Threadbare Excuses at American Eagle

Harassment, Intimidation, Unionbusting Tell American Eagle you expect better from its contractors! As the weather cools down and school starts up, you might think about picking up some new fall fashions from American Eagle Outfitters. While American Eagle, one of the biggest clothing retailers in North America, has a corporate code for contractors that supports workers’ rights to join a union, it seems one of the company’s contractors is cut from a different cloth. Workers at American Eagle’s Canadian distribution contractor have a shocking story to tell. When these men and women first tried to form a union, they say they were subjected to harassment and intimidation—all part of a massive unionbusting campaign. Write a letter to American Eagle demanding that the company enforce its code of conduct at the distribution center. How far will American Eagle’s contractor go to suppress workers’ rights to join a union? The company flew in a unionbusting firm to run a campaign against employees the very same day the workers petitioned for union certification. According to workers, the company: Made workers attend daily, two-hour anti-union meetings, Plastered huge “vote no” posters all over the workplace, and Mailed an anti-union DVD to each worker’s home. We call that unionbusting – and it’s simply unacceptable. Despite promising to treat workers with “dignity and respect,” American Eagle has not lifted a finger to enforce its code of conduct. As the largest customer of National Logistics Services, the company that owns and operates the distribution center, American Eagle can make a difference in the lives of these workers. But instead the company has turned a blind eye - claiming it holds no responsibility for the way its distributor treats workers, who say they suffer from stagnating wages, little job security, and daily disrespect from management. Contact American Eagle and say that this just doesn’t fit! You know as well as I do that the company can choose to do the right thing. These workers have a right to join a union, free from harassment and fear. Thank you for taking action on behalf of these workers! Liz Cattaneo, American Rights at Work www.americanrightsatwork.org

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about American Rights at Work and the Employee Free Choice Act. Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for American Rights at Work.

Pro-choice Senate victory is in sight if you act today!

We just heard that we can score a major victory for the world's poorest women - help us make it happen!

Sens. Boxer (D-CA) and Snowe (R-ME) plan to hold a Senate vote to repeal President Bush's appalling "global gag rule," which blocks U.S. funds from going to any overseas health clinic if it uses its own, private, non-U.S. funds to provide legal abortion services, give referrals, or even take a public pro-choice position.

We've been working to end this extreme policy ever since Bush enacted it on his first day in office. With Congress now in pro-choice hands, we have our best chance in years to end this misguided policy - and a vote could happen as early as tomorrow.

Take action now and urge your senators to vote to repeal the global gag rule. After you take action, be sure to forward this message to at least five friends. Let's make sure that senators in all 50 states hear from pro-choice supporters!

Thank you for taking action today to ensure that women around the world aren’t denied critical health services because of horrendous Bush policies.

My best,

Nancy Keenan
President
NARAL Pro-Choice America

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this opportunity to repeal President Bush's global gag rule.
Tell-a-friend!

Bloomers by Jeanne Angelheart

In 1850 Amelia Bloomers invented BLOOMERS--liberating women from the constrictive confines of their clothing; BLOOMERS made a powerful statement about women's rights! "These baggy pantaloons worn with a short skirt over them were scandalous when the first appeared, but most women loved them, for they freed them from dangerous and unhealthy clothing. "I am still loving their freedom, today! They have become my uniform

Execution of a teenage girl in Iran

This is a horrific story!! It is in five different videos. A young teenaged girl who was executed when she was only 16 years old for "Crimes against Chastity". She was raped and tormented by the same "Moral Police", captors who jailed her for her crimes, beginning at age 13.

This is a admirable documentary which was made courageously under the suppression of fact of mullahs regime Shown by BBC01.And following the brutal murder of Zahra Kazemi the Canadian national journalist.











Please watch these videos so that this lovely young girl did not die in vain!!

STEP UP! Help A Working Mother In Dire Straits

Hey folks,

This story is not an easy one to tell. And the courage it took for the woman to let me tell it to you is immense.

Her name is Cy. She’s a sweet, hard working mother of 4 kids. One of them just 20 months old. Right now, all 5 of them are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no money, no place to stay, and I assume nothing to eat.

I’m telling you this story because you can help. Her kids need help. And I feel compelled to use my influence on the internet to persuade you to help.

Imagine your boyfriend breaking your hands so you could no longer use the internet. Imagine having your head slammed into the doorway. Imagine having your ribs busted by someone you lived with and had a relationship with.
After you watch that video, ask yourself a question: If it was a close friend of yours, what would YOU do to help?

No one should have to suffer domestic abuse like this. Obviously, you now see why I need your help. Please take a few seconds to watch the video below and see how you can help get Cy to a better place tomorrow…

Here’s what Cy needs…

Some money to get to a new city. She has a safe place to go and once there, will start looking for shelter for her kids. Right now she is stranded with nothing. In fact, her Paypal is -$250 after this monstrous ordeal.

I urge you to please dig deep into your heart and do whatever you can to help out Cy and her kids. I told her I would only help if she promised to move to the new city, start a new life, and surround herself with supportive people.

Right now, she just needs some supportive people. I’m not asking a lot from you, just whatever you can possibly do. Maybe it’s just tell a friend. Maybe it’s just a prayer. Please help however you feel comfortable doing so.

You can view Cy’s Product here…

If you are not interested in the product, but would like to just help with a couple bucks for daily needs, please send paypal payment to the email below….

cyprice @ gmail.com ( obviously without the spaces )

Thank you everyone, it means a lot to me and many of Cy’s friends.

ARE YOU IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP?

If you find that you are in an abusive relationship it is important to get out of there as soon as possible?  Right now you may be saying, "Yeah, right, but that is easier said than done"

One resource that you might consider is  to contact your local YWCA.  The one in my community sponsors a Women's Shelter.  A safe, secure place where women (and their children) can live anonymously for up to a month while they try to restart their lives.  They also provide counseling, help to find a job, day care, and clothing. 

A friend of mine came to me in need last spring.  I was able to point her in this direction and she is now on a whole new path in life after enduring years of mental and sometimes physical abuse from her husband.  The important thing is that you make the decision to get out.  There are people out there who will help you.

Elaine

India elects first female president - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

India elects first female president - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

India elects first female president

Posted 42 minutes ago
Updated 6 minutes ago

Pratibha Patil has scored a landslide win, despite several scandals. (AFP: Noah Seelam)

India has elected its first female president, in what supporters are hailing as a boost for the rights of millions of downtrodden women, despite a bitter campaign marked by scandal.

Pratibha Patil, the ruling coalition's 72-year-old nominee, has easily beaten 84-year-old Opposition-backed challenger and standing Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in a vote by the national Parliament and state politicians.

Ms Patil has won by a large margin, securing 66 per cent of the votes.

A stream of well-wishers is thronging her residence in New Delhi, while people are dancing in the streets in the new President's home town of Jalgaon.

"This a victory of the people," Ms Patil said after official results were announced.

"I am grateful to the people of India and the men and women of India, and this is a victory for the principles which our Indian people uphold."

A junior minister in the Prime Minister's office, Prithviraj Chavan, says Ms Patil's win is a historic moment for India.

"In the 60th year of India's independence, a woman will be elected as the president very shortly. We are very happy," he said.

Ms Patil, a lawyer and the Governor of the north-western desert state, Rajasthan, emerged on the national stage when the Congress-led coalition and its communist allies failed to agree on a joint candidate.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi plucked Ms Patil from relative political obscurity, saying her election would boost the cause of gender equality and would be a historic moment.

Supporters hoped Ms Patil's nomination would help bring issues that plague women in India, like dowry-related violence, into the public spotlight. A woman is murdered, raped or abused every three minutes on average in India.

Scandals

But Ms Patil was buffeted by accusations that she protected her brother in a murder probe and shielded her husband in a suicide scandal, in a campaign described by analysts as the most vitriolic in India's post-colonial history.

There were also claims of nepotism and involvement in a slew of financial scams.

Ms Patil, a demure figure who dresses conservatively in a sari pulled over her hair, has denied any wrongdoing.

She was also mocked for telling television viewers that a dead spiritual guru gave her a "divine premonition of greater responsibility".

India's top news magazine, India Today, put her on its front cover with the headline: "Embarrassing Choice".

Analysts say Ms Patil has a tough act to follow in the form of India's popular outgoing President Abdul Kalam.

Congress rebuffed his bid for a second five-year term because, analysts say, it wanted a party loyalist.

The silver-haired, shaggy-locked missile scientist, who became a national hero after overseeing successful tests in 1998 that turned India into a nuclear

power, was dubbed the "People's President" for his populist style.

Under the constitution, the Prime Minister holds the executive reins but the President plays a role in forming governments at state and federal levels, making the post hotly contested.

Ms Patil's presidency reflects the growing power of some women in India, where an increasing number are taking part in the work force and in schools and hold senior positions in corporations as India enters the globalised economy.

India has had a few female icons in the past, most famously Sonia Gandhi's mother-in-law, Indira, who was one of the world's first female prime ministers in 1966.