Naz Smyth

The Fourth Industrial Revolution No matter which side you are on, you cannot deny we are in the beginning stages of the Fourth Industrial Revolution . But, is technology good or bad? Whether our increased use is making us more isolated or connected is a subject of much debate. Hopefully this is something our world leaders will discuss. Gender Parity One important gender parity question is how to close the worldwide gendered wage gap. In some parts of the world, women aren’t allowed to work. What are the barriers keeping women across from globe from equal pay and work opportunities? In addition, many countries need to improve gender parity with regards to access to education. How can places where women are persecuted guarantee an education for all sexes? The future of half the world’s population depends on finding answers to these questions. more on Naz Smyth

Where is it Happening? The largest public protests are going down in New York City and Washington, DC. However, the official kickoff rally will be celebrated in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you don’t live close to one of these cities or can’t afford to fly, don’t worry. There are at minimum 700 other locations around the world participating in round 2! If you want to find the demonstration closest to you, the 2018 Women’s March Facebook Page features all the events planned. Be sure to like, join, and invite your friends! More on NazSmyth

George Weah, former national soccer champion, was sworn in Monday, January 22nd, as the new president of Liberia. In what was the first peaceful transition of power in decades, the Liberian people chose Weah over former vice-president Joseph Boakai. The political race was tense, with President Ellen Sirleaf’s support of Weah over her vice president resulting in expulsion from her own political party. more details on  www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2018/01/weekly-news/

Recently, the biggest names in economics gathered together for their annual conference. The primary theme? Women, or more specifically lack thereof. The Economist covers one of the more interesting topics. University of Liverpool’s Erin Hengel spoke on why women may be publishing fewer papers than men. In her study, abstracts of 2,000 papers were judged by readability. She found women and men score about the same for their first published paper. However, as careers progress, the readability scores for women’s articles go up. The scores for men stay about the same. The conclusion reached was that women are made to improve their articles over time. Men are not. more on www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2018/01/gender-standards/

#5. Elisabeth Moss’s Dedication Almost all acceptance speeches revolved around the theme of women’s rights. However, Elisabeth Moss from “The Handmaid’s Tale” made one of the best of the night. After thanking Margaret Atwood, she dedicated her award to women “who were brave enough to speak out against intolerance and injustice”. Adding, “We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print, and we are writing the story ourselves”. Wow. more on my website http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2018/01/ golden-globes /

Although these women probably fare better in Canada than they would from wince they came, there can be many unpleasant consequences. The first is in instances of domestic abuse. Unfortunately, many of these women are not technically wives. Therefore, they may or may not have been able to attain citizenship.  Full Article on my website www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

Shouldn’t one man and many women be recognized at the border? It sounds easy enough, but many times the men practicing will only bring in one wife at a time. Then, the other wives are misidentified when they are brought through at the border. The man will simply classify them under a guise. One wife could be described as a maid, another as a close relative. In fact, one woman the Economist interviewed “was brought in as a servant and described as the child’s aunt”. Full Article on my website www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

If you are a Pakistani woman in England, chances are you have had an Islamic wedding ceremony that was not recognized by the Government. According to the  Economist , Britain’s Channel 4 took a recent survey. Out of 1000 married Muslim women, 600 had Sharia only marriages. In this way, thousands of women are trapped in the middle of the legal and cultural worlds. please continue reading on my blog  www.nazsmyth.co.uk

Continuing the sporadic terrorism that has spread throughout the United States and Europe (not to mention the Middle East), several people were injured by a pipe bomb that was set off on Monday in New York City’s Port Authority subway station. Though five were harmed, nobody was killed in the explosion. The suspect, Mr. Akayed Ullah, survived as well. He is currently being treated for burns in Bellevue Hospital. Ullah used a homemade pipe bomb. Although his choice of weapons failed to do significant damage, the fact that he was motivated by loyalty to the Islamic State leaves a shaken New York populace. More on www.nazsmyth.co.uk

Two of the most interesting events this week were centered around women. The first major event was a summit put on by Women Political Leaders. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a female member of the European Parliament, founded this group. According to the New York Times , the conference featured “the largest ever gathering of female political leaders”. The second interesting story is about 2 new books. They both take a scathing view on the current political climate in Britain. Although described by the Economist as “depressing”, these two stories give a realistic look into British life today. Additionally, both lament Theresa May’s actions in the aftermath of Brexit. continue reading at www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

It was 1995 and Pope John Paul II Wrote a Feminist Letter In 1995, long before a hashtag existed, there were letters. This letter was presented to the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing. Throughout the letter, the Pope makes it clear he has a firm grasp on the matter at hand. continue on my blog:  http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/12/sexual-violence-women-john-paul-ii/

Last Saturday,  the United States Senate passed the Tax Cut (TCJA) and Jobs Act, a sweeping tax reform that leaves little in the current code untouched.  The $1.5 trillion bill was passed in a 51-49 vote, with sole support coming from the senate’s Republican majority. read more at www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

History of Women in Tech The most recent news about women in tech surrounds allegations of sexual harassment, as well as unfair promotion practices. However, those of you with knowledge of history know it was not always this way. In fact, during the good old days coding was primarily a woman’s job. Why, you may ask? It was new, so the pay and the status were much lower than they are today. Men only began claiming tech for themselves when male-only Universities began to offer the first computer science programs. During that time, you find coding begins to become a more prestigious and higher paid position. Around then, women start losing access to these jobs and tech becomes a man’s world. Read more at  www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/11/women-tech/

If you are a woman, your breasts could prove to be lethal. A recent study has suggested the idea that women are less likely to get CPR than men. Why? Hang on to your bras! People are scared to touch boobs. How did we get to the point we would rather watch someone die than feel awkward? I think that is a question worth exploring. In this article, we will look at 5 myths and truths about CPR and women. Continue reading at  http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/11/woman-boobs-may-kill/

“It’s no surprise that more men go into law enforcement than women, but that doesn’t explain why the San Diego and Detroit police departments have more women on a percentage basis than the FBI. There seems to be something uniquely intractable about federal law enforcement, suggesting a problem beyond the simple math of gender equality. Combined, federal law enforcement agencies represent a police force almost three times the size of the New York City Police Department, with vast powers to arrest and detain civilians. The more skewed their demographics, generally speaking, the less effective they will be.” --Amanda Ripley, “Federal law enforcement has a woman problem” To be continued at  www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/11/federal-law-enforcement-gap-u-s/

In light of the recent allegations against Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood powerhouses such as Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck , one cannot avoid a media story regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.  The recent lawsuits and allegations from more than fifty Hollywood actresses against Weinstein have brought this deep-rooted problem to the front burner. More than ever women feel emboldened to put a stop to their harassment, but many do still feel fear of  retaliation.  Sometimes it is not as simple as coming forward.  Many small businesses do not have a Human Resources Department.  Sometimes the offender is the one and only boss and owner of the business.  Nevertheless, there are avenues that women can explore to protect themselves and their livelihood. continue this article at  http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/10/sexual-harassment-work/

“ Me too ”….. These two words took her several days to type. These words were flooding social media since Sunday, when actress Alyssa Milano tweeted and asked women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted to post as their status.  The hope was to draw attention to the magnitude of this problem. Though she had been sexually harassed, she was hesitant to type “me too” on her  Facebook page because her experience paled in comparison to the harassment that other women have experienced.  She did not feel like a victim, but nevertheless, she had been sexually harassed.  Virginia updated her status to “me too”.  The comments of support were instantaneous and overwhelming.  It was therapeutic to see others who had also posted this as their status. continue at  http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/10/sexual-harassment/

UK Parliament Emails Attacked by Iran Hackers Cyber-attack carried out by Iran compromising around 90 email accounts For more than 12-hours, British Parliament was under attack by an unknown force. Back in June, a cyber-attack was launched by what was said to be Russia on dozens of MP’s. This included Prime Minister Theresa May. However, The Daily Telegraph broke news that Iran actually carried out these forceful cyber-attack. These findings come after Donald Trump criticized the Iran Nuclear Deal. continued ... http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/10/iran-attacked-uk-parliament/

Brexit Negotiations and Possible No-Deal How the Standstill can Affect More Than Just the Government Britain leaving the European Union has been far from a smooth road. It is still unclear what exactly the terms are between the United Kingdom and the EU. Prime Minister Theresa May made a surprise visit to Brussels to talk negotiations with the EU.  However, the chance of a no-deal outcome could see a strain on jobs as well as a tariff on EU goods. This talk hopes to break the standstill between the two parties before the European Council Summit this Thursday. Continue reading on my blog NazSmyth.co.uk  

During President Trump's first UNGA speech, he pushed his agenda of "America First." He spoke against Iran and declared the destruction of North Korea. Kim Jong-un responded directly to Trump’s speech, making the tension between both nations’ even worst. This year’s 72nd United Nations General Assembly marked the first time President Donald Trump spoke to the group. In his 40+ minute speech, he pushed his agenda of America first. He spoke against Iran and declared the destruction of North Korea. Kim Jong-un responded directly to Trumps speech, making the tension between both nations’ even worst. more on www.nazsmyth.co.uk