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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2011)
opinion ladies: Globally – We’re Stressed “challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ErNIE F OStEr Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D OrE F OStEr executive editor t ED B aNkS advertising Manager J ErrY F OStEr account executive l ISa l OvINg news editor B rIaN S tImSON reporter D avID k IDD graphic Designer m ONIca J. F OStEr Seattle office Coordinator J UlIE k EEFE S USaN F rIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 the Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub - lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of the Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2011 the Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. knowing what’s Important can change Your life! Subscribe to The Skanner – don’t miss an issue! Please sign me up for: q 1 year $74 q 2 year $140 q New Subscription q Renewal ________________________ Name _________________ address _________________ city _________________ State ______ ZIP ________ Phone Mail with check or money order to: The Skanner P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Page 4 The Portland Skanner S o ladies, I’m sure if you’re like me and any of the women I know personally, you have been running hither and yon to keep all of your hats – home, work, parents, children, finances, and relationships – in the air all at once. And sometimes, you find yourself wondering, “Is it just me? Am I the only one feeling like I’m an exotic juggling act in the three ring circus of life trying to keep all these things balanced?” Well, shout hallelujah and signal the ringmaster to shine the spot- light on you in the center ring because the answer is a resounding No, you are not alone. Nielsen’s latest comprehensive report Women of Tomorrow: a Study of Women around the World con- firms women around the globe are feeling pressure like never before and are stressed! Nielsen is known for its meas- urement capabilities and for ana- lyzing consumer behavior and trends in media, online, mobile and more around the globe. We recently conducted this study among nearly 6500 women in 21 countries throughout Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America, representing 60 percent of the world’s popula- tion and 78 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We included women in both devel- oped markets – like ours – and several emerging markets like India and Nigeria. Some of the key findings: Ninety percent of women believe their role is evolving for the better from gender equality to workplace opportunities. NIElSEN wIrE Cheryl Pearson-McNeil Women control 12 trillion dol- lars in global spending of 18 tril- lion dollars, but want to share jointly in life responsibilities and decision making. While women are indeed increasingly empowered, we are increasingly stressed. Whoop! There it is! Call your girlfriends and tell them “Girl, it’s on food is staggering. In Nigeria, for example, 40 percent of house- hold spending is on food, vs. 7 percent in the U.S. So if women in emerging countries found them- selves with any additional dollars it would go toward savings, clothes and education. While women in developed countries like ours are more likely to use extra cash for luxuries like vaca- tions, savings and paying off debt. In conducting this research, women were divided into three segments – daughters (average age Women everywhere around the world report being pressured for time official! Women everywhere around the world report being pressured for time, rarely have the time to unwind; feel stressed and overworked most of the time. And yes, want just a tad bit of help from the fellas’ time to time. It is 30), mothers (average age 47) and grandmothers (average age 67). The high stress factor is universal, but it breaks down generationally. The “daughter” generation is the most stressed. This stands to rea- son as this woman’s family is In Nigeria, 40 percent of household spending is on food, vs. 7 percent in the U.S. NOT just us!” How we cope with stress varies between developed and emerging markets. Our sisters in emerging countries are often faced with maintaining every day basics like food and clothing. The percentage of their household income spend young and she has not likely achieved her full earning potential. Among “mothers” the stress is mid-level. Makes sense because by the average age of 47, income levels are (usually) higher; but finances are still cause for con- cern. Lastly, “grandmothers” are the least stressed segment. Perhaps not surprisingly, grand- mothers are also most likely to believe that they have successfully achieved that delicate work-life balance. Fellas, I think the most notable take away from this study for you is that women would like to share more male/female responsibilities. We may be doing it all but would love to have a little more help from you. Umm hmm, did you hear that? Ladies, they may have missed that point, so if you want to cut this column out and post it up on the ‘fridge for those times when you need a little back up, feel free. Guys don’t like arguing with you, let alone taking on women from 21 countries and arguing in multiple languages! (You should highlight the multiple languages part). Consider this ladies: if based on our global spending power of $12 trillion we were our own country (and lord knows there are times we wish we were don’t we?) we’d be about the size of the United States (based on GDP). That’s a lot of power. So, there’s no doubt that you and I and our sisters across the globe are agents of change. Can you imagine how much more powerful we’d be if we got a little more support on the home front? So, when’s the last time you actu- ally asked for the help you need? I’m just sayin’. Cheryl Pearson-Mcneil is sen- ior vice president of public affairs and government relations for nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsen- wire.com lockout? NFl Fans Need To Get Mobilized A fter constant attention on negotiations in the National Football League and the subsequent lockout [where the employers refuse to let the employees work] by the owners, there has been something close to silence. Recent court rulings have permitted the owners to go for- ward with their lockout, at least for now. And, the rest of us just sit back and watch the calendar slow- ly approach the beginning of the next season. The gist of the dispute, as I have discussed in earlier commentaries, has been the greed of the owners. There is really no other way to put it. They are seeking concessions from the player, including an extension of the football season, in a situation where the owners can- not demonstrate any economic need for such givebacks. The only logical conclusion as to why the owners have pushed this dispute to the point of a lockout is so that they can destroy the union of the players—the NFL Players Association—and achieve total dominance over the players and the sport. The Players Association, under its relatively new Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, has been doing a great job of fighting the good fight. In fact, sports writ- ers and fans have expressed signif- icant support for the Players and have, correctly, identified the greed on the part of the owners as July 6, 2011 t raNS a FrIca Bill Fletcher Jr. the major source of this conflict. Yet the owners see no particular What the owners seem to be counting upon is passivity on the part of the fans. The owners actu- ally do not care whether the fans support them or not. What they are concerned with, however, is what the fans do. It is for this rea- son that the fans of football need to become motivated and active if we want justice to be won by the players. Here are a few ideas: 1. There needs to be a highly vis- ible organization of the fans, The gist of the dispute, as I have discussed in earlier commentaries, has been the greed of the owners reason to back down. Conservative court decisions in their favor, along with a national something like “We stand with the Players” or something like that. This needs to be more than a cou- Most sports stadiums NOT bring economic advancement to locales political climate that promotes the destruction of labor unions, encourages their arrogance. ple of people setting up a website. There need to be thousands of active members who sign up to participate. 2. This organization of fans needs to ensure that governmental bodies, particularly municipalities, that have been considering or negotiating any deals that concern new stadiums, put such talks on hold. Not only do most sports sta- diums NOT bring economic advancement to locales, but they almost always involve major financial concessions by cities and counties, that is, by the taxpayers. Let’s temper the greed of the own- ers by putting a freeze on further talks for the moment. 3. Few fans, except the most tried and true, have any idea who the actual owners are. So, let’s go visit them and introduce our- selves. Let’s have large delega- tions of fans show up at the offices of the owners and make clear, non- violently, our concern about their greed. Perhaps we should have massive vigils to pray for the souls of the owners. This is a start. It is not a com- plete list but it is enough to get us running. Time to get away from the television and the sports bars and into the streets. Let’s get the voices of the fans heard and put the owners on the hot seats. Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior Scholar with the institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of transafrica Forum, and the co-author of Solidarity Divided.
