The Girl Effect

It's not a new project but this video has just done its rounds on Facebook (again?) and I wanted to share it here.

 


I've also been crying (those new baby hormones...) at Swedish Save the Children's child poverty campaign, Fattigskolan, about poverty in Sweden.  Yes, it does exist.  It's all relative of course so poverty in Sweden is not necessarily about access to clean water and food on the table (although sometimes it could be the latter too of course).

 

The Clock is Ticking

Show & Tell: Empathy/Compassion

Empathy, which literally translates as 'in feeling', is the capability to share and understand another's emotions and feelings. It is often characterised as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes".

Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. In ethical terms, the various expressions down the ages of the so-called Golden Rule embody by implication the principle of compassion: Do to others what you would have them do to you. Ranked a great virtue in numerous philosophies, compassion is considered in all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues. *

Most of us show and act on feelings of empathy every day, in the little things, but some also have the means to do it big scale. These men (most, except one or two are men) have all donated at least 1 billion dollar to different charities and caues. 3 out of the 14 people on the list** have donated so much that they are no longer on the rich people's list the selection was originally made from!

5. Eli Broad. 2 billion dollar. Has made his money in real estate and insurance and has donated 600 milluon dollar to a gene research centre at M.I.T., among other things.

4. Warren Buffet. 6,7 billion dollar. The world's best broker originally planned to give his fortune away after this death but in 2006 he changed his mind and promised to give away 30 billion dollar over 20 years to his friend's Bill Gates's foundation.

3. Gordon Moore. 6,8 billion dollar. One of Intel's founders. Donated 6 billion in stocks in 2000. Supports environmental projects, research and nurses' training.


2. George Soros. 7,2 billion dollar. Supports a lot of different projects, from clean needles for drug addicts in California to research in Russia. His trust Open Society Institute gave away 540 million dollar last year, mostly towards the development of democracy around the world.

1. Bill Gates. 28 billion dollar. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, founded in 1999, is the world's largest foundation and donates around 3 billion dollar annually, mostly towards research about diseases such as HIV, malaria and TB.

For no 6-14 on the list, look here.

You could probably say*** a lot about this crowd, things that are negative about them and/or the company they started/run, how they made their money, etc., but you have to give them credit for what they have done for humanity. I don't think they do it to sell more computers or what have you; that is not their motivation.

I also read an article about people who seem to lack empathy or compassion. I cannot understand how anyone would want to hit a child (and spanking is included in my definition of hitting), but spanking a disabled child is even worse.

* Definitions from Wikipedia

** Images from Scanpix

*** Like that the vaccine against the new influenza is a big evil plan by Bill Gates to kill most of the people in the world to bring down the global population to 500 million - one of the many conspiracy theories out there

After Sun

Back home, with a tan that's fading quickly. I guess my predicament can be categorised as a so-called I-landsproblem (luxury problem or developed world problem or is there a better word in English?).



* Video unfortunately only in Swedish but it may make sense anyway (?).

Show & Tell: Indispensable

As I was in London last week I didn't get around to thinking about that week's theme. Waking up Sunday morning and discovering that we didn't have any water* made me think about 1) how much we take fresh and plentiful water on tap in our own homes for granted and 2) how dependent on it and used to the situation we are. Luckily we could just walk the 5 minutes it takes to get to Peter's parents flat and take a shower and eat breakfast there, but most people in the world are not so lucky.

There is a really good commercial on Swedish television right now about sponsoring a child in a developing country. It illustrates really well how fresh (i.e. safe, drinkable) water is the first stage of improving the situation for people and how critical it is for survival, health and development, as well as how far a little bit of money can go.




Facts about water (in Swedish)

* We quickly looked up Stockholm vatten's website and read that there was a water leak further down the street. They said the problem would be solved in the afternoon or early evening and indicated where we could find fresh water (next street over). By four o'clock the water was running again.

The Enlightenment Missed a Few People

The USA can be a pretty strange place sometimes. Here's an article that gives a very good picture of the evolution v. "intelligent design" debate and science teaching in the US and shows that there are some excellent teachers (at least one) out there who are trying the enlighten American children! It's a very long article but you just can't miss it - read it now!!

If you don't get access to the article right away, just sign up for access, it's free and easily done!

Show & Tell: Change

This week's theme is change. Two different things sprung to mind:

• Climate Change - the change happening and the change we need to make
• Gender equality and the change achieved and the lack of change

I have chosen the second topic this time around. It would have probably been the perfect post for last Saturday, which was International Women's Day, but six days late isn't too bad!

8 VOICES ON GENDER EQUALITY IN SWEDEN
First, some thoughts from Swedish personalities on the best and worst with being a woman in Sweden today*.

Jan Guillou, author:
- The best is that we live in the world's most gender equal country. The worst is that the gender equality has not come very far. (It's all relative.)

Katrine Kielos, temp. Editor-in-Chief, Dagens Arena, columnist
- That we live the world's most gender equal country according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2007. At the same time the worst thing is that Sweden is not gender equal, just least unequal according to the same report.

Pär Ström, integrity and gender equality debater, author of the book "Mansförtryck and kvinnovälde" (Oppression of men and female empire):
- The best with being a woman is that there is great understanding and great interest in society for women's problems and difficulties. The worst is that Sweden to an unusual high degree has typical female and male professions. This has to do with people's free choice, but a consequence is that it is more difficult for the average women to have a career.

Anitra Steen, CEO Systembolaget [state monopoly alcohol stores]:
- The absolute best thing is that there is an infrastructure that makes it possible to have children and at the same time develop your career and yourself. That there are childcare, parental leave allowance and other tools helping one to manage family life in parallel with a career. I don't want to point out the worst things; I think that the most dangerous a woman can do is to see herself as a victim, then I rather see the advantages.

Thomas Bodström, Chair of Parliament Justice Committee:
- The best is that we probably live in the most gender equal country. The worst is that women are being abused and sexually assaulted in Sweden today.

Ebba Witt-Brattström, Professor in Literature, feminist
- That we have a global task to before the world's women show that it is possible to achieve our relatively high degree of gender equality, and at the same time combat the increasing contempt for women within and outside the country. The worst is that we right now have a meaningless debate about feminism directed by the media and with little relevance to women's reality.

Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration
- We live in one of the world's most gender equal countries. But there are still informal barriers, for example that womens labour market is so limited to the public sector.

Dilsa Demirbag-Sten, journalist and author
- The best is that me and my male fellow beings are equal before the law. That I live in a country where the state is obliged to protect me from oppression on the basis of religion, opinion, gender or sexual orientation. The worst is cultural relativism, that women are still oppressed in the name of culture and religion.

A FEMINIST GOVERNMENT VOICE
Second, some thoughts from the Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg**. I didn't vote for them and I don't agree with most of the stuff they are doing, but Borg is one of the most sensible members of the Cabinet and he's not afraid of calling himself a feminist.

Why do you call yourself a feminist?
- Because I think it is one of our time's greatest restriction on freedom that men and women are limited by gender roles, that say what they should do and shouldn't do. Freedom is about shaping your own life, and the fact that gender roles endure is one of the greatest barriers.

It has been a bit taboo to call oneself a feminist in your party [Moderates/Conservatives], why is that?
- Historically it's been like that, but I think the attitude has changed a lot. Young people want to have the right to shape their own lives and young fathers want to be part of family life. If you want to live a good life you must take responsibility for your children and then you cannot let gender roles hinder that.

The lack of gender equality is one of Sweden's and Europe's biggest problem. When did you have your feminist awakening?
- I have worked with gender equality issues for a long time, but it becomes more concrete when you have children. More practice and less theory.

What can you as Finance Minister do to reduce the gaps between women and men?
- At the moment there is a positive development, women's salaries are increasing and women work more so that their incomes are growing. The one with the power over the money has great influence over the family; if women earn 40% less than men it has consequences. I work for getting women into the labour market, and making it easier for them when they are there.

What development has been most important during the 2000s from a feminist perspective?
- I think that the gender equality work has stood still. The positive exception is that I think I'm seeing that young men are more active as parents. When I took parental leave for the first time people laughed and said "now he's going on vacation". But the next time I saw a change in attitudes.

What is the most important feminist issue for you right now?
- The gender equality bonus. When a couple share the parental leave, and the lowest earner go back to work and the highest earner stay at home, they get 3,000 SEK in tax reductions each month.

What is required from the feminists of the future?
- You have to make yourself aware and discuss these issues with others. You have a personal responsibility.

* Source: Svenska Dagbladet 8 March 2008
* Interview in Dagens nyheter 2 March 2008

Show & Tell: With or Without

I thought long and hard about this week's theme and planned for a while to write about etiquette, focussing on the pros and cons of such rules, when they are useful and when you can live without them. But then I started thinking about my recent trip to South Africa and the haves and have-nots in that country. Here are a few pictures that illustrate the poverty that still exists in South Africa.

Townships in Cape Town

Also Cape Town

A woman with her child in Cape Town - the girl was so cute!

It may not look like it but they did have electricity.

Trying the local brew in Cape Town.

Kiptown in Johannesburg - 60% of the population here have HIV/Aids.

It doesn't matter how poor you are, you can always play football and dream about becoming a pro.

We thought they were drinking milk but sadly we learned later that beer comes in cartons.

This is funny and tragic at the same time.

Water is a scarcity but smiles plentiful.

Show & Tell: Three White Things

Since I have been a total failure when it comes to posting photos from our trip to South Africa in December (to my defence I have posted a couple of hundred of them on Facebook) I thought I'd use my first go at Show & Tell (initiated by Norrskensbuddha) to give you a taste of South Africa. The instructions said "things" but I'm going to widen it a bit to fit my purposes.


White theme 1: Zebras - Just one example of all the cool animals we saw





White theme 2: Black and white - Our visit to Kliptown in Soweto, Johannesburg, symbolises the years of Apartheid in South Africa and the segregation that still exists



White theme 3: Seagull - Represents the beautiful and amazing nature and scenery we experienced in South Africa

It's All Relative

On this site you can find out how your income compares to the rest of the world. I was No 59 million in the world but that still makes me within the 1% richest in the world. Gives you some perspective those days you're mad at your boss for not giving you that raise that you deserve, and makes you think how you can help someone out there.

Proud of Sweden (but so lucky to be born here and not in Niger)

Sweden has climbed one step and is now no 5 in the UN's Human Development Index (HDI), which measures prosperity. HDI measures three dimensions of human development: life expectancy, educational level and income (GDP per capita).

HDI top 10
1. Norway (nothing beats that oil)
2. Iceland (tiny country)
3. Australia (oh, that sun)
4. Ireland (thanks the EU millions)
5. Sweden (paradise)
6. Canada (about)
7. Japan (happy to see that Japan is making a comeback)
8. USA (but major inequalities)
9. Switzerland (duh, banking!)
10. The Netherlands (Holland is just a part of the NL)

At the other end of the spectrum in place 177 is Niger, followed by Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.

According to the report the distance between the world's richest and poorest countries is growing fast - sadly. HDI is a part of the UN's development programme's (UNDP) yearly Human Development Report. This year the report focusses on the growing water and sanitary crises in great parts of the world. The situation south of the Sahara desert in Africa is grim. No progress has been made and the HDI for these countries is roughly the same as the beginning of the 1990s, mainly due to the HIV/Aids pandemic. The average life expectancy is just 46, which is lower than 30 years ago (and almost half of Sweden's 80+). Norwegians are 40 times richer than the unfortunate inhabitants of Niger. Swaziland's life expectancy is only 31.3 years on average. That's my age at some time next year.

God, I feel so lucky having been born in Sweden!

The EU Welcomes Bulgaria and Romania

Well, not yet, but the European Parliament gives green light to these two remaining candidates from the Central and Eastern European (original) batch. The Parliament doesn't have the formal right to grant membership but is able to push for postponement by a year if a country fails to implement all measures deemed necessary to allow accession, through the so-called safeguard clause. Both countries still have a few outstanding reforms to take care of but seem to be on schedule to join the EU in 2007 as planned.

Meanwhile, several other countries may become EU members in the future...