More than five months into her tenure as Chief of Ordnance and commandant of the Ord. School, Brig. Gen. Michelle M.T. Letcher has well-established the fact she is a hard-charger.

First and foremost, Im really passionate about my service, said the Illinois native who took over her duties June 16.

I love serving in the United States Army, she continued, and I really do believe the work all of us do collectively contributes to our national security and a world that is safer, more stable and secure. I feel like I have to drive really hard because I want to leave my children a world that is more secure and safe. My service is very personal to me. I probably push pretty hard because there are so many things we can do to make many things so much better.

Although Letchers assertion is an upfront declaration about who she is as a Soldier, it only provides snippets about her methods of operation, her values and how she views her role as CoO.

Its an honor and a privilege (to be a part of the Ordnance Corps), but I dont know if I see myself as the head of the organization, but rather a teammate with responsibilities inside the organization, she said. Ive always found Ordnance Corps Soldiers and leaders to be innovative and very passionate about their skillsets. The thing that excites me is being a part of the team here and the changes I already see in place to constantly move our Army forward. Its truly inspiring.

Letcher heads an organization chiefly responsible for training personnel and developing doctrine. The Ordnance Corps is the third largest branch in the Army, comprised of more than 100,000 active and reserve component Soldiers trained in the mechanical and maintenance career fields as well as explosive ordnance disposal, ammunition and explosives safety. The ordnance schoolhouses located here and at various locations throughout the country trained more than 175,000 personnel last year.

As diverse and complicated the mission is for the corps and schoolhouse, Letcher said she approaches her duties and responsibilities with consideration to four fundamental questions: What do we want to accomplish this year? What do we want to accomplish in developing the corps? Where do we see the design of the corps in the future? How do we care for our people?

The latter is an issue monumentally important to Letcher.

Obviously, across the Army were conducting listening sessions as we try to get after sexual harassment/sexual assault, suicide awareness and extremism, she said. So, communicating with Soldiers at all levels and understanding each other (is important). We can help build the Army they want to serve in. Its a reflection of all of us in society. It cant be a reflection of a few in society. For me, the People First aspect is really where leaders apply themselves.

Gen. James McConnville used the People First term in speeches and interviews upon being named Army Chief of Staff in 2019. It became part of a broader strategy emphasizing the requirements to attract and retain Soldiers and civilians and focusing on the human element as the basis for all successes.

Letcher said she has long-believed Soldiers and civilians are the strength of an organization and aspires to build a culture of trust serving as a foundation for empowerment and innovation within the Ordnance Corps.

I want people in the organization to help me shape where we take it, then help me measure where we want the organization to go, she said. What I hope well see gets away from the way weve always done something to building a transformational force.

Complacency and outdated convention, added Letcher, are among the impediments to thriving workplaces. Whats important is providing challenge and opportunity as a means to motivate and excite people so they can feel real positive about transformational change and get us out of our comfort zone and (away from the idea of) saying thats the way its always been.

Letcher also said she encourages a diversity of skillsets and attributes people bring to the team and harnessing all of those positive attributes to drive change.

Mindful of how much progress the Army has made in the area of diversity over the course of her 25-year career, Letcher commended Project Inclusion a recent service-wide initiative for promoting acceptance and expanding opportunities for all who choose to serve.

Tying this to her personal experience, she said, When I came in the Army, women couldnt serve in combat roles. Ive watched the Army transform quite a bit since I became a second lieutenant in many positive ways. Its really just opening that aperture so people feel empowered to communicate.

As an experienced leader, Letcher said she values listening just as much and endeavors to teach others to do it well.

One of the discussions I have with lieutenants and at the (59th Ordnance) Brigade is, after 25 years in the Army, I can have a conversation with you and tell if something is off. Our young captains and lieutenants dont have that experience. One thing I help leaders do is help them identify risk. In the past, if Soldiers did something wrong, wed just write them up as bad Soldiers. Today, we ask ourselves why did that Soldier miss a formation? Is something going on at home? How do we teach people to understand the next layer of what a problem is? Its all about getting involved. Its what Gen. (Paul Funk, TRADOC commander) would say is being positively intrusive. Leaders have to figure out whats the right time to ask the right questions and help people get on the other side of what theyre going through.

When making decisions, Letcher said she is first and foremost informed by policies and regulation but also by gut feeling.

One thing I think leaders sometimes underestimate and you have to know yourself is intuition. As you become more experienced, your intuition becomes more informative. It guides me to paying more attention to something. I call that friction on the battlefield. If I intuitively pick up there might be a problem somewhere, Ill try to figure out if its something I need to solve. I also go back to Army doctrine, regulations and policies, to determine if something systemic is causing the problem or hindering its solution.

At the leader level, problem-solving is essential, but the ability is useful to all ranks, said Letcher.

If you come up on a problem whether youre in the Ordnance Corps or not the first thing you should do is ask, What can I do to help solve the problem? Can I solve this at my level? Sometimes you come across people who pass the problem along (and some problems have to be brought up the chain of command), but empowering people to solve problems at the lowest levels is really, really important. And as a leader, empowering them to do it without undercutting their ability to take ownership is even more so.

Due to her quarter century of service, Letcher can list a number of experiences that have made it easier to empathize with troops. She enlisted as a quartermaster, training as a 57E laundry and bath specialist here prior to commissioning as an air defense artillery officer in 1995. She became an ordnance officer in 1997, and since then, has completed numerous assignments to include deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

On the domestic front, Letcher is married to another Soldier, Col. Kenneth W. Letcher. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, she was commanding general of the Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., and suddenly found herself fulfilling roles of mother and father following the deployment of her husband.

I had three boys to raise and educate at home, she said. I had the same challenges as others and tried to balance it all while working fulltime not teleworking as a single mother. I think these challenges are important to share because I dont think they come off the table with the position held.

As the mother of boys 11, 14 and 16 years of age, Letcher said it is a difficult challenge for many to strike the correct balance between work and family life. She and her husband received a bit of advice on the subject from her husbands former boss, then - Lt. Col. and now - Gen. Stephen Lyons: Its about quality time and not quantity time.

So, what we do is that when were present, were present, said Letcher, noting they try to reframe from work preoccupations. For me, I dont bring my computer home at night. If Im going to work, I stay at work, but if Im going home I mean I have my phone but I dont bring work home. My husband does the same thing. We are very present.

Letcher, the 42nd Chief of Ordnance, is only the third woman to hold the position in the organizations 208-year history.

Brig. Gen. Rebecca S. Halstead (2006-2008) and Brig. Gen. Heidi J. Hoyle (2018-2020) preceded her.

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A Corps Leaders Perspective: Chief of Ordnance passionate about serving in U.S. Army - Public Affairs Office of Headquarters, US Army Combined Arms...

Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched a new product aimed at women, Eva. Along with 7% interest in savings account, it also offers Free Health Check-up and unlimited teleconsultation with women doctors, gynaecologists and mental health experts. It offers PF waiver and discounted Gold Loan rates for women customers, along-with 25-50% discounts on lockers.

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The Product is based on the concept of Relationship Value, and customers will not be charged any non-maintenance fees.

Exclusive reward points for shopping & dining on debit cards as well as for booking Recurring Deposit, makes this product the best that has been offered to women in the industry so far.

Commenting on EVA launch, Murali Vaidyanathan, President & Country Head - Branch Banking, Liabilities, Product & Wealth, Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited said, Equitas Small Finance Bank has a past filled with moments of empowering people especially women from all sections of society through products and provisions that help them become informed, involved and independent with their financial decisions,.

Meanwhile, Equitas Small Finance Bank announced Smriti Mandhana Indian Woman cricketer as the new Brand Ambassador.

Smriti Mandhana said, I am really glad to be an instrumental part of Equitas Small Finance Banks motive of promoting financial empowerment to all sections of society. It is a great privilege to be associated with the brands positioning as a socially responsible bank.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited is the largest SFB in India in terms of number of banking outlets, and the second-largest SFB in India in terms of assets under management and total deposits in Fiscal 2019, as per a CRISIL report cited by the bank.

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Only for women! 7 pct interest, PF waiver and gold loan discount in this savings account - Equitas Small Fi... - Zee Business

Gary McDonald Business Editor

17 November, 2020 01:00

STARTING a business is, by its very nature, challenging under any circumstances. More so in the midst of a pandemic.

Many business founders and entrepreneurs, though, have more obstacles to overcome than applying for a bank loan or sourcing stock.

That includes defying incredible personal odds - and having to deal on a daily basis with a personal multiple family tragedy which made international headlines and which still reverberates around a small Co Down community nearly two decades on.

In September Tierna McComb (30) from Ballymartin near Kilkeel launched The Cyber Closet, an online ladies fashion boutique offering high quality affordable apparel sourced from major fashion capitals in France, Italy and Spain.

In the grand scheme of things, there's little remarkable in that (online shopping penetration is huge in the UK, where e-commerce sales last year were valued at 688 billion - and rising).

But Tierna's back-story is one of an extraordinary young woman (and now a new mother) who was touched by indescribable tragedy, but who has shown a strength and fortitude to recover and become a role model for so many people around her.

Her grandfather Mickey Greene (54), her father Michael junior (32) and her little eight-year-old brother, also called Michael, all died when the fishing boat in which they were trawling for prawns perished in mysterious circumstances in February 2002 in the sea off Kilkeel.

The Greene family and wider community were plunged into overwhelming grief when the Tullaghmurry Lass failed to return from an early morning fishing trip on Valentine's Day, taken while young Michael was on half-term holiday.

After enduring an unbearable five-week wait before the wreckage of the vessel was discovered on the seabed seven miles out, and then another three weeks for the bodies to be recovered and returned to their loved ones, the funerals in April 2002 marked one of Kilkeel's darkest-ever days.

Tierna (Greene), then just 12, and her sister Stephanie were inconsolable as they each carried pictures of their lost father and younger brother behind the coffins.

"The pain never goes away. You just have to learn to cope with it," Tierna says.

"I saw how my mum struggled. But she always told us to follow our dreams, and this instilled a perseverance in me which has brought me to the point now of starting up The Cyber Closet."

Her fledgling business (https://thecybercloset.com) has already caught the attention of television and radio presenter and fashion model Lisa Snowden, as well as Irish influencer Rachel Gorry (who herself has been touched by tragedy after her husband died from cancer earlier this year at the age of just 29).

"I'd had the idea of setting up my business for a couple of years, but then I got pregnant, and when my son was born a year ago - he's called Michael - that drove me to finally get it going.

"Why a clothes store and why now? Well, I've found many local and national boutiques to be over-priced, and I decided I'd source and sell my stock at a price I personally would be willing to pay if I was the customer.

"Certainly my margins are extremely low, but I'm happy to keep it like that," adds Tierna, who has a forensic science degree from Preston and then studied in the medical field in London, where she met her now-husband Shane, who teaches economics at Sacred Heart in Newry.

Tierna, who also works assisting anaesthetists in hospital theatres two days a week, says she is a huge advocate for empowering other women.

"Unfortunately, in fashion, social media pressurises us all to compare ourselves to unrealistic standards through an unrealistic lens, and with empowerment in mind, I decided to include myself in the majority of business photos on my Facebook page.

"This was a particularly hard thing for me to do, so soon after giving birth to Michael, because like everyone I have many insecurities and 'bad days', so hopefully me wearing the clothes or footwear in photos will also inspire women to wear them and to embrace their own unique bodies."

Tierna says early feedback from her business is hugely encouraging, and her followers on Instagram (thecybercloset_irl) and Facebook (The Cyber Closet Irl) are growing by the day.

"When you shop with The Cyber Closet, know that youre supporting a family and, in my case, a dream I always had."

Originally posted here:
Tierna McComb overcomes family tragedy to become the height of fashion - The Irish News

The department of nonprofit management, empowerment, and diversity studies encourages students to talk about empowerment in uncertain times during the ninth annual IZE week.

Alice Delvecchio, the department chair, said that the idea of IZE week originated in 2012 and asked students to identify a social issue that they would like the community to realize, to emphasize and to mobilize.

The theme for the weeks stem around a topic that is of interest to the students that they may think they know about, but actually do not. Delvecchio said that students and faculty know what these uncertain times feel like but may not know how to navigate. She hopes that IZE week will help those understand that they can get through these times.

All of us are really trying to get back to normal as best we can, and everybodys world has been turned upside down, most of us are not doing things the way we had done them before, Delvecchio said.

Those in the nonprofit sector have seen what uncertainty and COVID-19 has done to those who use nonprofit services, such as food banks and services for mental health challenges.

Everybody has been impacted by this COVID piece, Delvecchio said. I have seen how the sector is dealing with it and how students and colleagues are dealing with it. We hear from the students and it is hard to stay confident and in a power mode when the world around you feels so uncertain.

Andrea Altman, a junior dual major in integrated marketing and communications and philanthropy and nonprofit management, is the social marketing chair for the Student Nonprofit Alliance, the organization who helps to coordinate IZE week.

Altman said that they knew everybody was all over the place with COVID and that empowerment during uncertain times would help others to realize that they can have control in this crazy time.

Everyone has been crammed with school and being extremely stressed and we wanted to say we are here for you and we understand what you are going through,' Altman said. We know this is crazy, but there are ways you can gain control.

Gaining control and realizing that students have the power within themselves to be empowered are two key messages that Altman and Delvecchio hope those who attend IZE week walk away with.

IZE week began Oct. 27 and will end Nov. 9, with events such as So Many Ways to Change the World, Sweet and Meet, Empowered through Service, Get Off Your A and Walk Challenge, Self-Care Sunday and Mobilizing for Empowered Communities to end the week.

Part of the Self-Care Sunday event will be presenter Rick Thomas with a self-care workshop with tools that can be used to enhance personal empowerment during uncertain times.

The reality is you can provide opportunities for people to become empowered, Delvecchio said.

To help empower students, Delvecchio and Altman came up with the idea of gratitude bags which can be picked up in the student center across from Starbucks from 11 a.m.-1.p.m. on weekdays.

These bags consist of a pen, 28 small blanks pieces of paper and several items to remind students that the campus community cares about them.

Delvecchio said that students are challenged to write something that they are grateful for every day and to hang the gratitude bag where they can see it.

We really are empathetic with the students because we know this is rough for them and they keep at it, and the freshman, this is definitely not what they signed up for, Delvecchio said.

Part of what is done in the department is to teach people how to change the world.

That change starts with you and if you are empowered you can change the world, Delvecchio said. We want them to know that the world may be trying to change you and it may at times feel like burning and going to hell in a handbasket and our role in the world is not the world itself. Students have the power to change the world.

The nonprofit management program is the only undergraduate program in Pennsylvania. Any students interested in the major or a certificate should get in touch with Delvecchio.

Hope is a senior converged journalism major entering her third year on The Rocket staff and her second year as campus life editor. Previously, she served as assistant campus life editor after contributing to the campus life section her freshman year. After graduation, she hopes to report for a paper either in local journalism or city news. Outside of The Rocket, Hope is also part of the JumpStart Mentor Program, the Student Organization of Latinos Hispanics and Allies (SOL) and Lambda Pi Eta.

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Realize, emphasize and mobilize in uncertainty - SRU The Online Rocket

Johnson Citys Seasons of Hope is seeking donations to help one of its low income working families through an illness that has thrown them behind on their bills.

Executive Director Katy Hicks said, like most of the families Seasons of Hope assists through its HOPE Family Program, They live paycheck to paycheck. And due to illness, there was no paycheck this week.

They have experienced a loss of income due to an illness in her family, Hicks said, and her immediate need is for $240 to get them through the end of the month.

A small nonprofit organization with limited resources, Seasons of Hopes focus is on working families that earn too much to meet the standard guidelines for assistance from other charitable organizations and too little to meet all of their childrens needs. Its mission is to empower families who are committed to improving their own situations.

Its HOPE Helping (and) Offering Personal Empowerment Program is a two-year course of mentoring, key life skills classes, encouragement and incentives that together help families harvest the rewards of their own hard work.

Space in the program is limited and families selected to participate are those who pledge to apply themselves to its educational courses, to going to work or to college if they are not already there, to meeting monthly with a HOPE Program mentor, and to giving back to their community through volunteering.

Of the HOPE family in emergency need, Hicks said, This family does a lot of volunteer work for Seasons of Hope (and) the community. And this month, they are struggling to make ends meet.

Her request is for donations earmarked for HOPE Family that can be made on the Seasons of Hope website at http://www.seasonsofhopetn.org or by mail to Seasons of Hope, 706 Antioch Rd, Johnson City, TN 37604.

Ways to help the HOPE Family Program include volunteering as family mentor or sponsoring an incentive reward for a family such as a free haircut, manicure, pedicure or massage, or even more helpful, a grocery, gasoline, clothing or restaurant gift card.

HOPE families are also included in Seasons of Hope annual back-to-school distribution and its Secret Santa Christmas outreach that over the next month and a half will be gathering gifts and clothing for children and teens and food boxes, blessing bags and a modest Christmas wish for each of the families.

Seasons of Hope kicked off its holiday drive this week with its Christmas Morning Breakfast Box in the spotlight.

THicks said that Seasons of Hope believes Every child deserves to wake up on Christmas morning to a gift under the tree, a stocking hung with care and food on the table.

And to get the ball rolling, it has put out its call for donations of pancake mix, syrup, cereal, oatmeal, muffin mix, canned fruit, juice, hot chocolate mix and a $5 gift card for milk and eggs to go into a Christmas breakfast box for each of its families.

Those who wish to help may donate items for the boxes, fill a box or multiple boxes to donate, sponsor a breakfast box food drive, or make a $25 donation to sponsor a box for one family.

More information about the Secret Santa project and HOPE Family Program can be found at http://www.seasonsofhopetn.org or may be obtained by contacting Hicks at 423-724-7398.

If there is a need or a project in your neighborhood the Good Neighbor column can assist with, contact Sue Guinn Legg at 423-722-0538, slegg@johnsoncitypress.com or P.O. Box 1717, Johnson City, TN 37605.

Originally posted here:
Seasons of Hope family in need of help during illness - Johnson City Press (subscription)

Big news: Ariana Grandes in love. Shes also really, really in the mood. This intel does not come from an anonymous source close to the singer. Its broadcasted all throughout her sixth studio album, Positions, a record that boasts the happiest music weve heard from Grande in a while and the naughtiest lyrics weve heard her angelic voice sing, well, ever. Two tracks in, on 34+35 (do the maths), she sings, Can you stay up all night? Fuck me til the daylight, setting the tone for more subsequent filth on tracks such as Nasty. Grandes desire is spelled out in explicit, occasionally eye-popping terms in the best way possible putting a popped cherry on top of a very sexy year for women in music.

Its not like the realm of sex is new territory for Grande. Dont pretend you thought Side To Side was a song about riding bikes. But now, shes moved on from the creative euphemisms and is following Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallions lead, singing pussy, dick and fuck like a kinky lullaby. Its not like this is new territory for female artists in 2020 either. Remember when Dua Lipa sang, When youre going down I get so up on Good In Bed at the start of the year? Or when she begged for someone to put their hands on her in Pretty Please? Dont tell me youve already forgotten about WAP and the subsequent debate it sparked as to whether its appropriate for women to talk about what they want from sex in music. If youre still looking for some clarity on that debate, the answer is: yes, it is.

While conservative commentators may feign shock at this development in mainstream music, as one of lifes most basic pleasures, people have made music about sex for much longer than you might expect. Now finding new viral fame on TikTok, blues singer Lucille Bogan was singing lyrics that wouldn't seem out of place as extra verses in WAP in the 1930s. Take this gem from Till The Cows Come Home for example: If you suck my pussy, Baby I'll suck your dick. In 1975, Donna Summer faked 22 orgasms on Love To Love You Baby. In 1981, Grace Jones asked a man to Pull Up To The Bumper" and put a long black limousine in places automobiles have no business being. Then Madonna felt Like A Virgin, before releasing the suitably named Erotica and the even sexier Bedtime Stories. In the midst of Madonnas sexual awakening, Salt-N-Pepa straight up said, Lets Talk About Sex. Two became one with the Spice Girls in 1996. In 2002, Khia gave in depth instructions for oral sex in My Neck, My Back.

The list goes on, and thats only covering the women who have sung horny lyrics. Surprise! Those women are vastly outnumbered by men who have done exactly the same thing. There are the obvious tracks such as Marvin Gayes Lets Get It On and Boyz II Mens Ill Make Love To You, but for a more direct comparison to todays eXXXtra explicit lyrics mainstream, N.W.A.s now infamous album Niggaz4Life is a masterclass in misogynistic approaches to sex. It is incredibly vulgar and, at many points, down right offensive to women, who are merely seen as disposable objects for male pleasure, epitomised by the reprehensible interlude To Kill A Hooker. The sex talk on this album isnt fun because it only pleases one party, while the other is degraded and, essentially, abused. MC Ren raps about a 14-year-old girl on She Swallowed It. See, Cardi B asking you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garage isnt so bad after all, is it?

Those are the ghosts of musics raunchy past, but lets circle back to Grandes foray into dirty talk. And Cardi B and Megans. And Dua Lipas. And Doja Cats. There have arguably been more songs from women talking vividly about sex in the charts than ever before in 2020, with the concept evolving from what was once a titillating novelty to a part of everyday discourse. The most obvious explanation for the rise in female pleasure in music, and the increased demand for it, is that recent conversations around equality and sex positivity have simply loosened up taboos. From Lily Allen launching a range of sex toys to Rihannas Savage X Fenty line of underwear, more women are taking ownership of their sexuality, which means more women want to talk about it and listen to other women talk about it. The onus is no longer on performing sexy for the male gaze; its about genuinely feeling sexy for personal empowerment and pleasure.

Who this music is written by and for is also crucial: Like A Virgin was written by two men. While Summer is credited as a songwriter on Love To Love You Baby, it was actually only the title that she came up with Giorgio Moroder wrote the full song and, at first, it was so explicit that she only agreed to record it as a demo for someone else. Even Rihannas recent tracks Birthday Cake and Sex With Me were written by teams comprised practically entirely of men, bar Fenty herself.

Look at the songwriting credits on Grandes Positions and youll see that representation is much more balanced. Grande is credited as the lead songwriter on almost every track and, on the particularly cheeky songs such as 34+35 and Nasty, shes joined by her longtime collaborators Victoria Mont (who also got pretty raunchy on her debut album Jaguar this summer) and, on the former, Tayla Parx. As David Levesley notes, Dua Lipa made a concerted effort to involve as many women as possible in the creation of Future Nostalgia, which gave us Good In Bed and Pretty Please. Were not just hearing women sing about sex more frequently in music, were specifically hearing it from their perspective, rather than that of a horny man ventriloquising the imagined desires of women.

Perhaps thats whats most shocking about this new wave of sexually empowered pop: not the content itself, but rather the fact that the men arent in control of it. Were some men outraged by WAP because they feared it would turn young girls into nymphomaniacs with no self-respect, or were they simply offended to hear that their own sexual desires werent being prioritised? Is it fair to be angry at women using words like pussy in reference to their own bodies, when men have been using it derogatorily for decades? Some food for thought. Listen to Grandes new album while you mull it over. You might even pick up some tips.

In praise of Ariana Grande

Ariana Grandes new album is her most authentic work yet

Nile Rodgers: David Bowie and I were kindred spirits

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Ariana Grandes Positions shows the power of women writing about their own orgasms - British GQ

E! News: You've been hard at work releasing songs during quarantine. However, "My Man" gave fans more insight into your relationship and personal life. What made you want to share that side of yourself?

BG:"Sebastian is with me, he's actually blushing. But I look at that video and it's gonna be something that I always smile at when looking back at it. Obviously, COVID-19 has affected so many people in so many different ways. I've never been one to shy away from speaking about my mental health and times like this can be very triggering. And I shut offI was a daughter first, a sister first, I was a partner first, I was a human being first. It was so overwhelming and Sebas was really that little bit of light."

"It was really hard to think about music, but when I felt I was ready I wanted to share this song that I've had in my music archive and do a vlog-style, fly-on-the-wall day in quarantine with me and my man. Although we are very open about our relationship, we're also still very private at the same time. Fans haven't been able to see that side to our relationship. They see Seb as the professional athlete that he is and they see me as the professional artist that I am, but at the end of the day, we are each other's best friends. We were going through it as well during quarantine, and to share that little bit of light with my fans, I think was really special."

E! News: In the video, you both dressed up in similar styles and were matching in some clips.Do you find that you both influence each other's fashion?

BG:"For sure. I'm always asking him to come into a fitting, asking, 'What do you think about this dress?' He'll be honest with me, too, like, 'Yeah, babe! You look good,' or 'That's not my favorite.' And it's the other way around when he's getting ready for events. We always keep it real with each other. Sometimes, he'll even steal my Secret Deodorant. I'm serious, this is a real thing. He'll be stealing my deodorant, he'll be stealing my skincare. He's like, 'Ooh, you have a face mask on? Can you put it on me, too?' ... Let's teach our men that good, healthy skin maintenance. I'm all about it!"

E! News: Seeing that you've been busy throughout this time,what has been yourfavorite thing to do to relax and de-stress?

BG:"I don't shy away from the mental health conversation. I've been in therapy for about two years now and it changed my life. Even during quarantine, I've been keeping up with FaceTime chats with my therapists. She gives me homework to do sometimes. And I love anything self-care."

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Becky G's Fight for Equal Pay Is Personal: How She's Paving the Way for the Latinx Community - E! Online

Ivanka Trump speaks at a campaign event for her father on October 27, 2020 in Miami. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In an interview published by RealClearPolitics on Thursday, Ivanka Trump revealed that she unapologetically opposes abortion rights. I respect all sides of a very personal and sensitive discussion, she said, while aligning herself with a movement that seeks to ban women from making very personal decisions for themselves. But I am also a mother of three children, and parenthood affected me in a profound way in terms of how I think about these things.

Ivankas anti-abortion stance, which she hadnt yet spoken of during her time in the White House, tracks with much of her previous rhetoric on a womans place in the world. The most important job any woman can have is being a mother, she said in a 2016 campaign ad for her father that was supposed to promote his policies for working women. When Cosmopolitan pressed her on the fact that her parental leave plan, which offered nothing to fathers or mothers who didnt physically give birth, stood to further entrench womens disproportionate share of parenting responsibilities, she lost her usual composure and snapped at the journalist interviewing her. Former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, tried to bribe the organization into halting its abortion care, by promising to secure more funding for it if it eliminated abortion servicesa deal that would have been a major victory for Donald Trump, who anti-abortion groups have called the most pro-life president ever.

But in other ways, Ivanka Trumps newly vocal commitment to the anti-abortion cause is a departure from the way shes presented herself since her fathers 2015 campaign. Ivanka has consistently sought to portray herself as a moderating force in her dads administration, a poised and culture waraverse influence to balance out the far-right ideologues on staff. She once told the New York Times that she wanted to sand down the edges of her fathers worst policies, especially those on climate policy and immigration. And she never talked about abortion. She seemed to want her presence to soothe voterparticularly women who were a bit turned off by Donald Trumps demeanor and extremism but were looking for reasons to feel OK about supporting him anyway.

Over the course of the Trump administration, it has become ever clearer that Ivankas supposed influence isnt worth a dime. If Ivanka Trump has had any success in her alleged mission to make her dads presidency less catastrophic, its entirely invisible. If kidnapping migrant children from their parents with no plan to reunite them was the Ivanka-moderated policy, what was the original? Ivanka claimed to be an LGBTQ ally, but never uttered a peep when her father barred transgender Americans from serving in the military. Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, opened up protected lands to fossil-fuel pillagers, and is reversing almost 100 environmental regulations. From where did Ivanka pull him back? This administrations total lack of federal response to the COVID-19 crisis has forced hundreds of thousands of women, many of them mothers, out of the workforce. Where is the author of Women Who Work?

Now, Ivanka has realized that no ones buying her moderating-force act. So like the rest of the Trump campaign, Ivanka is pivoting to riling up the base rather than attempting to win over those in the middle. Aware that women have fled from his side with haste, the president is making his rallies more sexist than ever in an attempt to energize his sexist supporters. Likewise, Ivanka is adjusting her image to better align with Trump fans who support him unconditionally. Theyre the only people left to please: Donald Trump has already revealed himself to be the cruel, wannabe-authoritarian president he promised hed be. Four years in, there are no Americans whose concerns about a Donald Trump presidency could be assuaged by a seemingly intelligent daughter-advisor with a womens empowerment shtick. She seems to have realized that she might as well give up that act and try out a new one.

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Why Ivanka Trump Is Coming Out Against Abortion Now - Slate

October 30, 2020 4:09PM ET

Up Close is Sourcing Journals regular check-in with industry executives to get their take on topics ranging from personal style to their companys latest moves. In this Q&A, Tommy Kelly, CEO of cross-border e-commerce platform EShopWorld, discusses what fashion can learn from the digital innovations happening in food and the benefit of having globally diversified online channels.

Tommy Kelly, CEO of EShopWorld

Name: Tommy Kelly

Title: CEO

Company: EShopWorld

Which other industry has the best handle on the supply chain? What can apparel learn?

The food industry has embraced the digital revolution with open arms and some really great innovation has sprung forth. The likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats have used new technologies to improve the customer experience and match service level to demands. If you want to order a hot meal, you can have it at your door in 20 minutes. Of course, on the grocery side, companies have adopted different fulfillment and delivery strategies, but its hard not to be impressed by what Ocado have done with the level of automation and efficiency they have brought to the supply chain. There is learning in all of this for lots of verticals, including apparel.

How would you describe yourself as a consumer?

Im probably similar to most other people, in that what are important to me are transparency and dependability, and predictability. I have expectations around what I want from the brands and channels I like, and if those brands deliver on their promise, then Im happy! I like to shop online, so that comes with certain expectations: Make it easy for me to purchase, dont surprise me with unexpected charges or fees, ensure that something arrives when its supposed to arrive, and make it easy for me to return a purchase if its not right.

As a consumer, what does it take to win your loyalty?

If a brand delivers on its promise, then thats it. If I like the product or service, feel like its good value, and the brand shows that it cares about my experience, Ill come back for more.

Whats your typical uniform?

The shift to remote working this year has had an interesting impact on dress choice. We all still need to dress appropriately for the audiences we are engaging with, so if its an external audience I tend to stick to business casual attire. On days that are taken up by internal meetings, I keep it quite casualsimilarly for the weekends.

Which fashion era is your favorite?

I cant say I would pick one out over another. I like quality clothing that is comfortable, which is one of the reasons I started EShopWorld. It was sometimes difficult to access some of the brands I liked when living in the U.S., so I felt if that was the case for me, others were likely having the same frustrations.

Whats the best decision your company has made in the last year?

2020 has been a bit of a rollercoaster in that it started off strongly, suffered uncertainty in March, but since then has been very positive for us. We recognized an opportunity for the business when we saw the online shopping trends emerge during the early lockdowns, and decided to accelerate investment in some key projects, and expand the organization to support those investments. That decision has worked out very well for us, in that we have been able to help our clients pivot into and prioritize digital channels and non-domestic markets to meet the trading challenges of Covid. We anticipate those trends will continue, which is positive for our clients and our business as we look to the new normal.

How would you describe your corporate culture?

Weve worked hard on the culture part of the business. It really is an important part of who we are, and weve shaped our corporate values around five key concepts, which are: Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, Excellence, Enjoyment, Ethics.

Since we launched in 2010, weve grown to almost 500 people, yet we are still entrepreneurial at heart. I think this is an important contributor to how we get things done. In fact, our internal motto is exactly that: Consider it done.

As the organization has grown and evolved, weve worked to keep it as flat as possible, with everyones doorincluding my ownopen to anyone in the company. This helps to keep a collaborative environment where we support each other and communicate openly. We like to celebrate successes, albeit that has been more challenging in a remote environment. That said, our HR team has worked tirelessly to keep engagement high, with regular online events and meetups.

What can companies learn from COVID-19?

The biggest lesson any company in any industry can learn is that it is more important than ever to be agile and adaptable. This is a competency that needs to be built into every organization, from its technologies to its infrastructure, people and processes. Adaptability, in the truest sense of Darwins theory, is the key to survival.

What should be the apparel industrys top priority now?

If I may, I think there are two. We conducted some research in the months after COVID, and it became quite obvious to us that brands whose online channels were geographically diversified bounced back much faster than those whose werent, in terms of their share price. We live in a global economy, with fast evolving market conditions. Those that had prepared to be in a position to push volume through their digital channels, to diverse geographies, were in a far better position to weather the storm, and even grow. This is not a matter of whether a brand should consider this strategyit should be an existential priority.

Secondly, sustainability needs to be at the forefront of all brands thinking. Consumer sentiment is shifting, and more and more young people are making purchasing decisions based on a set of values that are important to them. Information flows quickly, so brands really need to be out in front of this issue if they want to win the hearts and minds of the younger generations.

What keeps you up at night?

Change has always been the only constant in business. But now, the pace of change is accelerating year after year. Our business is in e-commerce and it is amazing how fast this industry moves. So, the things that keep me thinking are usually related to anticipating change, how to meet demands of both clients and shoppers. Weve all been through many recessions and macro events over the years, but none of us have really ever experienced the world we see around us now before.

What makes you most optimistic?

I am quite inspired by the retail industrys reaction to COVID, and the resiliency that has been shown by lots of brands and retailers. Innovation has gathered pace during this period, as companies examine their business models and seek out new ways of connecting with customers and meeting their needs. Im optimistic about the future, as I think that these kinds of challenges typically bring out the best in people as they adapt and create a new generation of retail.

Tell us about your companys latest product introduction/service:

Our business spans the entire e-commerce value chain, so we continually innovate to bring new features to market that drive value and positive outcomes for our clients.

One area we have recently invested heavily in is the consulting and advisory element of our business, which we call Shopx. Due to our scale and blend of clients, our understanding of the shopper journey in each market offers unique insights into how to build successful online D2C channels. Weve listened to the industrys requests for help in this area, and we believe this blend of knowledge and data is an important differentiator for us.

Here is the original post:
Up Close: In Conversation with EShopWorld CEO Tommy Kelly - Sourcing Journal

The first-generation American experience is incredibly unique. As the American-born child of immigrants, you have intimate access to multiple cultures, and the ability to navigate between them and deeply relate to distinct types of people. I for one feel profoundly blessed to be counted among this group and incredibly proud of my parents' sacrifices to help me realize the American dream.

However, I am also acutely aware of many of its challenges. There are significant pressures to be successful; to make your parents' sacrifices "worth it," and to provide various types of assistance to immediate and extended family members. One of the biggest untold burdens of being a "first" is being a lifelong member of the "original sandwich generation" and I don't mean the "sandwich" experience of Gen Xers who find themselves caring for their kids and aging parents at the same time.

For Gen Xers, the "sandwich" experience is usually limited in duration, and not an expectation they've lived with their entire lives (unlike many of their first-generation peers). Ask any first-generation American, regardless of age, and they will likely tell you they directly support not only themselves, but also extended family in the US and/or in their parents' country of origin.

This can be a serious challenge for even the most diligent savers. The unfortunate reality is that BIPOC employees in most professions are statistically underpaid compared to their white peers. Therefore, not only are we earning less, we are also inheriting less and must make our comparatively lower incomes stretch to support multiple generations and/or households. This challenge trifecta means finding a delicate balance between self-preservation, wealth building, and honoring our parents' sacrifices to form a new life in America for our benefit.

With my clients, I see that it is mentally taxing to dream of creating wealth for your nuclear family and future generations while balancing the significant practical or emotional burdens of supporting your family of origin.

If this resonates with you as a situation you are currently facing, I have some basic recommendations to help you build wealth and honor your responsibilities to your family at the same time.

Your dependent family members will not be well served by you giving away all your money only to incur debt or live with extreme financial anxiety. By continuing to build wealth through saving, investing, and paying down debt, you are also building financial stability for your entire family. Therefore, you should endeavor as best you can to release any feelings of guilt associated with aiming higher financially.

If you are currently financially supporting anyone outside your immediate family, I recommend you come up with your exact "family contribution quotient." That is, exactly how much, for whom, and/or to what causes you are willing to support. These clear boundaries allow you to balance your personal financial well-being and goals with the need to support your family.

Some examples:

Perhaps you are not currently supporting family but expect that you will have to do so at some point in the future. This can feel like an ominous cloud lingering on the horizon and feel limiting in terms of your overall financial health.

To temper that anxiety, it is important to fully understand your loved ones' financial picture. That will require a slightly awkward conversation, but knowing exactly how bad (or not) things are is so important. Working with real numbers is one of the most important things you can do to alleviate any financial anxiety. From there, you can create a long-term plan for your future support.

If you have siblings, discuss with them what you can contribute or what the long-term plan is for managing your parents' care.

You can also consider setting up a "family emergency savings account." This involves allocating a certain amount of money monthly to a savings account or an accessible investment account for future family support needs. This will serve as a backstop should a need arise. If the money is never needed, then the funds are still in your name and can be used for any other financial goals you may have.

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Link:
3 ways first-generation Americans can build wealth and support family - Business Insider - Business Insider