Monday, March 8, 2021

 HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Celebrating the milestones women have made in every area of life. I salute ALL MOTHERS and particularly those with young children who have sacrificially given of every bit of their lives during this pandemic time. You have been mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend as well as your daily role as:

Executive manager - making decisions and choices that make life easier and better for the family;

Head teacher - in the age of remote learning she is not only making sure homework is done but is there to answer questions teachers would normally be answering, making sure required assignments are uploaded, monitoring that the children are actually present during zoom school;

House manger - making the house livable so cleaning, laundry, making meals;

P.E. instructor - getting the children outside safely so that they get the exercise they need, as well as making life also fun in a time of lockdown;

KUDOS to all mothers for the unconditional love, protection, wisdom and kisses you give even when you are taken for granted.

We also celebrate women who have made significant impact in our globe in economics, politics, environment, social changes. You are leaders of our time!






Friday, November 13, 2020

I AM BACK!!!

It's been 8 years since I last posted on this blog! I took a leadership position that compelled me, with good reasons, to take a moment of silence on this blog. But I am now back and excited about sharing stories of women who have and are making an impact in economics and politics around the world.

So much has happened!!! 

Let's start in 2018: 

 A Record Number Of Women Will Serve In The Next Congress            Photo of new House members shows big gap in diversity between parties |  House of Representatives | The GuardianWomen in the United States House of Representatives - Wikipedia  

U.S. Congress saw a historic number of women take seats in House when the 116th Congress convened in 2018. 102 women serve in the House of Representatives making up nearly a quarter of its voting membership. More than one third of them won seats for the first time in the the mid-term elections. A pew survey in 2018 found that most Americans favor seeing more women in high political offices.

Next 2019:

COMECE President backs new European commission President on behalf of the  Church

December 1, 2019 Ursula Von der Leyen was elected first female president of the European Commission. The European Commission is the E.U.'s politically independent executive arm whose sole responsibility is drawing up proposals for new European legislation, as well as implementing the decisions of the European parliament and the Council of the E.U. Ursula is a German politician. She was the longest-serving member of Angela Merkel's government. She is a trained physician who specialized in women's health. She lived in Stanford, California for four years while her husband (a fellow physician) served on the faculty of Stanford University. They have seven children and for a time in the 1990s, Ursula was a stay-home-mom. I would like to think that it was in this role that she honed in her skills as a strategic leader.

Christine Lagarde tapped to head ECB as EU reaches deal on top jobs |  Financial Times

November 2019, Christine Lagarde was tapped and elected as President of the European Central Bank (ECB). Christine had just ended her 8 years of service as Chair and Managing Director of the International Monetary Bank (IMF). Christine believes that hiring more women and abolishing discriminatory laws would significantly boost the world economy. She demonstrated this belief when she appointed Dr. Nancy Onyango as Director of Audit and Inspection at the IMF. Ms. Lagarde is a French politician and Lawyer. She was the first woman to become finance minister of a G8 economy and is the first woman to head each the ECB and IMF. As a teenager, Ms Lagarde was a member of the French national synchronized swimming team.

In 2020 - despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a tumultuous campaign ...

Indian Country Will Not Give Kamala Harris a Free Pass | Opinion                Kamala Harris: Cancel Student Loan Debt And Make College Tuition-Free

America elected her first female VP!!! She is also the first Woman of Color elected into the second highest political office. This is HISTORIC!!!! Kamala has also had other "firsts." She is was elected as first women and first African American to serve as California's Attorney General. She is intelligent, bold, firm and also compassionate. She will afford many women opportunities to rise to their potential as leaders. We are all looking forward to her leadership as Vice President of the United States of America.

Last but not least I want to acknowledge today's appointment of ...

Marlins hire Kim Ng as first female general manager in MLB history -  CBSSports.com            MLB - Major League Baseball Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Rumours

Kim Ng as the first woman General Manager of a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. The Marlins appointed Ms. Ng as the next GM of their team. She is also the first Asian American GM. This is also HISTORIC in the world of sports! will be the highest-ranking woman in baseball operations among the league's 30 teams and is the first female GM in any of the major North American men's sports leagues.

Many firsts for women this past few years and in the years to come. I am elated to see how women are taking the helm in various institutions around the world. Perhaps now there will be a little more sanity and balance as the world goes round!!!

Let me hear your thoughts! 


 

 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

First female train driver in the Middle East

Miriam Al Safar in control room
Miriam Al Safar is the first female train driver in the Middle East.  She has broken the glass ceiling for women in the Middle East and is urging women to think more about unconventional jobs as they consider their career paths.


First UAE female train driver
This 28 year old, Emirati native, is one of a select few UAE residents qualified to get behind the controls of a Dubai Metro train.

The network is described as the most advanced in the world. It is primarily an unmanned automatic driving system operated from a centralized control room.
However, in the event of system repairs or an accident, it needs manual operation.


When interviewed, Miriam said, 'I am always open to challenges and I am not afraid to take risks. I work hard and my job is my top priority.  Being a train attendant has helped me understand how to interact with people and staff from different nationalities and different cultures. This has empowered me to tackle different kinds of situations with ease.'