Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

The Jamaican Women of Florida, Inc. (JWOF) elected a new Board of Directors on February 25, 2015 at their fourth annual general meeting. The new president is Ms. Camille Edwards an administrator with the Broward County School Board. Ms. Edwards has previously served as the Presidents of the Immaculate Conception High School Alumnae Association and Broward Alliance Of Caribbean Educators (founder). She hails from Montego Bay, Jamaica and holds Masters of Science and Bachelors of Arts degrees from St. Thomas University, Miami, FL and York University, Toronto, Canada.

The newly Elected Vice President is Mrs. June Minto Marketing Consultant and Managing Partners with Jamaican Jerk Festival & Jamaque Paridis Magazines. Rounding out the new Board are Secretary Tamara Wadley; Treasurer Dale Telfer, CPA who is returning for her second term in the position; Director-At-Large Ann Marie Clarke, Esq. and Legal Director Hilary Creary, Esq.- who previously served as the associations Secretary.

JWOF was launched in April, 2013 with twenty founding members and saw their membership triple since. Currently they have 46 paid members and continue to seek members to strengthen the group. The non-profit was founded as an organization to provide an outlet for Jamaican women in Florida to empower themselves through charitable and educational endeavors, personal development and mentoring. The goal of JWOF is to engage Jamaican women in Florida and to give back to the next generation of young women by assisting in the development of leadership and personal skills to operate in a global environment.

Membership is opened to everyone, and since launching they initiated several measures to accomplish their goals. These include the annual Womens Empowerment Conference & Scholarship Luncheon; the Powerful WomenNext Generation scholarship, the annual Health & Wellness Conversation, and the adoption of Melody House Girls Home in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Members of JWOF have made several trips to Jamaica to visit Melody House and have supported the girls home financially over the years. The organization has also helped several Jamaican women and families in Florida in need and continue to live up to their mission of helping the community.

We the new board embrace JWOFs mission and vision and are dedicated to the organizations continued growth over the next two years says JWOF President, Camille Edwards. We have some big shoes to fill but with the guidance of the outgoing board we will strive to provide avenues to empower the now gen and the next gen , said Edwards.

To celebrate their fourth anniversary, JWOF is again hosting the popular Jamaican Women of Florida Empowerment Conference & Scholarship Luncheon, on Saturday, April 8th, 8:00AM 4:30PM at Jungle Island in Miami, Florida. The days events will include three panel presentations focusing on their mission Empowerment; personal growth and development; and mentorship; the annual scholarship awards luncheon to benefit a female high school senior and a rising second, third and fourth year college students. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available.

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The Jamaican Women of Florida, Inc. (JWOF) elected a new Board of Directors - Jamaicans.com

Business & Tech By Edmond Ortiz | 13 hours ago

Lea Thompson for the Rivard Report

Ensuring that more people have access to computers, could help boost economic, educational, and personal opportunities.

San Antonios firstDigital Inclusion Summittook placeWednesday, and participants agreed that comprehensive training must accompany efforts to increase digital access and literacy.

More than 100 people attended the day-long conferenceat the Central Library. Speakers said progress in bridging the digital divide is being made by extending high-speed internet access citywide, especially in lower-income communities.

That, and ensuring that more people have access to computers, could help boost economic, educational, and personal opportunities in such neighborhoods, they added. Attendeesalso called for increased focus on outcomes of greater access and literacy.

San Antonio Public LibraryDirector Ramiro Salazar said the library systems increasing number of branches help with this effort.

For many communities, [libraries] are the only access they have to high-speed internet, Salazar said.

Molly Cox, president and CEO of SA2020, said digital inclusion is key to personal empowerment in many communities. But its more than simply having computer or web access its about using it productively, she noted.

How can you fill out a college application without internet access? How do you look for a job? How do you sign up for health care without an email? Cox added.

One in six San Antonians do not have a computer or internet access, Cox said,citing research. Smartphones alone are inadequate for completingmore complextasks, such as writing school papers or developing a rsum, she added.

Mayor Ivy Taylor has long advocated forSan Antonio becominga globally competitive city where everyone has a chance atprosperity. The mayors office spearheads a digital inclusion initiative, where the City, theSan Antonio Housing Authority, and private and public partners work toward solutions.

We cant achieve that vision without bridging the digital divide, Taylor said. Its the gap between people who have broadband access and know how to use it and those who dont.

Taylor said not having internet access at home or in neighborhoods prevents people from completing essential tasks, such as applying for a job, paying bills, or discussinga childs school performance with ateacher.

Even engaging in local government is a challenge without reliableweb access, Tayloradded. As a result, people without adequatedigital access do not get to share educational and workforce skills with others, she explained.

Socioeconomic inequality exacerbatesthe digital divide, especially among younger and lower-income families and the elderly. Such individuals often lack the digital or financial literacy to achieve upward mobility, Taylor said.

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, San Antonio ranked in the bottom third of major cities based on percentage of households lacking internet access. Taylor said developing public and private sector partnerships is vital to closing the digital gap.

Think about that for a minute: up to one in four San Antonians may be functionally illiterate, she said. The most important thing we can do to address the digital divide is to build relationships that help our residents learn basic skills that apply competently to new technology.

Panel discussion participants talked about how such partnerships and innovation shore up access, training, and literacy.

More than one year ago, the Housing Authoritybegan working with ConnectHome, a pilot initiative launched by then-President Obama in 2015. The program links communities, businesses, and the federal government in extending broadband technology to residents in assisted housing.

Google Fiber and several private and public partners joined the Housing Authority in the local cause.

The Housing Authority first installed computers with broadband access in centralized rooms at three of its properties. Itlater enabled WiFi in individual unitsand computer rooms at two other Housing Authority properties.

The organizationhas also provided more than 350 devices to residents across these communities, and more installations are in the works. Local ConnectHome partners hope to expand their efforts beyond federally funded public housing.

The Housing Authority also offersdigital literacy classes at its properties where broadband access and devices are provided. Officials said its important to instill a sense of confidence while providing proper digital literacy training to residents.

Some of the residents at Housing Authority properties go on to become so-called ambassadors to help train fellow residents.

Confidence is one of the most important things [residents] need to continue, said Catarina Velasquez, educational consultant with the San Antonio Housing Authority

One of the summits speakers, Bill Callahan, is the director of Cleveland-based Connect Your Community 2.0, a nonprofit that helps increase digital inclusion and literacy in low-income communities across Cleveland and Detroit.

He said less than two decades ago, at the dawn of the mainstream internet, many people were comfortable with filling out job applications in person.

Now that most job applications are offered online, fewer residents are confident they can access a computer to seek out job openings, much less fill out applications online.

This isnt just a mobility or access problem for the individual, but a huge problem for the community, Callahan said.

Public discussions about digital inclusionlack focus on exclusion, Callahan explained not deliberate exclusion, but rather inclusion effortsthat are not comprehensive.

As a result, many people specifically in low-income and rural communities still get left behind.

When cities engage as smart cities, you put your digital eggs in one basket, but you tell other communities youre less vital, Callahan said. He pointed to a Bexar County map where most residents still lack digital access and mobility.

Organizations such as Bexar Bibliotech and Communities in Schoolswork to achieve greater access, mobility, and literacy. Bibliotech now boaststwo full-servicebranches, one of which isthe first digital library in the nation located in public housing. The libraries allow locals to access the same books available at traditional libraries through digital e-readers which can be checked out for two weeks at a time. In addition, Bibliotech has collaborated with VIA Metropolitan Transit on the Ride and Read initiative, added six digital kiosks at transit centers throughout the city, and committed to furthering anti-cyberbullying programming.

Callahan andHousing Authority representatives agreed that people who have recently become digitally literate shouldshare their newfound knowledge with their peers and, thus, help close the digital divide.

Were not making sure everyone who has access or a computer can use the system, Callahansaid. You cant expect someone who cant pay their $60-a-month electric bill to just figure out their internet.

Jen Vanek, director of the IDEAL Consortium, shared similar sentiment: Access to poor training is worse than no training.

Vanek said digital literacy should be well-rounded, relevant, and specified. She added that it should be embedded inEnglish as a second language, general education development, and workforce development.

Deb Socia, executive director of the nonprofit Next Century Cities, said widening digital access and literacy helps unleash peoples potential.

With access, anyone can create a web-based enterprise, she said. In turn, communities build wealth internally.

This is about investing in people, Socia said.

Investing in people means collaboration, said Catherine Crago of Austin Pathways. She described how the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) built a coalition of private and public partners to further digital mobility for local low-income residents.

The Austin Community College Districtdonated hundreds of computers to Austin Housing Authorityresidents, allowing HACA to divert more resources totraining. In turn, more residents have access and share their knowledge.

These people are willing to learn, relearn, and co-learn, Cragoadded.

Angelique de Oliveira of Goodwill Industries said Goodwill helps serve low-income residents with needs and workforce development by collecting, refurbishing, and recycling used computers.

One of the things in using a computer is you can achieve employment as an outcome, she added.

Towards the summits end, Cox stressed the importance of outcomes regarding digital inclusion.

I want to know what happens with those people when they turn on those computers, once they have access, then go out into the community and apply their new skills, shesaid.

Edmond Ortiz, a lifelong San Antonian, is a freelance reporter/editor who has worked with the San Antonio Express-News and Prime Time Newspapers.

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Digital Inclusion Summit: Training, Partnerships Are Key - Rivard Report

Two days after her grandmother's death last March, an emotionally distraught Arielle Visalli called a psychic medium, "looking for a sense of hope" that her grandmother was OK, Visalli recalled.

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She was shocked when the medium, Sheri Marcantuono, whom she hadn't met before, knew accurate details about her life.

"In the middle of setting up an appointment, she interrupted me, asking, 'Who died from stomach pain? It's a lady with curly hair and she's real bubbly and she's holding her stomach,' " said Visalli, 24, of Pittsgrove, N.J. "Then she asked me about another lady with dark, curly hair and piercing blue eyes who was pointing Sheri to a mailbox."

The two women were Visalli's grandmothers, one who died in December 2015 of pancreatic cancer; and the other, the "mailbox lady" - a reference to her trout-shaped mailbox - who died two days earlier from complications associated with Alzheimer's.

"This was all in a span of 15 minutes on the phone trying to set up an appointment that turned into a full-blown reading," Visalli said.

Since then, Visalli and Marcantuono have met twice in person.

Answering questions about dead relatives - even predicting love prospects - has always been de rigueur for psychics. But more people are turning to these soothsayers for advice about their work or life in general, seeking empowerment advice and even life coaching. And although anyone can still consult with a psychic in person or on the phone, now you can take classes, even text your questions.

Jackie Pidgeon began consulting with psychics six years ago, initially through face-to-face encounters and phone calls. When she needs privacy or is in a rush, the texting chat feature offered by ESPsychics.com works best.

"The first time I tried it, I was skeptical, because I wondered how they'd be able to pick up information just by typing back and forth to me," said Pidgeon, 43. "But as soon as I logged on, the psychic said, 'You are having relationship issues.' I contacted her because I was going through a horrible breakup."

For that service, Pidgeon pays $4.25 per minute, and she limits her chat sessions to 10 minutes.

Marcantuono, 44, a medium who's a full-time accountant, has - through Facebook and word of mouth - grown her two-year-old business, Lotus Wood Journey in Berlin, from three clients a month to 24, charging $80 to $100 per hour, depending on the discipline.

She also runs a 10-week course on empowering women to focus on personal goals, including creating a spiritual mandala, making a vision board, practicing yoga, and learning about nutrition.

For Beth Ann Mazzeo, the course was a life-changer, especially in helping her find love: Her new boyfriend closely fits the qualities she had placed on her vision board. "I wanted someone active who loves the outdoors, is generous, kind and caring, with dark hair, and taller and older than me," said Mazzeo, 49, from Hammonton, N.J. "The class reinforced positive thinking, not dwelling on your problems, and living in the now."

Among the million people each year who visit Keen.com, an advice site in San Francisco, 250,000 seek out psychics, with the rest using free content, CEO Warren Heffelfinger said. That's about a 20 percent increase from 2013, when the company launched its chat and chat mobile formats, allowing clients to text for advice. Now, about a quarter of all clients use chat, half on the mobile app, for between $1.50 and $30 per minute, depending on the adviser.

"You think of a psychic as somebody who's just trying to predict the future or channel a loved one, but the predominant advice our psychics are giving is career advice, life questions, love and relationship and dating questions," Heffelfinger said.

What's the attraction to such a texting relationship? People have questions they may deem too personal to ask friends or family, and therapists require appointments, he said.

"This is on-demand 24/7, with you wherever you are, anonymous and bite-sized," he said, qualities that are especially appealing to millennials.

But buyers beware.

Mark Edward, who wrote Psychic Blues: Confessions of a Conflicted Medium in 2012 about his own career as a mentalist and psychic, including nine years with the Psychic Friends Network (remember the one with Dionne Warwick?), attributes his abilities simply to good listening skills.

"On the 900 line, people are paying up to $5 a minute, so they will usually cut to the chase and ask about their problem," said Edward, 65. "I didn't defer to any kind of guidance or metaphysics. I was brutally honest."

For example, responding to a caller who asked if her boyfriend was going to get out of jail, he said, " 'I see there is a price that will have to be paid and you're going to have to be patient.' Then I would let them fill in the details. Once you get the ball rolling, you listen to the intensity in their voice and you make a lot of judgments based on what you hear. It's basically situational awareness."

And there's "nothing supernatural about it," he insisted.

Patti Negri, president of the American Federation of Certified Psychics and Mediums, an organization in New York that vets psychics, said, "For every legitimate psychic, there are boatloads of scam artists." Do your homework when choosing a psychic, she said, by looking at reviews and seeking referrals.

Susan Forte agrees. Though as a teenager she had visited psychics on the boardwalk who offered "hocus-pocus stuff," her experience tells her Marcantuono has the gift.

In 2010, after losing a dear friend, she channeled her devastation into seeking answers to "what was on the other side," said Forte, 42, of Berlin.

Marcantuono described her friend standing with her horse, which had died after her friend died.

"It was validation to me. It's not like she's channeling the deceased, speaking as if my friend was speaking through her. But I know that my friend is at peace, which gives me a good feeling."

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Consult a psychic - for empowerment - Philly.com

Rescue workers on the scene of a Manhattan crane collapse in 2008. Photojournalist J.B. Nicholas needs an NYPD-issued press card, which allows him to cross police and fire lines, to capture images like these. After the NYPD revoked Nicholas' press card seemingly without warning, he filed a federal lawsuit.

courtesy J.B. Nicholas

A journalists lawsuit alleging that the NYPDs regulation of the press violates the constitutional rights of a free press can go forward, a federal judge ruled on Monday. In rejecting the government's motion to dismiss the suit, Judge J. Paul Oetken affirmed that the government cannot arbitrarily restrict journalists, and that the NYPD and the City of New York's policies for revoking and suspending journalists' press credentials may be be unconstitutional.

Arbitrary restrictions on news-gatherers may run afoul of the First Amendment,Judge Oetkenwrote in rejecting the city's motion to dismiss the case. The plaintiff, he said, "has carried his burden to allege a protected interest in his press credential."

The lawsuit, brought by freelance photojournalist J.B. Nicholas, stems from an incident in October of 2015, when Nicholas was on assignment for the New York Daily News. A building under construction on 38th Street had partially collapsed, trapping two construction workers towards the rear of the building.

Nicholas (who full disclosure has written for the Voice) arrived on the scene with his press credentials. The dead body of one of the construction workers had already been retrieved. While Nicholas waited in a nearby store for the second worker to be retrieved, police rounded up other journalists and corralled them into a press pen down the block and out of sight of the action.

But while most of the official press was kept from covering the story, photographers from numerous government agencies and even ConEdison were operating freely inside the police cordon, Nicholas said. When the second construction worker was freed, the complaint states, Nicholas approached, and, without interfering with the emergency workers, photographed him being placed in the ambulance.

Nicholas says getting the shot, which he couldnt have done from the police press-pen, was important, and not just because its his job. Those photos tell an important story that New Yorkers need to see, he told the Voice. Theres a story about the deunionization of construction in New York. Most of these guys are immigrants, legal and not, working for probably $100 a day in cash, all to build multi-billion-dollar condos. And theres a cost for that exploitation there have been 31 construction workers killed on the job in the last two years. So if you lose that photo, the impact of that story, the cost thats paid for all this, it gets lost. The picture might trigger some inquiry. Think of the picture of the Syrian kid on the beach.

But the press officers for the NYPD werent happy with Nicholas getting the shot, which ultimately led the story in the Daily News. As a video Nicholas took during the episode shows, they immediately approached him, confiscated his press pass, and ejected him from the scene.

Nicholas said he wrote to the NYPD repeatedly to discuss the return of his press pass, but was rebuffed. Meanwhile, his career suffered. To be a photojournalist in New York, you need to have a press pass, he said. Without it, you cant cross police lines, which is the only way to get the shot, you cant photograph in court. Unable to perform the basic tasks of spot-news reporting, Nicholas saw his assignments dry up. In December of 2015 he filed his lawsuit against then-NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. The suit alleges that police violated Nicholass constitutional rights to freedom of the press, speech, assembly, and intra-state movement, as well as his rights to equal protection under the law and substantive due process.

As Nicholass amended complaintexplores in depth, the history of NYPD interference with journalists efforts to do their job is considerable, ranging from freezing out disliked reporters to the violent arrests of credentialed press at protests of the 2004 Republican National Convention to numerous arrests and obstructions of journalists during Occupy Wall Street in 2011 and 2012 to the assault and false arrest of a New York Times photographer documenting stop-and-frisks in the Bronx.

Nicholas has his own stories. He was arrested in 2014 as he was attempting to photograph NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Only after multiple witnesses told prosecutors that in fact it was Goodells bodyguard, a former police detective, who had run into Nicholas with his truck, choked him, punched him, and thrown him to the ground were the assault charges against Nicholas dropped. The year before, Nicholas was acquitted in case based on his taking photographs of paramedics in the subway.

FROM LEFT: Craig Ruttle, J.B. Nicholas, and Joe Marino testify at a City Council hearing on the freedom of the press last year.

William Alatriste / City Council

Nicholas is acting as his own lawyer in the suit. At a hearing before Judge Oetken last May, he got the court to dig into just how the NYPD decides who can and cant report in the city. Regulations state that if the NYPD tries to revoke a journalists credentials, theyre entitled to a hearing to challenge the revocation. What do the hearings look like? the Judge asked the citys lawyer, Mark Zuckerman. Are the hearings ever done?

I dont have the answer to your question, Zuckerman conceded. I cant tell your Honor conclusively whether it was done or not.

What about how the police department decides when its going to suspend or revoke a journalists credentials, the judge asked. Is there a written standard?

Im not aware of any written standard, Zuckerman answered. Theres nothing in the rules about a written standard for whats necessary to take a summary suspension.

Zuckerman conceded that Nicholas was still entitled to a hearing, and a week later, Nicholas got one, presided over by DCPIs commanding officer, Edward Mullen, and Lt. Eugene Whyte. Nicholass card had been revoked at the direct order of Steven Davis, the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, who was on the scene that day, so Mullen and Whyte were effectively being asked to rule on an action of their boss. According to Nicholas, he wasnt allowed to see any evidence against him and Whyte bullied the witnesses he called in his defense. Nonetheless, at a status hearing for his lawsuit a month later, Nicholas learned that hed be getting his press credentials back.

Even so, Nicholas is determined to forge ahead with his lawsuit. I did this for my colleagues. I did this for my city, he told the Voice. Theres an ongoing pattern of the NYPD keeping journalists away from breaking news scenes for no good reason.

Efforts to control the press aren't unique to New York, Nicholas says. They happen everywhere, including the White House.

Norman Siegel, a lawyer who has worked on numerous First Amendment cases and helped shape the current NYPD press credential policies, says the case goes to the heart of questions of press freedom. The standard by which the NYPD pulls someones press pass or denies them renewal cannot be subjective, it has to be objective, Siegel said. If its subjective it invites discrimination based on the viewpoint or even personality of the journalist. We saw last Friday how freedom of the press can be abused, when [White House Press Secretary Sean] Spicer decided not to let certain media outlets in. Freedom of press is a cornerstone of our system. It's being undermined not only by the Trump administration, and sometimes by the NYPD.

The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.

The case now moves into the discovery phase. Nicholas is still acting as his own lawyer Its an exercise in personal empowerment, I hope to inspire others, he says which means that soon he will be personally deposing witnesses, including the the DCPI officers who revoked his credentials and former Commissioner Bratton.

Ive got a lot of questions, he said. Are there any records of how they handle press credentials, suspensions, revocations? Who keeps notes on this. Where are those notes? Lets see the logs. How many journalists have been arrested?

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Federal Judge Says NYC's Regulation Of The Press Will Go On Trial - Village Voice

PORT HOPE-

On Feb. 27, Grade 8 and 9 girls from Port Hope High and Dr. M.S. Hawkins Senior Public School took part in a half-day seminar focused on empowering girls.

The seminar was presented by Kate Whitfield, who has been speaking to girls across Canada and the US for six years since she started the FearlesslyGIRL organization in ninth grade.

The organization focuses on empowering a generation of young women to be bold, fearless leaders in their schools and personal lives.

The FearlesslyKind summit is about helping girls break down barriers between each other and be kinder to themselves and each other, Whitfield said.

It helps them to talk about their insecurities and the things we deal with, which is something we dont often share. Its about realizing that were all on the same page and the same team, and that girls really do need girls to support each other.

The girls listened to a half-hour keynote speech before breaking off into groups and taking part in team-building activities that helped them to talk about their insecurities and how they can work together to help each other. Each group was led by a ninth-grade student who had been picked to be a team leader and interact with the younger girls.

I kick off with a silent activity, where the girls gather in a big circle and are invited to step into the middle if the statement that I read is true. For example: I have been bullied, Whitfield said.

The point of this is for other girls to see without speaking that they have things in common with the girls around them. This is also a great way for them to get comfortable.

Finally, the groups filled out Dear Girl cards with inspirational words that they wanted to share.

The Dear Girl cards are so inspiring and incredible, Whitfield explained.

Its such a privilege to get to stand up in front of these girls and have these conversations and to connect with girls across the country, to show them that we are all going through similar things. I think when you feel supported and heard and understood, its such a powerful thing. Im lucky to get to facilitate those kinds of moments.

The two-hour seminar really hit home for the girls who took part, letting them know that they arent facing their insecurities alone.

I thought it was really healthy for us, eighth-grader Daria Waite said.

I think we needed that, because a lot of us just go through so much and we try to not talk about it. We need to open up and tell people because theyre going through the same thing.

Itll definitely motivate people in the future to take that chance, Reena Robins added.

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Port Hope girls learn empowerment - Northumberland Today

A match at the Israeli catchball tournament in Kfar Saba, Feb. 21, 2017. (Courtesy of the Israel Catchball Association)

TEL AVIV (JTA) Every week, thousands of women across Israel gather to play a sport almost no one outside the country has heard of.

For that matter, few Israelis knew about catchball or cadur-reshet in Hebrew a decade ago. But in recent years it has become the most popular sport amongadult women in the country,with nearly all the players over 30 years old.

Its like a disease among middle-aged women here, said Naor Galili, the director-general of the Maccabi sports association in Israel. We like it. We love it. We fully support it.

Now the Israel Catchball Association is trying to spread the feminist fever to women around the world. A major step will be catchballs appearance for the first time at the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer. The hope is that the thousands of Jews who attend the multi-sport gamesfrom around the worldwill be inspired to ask: What is catchball?

Catchball is likevolleyball, but easier because catching and throwing replacesbumping, setting and spiking. Israelis adapted the sport from Newcomb ball, which was named for theLouisiana womens college where it was invented over a century ago. Today, Americans rarely play Newcomb ball outside of gym class.

Meanwhile, catchball leagues in Israel boastmore than 12,000 female members. That is twice as many adult women as belong to basketball, soccer, volleyball and tennis leagues combined, according to data from Israels Culture and Sport Ministry.

Hila Yeshayahu, 41, plays for the Herzliya-based squad Good Heart and handles marketing and business development for the Catchball Association, to which the team belongs. She said women start playing catchball because it is fun and easy and stick with it for the sense of community and personal empowerment.

Catchball is a present women give themselves. Its a chance to do something healthy with other women and come back home with more strength and more passion, she said. When I step out the door in my uniform, my kids arent on my shoulder; my husband isnt on my shoulder. Im 18 years old again. Im Hila, and I can do anything.

Yeshayahus twin sister also competes for a team in the association, and their 11-year-old daughters play together in a new girls league.

On a Tuesday evening, Yeshayahu and her team faced off against A.S. Moment at a high school gym in Ramat Hasharon, not far from Herzliya in central Israel. The crowd consisted of a few husbands and sons on the sideline. But the atmosphere was competitive, with a referee, scorekeepers and players wearing numbered uniforms. When A.S. Moment won two sets to none, Good Heart players slumped onto the court, and several tearfully threw their knee pads toward the bench. (The first two sets are scored up to 25 points, while a third set in the best-of-3 match would go to 15. The victor must win a set by at least two points.)

Good Heart coach Liron Shachnai, 34, a marketing and sales manager by day, said most of her playershave little experience losing. Competitive sports in Israel are male-dominated, she said, so women do not have the opportunity to learn sportsmanship growing up.

You have women who are over 40 going home crying, saying [the opposing players] think theyre better than us, she said.

Still, by the next practice Thursday evening, the players werelooking toward the future. It helped that this weekend, they will competein the Catchball Games in the southern resort town of Eilat. The tournament is catchballs biggest event and a highlight of the year for many players.

You should see all the photos theyre posting on Facebook. They can barely wait, Yeshayahu said.

In its sixth year, the Catchball Games are expected to draw more than 1,500 women from all of Israels leagues, and even a few teams from abroad. Leavingtheir husbands and children at home, women willdon pink Israel Catchball Association T-shirts for four days of competition and socializing. Local schools will host hundredsof matches, and the top two teams will face off for the championship. Off-court festivities will include a parade, Eilats first night road race and a standup comedy show.

A player celebrating at the Catchball Games in Eilat, Israel, February 2016. (Courtesy of the Israel Catchball Association)

Alexandra Kalev, a sociology professor at Tel Aviv University, says the success of catchball in Israel can be seen as a challenge to the roles women have traditionally played in the countrys sport and culture. Womens sports in Israel are underfunded and little covered in the media, and women are expected to work and handle most household responsibilities.

Catchball can empower women, especially at a stage in life when they are weakened, Kalev said. They are discriminated against in the labor market, overwhelmed by home chores and child rearing and experiencing the changes that age brings on all of us. These leagues really come at the right time of their lives and allow them to be empowered. The message is: We are strong.

The rise of catchball in Israel began in 2005, when OfraAmbramovich started Mamanet, a league for mothers in the central city of Kfar Saba, where she lives. She learned the sport fromHaim Borovski, an Israeli gym teacher from Argentina. Thanks to Ambramovichs entrepreneurship, dozens of municipalities have since started their own Mamanet leagues.In her mind, catchball is primarily a mom-powered social movement.

Catchball gives motherssomething for themselves, a reason to be healthy and part of the community, Ambramovich said. And the mother is the agent of the family, so shes the perfect role model. When the motherdoes well, everyone benefits.

In 2009, the Israel Catchball Association branched off from Mamanet in an effort to make the sport more competitive. The associationwelcomed non-mothers and allowed women to form their own teams rather than requiring them toparticipate through their childrens schools though they maintained Mamanets age minimum of 30. Today,the association offers leagues at four skill levels.

The Israel Catchball Association claims 5,000 players, and Mamanetclaims 12,500. Both groups claim superiority and dispute each others numbers, but everyone agrees the totalnumber of women playing is more than 12,000.

It is also clear the sport is growing rapidly, and even reaching into Israels most traditional communities. Many Orthodox Jewish women play catchball in headscarves and skirts. And there is a mostly Druze team in Daliyan al-Carmel in northern Israel. When Anaia Halabi, a 35-year-old school counselor, started the team seven years ago,it was a radical idea.

For women to leave their husbands and their children toplay was a big change for the village, she said. It is not considered suitable for women to be outside the home at night. Not all the husbands approve.

But over time, Halabi said, the husbands have grown more accepting, and the local municipality began paying for a van to transport the team to games outside the village. At the same time, theteam has arranged not to play late night games, anda three-club local league has been formed to allow women to compete without leaving the village.

With the sport firmly established in Israel, the Israel Catchball Association has started looking overseas. Part of the motivation is that to qualify as an official sport and receive funding from the Israeli government, catchball must be played competitively in at least 52 countries. So far, the only leagues the association knows of outside Israel are in Mexico and the United States. But they are encouraging the sportin more than half a dozen other countries, mostly through Israeli expats.

Gal Reshef, a 35-year-old Israeli lawyer, founded acatchball group in Boston in 2015 and last year expanded it into the U.S.A. Catchball Association in partnership with theIsrael Catchball Association. She said the vast majority of thenearly 100 womenin the BostonetCatchball Association, as well as in the handful of other teams across the country, are Israelis. But Reshef is confident catchball will, um, catch on with American women, too.

I think in the States, the situation is the same as in Israel. If youre a middle-aged woman who didnt have the chance to play sports growing up, there are very few options, she said. The great thing is anyone can play catchball, and it creates an amazing uplifting community.

At least one Bostonet team is slated to participate in the catchball exhibition tournament at the Maccabiah Games in July. Thirty-six Israeli teams will be there, along with a couplefrom London and Berlin. Reshef predicted that by the time the next games roll around in four years, teams from around the world will be playing catchball in the real tournament and after that, maybe the Olympics.

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This women's sport you've never heard of is taking Israel by storm - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Has rising up the corporate ladder affected your sex life? According to Dr. Andrea Pennington, an integrative physician, meditation teacher, and sex educator, it most likely hasand has so negatively. In fact, she says not only that, but Black women have lost their femininity due to the demands of the corporate world.

She says that African-American women have become Alpha Bs orAlpha Bosses. In other words, they have adopted masculine ways to get ahead in the office, and this has affected their womanhood in the home. Alpha Bosses are those women who have channeled masculine energy to get ahead in realms that have long been dominated by (and still are) sexism and overt masculinity. So Alpha Bosses aggressively pursue their objectives while rarely tapping into their feminine spirit, says Dr. Pennington, who has been a TEDx speaker and appeared on theOprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz show, and CNN. According to her, many women are missing out on having mind-blowing climaxes because ofthis masculine energy.

Dr. Pennington has even written a book on the subject.The Orgasm Prescription For Women aims to help women tap into and reclaim their right to pleasure, to break free from limiting beliefs or shame, guilt and self-loathing of the past. The book also includes information on Western medicine, Chinese medicine, positive psychology, and mindfulness meditation and is centered around a 21-day program, which Dr. Pennington claims, helps women to open the door to sexual fulfillment, sensual expression, increased intimacy, and more fulfilling orgasms.

MadameNoire got more insight on this sexually deprived theory from Dr. Pennington. Heres what she had to say.

MadameNoire (MN): What prompted you to write The Orgasm Prescription For Women?

Dr. Andrea Pennington (AP): A few years ago I appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to talk about serious diseases found in women over 40, like diabetes and high blood pressure, which often go untreated or are missed due to women failing to recognize or simply dismissing the symptoms. Many people were shocked to hear me say on the show that I recommended my patients have at least three orgasms a week.

To tell the truth, the female orgasm started out as a clever gauge of overall health and wellness. Using the sexual response as an indicator of physical health quickly became an opening for honest discussions about intimacy, pleasure and sexual satisfaction for my clients and members of our online wellness community.

Following that episode I was inundated with calls and emails from women wanting to understand why I suggested three orgasms a week and whether three is the minimum or maximum? If their blood sugar was normal but they still couldnt achieve orgasm what else could be wrong? Women opened up by telling me about their problems initiating sex due to low desire. I heard many tales of woe from ladies who had adequate desire but low arousal and vaginal lubrication with previously pleasurable stimuli. Other women even expressed frustration that after orgasm they became moody and irritated with their partner for weeks! And so many women expressed deep despair that a lack of sex caused a rift in the precious relationship with their partners.

So, in addition to providing a barometer of well-being, today I see the orgasm is an indicator of personal empowerment, self-acceptance and self-love and an affirmation of ones right to enjoy pleasure in ones body and overall life.

For the last several years I have gathered and analyzed the feedback from my patients and conducted focus groups with women who wanted more pleasure and passion in their lives. I have also interviewed sexologists, therapists and my mind-body medicine colleagues to gain new insights to better help women understand how their libido, arousal system and orgasm work, what blocks them from becoming aroused or prevents them from achieving orgasm, and how to create a personalized prescription for enhanced sensual pleasure and greater, more reliable sexual satisfaction.

This has enabled women to improve their sexual health and well-being on multiple levels, while dramatically enhancing the communication with their beloved, deepening intimacy and even saving their marriages and partnerships.

MN: What do you hope women will take away from the book?

AP: The Orgasm Prescription for Women is meant to empower you, the beautiful deserving woman you are, to know and embrace your sexual self and to find your sexual voice so that you can become an advocate for your own pleasure. Your ability to act on behalf of your sexual needs, desires, and wishes will enable you to have healthy, satisfying intimate relationships with your partners. The orgasm that comes from this investigative play is a bonus.

In The Orgasm Prescription, you will uncover what impedes your orgasm and how to get help as needed. Together we will help you identify clues about your own psychology, hormone status, and brain chemistry so that you can work alone, with your partner, or with a doctor or therapist to get you back into an orgasmic flow. You can now boldly investigate and experiment with strategies to balance your inner and outer chemistry, get direct input from your body, and accept permission to make your pleasure a priority.

MN: Please explain why you feel African-American women are oftentimes put in the category of Alpha B.

AP: Many African-American women have stepped up to run their own companies or take positions in the C-suite of corporations, all while being a devoted mom, sister, or daughter. And because many corporations or start-up environments are dominated by a masculine or sexist mentality, they have taken on behaviors and attitudes that allow them to be seen as strong and capable around men. They have risen to the top and are seen as Alpha Bosses, or Alpha B, for short.

Many of us have put our feminine qualities to the side to avoid being perceived as weak or emotional. Whether consciously or not, many African-American women are now seen as aggressive, domineering Alpha B-tches. Not all of us are, of course, but theres enough that there is a popular understanding of the term. Some are just called angry Black women.

MN: What are the pluses and minuses ofbeing seen as an Alpha B?

AP: We, of course, are powerful and able to get stuff done with all of the masculine energy and we tend to realize more of our creative potential as a result. However, the downside is that we may lose touch with our feminine allure and find it difficult to be the girl in our heterosexual relationships. Many Alpha Bosses have trouble connecting with their man on a deep, intimate level (because Alpha Bosses are frequently disconnected from their own sexuality). Sex becomes more of a routine almost animatronic performance, instead of an experience gushing with orgasmic pleasure. Emotional connection is often important for sexual satisfaction, so this lack of connection puts a strain on the Alpha Bosss sex life.

Men will often feel they are not needed and valued anymore and may even feel intimidated and emasculated by a female Alpha B.

MN: How does African-American womens sexuality or perceived sexuality affect Black women in the workplace?

AP: In the workplace, many African-American women tell me that they are feared or revered. They are seen as domineering and aggressive but they are not necessarily seen as sexually feminine. Instead, they are seen as a femme fatale, much like the female praying mantis, which is known to chew their mates head off during or after sex. Its a running joke which is so not funny.

MN: How can one shed (or should they shed) masculine energy?

AP: All of us, both men and women, have a combination of masculine and feminine energy. So the goal is never to eliminate one or the other entirely. Instead, its about finding a healthy balance and certainly involves not denying your innate tendencies. So keep the masculine energy that makes you effective and productive, but be aware of your need to embrace your divine feminine energy, too.

As I spoke about on a recent episode of Sensual Vitality-TV, there are several activities or rituals you can do thatll help you transform from a hard-driving Queen Bee to a purring, sex kitten when sexy time comes around. You can re-capture your feminine energy when you want, and youll be more receptive to hot, fulfilling sex.

The easiest way to implement these practices into lasting habits is by performing 21 days of sensuality and pleasure rituals. Ive created a free online version based on the 21-day program in The Orgasm Prescription, which includes audio meditations and daily affirmations. Most women tell me the Erotic Fantasy Meditation really helps!

I also highly recommend having an I Love My Body week. This is where you get back in tune with that luscious feminine part of you! Heres what you do: for one whole week, youll dress yourself up, put on your perfume, and adorn yourself as if youre a sensual goddess. Hook up your favorite speaker and play some music you love and dance away, around your house (with or without your partner)! Why? Because, by doing so, youll be learning your body learning the sexy, sensual aspect of your being and youll do it in a way thats playful and loving to yourself. This practical activity helps you appreciate yourself for all of your beautiful, feminine sexuality.

Read the original here:

Black Women Aren't Having Enough Orgasms And Their Careers Are To Blame Says Author - MadameNoire

As Black History Month comes to an end, we must take stock of the progress weve made as a country on civil rights and justice for all, but also reflect on the hard work still ahead to reach that lofty goal of true equality for all.

This true equality means equality of opportunity and true economic empowerment for all Americans.

While our economy has made significant strides towards full recovery from the depths of the Great Recession, many communities across our country are still struggling. Communities of color have been hurt disproportionately and still have not felt the full benefits of our economic recovery.

Although the national unemployment rate has fallen all the way to 4.8 percent from a high of 10 percent during the recent Great Recession, it remains persistently high among African-Americans. The African American unemployment rate, which reached 16.8 percent during the Great Recession, is still at 7.7 percent. As the Joint Economic Committee reported earlier this month, the median black familys net worth still has not recovered to its pre-recession high reached more than a dozen years ago in 2004.

We made steady progress as nation by working through Congress and with African American community leaders in building opportunity and wealth in the decade-plus before the recession. But this progress has stalled, and the wealth gap between black and white families continues to widen.

While housing prices have recovered across the country, many predominantly black communities have been left behind, with family finances still reeling from underwater mortgages and retirement savings completely spent.

We must address these persistent disparities in wealth and opportunity, so that we can act to ensure economic stability for all working families.

Rather than loose talk about urban communities, these problems demand real solutions. However, many of the policies put forth by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans would only increase inequality and threaten our economic progress.

Congress needs to take action and make real investments in our countrys future. We should expand the value of Pell Grants, which 64 percent of black students rely on to afford a college education; we should make real investments in mass transit projects that unlock opportunity by connecting people with good-paying jobs; and we should invest in broadband expansion that allows all Americans, no matter their zip code, to access affordable high speed internet and in turn, a world of information.

Real solutions also demand we reject proposals that would send our country backward, like repealing the Affordable Care Act. Reckless repeal of this law, without a plan to adequately replace it, jeopardizes the health coverage of nearly 3.5 million African-Americans and would almost double the uninsured rate.

As we close out Black History Month, we must not forget the real and present disparities still present in our society that prevent us from reaching true equality. It is up to us to tear down these barriers and invest in all of our people so that we may all strive for better and realize our personal American dreams.

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Realizing Economic Empowerment For All Americans - Huffington Post

MANHATTAN (CN) Days after the White House banned major media from briefings, the New York City Police Department failed to avoid a lawsuit over a similar deprivation of access, as a federal judge issued a ruling that could have profound ripples for press freedom in the Big Apple.

Members of the NYPD have prevented news photographers from taking pictures, photographer Jason B. Nicholaswrote in an email. They have prevented reporters from witnessing events by confining them to press pens far-removed from newsworthy scenes; and they have summarily revoked the press credentials of journalists who had the integrity and the nerve to speak up, and assert their right to simply do their jobs.

For many New York journalists, obtaining an NYPD press credential is an unavoidable hassle, and photographer Jason B. Nicholas has long had a more rocky journey than most. The department has yanked his pass three times over the past three years, most recently when the New York Daily News sent him to cover a building collapse in Midtown Manhattan on Oct. 30, 2015.

One construction worker had been dead and another trapped when Detective Michael DeBonis and Deputy Commissioner Stephen Davis corralled credentialed journalists into a press pen that was out of sight from the ongoing rescue efforts.

Nicholas slipped away about 150 feet into the street to take photographs. Police accused him of interfering with the operations because he was near an ambulance, but Nicholas insists that he was not close to any emergency workers.

The photographer claims DeBonis physically seized him, before Davis told Nicholas: This is the last time youll do that.

Nicholas sued DeBonis, Davis, then-Commissioner Bill Bratton, the NYPD and the city on Dec. 8, 2015, a little more than a month after the incident.The NYPD has been adamant about its sole discretion to grant or withdraw press credentials, a must-have for reporters seeking to cross police lines to cover crime scenes and emergency zones.

Launching a two-pronged attack on the policy, Nicholas argued that it was a viewpoint-based and arbitrary enforcement, and he decried frozen zones and press pens as too broad to pass constitutional muster.

U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken found that Nicholas stated a First Amendment claim, pushing the case to discovery on Monday.

That press access implicates First Amendment rights and interests held not only by the journalists, but also by the public at large provides additional support for finding a protected interest in NYPD-issued press credentials, Oetken wrote in his 19-page opinion.

For far too long, the NYPD has bullied and interfered with journalists simply for doing their jobs, Nicholas said in a statement.

He added that the decision puts the NYPD on notice that actions like these will no longer be tolerated.

After today, journalists in New York need not fear doing their jobs vigorously, as their jobs are supposed to be done, the photographer said. If, after today, NYPD members interfere with press freedoms, federal judges in New York will hold them accountable.

He likely will keep facing stiff opposition from the New York City Law Department.

We will continue to defend the case, a department spokesman said.

Nicholas acknowledged that he still has a tough row to hoe.

While todays ruling is not the last word in the case, it puts me, and all journalists, on a clear path to victory, he said.

The New York ruling falls on the heels of a national controversy surrounding press access in Washington.

On Friday, President Donald Trump banned the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico and other news outlets from a White House press briefing in an action denounced by the American Civil Liberties Union as illegal.

Oetkens ruling today lends support to the ACLUs contention.

It has been held impermissible to exclude a single television news network from live coverage of mayoral candidates headquarters and to withhold White House press passes in a content-based or arbitrary fashion, Oetken wrote today.

Equal press access is critical because [e]xclusion of an individual reporter carries with it the danger that granting favorable treatment to certain members of the media allows the government to influence the type of substantive media coverage that public events will receive, which effectively harms the public, he added.

On top of his career as a seasoned journalist and photographer, Nicholas is quietly racking up a string of pro se legal victories.

At the age of 19, Nicholas started to serve a lengthy prison sentence for manslaughter after he fired a sawed-off shotgun at a young man he thought had been trying to shoot him.

Behind bars, Nicholas organized a union to advocate for the rights of state prisoners in Orange County. He stumbled in getting the case off the ground in federal court before obtaining legal counsel for his appeal.

In 1999, the Second Circuit granted prisoners rights to unionize in Nicholas v. Miller, a decision that paved the way for Nicholas to establish a government education organization two years later.

After serving 13 years in prison, Nicholas earned his bachelors degree and worked as a researcher for legendary defense attorney Ron Kuby.

Nicholas said in an interview that he would continue his current case as an exercise in personal empowerment.

The photographer added another litigation success to his growing list late last year.

On Sept. 17, 2014, Nicholas tried to photograph National Football Leagues commissioner Roger Goodell, who was protected by retired police detective Thomas Crowe. Nicholas says that Crowe slammed into him with his truck, threw him to the ground, punched him, and then had him arrested for assault.

Four months later, the Manhattan district attorneys office dropped the charges after three eyewitnesses backed up Nicolass account. Crowe and the city settled a lawsuit Nicholas filed over the incident for $20,000 last October.

Nicholas said that police tried to shunt him to a press pen again at an NYPD officers funeral on Jan. 4, 2015, even though the ceremony had been open to the public. He says that police briefly confiscated his credentials for filming himself asking for the same access granted to pedestrians.

In addition to his individual due-process claims, Judge Oetken allowed Nicholas to pursue claims that the NYPD has a pattern and practice of interfering with journalists constitutional rights.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Judge Holds NYPD's Feet to Fire on Press Credentials - Courthouse ... - Courthouse News Service

Captain (Padre) Imam Ryan Carter is a chaplain with the Royal Canadian Military College, based in Kingston, Ontario. Here he reflects on the significane of Black History Month to him as a Black Muslim Canadian.

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Black History Month is always a month to reflect on my place in this history of Black peoples in Canada and our larger historical legacy. Being Muslim adds a new layer to this annual commemoration.

The Black experience of Islam provides a tremendous vehicle of personal emancipation from this perception that there is only one voice in history. Islam provides a system and worldview wherein diverse voices are able to articulate with legitimacy and authenticity a vision of their faith congruent with the universal and particular. Humans are fallible however, and while Islam provides this system, Muslims often times fall short.

You see, for the Black peoples of the Americas, namely those descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, their Muslim-narrative often times needs recovery. Once recovered, it seems to be constantly denied in the eyes of those who privilege their culture as normative. In mainstream society, those with a demographic privilege are white males, whereas in Muslim subculture it's being Arab, or Pakistani, or Turkish. Other cultures or expressions are seen with a diminutive status.

Ultimately, racism is still an issue in the Muslim community and it comes out in the most pernicious ways that can leave a horrid feeling in your heart. I have been called a Gorilla, impure blood, Abd (slave), and that was just the half of it. Why does racism exist amongst Muslims? How could it ever persist when the Quran and Prophetic example are so explicit in its condemnation? I lamented for years about these painful experiences. My narrative was lost in a sea of people telling me that who I was, was not authentic.

I had a revelatory experience while studying Black theology at Hartford Seminary in the United States. Unlike Canada, America actually has an indigenous demographic of Black American Muslims. This is where I found my new home at the Muhammad Islamic Centre of Greater Hartford. It was there where I found the capacity to be at home with my Black identity in a setting that provided me with the opportunity to explore different narratives of being Muslim and Black. I learned that there can exist in the universe of interpretation, multiple visions of how the Quran speaks to each people. We are not talking about what is authoritative, what is law, what is Halal and Haram. We are talking about the capacity of a community to make sense of this universal revelation in their own space and time. My narrative was recovered.

If there is anything I can impart, is to emphasize that the road to respect and empowerment is to acknowledge our diverse and ancient narrative which has always been in our history but drowned out by generations of systematic oppression. In our current climate where society seems to be regressing in a direction where hate and intolerance is becoming fashionable, Black History Month must be a time where we capitalize our efforts in understanding the reasons why racism is still an issue in our broader Canadian society. To appreciate that Black-Canadians are an integral part of our history, not some exception. In our own Muslim communities, we must allow diverse voices in the Mosques permeated by mono-cultural attitudes and say more than Yes, Bilal was Black, racism is bad in Islam. We as Muslims must also look into our history both contemporary and old and recognize our contributions to some of the racial maladies that exist in our world.

So who am I?

I am the son of John and Yasmin Carter. A Muslim, a son of Canada with a heart which exists on the Islands of the Caribbean. Deep within my conscious I never forget that I am a descendant of Africa, my history is rich and my narrative developing.

This is who I am, and to Allah I give all my praise.

This article was produced exclusively for Muslim Link and should not be copied without prior permission from the site. For permission,please write to info@muslimlink.ca.

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Black History Month: Recovering Our Personal Narrative - Muslim Link