even God was portrayed as a figure in the Brick Testament. He favored Abels offering which caused Cain much distress to the point that he has killed his brother. The Bricks were arranged in a storyboard display. If it can be made into modern animation, it wouldnt be short of scenes. The picture where Cain has killed Abel was very animated. The axe on Cains hand and that expression on his face, with Abel on the floor face down with a little red around him to signify the blood was a perfect rendition of the scene. The angle at which the pictures were taken adds focus to the characters depicted in the story. Genesis Chapter 4 couldnt be more clear and detailed than the way the Brick Testament presented it. 300 words on Lego South Park South Park has fast gained its popularity since it was first aired in the 90s. Its considered cartoons for a mature audience focusing on nasty humor amongst four kids. Opening its upcoming 14th season, its quite fitting to consider, where does Lego come in play? Lego enthusiasts have begun exploring building South Park characters from their bricks. Although Lego hasnt come up of a South Park themed System, Lego enthusiasts are but excited to push the concept and share their talent. Eric Cartman Eric Cartman is considered the antagonist of the series. He seems to be a sociopath behaving as if hes against everything else outside of himself and he Kyle and Kenny (the two other main characters in the series). The article doesnt say who built this Lego art but it seemed to be almost a life-size of Eric Cartman. The pale colors of his hat and shirt was ultimately captured, as well as his pale skin color. His obese body was obvious, as well as his big eyes and half-opened mouth. The Lego piece, however, did not capture the plump cheeks that Eric has. In a way, he looks malnourished but the display is nothing short of wonderful. Kenny McCormick Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You bastards! This is a phrase often associated to Kenny McCormick at the South Park series. He seemed to have a habit of dying in almost all episodes but managing to return alive on the succeeding ones. His deaths are usually gross and each time, Stan or Kyle manages to mention the phrase mentioned already. After his death, rats suddenly appear to eat his corpse. His deaths however, were cut short as another character was given more prime, Butters. The Lego depicting Kenny captures the parka hood he wears as well as his partially covered face. The Lego captured him with an axe piercing his skill and is in the process of dying because the rats are already gnawing his brain and his body. It does look violent but this is exactly Kennys role in South Park, up until the 6th episode at least. Butters Scotch In the South Park series, Butters, generally replaced Kennys character and has often become the subject of Erics exploits. He rarely complains and maintains a mild temperament until he assumes another character later on. The Lego piece captures everything about Butters Scotch, from the hair, eyes, clothes, shoes, even the skin color. It was an amazing Lego piece standing 12 inches tall. It looks even better than the plush toy. Sources: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/5291 http://www.trendhunter.com/photos/47942/1 http://granturismomh.deviantart.com/art/Lego-South-Park-131424068 200 words on http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10022301ricohgxrmodules.asp Serious photographers will be glad to know that Ricoh has announced an addition to its recent GXR Camera System. The GXR Camera System allows a photographer to mix and match camera units (lens, image sensor and image processing engine) and as the new system gains its popularity, Ricoh decides to further enhance and maximize the GXR Camera Systems potential. Camera unit RICOH LENS P10 28-300 mm F3.5-5.6 VC The unit primarily, offers a wide-angle zoom combined with 120 frame/second high-speed continuous shoot. The addition of the back-illuminated sensor allows shooting from low light to bright light without sacrificing image quality. Tentative release is summer 2010. Camera unit GR LENS A12 28mm F2.5 This camera uses a combination of a specific CMOS sensor and GR ENGINE II image processing producing high definition pictures with smooth tone gradations. It also offers a manual focus ring that is important in specific focus adjustments. Tentative release is Winter 2010. Final Note RICOH LENS P10 29-300 mm F3.5-5.6 is going to be available for display from March 11 to March 14 at Tokyo, Japan. Product names and specifications may change until final product release. Reviews are available contrasting GXR System to that of SLR and DSLR Cameras. The pros and cons are still immature for GXR is still relatively young in the photography scene. The prices are high and may even be outrageous for some but the equipment is nothing short of excellent and only worthy of serious photographers who are not afraid to try something new. Other article source: http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/gxr/features.html 200 words on http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_100_2p8_is_usm_c16/ Canon EF 100mm F2.8L IS USM MACRO Canon developed a Hybrid Image Stabilizer around July of last year and has released during the last quarter of the same year, the first macro telephoto lens that shall help improve shots taken at closer distance or macro-shooting. The Hybrid IS technology optimizes image quality by preventing errors caused by camera shake. Blurred images are thus minimized. Canon EF 100mm F2.8L IS USM MACRO, primarily offers the Hybrid IS technology and from the term itself, a 100mm focal length, ideal for close-up and macro shots. Its other features seem to be geared on helping photographers take shots in a smaller distance, even without the need of a tripod as the new technology should help minimize the errors caused by the camera shakes. Reviews regard the Canon EF 100mm F2.8L IS USM MACRO as an optional investment. While it gives exceptional results for most of the features the lens offer, it does not seem to do justice to the press release about the Hybrid IS Technology. Seemingly a work in progress, we can only expect the best from the succeeding line of products from Canon. Other article source: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0907/09072207canonhybridis.asp 200 words on http://ezinearticles.com/?Cowboy-Fashion-Dosid=208698 (do not mention brand names) If you have watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (or any of those Cowboy films that star Clint Eastwood), Back to the Future Part III or perhaps Shanghai Noon, then you must have an idea how Cowboy attire can be said to be both a classic and at the same time, a fashion trend. Lets take cowboy hats, for example. Straw cowboy hats are most popular for its price, convenience and practicality. Usually, light colored and should be worn on summer or dry seasons, straw cowboy hats allow the person to feel comfortable with such an airy form of cowboy hat. Wool, fur and felt cowboy hats are usually dark colored and are worn on winter or dark seasons. These help protect the person by keeping their heads warm. Cowboy hats, therefore, are seasonal, and in terms of fashion, should be used according to tradition, culture and trend. Some of the most important things about cowboy hats are: Cowboy hats are worn in public places, not at home nor in a church. Cowboy hats are used to show respect to women, officials and even church officials. Do not wear white cowboy hats after Labor day. Do not take or wear your cowboy hat in a dining table. 300 words on How to get rid of eyebags the natural way Ever heard someone tease you for being unable to sleep based on the dark circles on your eyes and you just say, yes? Then, you might be in for a long lecture. A common misconception about eyebags is that it is caused by lack of sleep. Eyebags is a collective word pertaining to anything under the eye: swell-like or puffy area, actual bags, dark circles and even, shadows and they are not entirely caused by lack of sleep. Eye bags are generally caused by age and improper diet and lifestyle. It is theorized that age makes you body weak and this includes the ligaments that hold the little fat under the eye area and as a result, pushes the fat forward causing the bag. Another theory is eating too much salty food which retains water while another is lack of exercise and body rest which makes the body weaker and thus reduced blood circulation. Nasal allergies may also cause under-eye puffiness. Plastic surgery or blepharoplasty is the fastest way to remove eye bags. Botox and face lifts are often considered as part of the procedure. On the other hand, there are other natural ways to get rid of eyebags. (1) Proper Diet, Exercise and Sleep. Any form of ailment is usually a result of abuse on the body. Treating the body will help treat the problem. Avoid salty food, exercise to remove excess salt and fat and give your body enough time to recuperate by sleeping at least 8 hours a day. Drinking plenty of liquids will also help reduce salt and fat in the body. Minimize smoking and alcohol and eat food rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin E. (2) Relax the eye area. Massage the eye area by gently tapping the eye area with your finger tips. This will increase blood circulation and relax your eye muscles a bit. Do at least once a day. You may also apply a cold compress to help minimize the swelling and relax your eye further. Usual cold compress regiments are potato slices, cucumber slices, back of the spoon, tea bags and or flower leaves. Do at least once a day, leaving the cold compress 10-15 minutes with your eyes closed. (3) Apply an eye cream with Vitamin K and Retinol or use under eye treatment available in drugstores. This is not ultimately natural but is based on natural products. You may also extract the liquid from Vitamin E capsules and place them over your eye (eyes closed) to help reduce eye bags. The key to a successful natural treatment is discipline. The natural way is something that is done in a regular basis and is not a one or two-session treatment compared to the surgery option. It does not deliver immediate results but does help a person become healthy in totality, not just for the purposes of removing the eye bags. Sources: http://www.scienceline.org/2008/10/13/ask-peretsman-eye-under-bags/ http://women.webmd.com/features/banish-the-bags-under-your-eyes http://www.trap17.com/index.php/Cheap-Natural-Methods-Rid-Eyebags_t62170.html http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Black-Circles-Under-Your-Eyes http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-bags-under-eyes.htm 200 words on how to get rid of dark circles under the eyes Some people say that the concern over the dark circles under the eyes is purely aesthetic. Some attribute it to the amount of work and stress a person undergoes, while some others simply treat it as a fact of life. The truth is the dark circles under the eyes are irregularities. They are no different from flab or belly pouches, double chins or cellulite on the hips or thighs. In many ways, it maybe purely aesthetic and simply, a means to adapt to the common notion of a beautiful body but in this regard, it will be purely about health. Dark circles under the eyes, theoretically speaking, occur due fat accumulation. As a person ages, the fat is pushed outward, thereby causing shadows or circles under the eye. On the other hand, there are other reasons why this happen or why this worsens over time. This includes allergies, lack of sleep and rest, stress, improper diet and lack of exercise. Some common ways to get rid of dark circles under the eyes are: (1) Balanced diet, regular exercise and enough sleep. (2) Applying eye cream and/or moisturizer. Choose creams that are high in Vitamin K, Vitamin E and/or Retinol. (3) Cucumber slices or Potato slices for 10-15 minutes, in the morning. Rinse off with warm water afterwards. (4) Cold compress and minor massage to improve blood circulation. (5) Proper makeup not a permanent way to get rid of dark circles but may come in handy. Do not use bright or light colored make-up as it makes the dark circles more visible. Use foundation first and if the dark circles do not improve, apply a concealer that is one to two shades darker than your foundation. Peach or salmon-color usually does the trick. Additional Sources: http://women.webmd.com/features/banish-the-bags-under-your-eyes?page=4 http://www.ultimate-cosmetics.com/dark-circles.htm 200 words on How to Whiten your Skin One classic fairy tale has told us that long black hair and white skin makes the fairest of all women. Its been many years since and many of us still believe in fairy tales and the idea that a fair skin makes a woman beautiful. Some of the common ways to whiten your skin are: (1) Proper diet and vitamins. The skin reflects how healthy a person is. Minimize your salt and sugar intake, drink more water (over soda or carbonated drinks) and eat plenty of fruits. Vitamin D and Vitamin E helps nurture and protect the skin. Get plenty or enough sleep to help the body recuperate. (2) Use available skin care products including whitening lotion, moisturizers and sunscreen lotion. Be reminded that sunscreen lotion helps protect the skin as you use other regimens. Too much sunscreen lotion doesnt help in whitening skin. (3) Some facial wash or soaps have active ingredients that trigger peeling or exfoliation. Some contains Salicylic Acid which is good at bleaching. Be sure to consult your dermatologist as even if these products are properly tested before it reached the market, a persons skin type may not be appropriate to the regimen chosen. (4) Wash your face with a mixture of milk and lemon juice. Milk makes the skin supple and fresh and the little bleach makes the skin fairer while lemon enhances the procedure because of its natural acidity. (5) You may also use papaya juice. Apply it on the skin, let it stay for 10 to 20 minutes and rinse off. (6) Other natural methods may be combined with one and the other to achieve better results. You may use a tomato and lime juice mask, honey or Aloe vera as a moisturizer or Olive oil with granulated sugar for exfoliation. (7) Doctor/dermatologist procedures such as chemical peel or skin bleaching. Bear in mind that beauty must not be misconstrued. Amongst many, being healthy is always better than adapting to the what is believed to be beautiful. Scientifically speaking, whiter skin means lower melanin production and thus, higher risk to skin problems. Moderation is the key. Sources: http://www.howtoall.com/Healthfiles/howtowhitenyourskin.htm http://www.beautytips.ayurvediccure.com/body-basics/skin-whitening.htm http://www.ehow.com/how_4743915_whiten-skin-naturally.html http://www.blurtit.com/q327498.html http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf695424.tip.html 300 words on Lego Cowboys (if you will be talking about pictures of Lego minifigs, please supply me with the URL at the end of your article) Lego has consistently come up with various themes that appeal to the general public both the kids and the kids at heart. Although it is fitting to say that the theme usually rides whatever is common at the time, the Wild West remains wild and alive with the Lego System Cowboys minifligs. Sheriffs Showdown is an adaptation of a criminal chase in the wild west. With just enough pieces to set the imaginary cowboy feel, the bad-ass looking bandit and the clean and awarded cowboy sheriff minifligs completes the set with a very elegant touch of realism. Covered Wagon is a simple system, primarily capturing a transport theme. The Cavalry Lieutenant miniflig completes the set together with the horse lego, wheels and the pieces that shall comprise the wagon. If you want to complete an ideal event, try to combine Sheriffs Showdown with Sheriffs Lock-up. Sheriffs Lock-up creates the jail break set-up as in this system, there are 2 bandits and only 1 soldier which is the sheriff. Another cowboy miniflig is included but that can be treated as a casualty during a jail break. This shall add tons of fun in the Lego Cowboy world. Bandits Secret Hide-Out is all about crime never paying. From the title itself, the hide-out is supposed to keep out everyone else and with the 3 bandits outnumbering the 2 soldiers in minifligs number, this is the bandits turf. No harm can come to them with their guns, canons and tower-like hole. Whats a cowboy theme without the bank robbery? Gold City Junction captures this concept perfectly, situating only 2 soldier minifligs which includes the sheriff and 4 cowboys including the banker and the bandit. Conspiracy is the key. The theme is set in major action with bricks and pieces that connote a shoot-out or perhaps a run too common for the Wild. Fort Legoredo is the ultimate Cowboy themed Lego System. Coming with 10 minifligs and over 500 pieces to set-up a police headquarters, the set encourages many action-packed possibilities. The watch tower at the back and the two towers in front are great look-out standpoint. The spacious headquarters, the prison and the stable inside Fort Legoredo are also good areas of action. Generally, the 4 bandits will not stand a chance over the 6 Cavalry soldiers properly positioned in the system however, with great imagination, that picture can be reversed. The Lego System Cowboys Sets were first released in 1996. It was re-issued recently and is still considered a valuable collection item. Sources: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6712-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6716-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6755-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6761-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6765-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6769-1