Empower Peace

Follow-up to human trafficking...

2008-04-10T13:35:00.003-05:00

Hey guys,

Just in response to the post about trafficking on Craig's List... I know that sometimes you read about these sort of issues, and you continue to feel as though there is little you can actually do. But in this case, it's so simple --

http://www.love146.org/uploads/CL_petition_1_2008.doc?tr=y&auid=3291770

Download this form, and then post it on Craig List's forum, or email it to Craig's List in their "contact us" section, or mail it to Craig's List Inc. World Headquarters at: 1381 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122-2308 or fax it to Craig's List at: (415) 504-6394.

Who knows, if enough of these add up, maybe they'll listen. It's crucial that we bring this issue to the table, in order to offset any change. Human trafficking on Craig's List is not okay. It's important that we let that be known.. empower peace in action.

The Olympic Games, A Private Utopia?

2008-04-09T13:58:00.004-05:00

The Summer Olympics were always a huge event in my household. For two weeks, my brothers and I glued ourselves to the TV. Amanda Beard, Michael Johnson, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, these athletes were my idols. To me, the Olympics was a festival, a celebration of talent across the globe. Different nations, their athletes and their fans, coming to compete? Even the visual splendor of the different colored rings and blazing torch, it was an event of incredible festivity. I remember quite seriously writing my parents a note in 6th grade, "letting them know that I was going to go to the Olympics" to swim. Looking back it seems a little bit of a joke, but I really thought that I would. To be a part of something so glorious and honorable - the best of every country joined for two weeks – it seemed to me to be the ultimate dream.

In the past year, this "festival of talent" has been under much debate. Protests have rippled across the torch relay, in stops like San Francisco, Paris, and London; signs reading "Shame on China" have been fanned across protest lines. Critics shun China for flagrantly ignoring human rights in Tibet. The event has unveiled pent-up criticism and controversy internationally.

In response to the recent protests in San Francisco, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogges laments, "I’m deeply saddened by the fact that such an important symbol has been attacked. We recognize the rights for people to protest and express their views, but it should be nonviolent” (USA Today). There seems to be a general sentiment among the Olympic Committee that the event should remain separate from politics; that the tradition and glory of the Olympics should be preserved, and contained from the political situation in China and Tibet.

I agree with this to a point. As the USA Today article concedes, the US-led boycott of the Moscow games in 1980 and the Soviet-led boycott of the L.A. games in 1984 was a disservice to the athletes, and general spirit of the Olympics significantly. In a perfect world, one would hope that the unity and celebration of the Olympics could be celebrated as such. Without a doubt, the athletes have worked hard outside of the political realm, and so I understand the position that the event should not be tainted by this environment. As U.S. swimmer Tara Kirk says in an interview, "Just because the Olympics are happening in China doesn't mean they should suddenly be about something else. It bothers me when I feel the Olympic ideal is being degraded when people are attacking the torch . . ."

However. Doesn't it add a certain sting that the spirit of the Olympics does not extend beyond the stadium? Isn't it less compelling to know that such "unity" exists only within the track, pool, and gym? The truth is that it would be irresponsible to view the Olympics as some shrouded Utopia. If they were completely neutral, then China would not be looking to them to bolster its global image. If they were not linked to any political circumstance or consequence, then they would not be perceived as a way for China to "reemerge on the world stage in a wave of good will." The fact of the matter is that the two worlds - the Games and the international complex that surrounds them - cannot be kept separate. When China pledged to the IOC to respect human rights, they necessarily linked their two roles - the responsibility of a host country and a nation-state. Clearly, the Olympics have been recognized as a celebration of human spirit and talent. They give birth to sport legends like Michael Spitz and Florence-Griffith Joyner, icons that unite and inspire their countries. But we cannot separate these heroes from the political reality. We cannot sacrifice their glory for the well-being of oppressed peoples, because to do so would ignore the spirit of the Olympics all together.

The Games are meant to emulate this splendor, arguably in recognizing the integrity of shared human rights. Whether or not we should boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing, I'm unsure. But we should absolutely use this as an opportunity to address the inequity in Tibet, and to understand the reality that China is not living up to its responsibility. The Games should be an honor bestowed to a country fully cognizant and respectful of this shared human spirit, a cognition that extends outside of and beyond the two weeks in August.

Trafficking at Home?

2008-03-31T14:40:00.002-05:00

Recently, a man in Boston and his niece were charged with advertising underage girls for sex on Craig's List. For those of you who might not be familiar with the site, Craig's List is an online community where people can post job openings, babysitting services, or items for sale. My friends have often gone to the site to look for apartments or parking spots for rent. The other month, my roommate bought a pair of used vintage cowboy boots; another friend a chair that she planned to refurbish.

More than 25 million people use Craig's List monthly. It receives more than 8 billion views per month (http://homepage.mac.com/srjeanschafersds/stoptraffic/stoptraff603.pdf). But, there is an alternate side to the site that most people are unaware of. An article on www.notforsalecampaign.org cites that 25,000 new "erotic ads" are posted per day; many of these are child traffickers. Particularly in Washington D.C., the spots typically endorse "legal escort services," however this all too often serves as a cover for the darker reality. Girls as young as 13 are being passed off as though they are a used pair of shoes or a tired old couch. They often are made to have sex with 10-12 men per day. It seems that sex trafficking is now entering the online realm in full force.

One of the problems in montoring such advertisements on Craig's List is that users are not required to register before they post something on the site. Craig's List therefore provides a prime location to solicit prostitution because it is free, anonymous, and depends on viewers to censor its content. If a viewer has a problem with a post, she can flag it; after repeated flags, the post is removed from the site. However, this system makes real enforcement particularly difficult. If the majority of users aren't aware of these posts, how will they receive the "flags needed" to be removed? Doesn't somone else need to step in?

The fact of the matter is that most victims of human trafficking have been promised a far different life than the one they face upon arriving in the US. They are often promised a job and a home; only upon arrival are they forced to work, often without pay, in the control of criminal employers. Many women do not know their rights, and lack the peer support necessary to find help. They struggle with both a language barrier and foreign legal system, and this makes the prospect of help even more forlorn. Particularly around here, sex services are often concealed under the guise of massage palors or nail salons, and this makes tracking down such cases particularly difficult.

Nobody likes to think that such "modern human slavery" is happening within any real proximity to them. Wrongly so, most Americans seem to think that "sex-selling" happens only in impoverished corners of the world, or on risque street corners. But the fact of the matter is, it happens right in our neighborhoods, under our noses. What can we do to take a stand against this type of behavior, to let places like Craig's List know that we do not support such activity?

You can check out www.notforsalecampaign.org to get a better idea of how to get involved. The organization is a "campaign of individuals, musicians, artists, people of faith, business, schools, and sports teams united to stop it." When you hear a statistic like "27 million people are enslaved today," the number is really too big to comprehend. Even in my own mind, I am quick to think of people in other countries suffering such inequity. Gross disparate numbers that are nevertheless faceless. But the truth is, it's so much closer to me than that. I went on Craig's List just the other day to browse for a new apartment. And so it seems that I have an automatic responsibility, as a user of this website, to try and help protect those who may not be able to protect themselves. As my friend/co-worker Mike said, "it's all connected."

Thoughts on Disney

2008-02-26T13:20:00.002-05:00

Hi All -

I am doing a case study on Disney for my Globalization and Media course. I was wondering how widespread Disney really is and what your experiences are on watching Disney movies and shows. I have been to Disney World twice and my dad owns every Disney movie ever made. Disney is a huge part of my life, but I assume most other people do not share my sentiment. Please post your thoughts on Disney and your exposure to it.

Also, I just had to write an essay on how the movie Aladdin is racist and pseudo-feminist. Do you think that Disney is bad and negatively influencing our culture? I know the girls I babysit for are really into dressing up like princesses, and several of my friends claim that they are princesses. :) Is Disney too prevailant in American culture?

Just wondering what other people thought about the topic. Please let me know.

-Andrea

Why do people matter and mother nature doesn't?

2008-02-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, I have volunteered to go to south africa as a research assistant to aid scientists and biologists in conservation with an organisation called Operation Wallacea. through OW 32 speices have been introduced to science in the previous years.

Now for me to go on the expedition i need to raise about £5000 although if i get to £4000 it wouldn't be that bad. it's for the expedition itself, travel expenses, accommodation although most of the time we will be sleeping in tents and we'll have armed guards with us that'll protect us in the wild, our food and insurance. our diving equipment and so many other things. When i ask people to donate even if it's just £1 or $1 or BD1 sometimes i get people saying we only give money to help poor people. what those ignorant people don't see is that they actually do more than just destroy those poor people's lives by not helping science and biologists like myself.

i'll give you an example if people would bother with donating money to install tsunami warning devices people would not have died, had their houses destroyed and their lives wouldn't have been the hell it was when the tsunami came. AFTER they had gone through all that horror those ignorant people were like "yeah ok now we'll donate money to make their lives better". why couldn't you have donated before than so that they wouldn't have GONE through that horrifing experience?? as a mate of mine said " prevention is better than a cure" same with south africa if we don't conserve their forests, their animals, their lands they won't have anything to eat if everything dies, in addition most medicines come from plants and if all are destroyed where are people going to get their extracts. I better stop since I can go on and on...please feel free to comment and add your ideas even if you disagree

If anyone wants to have a look at operation wallacea and what their scientists and research groups have achieved and what they are currently doing please visit www.opwall.com

Reem

Hot Wheels?

2008-02-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

Hey,

I had a speaker in one of my classes yesterday who brought up several interesting points relating to globalization and the way the world interacts. He told us a story about something they were doing with Hot Wheels toy cars. Mattel decided that they wanted to create stories and videos to package with their cars when they are sold. This guy's company created characters to drive the cars, mostly guys, but also a few girls and wrote stories about them. When they went to pitch the ideas, the problem came up that they could not sell cars with female drivers globally, because some countries do not allow women to drive.

I thought this was a very interesting point. I knew that companies had to do market research for the varies countries they sell to and that they have to adjust their products to sell in different countries. However, it seems crazy that children in these countries cannot even play with toy cars that have female drivers. I know our cultures are very different, but I wonder how you guys feel about this. Is this a common occurence? Do you know that these types of things are happening? Are we forcing Americanization by even wanting to sell toy cars with female drivers because women here can drive? Just things that make me wonder . . .

Andrea

Elections

2008-02-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday being Super Tuesday, people are buzzing around here about the elections... How much do you guys hear about this? Do you have any thoughts/opinions at this point?

I read an interesting article in Time magazine the other day. (You can find the link below...)
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1708570-3,00.html
The title was Why Young Voters Care Again (And Why Their Vote Matters)...

The article talks about how my generation is using their right to vote more than in years past. I think a lot of people have become a little disillusioned with the government in general, and November will bring the possibility to turn things around, to bring the key word of everyone's campaign: "change." The article brought up the point that for the 18-25 year old voter, he/she has never really known (or at least remembers) anyone besides a Bush or a Clinton in office. Which I hadn't realized, but is entirely true.. Even just by the very fact that Obama is a new face and name, he seems to emulate the change and inspiration that is so desperately needed.

I have to admit, to my own self, that I do not know as much about the individual issues themselves as I should. But I agree with what Carolyn Kennedy wrote in her endorsement of Obama:
"I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved."
Obama has demonstrated the spirit that I think we really need. As everyone can feel, Washington has become so divided, and I believe that Obama can instigate a certain healing process. I was talking to someone in the office about this, and he said he wanted to be able to "go to Europe and other nations and wear the American flag with pride," like his Canadian friends can do.. and I think we should all want that. I guess apart from any particular policies (and I don't mean to imply that the particulars are unimportant), to me this is what will matter in the upcoming election.

On the other, somewhat more cynical hand, I wonder if the enthusiasm that the Time article outlines has to do with our generations' desire to be a part of history - to have a hand in electing the first black or the first woman president. Is it this novelty that makes both candidates so appealing? Is this right? I suppose in a way it follows our general desire for change. Either way, the support that both campaigns have rallied so far is remarkable.

Would love to hear some of your thoughts. The forecast this week is rain, rain, rain... keep your chin up and stay dry ;)

E

Corporate Giving

2008-02-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hello again,

As someone from Connecticut who roots for all the NY sports teams, it's better not to mention what did or didn't happen in the Superbowl last night - I'll keep quiet about the game itself. I will comment though on one commercial in particular that I would love to hear your thoughts on... you can watch it at the link below:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tMMct-a3-Lk
It's a spot for Dell's (RED) computers - the campaign that companies like GAP, American Express, Motorola, Hallmark, even Georgio Armani have joined to combat AIDS. In fact on website (www.joinred.com), a blurb about the commercial reads, "This ad shows that ordinary people can help eliminate AIDS in Africa, simply by choosing Dell (PRODUCT) RED while shopping for computers that they're already going to buy, and other ordinary people recognize and celebrate this choice..." In months past, the (RED) campaign has gotten a lot of attention. Headed by celeb icons like Bono and Bill Gates, it's sexy - it uses the "hot" products we all know and love, and celebrity faces like Penelope Cruz, Julia Roberts, and Don Cheadle to promote a cause and raise money/awareness for AIDS... all in all a good thing, right? I'm getting something by giving something.. what's not to love?

Right... but isn't there something somewhat off about trying to fight a sexually-transmitted disease with sex-laden ads? In one, Christy Turlington is sitting in a yoga position with a (RED) leotard.. that happens to be falling off her shoulders and clearly showing the outline of her breasts. In another a bare shouldered Jennifer Garner stands in a (RED) army coat.. with nothing under it. What are we really trying to sell here - a product or an awareness about AIDS and some of its causes/preventions?

Does it say anything about our culture that we're linking this materialism to "doing good"? Once again, consumerism has become the center of our motives/purposes... Through Project (RED) we become a "good consumer" not necessarily a good citizen. It gives us sort of an easy way out - a chance to know that some of our dollars are going to a good cause when we walk out the GAP doors with a bag of new (RED) stuff. Do programs like Project (RED) underestimate what we as Americans are capable of? It almost assumes that we can never completely step out of ourselves - even for a moment - to think of the other person.

Maybe I'm being too cynical -- don't get me wrong. Project (RED) has indeed raised money for an incredible cause; I'm not at all meaning to suggest that the founders of this program have bad or manipulative intentions or that this is ALL geared towards raising the bottom line. As a culture, we are very egocentric, and so it could be argued that (RED) is just an example of good marketing - an effective way to target the public, and at least get them talking about the campaign and AIDS, and maybe even contribute some money. At the same time, because of the fact that we are all citizens, and not just consumers, we should at least question things like this, and not just accept and swallow them as they're packaged. When Dell says, "Now there are four new ways to help eliminate AIDS in Africa" and shows me four new Dell products, I should at least be able to think of four other ways that I might be able to contribute - beyond swiping my American Express - or at least realize that I'm probably getting more out of the deal than someone with AIDS in Africa.

Hi there!

2008-01-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Also new to EP, my name is Erica.. It's incredible to read through the past posts and even just about the kinds of things you all have done together. Crazy that I can read someone's thoughts from Bahrain at 12:51 AM while I'm in Boston at 3:22 on a windy afternoon. :)
It's so difficult not to rely on stereotypes or media images when thinking of other cultures that you don't have any real contact with... The majority of people have no point of reference, and seeing as how we tend to like to classify things in order to know where they stand - sort of like tucking them away in a neat package - it's easier to pick up a readily-available label. Everything that EP is about is really what we need more of though, I really do believe that. These true viable ways to connect with names - and even with videoconferencing, with faces - so that you don't just think of the obsolete word "Bahrain" or "Iran" when you read about some certain issue, but of people who you've actually spoken with..

I was looking through the "A Day in the Life" videos, and it struck me how simliar some of the images were, even across the globe. Not to borrow a cliche, but it makes you wonder whether fundamentally we're more the same than not. Do you find, among your peers, that the majority of people are up to date with current affairs? I go to Boston College, and along with a lot of our country, more people would be able to tell you about Britney Spears' latest fiasco than any happening internationally. Is it that celebrity gossip is just easier to take in - sort of a nice junk-food to indulge in apart from everything else that is going on in people's lives - or that people actually don't care? Celeb buzz certainly is sexier -- don't get me wrong, I'll flip through an USWeekly or People as quick as the next guy. But what is it about our craze to know the rich and famous, and turn the page to something happening in another continent? I wonder if this trend is purely American, or if you find the same in your culture.

I like to think that people actually do care, that instead they just don't really understand. Reading about a country or a catastrophe in the paper doesn't bring nearly as much texture to the issues as much as a face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) interaction. So when I think about what role my generation will play as we're the ones who make decisions and all that (oof, us as adults, really?), I think it's going to be crucial for us to use things like the internet, videocasts, whatever technology we have, to make those viable connections. It's easier for us to do that than other generations.. and so somehow seems like a responsibility/necessity that we do.

Mm that's all I've got for now -- hope you are all well.
Cheers from the 8th floor in Boston --

Erica

Hello!

2008-01-29T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hey,
I am new to EmpowerPeace, but I love the concept and all that they do. I just started working with EP as part of my internship. I am a marketing student at Bentley College and have been studying international marketing and globalization in the media. EP goes right along with everything I am learning and seems like a great way to reach out to people that we do not normally communicate with directly.
Last year, I did a documentary for a film class about the interaction between international and American students on campus. My college is very successful at bringing diversity to the student body. However, the students do not interact with each other by sharing stories and experiences. Hopefully, my student body will be able to connect more, and hopefully EmpowerPeace can help this on a larger scale!

Hello Everyone!

2008-01-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

It's Michael from EP. Just wanted to say hello and look for new writing coming this way! Also, get ready for the new EP Newsletter written by YOU for YOU. I know some of us have talked about this in the past but it's finally close to a reality!

We're all thinking of our friends around the world, and hoping everyone is OK. If we haven't talked for a while always feel free to shoot me or Tricia a note. And of course, Asad and Mariam :P

Michael

thoughts...

2007-09-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

It's 12h51 AM here in Bahrain, I can't seem to get any sleep so I thought I'd just browse around webites until I get tired. I've come about articles written in the news and it's quite depressing what the politicians of the world are doing. Problem is that they don't just hurt themselves and their country - they hurt all the innocent people living in their country and the other. One of the facts is that they seem to live in luxury while the innocents live in wars, poverty, diseases and everything horrible - basically their leftovers.

Peace in the Middle East seems so far to achieve yet there is a glimse of hope as its youth are doing their best to make the sun shine tomorrow. The US and Iraq war, the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, the Israeli -Lebanese conflict, furthermore, the US and Iran seem to not be on "friendly terms" and yesterday on the news it was said that Israel is threating to attack Iran and Iran said that if Israel attacked her it will definitely defend itself and bomb Israel I'm sure if that happens the US will back Israel up.

Everytime we seem to want to open a door to peace, politicans somehow make sure to wreck our road with something new. Since coming back from the W2W conference I have been telling people how nice the US is and how some people are against what their government is doing to others, I was telling them how nice the Israeli girl that I met was, most people would give me looks that said "I don't believe you" and with what's happening I don't blame people for not wanting to see the other side as to them in the end - the Middle East will keep suffering while the other side will keep living in peace. So many thoughts are going through my head at the moment and thinking of a way to solve it just seems impossible. I seem to reach the end sign.

I'm listening to a song called a Moment like this by Leona Lewis and kind of makes me think that even though the road ahead of me seems filled with obstacles the road behind me that I've gone through has made me achieve a lot and for that I'm grateful. Life may seem filled with bad things but something I learnt is that it's also filled with good lovely things. If I'm willing to see the other side I'm sure there are others like me somewhere in this world. Haven't I met some of those lovely people at Lesly University =)

A Red Indian Chief once said " We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we have merely borrowed it from our children."

broadcast!

2007-09-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

The broadcast was great!! I was very happy to see all the familiar faces again! the empower peace group is doing wonderfully =) i guess you all heard of the new projects that are on the way one being the W2W cookbook and the other one like i said before the W2W newspaper. so go on and put in all your favourite recipes from your country!! who'd like to write in the newspaper and who has some recipes for us all to try?!!!

waiting for your posts!!

Reem =)

Empower Peace Radio Broadcast!!!

2007-08-29T10:33:00.000-05:00

Empower Peace would like to congratulate everyone on being a part of a wonderful and inspiring week! This has been our best Women2Women yet, and we look forward to beginning the planning for next year’s conference.

In the coming weeks, we will continue our efforts to empower YOU to become future leaders through new initiatives, programs and challenges.

And it starts next Thursday, August 30, 2007 when W2W will hold a follow-up Internet broadcast with our latest news, updates and projects. We are going to announce our W2W 2007 Challenge where you can have a chance to win a trip back to next year’s conference as a presenter!!!

So mark your calendars and remember to join Tricia, Kari, Asad, and all your favorite Empower Peace staffers for this broadcast. (Broadcast times are below.)

And thank you all for making this year’s conference so memorable. We look forward to hearing from all of you soon!

Regards,

Empower Peace

Date: August 30, 2007

LIVE Broadcast Times:
9 AM – Boston
1 PM - Casablanca
4 PM - Amman, Beirut, Bahrain, etc
6 PM – Lahore, Baku

Link: http://vbxevents.powerstream.net/003/02408/w2wupdate/

Technical Requirements:

You will need a PC with Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player to view the webcast. You will also need a high speed internet connection (DSL or Cable). Please disable any pop-up blockers.

For multiple viewers watching in the same office, remember we will be broadcasting at 200Kbps. This means that if all of you connect to the town meeting at the same time, you will exceed the available bandwidth of the Internet connections of your office. Therefore we recommend that for 2-3 viewers, you gather around a single designated PC to view the meeting. For a larger audience, simple connect a viewing PC to a standard projector and enjoy the meeting from the comfort of a conference room.

We hope you can join us and look forward to hearing from you.

EP newletter

2007-08-23T08:50:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I guess most of you have heard that we'd like to put together a newletter that will allow us youth to raise our voices and get ourselves heard. if you've not heard of it as yet well here you have now! =P anyone can write in it and share his/her thoughts. we haven't started with it yet we're just collecting ideas and we're seeing how many people are interested in joining and would like to write! if any of you are interested please send us your ideas and thoughts! on facebook or even here in the blog! think of it this way - you'll be a journalist writing for the empower peace newspaper /newsletter! waiting for all your ideas or thoughts to come so let your minds flow and rise high up to the clouds and touch the rainbows!

Reem =)

W2W

2007-08-20T12:21:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

My name is Reem Al Mealla and I am from Bahrain. I was one of the lucky participants that got the wonderful oppourtunity to join the Women to Women conference this year. The conference was indeed on of the best conferences I've been to where I've not only learnt alot but made a lot of friends, painted new dreams, learnt about other countries and added new countries to my must visit list.

We got to meet amazing women leaders in different fields starting from politics going on to journalism, the media and the enviornment. each of us got to meet an amazing woman from the field we are specifically intrested in. we got to ask our questions and get it answered directly and in the most benifiting way. After ever talk and speech I've heard and every little mini course that I've attended I was filled with inspiration and was ready to do whatever I can to promote change and spread empower peace!

I've learnt 4 things that I'll always carry with me for the rest of my life which I'd like to share with you, whoever is reading this whether you attended the W2W conference or not.

1. It's all about time - everything takes time and it may be very slow to happen but it takes time and we must be patient.

2. It's about it - after waiting for so long something is bound to happen cos it's just about it nothing can go on for ever even the wait must end some time.

3. NO! - say no when your plate is too full and you feel like you can't do something cos you've already got loads to do and you're dead drop exhausted.

last but definitely not the least

4. embrace who you are - " I was born a jewish, an american and a woman. I didn't choose this, it wasn't my choic3e but I was born like this, god decided this is what I should be and I can't run away from it instead I embrace it" - Victoria Budson.

Thanks for reading and be safe!

- Reem

W2W All Over!

2007-08-20T11:59:00.000-05:00

What a week it was! Hard to believe it came and went so quickly, and here we are a week later and everyone is back home.

Personally I just want to say that I had an amazing week and met such a wonderful group of people. Hearing from all the different cultures and backgrounds across the world and the nation was very rewarding for me, and I hope that everyone else was able to take away something :)

We here at EmpowerPeace would love to hear from everyone, so please let us know what you thought about the conference!

Pictures are online at www.empowerpeace.org and also on Facebook.

W2W

2007-07-20T14:20:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe that the Women2Women conference is right around the corner. Everyone at the office has been busy getting ready, with little or no time to do much else!

If you are having any problems or need help, please contact us. Otherwise we are looking forward to having you here this coming August!

Can you believe it's July!

2007-07-02T09:36:00.001-05:00

When I woke up this morning I couldn't believe that it was already July...that means the Women2Women conference is about a month away! Where has the time gone!

We are very busy putting together the schedule for all of you, and Mariam has been working hard to make sure everyone in the Middle East has a flight to and from Boston. If you have any problems or need help with anything, you can always contact her.

In case you missed our last EmpowerPeace radio broadcast, you can check it out here:

http://vbxevents.powerstream.net/003/02408/w2winfo/index.htm

So the conference is fast approaching...do you have any questions about what to expect? Maybe you want to know more about the staff? Are you curious as to what you are going to be doing? After you watch the broadcast above, feel free to ask questions here. We want to hear from you!!!

W2W Conference!

2007-06-27T08:57:00.000-05:00

Hello to everyone who will be attending this years Women2Women conference! Everyone at EmpowerPeace is very excited you will be coming here to Boston and Cambridge for a fun week of learning, networking, and cultural exchange. I can't believe it is only a little over a month away!

Personally I am very excited to meet all of you, and I certainly hope that you will take something away from here that you will carry for the rest of your lives. Whether it's a new friendship, point of view, life lesson, or maybe something you got shopping :)

I hope everyone feels comfortable contacting us with any questions you might have because there is nothing too small or insignificant. You and your experience here is very important to us and we want to make sure you know that!

It is very hot in Boston today, almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course I say that and many of you come from places where that is a 'cool' day! Asad is out shooting some video for EmpowerPeace and Mariam is getting the last details of your travel arrangements completed.

Feel free to talk here!. If you are coming here for a week, what is one thing you hope to take away with you?

Friday Friday Friday!

2007-06-22T18:10:00.000-05:00

Well everyone it's Friday evening...and it's been another productive week here at EmpowerPeace. People have been doing everything they can to make sure the Women2Women conference is an amazing experience, and we are working closely with consulates and embassies to make sure people get here as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

I am also looking into some new technology and software that would let EmpowerPeace participants interact 24/7! More to come on that...

Everyone have a great weekend!

Monday Morning

2007-06-18T09:53:00.001-05:00

The staff at EmpowerPeace is as busy as ever with meetings in preparation for the Women2Women event that just around the corner. Rick and Tricia are running all over Boston as we speak, Mariam has been working since early morning, and Asad is walking back and forth between the video edit rooms and his office doing some kind of project.

The crew here is very excited to be working on upcoming events for EmpowerPeace, and looking forward to more interaction with all of you here at the blog, on the message board, FaceBook, and the soon to be available MySpace page.

One thing folks can start thinking about if they want...what types of discussion would you like to see going? You can always bring up something you feel needs to be talked about!

Welcome to the Empower Peace Blog!

2007-06-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! My name is Michael and I will be writing here in the Empower Peace Blog updating you about all the exciting things the staff is up to. I'll be talking about upcoming events, stories in the news, and hopefully interacting with you!

Anyone is free to post thoughts or comments they have about what we are discussing. There are links at the bottom of the page to the rest of our Empower Peace family including the main website and the message board. Rick, Tricia, Asad, Mariam, and everyone else say hello and be sure to check back here for updates!