Think it's tough to be you? Try being a Yemeni woman, where 50% of women are married before they are 18.
"An average of eight women die each day in Yemen due to child marriage, many of them in childbirth, according to the Arabic Sisters Forum."
And I don't have time to get a pedicure. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
Showing posts with label Life and Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life and Death. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Hazards of being a Woman in Ethiopia
Are many - read here for some enlightening details. Some excerpts:
"In Ethiopia, almost 60 percent of women have been subjected to sexual violence including rape. Abortion is linked to violence, as approximately 25% of women seeking an abortion are pregnant as a result of rape. Ethiopian women face further violence in the form of early and forced marriage or marriage by abduction. Although it is hard to believe, an estimated 72% of women are married by abduction, a practice that often involves rape. According to one study, 85% of women believe their husbands have the right to beat them if they burn food, refuse sex, or go somewhere without their husband’s consent."
"Rural women in Ethiopia may need to walk an average of sixty miles while in labor to reach a medical clinic where it is unlikely there would be an OB or midwife. ... 94% of women in Ethiopia give birth without the help of a doctor or midwife. It takes women in Ethiopia an average of 2.5 days to reach a hospital where they could have a c-section if needed."
Sobering, no?
"In Ethiopia, almost 60 percent of women have been subjected to sexual violence including rape. Abortion is linked to violence, as approximately 25% of women seeking an abortion are pregnant as a result of rape. Ethiopian women face further violence in the form of early and forced marriage or marriage by abduction. Although it is hard to believe, an estimated 72% of women are married by abduction, a practice that often involves rape. According to one study, 85% of women believe their husbands have the right to beat them if they burn food, refuse sex, or go somewhere without their husband’s consent."
"Rural women in Ethiopia may need to walk an average of sixty miles while in labor to reach a medical clinic where it is unlikely there would be an OB or midwife. ... 94% of women in Ethiopia give birth without the help of a doctor or midwife. It takes women in Ethiopia an average of 2.5 days to reach a hospital where they could have a c-section if needed."
Sobering, no?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Fake Police and Real Guns
Not many weeks after the Bellaire shooting of an unarmed man, it's happened again. This time in Stafford, a suburban community southwest of Houston. And this time to my church family.
Please pray.
I can't say how much it angers me that we put the authority of the law into the hands of people who are so obviously unable to handle it. I am not a gun control advocate, but I am an advocate of vetting and training police officers in such a way that this kind of thing does not happen. These tragedies happen in smaller communities more often than in big cities because that vetting and training process is not there. Nor are those officers, in some instances, given other tools that would prevent them from reaching for their guns. For example, just the other day we were in line for sandwiches behind a police officer from one of the small municipalities nearby. One whispered to me, in shock "but he only has a gun, he doesn't have a Taser!" And they don't. So what else do they reach for when they (a) feel in danger, or (b) want to be the hero?
Putting the law in the hands of the wrong people is criminal.
Please pray.
Please pray.
I can't say how much it angers me that we put the authority of the law into the hands of people who are so obviously unable to handle it. I am not a gun control advocate, but I am an advocate of vetting and training police officers in such a way that this kind of thing does not happen. These tragedies happen in smaller communities more often than in big cities because that vetting and training process is not there. Nor are those officers, in some instances, given other tools that would prevent them from reaching for their guns. For example, just the other day we were in line for sandwiches behind a police officer from one of the small municipalities nearby. One whispered to me, in shock "but he only has a gun, he doesn't have a Taser!" And they don't. So what else do they reach for when they (a) feel in danger, or (b) want to be the hero?
Putting the law in the hands of the wrong people is criminal.
Please pray.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Bellaire, Texas: Stuck in the 1950's
Here's a lovely story about a police shooting in Bellaire, TX, a small city completely surrounded by Houston and close to us:
"Tolan and his cousin Anthony Cooper, 20, were returning from a trip to a fast-food restaurant when he pulled up to his home ... A Bellaire police patrol car raced up when Tolan and his cousin got out of the 2004 Nissan Xterra and walked toward the front door. "They're in the driveway and (a Bellaire police officer) gets out of the car yelling, 'Stop. Stop," Morris said. "They didn't know who it was because the spotlight was on them." A Bellaire police sergeant and a backup officer ordered both men to the ground. They dropped to their knees then were told to lie on the ground, family members said. The commotion on the front lawn roused Tolan's parents, who came outside. The sergeant told them the Nissan had been stolen. "My sister was telling them, 'It was not a stolen vehicle. It's ours," said Tammy Morris. Family members said one of the officers pushed Tolan's mother up against the wall of the home. When that happened, Tolan leaned up and complained about the treatment she was receiving. "That's when the (sergeant) shot him," Tammy Morris said. White, the city spokeswoman, confirmed that the shooting happened when Tolan attempted to rise to his feet... A Bellaire High graduate, Tolan was working the late shift at a local restaurant the night before he was shot. He also once played in baseball's minor leagues with the Washington Nationals organization, family members said.""
The Bellaire police better hope there's another side to this story, since what it sounds like is that an innocent black man was just shot in an almost-100% white neighborhood. Criminal assault, Section 1983 violations - anything else you can think of?
The only contact I've had with the Bellaire police was appearing in court for a ticket. There were maybe 70 people there; 2 of us were white: a teenage boy and me. Everyone else was black or Hispanic. But seriously, I wouldn't live in a neighborhood like this, even being white. I'd rather take my chances with HPD - they seem to know the difference between real crime and imaginary offenses. Living in the city itself, I'm much less likely to find one of the boys spread-eagled on the hood of his car in our driveway someday. That makes me feel a little better, I have to say.
"Tolan and his cousin Anthony Cooper, 20, were returning from a trip to a fast-food restaurant when he pulled up to his home ... A Bellaire police patrol car raced up when Tolan and his cousin got out of the 2004 Nissan Xterra and walked toward the front door. "They're in the driveway and (a Bellaire police officer) gets out of the car yelling, 'Stop. Stop," Morris said. "They didn't know who it was because the spotlight was on them." A Bellaire police sergeant and a backup officer ordered both men to the ground. They dropped to their knees then were told to lie on the ground, family members said. The commotion on the front lawn roused Tolan's parents, who came outside. The sergeant told them the Nissan had been stolen. "My sister was telling them, 'It was not a stolen vehicle. It's ours," said Tammy Morris. Family members said one of the officers pushed Tolan's mother up against the wall of the home. When that happened, Tolan leaned up and complained about the treatment she was receiving. "That's when the (sergeant) shot him," Tammy Morris said. White, the city spokeswoman, confirmed that the shooting happened when Tolan attempted to rise to his feet... A Bellaire High graduate, Tolan was working the late shift at a local restaurant the night before he was shot. He also once played in baseball's minor leagues with the Washington Nationals organization, family members said.""
The Bellaire police better hope there's another side to this story, since what it sounds like is that an innocent black man was just shot in an almost-100% white neighborhood. Criminal assault, Section 1983 violations - anything else you can think of?
The only contact I've had with the Bellaire police was appearing in court for a ticket. There were maybe 70 people there; 2 of us were white: a teenage boy and me. Everyone else was black or Hispanic. But seriously, I wouldn't live in a neighborhood like this, even being white. I'd rather take my chances with HPD - they seem to know the difference between real crime and imaginary offenses. Living in the city itself, I'm much less likely to find one of the boys spread-eagled on the hood of his car in our driveway someday. That makes me feel a little better, I have to say.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Premium Death
We've having a freebie on premium channels for Directv this weekend, and Husband is of course making the most of it. Although honestly, the thing he's liked the most was today's showing of The Man Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain. Otherwise, everything on after dark seems to involves piles of dead people. I don't know - maybe 30 minutes worth of TV last night with Husband surfing around - and we saw at least 20 people die. No stopping at horror movies, but nevertheless, death on a plate - every channel out there.
Yuck! I'm glad we save the money each month.
Yuck! I'm glad we save the money each month.
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