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FYI...

CARE Launches I Am Powerful Campaign on International Women's Day Awareness campaign connects women in the United States to women in impoverished countries Atlanta (March 1, 2006) — "When a woman gains power, she, her husband, her children and her extended family benefit for a lifetime," says Dr. Helene Gayle, incoming president of CARE, a leading humanitarian organization.

"Women are an untapped natural resource in fighting global poverty." That's why CARE is launching a national effort to engage women here in the lives of impoverished women around the world.The I Am Powerful campaign — kicking off officially on March 8, International Women's Day — offers women in the United States an opportunity to stand in solidarity with women in poor countries who struggle to survive on less than a dollar a day.

"I Am Powerful represents the spirit of International Women's Day by bringing attention to the hidden face and inherent power of women in the fight against global poverty," adds Anne Lynam Goddard, CARE's chief of staff, who has 25 years of experience working in developing countries. "CARE focuses on women not only because they make up 75 percent of the poorest people in the world, but also because we know that working with women results in the greatest impact.

If given the opportunity, women have the power to change their world. We have the power to help them do it."Today, women represent two-thirds of the world's 876 million illiterate adults, and although women make up half the world's population and produce half the world's food, they own just 1 percent of its farmland.As it stands, Goddard says, "A woman in a poor country living on less than a dollar a day wakes up every morning and wonders how she'll feed her children. One in three of her children will likely die from a preventable disease like diarrhea. She might be able to write only her name because she was denied a basic education. Women in impoverished countries cling to hope every day for the opportunity to participate in society and provide a better future for their children."

CARE's six decades of experience and extensive research show that the longer a girl stays in school, the higher the income of her family when she becomes an adult. She also will have fewer and healthier children. In short, empowering women can be a crucial first step toward lasting change in the world's poorest countries. This change would mirror the actions of women in the United States a century ago when they stood up for the right to participate in society, to vote, and to own and inherit property. CARE's community-based programs in 70 countries place a special focus on working with women because they are disproportionately affected by poverty and are crucial to fighting it. "Women are the center of their families, families are the center of communities, and communities are the center of the world," says Goddard. "We can and must step up to support women's efforts to become empowered and to make a difference in the world."

To increase awareness of the issues affecting poor women, CARE's I Am Powerful campaign features a speaker series in partnership with Borders bookstores; influential women ambassadors including Meg Ryan, Christy Turlington Burns, Mayor Shirley Franklin, Anne Hathaway and Sheila Johnson; airport dioramas; and print, radio and television public service announcements — the latter directed by one of Hollywood's top cinematographers, Ed Lachman.

The journey toward true love begins within...

How to Measure a Man’s Love

Interpreting the love of a man is difficult, it is painfully complex, but the reward of gaining slight understanding is priceless. Unfortunately, concerning this topic, there is more gray than black and white. Ideally, men would either be super-sensitive, over-compensating, smothering love-sick puppy dogs filled passive-aggressive tendencies or controlling, insensitive, unable to verbalize emotion and unwilling to accept a woman in her present form; liberated. The fact is, most men exist within both spheres of influence, being fleetingly emotional/romantic yet, stern and protecting. The key is “knowing” or learning how he loves, without comparing it to how a woman wants to be loved; contrasting comes later.

Based on numerous experiences, there are merely three steps to measuring a man’s love and they are as follows:

First, determining his perception of love, its worth and direct importance in his life. Example: If the man you love perceives acts of romance, minus the sex, as showing a sign of weakness instead of an offering of kindliness, more than likely, he may be slightly distant during your “relations” and interactions. He may associate providing as the “best” and most worthy way to show a woman love, which means he’ll take care of issues like washing your car, cooking the meals, washing your hair, painting your nails or even helping you with workouts. Ask him to describe, in detail, his worst break up, how it impacted him emotionally and the significance of its ripple effect; this will provide insight concerning the importance of love, as he sees it.

Second, determine his length of love, meaning, does he love in short spurts or in one impassioned climax. Example: He may see picking up your dry cleaning, purchasing a new pair of heels or arranging a professional massage as “small” acts of love or he may express himself by planning the annual 14 day vacation for two, which in his mind, precludes him from having to show “small” acts. If you know the difference, it should be easier to appreciate his display and to associate it with him attempting to give what he understands to be an act of love.

Third, determine his capacity to love, depth versus shallow; explore the reasons why and focus on finding how to unlock it. Example: Role-play!!! Plan a Psyche on the couch evening, where, should you chose to, reward him for being frank. Turn the situation into a game; allow for a win-win for each of you. Ask him questions like, “how do you see the difference between being in love and loving?” Start simple, progressively increase the degree of difficulty. “how do you create love, nurture it and grow it toward a healthy and positive point of fruition?”

If you can garner an understanding of his interpretation of love, then you’ll be empowered to better measure his love.

The journey toward true love begins within...

Sound Advice (If HE is Your Man)

18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have
By Steve Calechman, Men's Health


1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You're smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don't let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her...along with breakfast in bed.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they're relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you're assuredly missing out on life.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don't know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork.

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he'll be.

7. An unstamped passport.

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.

10. A name for his penis. Even if it's a really clever name.

11. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.

12. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own.

13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, "Take me on your futon."

14. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.

15. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else's office.

16. A secret handshake.

17. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald's Hamburglar ones.

18. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop…"

The journey toward true love begins within...

Enemy Mine

There is a definite difference between being gorgeous and being a prisoner of beauty. The first is an effect of the physical, while the second is a reactive state of mind--primarily experienced by those who interact with a so-called beautiful woman. This typically happens when a woman is starred at for an excessive amount of time, her beauty going noticed by a man, while her essence is totally ignored and rarely approached. The experience is similar to what author Ralph Ellison wrote about in his ground-breaking book, The Invisible Man, but for the beautiful woman the repercussions can be far greater. In short, she experiences what is commonly referred to as "The Human Picture Effect". This not only gives her a beauty complex, increases anxiety levels when noticing men looking and heightens her awareness of aesthetics, but it also; for some, plants seeds of doubt concerning intellect since it is rarely the focal point and always competing with her beauty.

True, there is more to a woman than meets the eye and for the beautiful woman this fact can NEVER go unstated.

In addition, there is nothing worse than holding a conversation with someone who is so bound by the exterior they are rendered unable to hear, as Chris Rock said, "the words coming out of my mouth!"

If you are this person, here are a few suggestion to aid in your escape:

1) When communicating, be certain to interject with sound points concerning the topic of discussion

2) Focus less on the superficial, more on your inner state of being

3) Surround yourself with women of varied beauty levels, not just women who are as beautiful as yourself

4) Do not give men the option of staring, approach and engage them in conversation in effort to put yourself on the offensive, not the defensive

and

5) Utilize your beauty to create opportunities for others, especially those who would have never thought you noticed they existed.

The journey toward true love begins within...

Absolutes (First 10)

If a woman can relate to the following, it is time for an absolute reconsideration:

1) He knows exactly how many minutes it takes a woman to get from her job to the house.

2) The only friend a woman has is the man she loves.

3) Discussing relationship concerns always ends with the woman being so-called ungrateful for all he has "done".

4) Make-up love making is the platinum standard.

5) Wake up, cook breakfast, get the children ready, drop the children off, work, cook dinner, reluctantly make love are a woman's normal sequence of events.

6) "I know I forgot, but here it is," is the first sentence a woman hears before receiving yet another not well thought out gift.

7) His male friends all know his woman, but none of his female friends know her.

8) He knows the codes to unlock his woman's cell phone, passwords to her voice mail, e-mail key words and ATM pin, yet she doesn't have a key to his place.

9) The woman mistakes verbal abuse for honest opinion, but only when the words are coming from him.

10) The woman excuses the first time he hits her because he had a stressful day and just got caught up in the moment.

The journey toward true love begins within...

Actual Factual (Entry #1)

Love by the Numbers

By Laura Schaefer

The statistics of romance tell a fascinating story about who is dating whom, how many of us are still single, and what to expect when love blossoms. From who pays for what to the age at which we march down the aisle, it can all be neatly summed up by numbers, some of which will definitely surprise you. Just think about it this way: Would you rather be the average or on the edges when it comes to love? See what you think as you read these facts and figures.

To call or not to call?

There is only a 1 in 8 chance that a first date will call you for a second date after 24 hours, revealed a survey by matchmakers It’s Just Lunch. But say you do like the person, then what? Here’s what a 2006 survey by Match.com revealed: On the ladies’ side, 49 percent of women never call or they expect the man to call first; 20 percent of women call two days later, while 15 percent call the next day. Of the guys, 45 percent call the next day, 32 percent call two days later, and 14 percent call three days later.

Date-night data

According to 41 percent of singles, Wednesday is the best day for a first date, and 46 percent of people surveyed by It’s Just Lunch say Italian is the cuisine of choice for first-date dinners.

Working on love?

Office romances are quite a gamble, it seems, according to data from the American Management Association of New York: You could end up married—or losing your footing work-wise. 44 percent of workplace romances lead to marriage, while 43 percent of women and 25 percent of men who had an office affair that ended badly reported their work suffered as a result.

From wink to real world

It takes an average of four weeks before Internet daters will arrange to meet off-line, says a 2005 study by Love.com... so don’t be put off if bantering emails don’t lead to a date right away.

Putting a price tag on romance

51 percent of American men spend over $100 monthly on dates, and 29 percent spend over $150, according to an It’s Just Lunch survey. What’s more, 68 percent of men treat on the first date. Now, nearly 2/3 of U.S. women spend less than $50 a month on dating, but the female of the species likely empties her pockets for Cupid in a different way, buying cosmetics and new clothes.

I’ll drink to that…in moderation

86 percent of American men and 91 percent of women agree that two alcoholic drinks is the maximum on a first date, say the folks who took an It’s Just Lunch poll, and one in five would refrain from drinking.

Who’s doing the dumping

So who is bringing down the ax when people part ways? 29 percent of men polled by eNation, a service of Market Facts, say that they were the one who called it quits, while 51 percent of women say they initiated their most recent split.

How you mend a broken heart…

36 percent of adults say they get over an ex by dating someone new, according to the same eNation survey. 22 percent drown their sorrows in alcohol. 15 percent say they go shopping—and a jet-setting 10 percent go on a vacation.

Single solidarity

As of 2004, Census Bureau reports revealed that there were 89 million single Americans who were divorced, widowed, or had always been single. That’s more than 40 percent of the 18-and-older population. In fact, on the average, Americans now spend more years of their adult lives single than married. This is due to the fact that many people are delaying the age at which they marry — most recently measured at a median of 25.8 for women and 27.4 for men; the highest on record — and many marriages don’t last forever… So being single hardly makes you odd man (or woman) out anymore!

Laura Schaefer is the author of Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time.

The journey toward true love begins within...

Self-Evaluation

In order for woman to capture the love they desire they must first ask, "is the man I'm with all I need in a man?" If the answer to the question is "no", the next question asked should be, "why?" Successful relationships are filled with people who focus on solutions rather than problems. Women who are involved in relationships where they are not getting the love they desire have a problem, a quite serious problem.

The solution begins with exploring the expectations, unless they are already concrete. If your man is not as intelligent as you prefer, there is nothing you can do to solve the problem, unless you attempt to "make" him smarter. Having to prep someone for a conversation is irritating, extremely, which is why if women are to find what they are seeking they need to focus on the real reasons they stay with men who are unfulfilling.

If you have love, but no security,

if you have security, but no nuturing,

if you have nuturing, but no finances,

if you have no finances, but no support,

if you have no support, but no compatibility,

why are you staying in the relationship?

There is no shame in being alone, it is not the same is being lonely--what is worse is feeling alone while being lonely in a relationship.

How do women navigate?

The journey toward true love begins within...