New Sexual Harassment Law in Saudi Arabia

iStock_000007448674XSmall_1_.jpgby Shannon Johnson (Orlando, Florida)

Saudi Arabia is a country with a reputation for its less-than-progressive attitudes and laws regarding women. Women aren’t allowed to drive. Women are required to have permission from a male guardian to work, travel, study, marry, or even have access to basic health care. And women aren’t allowed to own their own businesses unless there is a male director or chairman. But 2008 was a year in which some progress for professional women was made, first with the appointment of the first female CFO in the country, and then with the draft legislation by the Shoura Council forbidding sexual harassment in the workplace.

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The State of Massachusetts

iStock_000004552349XSmall_1_.jpgby Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

The rest of the country may paint Massachusetts as an ultra-liberal state, but for many women living in the Commonwealth the reality is actually much more conservative and a little old-fashioned.

According to a report published last month by The Boston Club, which provides networking and professional support for women in business, the number of female executives and directors in the state’s 100 largest public companies fell in 2008. In fact, the number and percentage of women executive officers, and the percentage of companies with a woman among their most highly compensated officers, fell to the lowest point since The Boston Club began tracking the data in 2003. When this information is coupled with the fact that women comprise just 26 percent of the Commonwealth’s legislature, the state of women in Massachusetts looks grim.

“The Old Boy’s Network is alive and well,” says Vicki Donlan, author of “Her Turn: Why It’s time for Women to Lead in America.” Donlan is also the founder of Women’s Business, a Massachusetts-based newspaper. “Boston is a conservative part of the country,” she says. “It takes a long time to move forward.” Read more

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Toot Your Own Horn

Come for an exciting evening of networking and information. The first 20 participants to register will have up to 3 minutes to speak about any topic they wish. (Their business or a cause they support.) This is a great opportunity to “Toot your own horn” and let other NAFE members get to know you.

For more information contact karenflam@yahoo.com

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Autumn Ambition: Fourth Annual PINK Fall Conference Series

Where America’s Most Influential Women inBusiness Meet and Share Tools, Tactics and Strategies for Success

PINK just wrapped its 4th annual conference series, featuring seven high-impact events across the nation. Attendees brought friends, clients, mentors or employees to enjoy an inspiring two-hour lunch with America’s most influential women and:

DISCOVER Life/Balance Solutions

BUILD Career Success Strategies

LEARN Valuable Business Lessons

REGISTRATION FOR 2009 CONFERENCES COMING SOON.

Visit PINK TV and click on “PINK Conferences”for footage of last year’s events.

2009 Conference Schedule Coming Soon

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Happy New Year from The Glass Hammer

new_year.jpgOn behalf of everyone here at The Glass Hammer, I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank our readers, contributors and sponsors alike for a fabulous year. We wish you and yours a prosperous, peaceful, and productive 2009!

Pamela Weinsaft

Managing Editor

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The Breast Cancer Care Carol Service by Candlelight

The Breast Cancer Care Carol Service by Candlelight is a truly magical event and the highlight of our Christmas festivities.

The evening is held at St Paul’s, a beautiful Victorian church in Knightsbridge which looks picture perfect lit by hundreds of candles.

Guests are invited to join us, our celebrity readers and both adult and junior choirs, to fill the church with Christmas carols and plenty of festive spirit!

With 800 guests in attendance, the night is a fantastic mix of Breast Cancer Care supporters, including high net worth individuals; our corporate partners, celebrity guests and our patron, Cherie Booth who regularly attends and makes the welcoming address.

Stars that have captivated our guests in previous years include Catherine Tate, Michael Aspel, Alison Steadman, Cilla Black and Joan Bakewell. Last year Trinny Woodall, Lesley Joseph and Nigel Harman read especially selected Christmas themed poems and prose and we were especially lucky to have Classical BRIT nominee, Alfie Boe perform exclusively ‘O Holy Night’.

The fantastic L’Inviti Singers from the Wedding Music Company and the Westminster Under School Junior boys choir both join us at the Carol Service by Candlelight, and have become firm favourites at the event.

After the service, guests are welcomed to gather outside the church for complimentary wine, mince pies, and hot roasted chestnuts. We also have the perfect opportunity to stock up on extra Christmas gifts and decorations at our gift stall located just outside the church portico.

For guests wishing to continue the merriment, we extend the invitation to attend the Champagne Supper at the Caledonian Club, a private members club, just a short walk from the church after the service.

As a fundraising event the Carol Service by Candlelight and Champagne Supper enables Breast Cancer Care to continue to provide information and support to anyone affected by breast cancer.

For more information on this event please contact Haley Bishop at

hayley.bishop@breastcancercare.org.uk

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Happy Holidays from glasshammer2.wpengine.com

iStock_000006957977XSmall_1_.jpgWe are taking a vacation this week and not publishing. (Since we talk a lot about work- life balance here, we decided to practice what we preach and take some time with friends and family.)

It’s been a tumultuous year for most people and, since August, the financial markets have gone from the sublime to the surreal. But it has been an amazing year for theglasshammer.com.

We turned one year old in September, and won blog of the year in November. We launched a job board in April and a social network in August for you to discuss topics with one another.

Keep sharing your stories with us. We hope to keep inspiring you by showing you there are many women with their own way to break the glass ceiling. We want to help you get to where you want to be – for some that may mean the corner office, while for others it may mean finding a work-life balance or even a new career.

This year I have loved reading about your individual paths to the top. And I have been lucky enough to have met many wonderful women out there who are calling the shots – you’ve turned out to be very warm and kind with interesting hobbies and lives. It is truly a pleasure to be the publisher and founder of theglasshammer.com.

Thanks to PwC and Goldman Sachs for being our founding sponsors, as well as some of our other supporters – Commerzbank, UBS, Pimco, BNP Paribas.

Have a great festive holiday and raise your glass to a happy and prosperous new year in ‘09.

Cheers!

Nicki Gilmour

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SixFigureStart is hosting a Free* Coaching Teleclass

How to Effectively Handle a Job Layoff & Move Forward

SixFigureStart co-founders Connie Thanasoulis and Caroline Ceniza-Levine will co-lead:

• If You’ve Been Laid Off, What To Do Next

• If You Haven’t Been Laid Off, How To Recession-Proof Your Current Job

Dial-in: 712 775 7100

Participant code: 151675# (you must hit the pound key)

*The call is free but long-distance charges apply depending on where you are calling from.

If you have friends who want to hear the call but can’t make the day and time, please have them subscribe to the SixFigureStart newsletter at https://home.ezezine.com/2034_2/. The call will be recorded and the number for the recording will be listed in the next newsletter.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine

212-372-0277

Career Coach www.sixfigurestart.com, https://blog.sixfigurestart.com/

Life Coach www.thinkasinc.com

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2008 FWA Holiday Benefit Gala and Raffle

It wouldn’t be the holidays without the joy that friends bring. It’s the perfect time of year to rekindle old friendships and spark new ones. Join us for an evening of friendship, fun, food and festivities.

One of the best parts of the Holiday Benefit Gala is the raffle, which features an array of appealing prizes. This year, in addition to our traditional raffle, we are hosting a special Chinese auction for gala attendees only, that will include a collection of exotic items. Visit the FWA website for a current list of retailers and donor prizes.

Chinese Auction to date:

Chanel fragrance basket with invitation to a Master class and breakfast with Chanel’s national makeup artists

Hair Design by Mark Garrison at Mark Garrison Salon

Raffle Donations to date:

Nina McLemore $1,000 Shopping Spree

Arbonne Skincare Party for 20 and Basket of Products

The event, raffle and Chinese auction will benefit the FWA of New York Educational Fund, the sponsor of our scholarship, mentoring, financial literacy, and many other great programs.

To learn more and to register

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Massachusetts Conference for Women

boston.jpgBy Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

On Thursday, December 11, approximately 5000 women from the business, finance, technology, law, and health industries attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women at the Boston Convention Center. The conference’s theme, “The Next Chapter of You,” was underscored throughout the day in educational sessions and keynote speeches with titles such as “Standing Out in the Crowd,” “Second Acts and New Beginnings,” and “A Brand New, Brand You.” Speakers encouraged attendees to both invest in themselves and give back to their communities. There was little talk about Wall Street’s woes and the bleak economic outlook. Instead women focused on the issues they could control: how they were showing up professionally and where they could affect positive change in their business and personal lives.

Read more

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