Des Moines, October 28, 2013 ?Today, the Iowa Supreme Court released a proposal to revise the Iowa Court Rules for Expanded Media Coverage (EMC) ?the court rules regulating audio and video recording and photography of courtroom procedures. The proposal broadens the court's definition of news media and allows for live electronic reporting, such as tweeting and blogging, from the courtroom by members of the news media, with advance approval from the presiding judge. The court seeks feedback on the proposed revisions to the rules during a 60-day public comment period.

The proposal is the product of a ten-month review by a fifteen-person supreme court advisory committee consisting of Iowa judges, attorneys, and members of the media. The supreme court requested the review because judges and court staff are faced with bloggers, smart phones, and twitter, among other forms of technology that are not specifically addressed in current rules. The EMC rules were first approved by the supreme court in 1979 and have been only slightly modified since that time.

"I thought the committee did an excellent job of considering all the tools used by journalists today and revised the rules in a way that prepares for future changes in technology," Justice Zager said. "The proposed rules are intended to address modern news gathering practices in the courtroom while protecting the right of parties to a fair trial, personal privacy, and safety. The proposed rules also keep safeguards in place to preserve the decorum and dignity of our court proceedings, and assuring the fair administration of justice."

The proposed revisions would allow media coverage of initial appearances in criminal cases with approval of the presiding judge. The revised rules would allow the request for media coverage to be made either in writing or orally to the magistrate or judge presiding over the initial appearance, subject to an oral objection by the prosecutor, defendant, or defendant's counsel.

"Iowa historically has been at the forefront of allowing open access to its court proceedings, and the proposed revisions to the rules for expanded media coverage will prepare Iowa's courts for the reality of modern digital news-gathering and publishing." Iowa Freedom of Information Council Executive Director Kathleen Richardson said. "The revisions, if adopted, would also provide more consistency in courtrooms across the state."

Any interested individual or organization may submit comments to the supreme court by January 6, 2014. The proposed revisions to the Iowa Court Rules for Expanded Media Coverage and instructions for submitting comments can be located at http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Advisory_Committees/Expanded_Media_Coverage_Rules_Committee/

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2013

Iowa Supreme Court

1111 East Court Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50319

One of the poorest, most troubled countries in the world, Pakistan, has also produced some of our bravest, most inspiring young leaders, says Zulfiqar Rashid, (www.zulfiqarrashid.com), a Pakistan native and U.S. artist and businessman.

"Malala Yousafzai is only the most recent example," says Rashid, referring to the 16-year-old advocate for girls' education who was shot by the Taliban a year ago.

Rashid, who frequently travels to Pakistan and around the world, says he continues to see appalling treatment of children in his journeys. His new book focuses on a particularly cruel practice in Indo Asian countries. In "The Rat-boys of Karalabad," he writes about young beggars whose heads and limbs are tightly bound when they're very young to stunt their growth. The practice makes the disfigured children more effective beggars at religious shrines, helping enrich those who control the shrines.

"The 'rat-boys' are, sadly, very real. In my book, the person who stands up to this evil is a boy who would ultimately have benefited from it," Rashid says. "While he is fictional, he symbolizes the many young people in the world whose passion for doing good holds an extraordinary power that often goes unrecognized."

Today's story is Malala, but Rashid says the tale of another young Pakistani children's rights advocate illustrates just how far-reaching children's influence can be.

• At 10 years old, Iqbal Masih crusaded against bonded servitude. When he was 4 years old, Iqbal's impoverished Pakistani family sold him into bonded servitude for a $12 loan. For six years, he sat chained to a loom weaving carpets for 14 hours a day six days a week. He and the other children were forbidden from talking and were beaten if they were slow, fell asleep, or made a mistake. They were fed little so that their fingers would stay small enough to work the tiny knots in the carpets.

Iqbal escaped the factory in 1992 with help from the Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan, and began speaking out on behalf of child laborers and their right to an education. His revelations about the carpet industry gained worldwide attention, and he's credited with freeing 3,000 children from factories.

• 7th-graders build a school for Iqbal. In December 1994, Iqbal visited Broad Meadows Middle School in Quincy, Mass., at the invitation of teacher Ron Adams, who wanted to give his seventh-graders a deeper understanding of international economics and human rights. Iqbal, the same age as the American students, was half their size - his growth stunted by malnutrition and confinement - but tremendously courageous. He knew his actions were angering the carpet barons, who might retaliate.

Four months after that visit, Iqbal was shot and killed while riding his bicycle in his village.
The outraged Beacons Meadows students insisted on doing something to remember Iqbal and decided to raise $5,000 to build a school in his village. "I thought, 'Impossible!' but the kids never doubted they could do it," Adams said recently.

They faxed and emailed (with a borrowed computer from Amnesty International) requests to schools around the country seeking $12 donations for A School for Iqbal. By 1997, when they stopped fundraising, they'd raised $147,000, which built and helped fund the school for three years. Today Chanaan No. 3 is a self-sufficient campus for working children.

• Operation: Day's Work - kids helping kids around the world. A School for Iqbal grew into a student-led charitable organization that has spread to six other nations. Co-founded in the United States by eight schools with the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development, ODW turns 15 years old this year.

Each year ODW students research charitable groups and projects benefiting kids in developing countries. They invite their favorites to apply for grant money, then debate the merits of the applicants and projects. Finally, they vote to decide their beneficiary for the year. Then students raise money to fund their grant. Last year, they paid tuition, room and board for 38 rescued child laborers through the Kenyan Schoolhouse Project.

Joining Operation: Days Work is free and open to schools with students in fifth- through 12th grades. Visit www.odwusa.org for information.

About Zulfiqar Rashid

Zulfiqar Rashid was born in Pakistan and lives in southern California. As a regular contributor to various newspapers, he has written extensively about his travels to Pakistan, and major figures in the Pakistani artistic and cultural scene.  Rashid is also an accomplished artist and calligrapher, whose art has been featured in the San Diego Union Tribune.  His works have been exhibited at galleries in San Diego, Del Mar, and La Jolla, as well as the San Diego Art Institute and the San Diego Port Authority's "I Madonnari" festival.

Encourages passage of marriage equality during veto session

SPRINGFIELD - As the 2013 fall legislative session gets underway, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today joined supporters of marriage equality for the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality.

"The families gathered here today have been waiting too long for the same rights families like mine have," said Simon. "We will not stop this fight until true equality is the law of the land, and all Illinois families are recognized as being equal."

Today Simon joined thousands of marriage equality proponents, religious leaders and families in Springfield, for a rally at the base of President Abraham Lincoln's statue at the Capitol. Following the rally, Simon participated in a march around the Capitol complex.

"This is a day to show that people across the state of Illinois want marriage equality for all. We are part of every fabric of society and we will come together with our allies to be heard in Springfield," said Tracy Baim, March co-chair.

The March on Springfield for Marriage Equality is part of a grassroots movement aimed at passage of Senate Bill 10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Though Illinois currently has civil unions, only marriage affords couples the ability to file joint tax returns, participate in spousal Social Security and veterans' benefits, and benefit under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Senate Bill 10, sponsored by Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), passed the Senate in February and is awaiting a vote in the House. Its passage would make Illinois the 15^th state in the nation to recognize marriage equality.

"Illinois is home to our nation's greatest president, who believed that all individuals should be treated equally, and we will not stop fighting until President Lincoln's dream is realized," said Steans, Senate sponsor of the bill. "It is time for all Illinois families to be treated equally."

"Every day that passes that all Illinois families are not treated with equality is one day too long," said Harris, House sponsor of the legislation. "I am grateful for the Lt. Governor's longstanding and heartfelt support for equality."

"You've come a long way, baby," wasn't just an ad for Virginia Slims cigarettes during the late 1960s - it was also a dubious signifier for the gains women had made in society.

Since then, women have continued the march for progress, making huge gains in the academic and professional sectors. But have Western women lost something along the way?

"As women, we have spent so much time and effort living up to the standards of a patriarchal society that we've almost completely disconnected from our own deepest, authentic truth," says Leela Francis, author of "Woman's Way Home: Navigating Your Path to Embodied Power," (www.WomansWayHome.com), which includes techniques and tools from her Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training.

" 'What do women want?' Sadly, many women today aren't even sure; but by tapping the power of her inner wisdom, a woman can have the life of her dreams."

One key component of birthing one's own dream life is harnessing your intuitive power, she says. This ability to distinguish between ego-driven wants and higher self-wisdom is crucial so that you are making choices in alignment with your personal integrity, she says.

So, just how does one accomplish that? Francis offers the following suggestions:

• Ego isn't bad or wrong, but we do need to be able to distinguish its voice from that of our intuition. The ego has its place; it's a necessary part of our self that allows us to function and strive, but we need to be able to identify what is driving us in each moment. Intuition is the awareness and acknowledgement of being more deeply and meaningfully connected to life. The ego is a self-advocating force that caters to external standards and often gets in the way of higher self-awareness. Learning to recognize the differences between these two voices is a profound way to create more ease and lessen suffering.

• Recognize when ego and intuition are pulling you in different directions. "Having witnessed the outcome of choosing ego over intuition enough times, I've seen how counterproductive ignoring intuitive wisdom can be," Francis says. "I can't help but notice that I sense the most friction when my ego is winning that inner tug of war." The ego is a perpetually hungry creature, never satisfied, whereas higher intuition has a contented nature that aligns with your personal integrity. Wisdom's signals are palpable, but we've become so masterful at ignoring them that we don't recognize them when they occur. Both the ego's plea and intuition's nudging are able to be sensed in one's body as distinctive body sensations. Listen inwardly for these sensations, for example, when someone is trying to sell you something questionable.

• Be available for those intuitive moments in which you can witness yourself, objectively, on every level. Intuitive power gives us a profound ability to see ourselves from a bird's eye view on every level - sensually, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. These intuitive moments don't have to be random; you can cultivate your mind to be more on the look out for sensations that are taking place in your body in each moment, and especially in situations that require you to make a difficult decision or choice. Be aware of your body as it goes through its daily activities and, at the same time, consider all levels of your self when doing so. This higher awareness enables women to have all aspects of their selves peacefully coexist and work together for a more whole and happy life.

About Leela Francis

Leela is the founder and director of Vividly Woman Embodied Leader Tools and Training. A facilitator of groups and individuals for more than 20 years, she's an expert in the field of body consciousness and soulful personal expansion.  Along with her trained staff and apprentices, Leela facilitates Vividly Woman workshops and retreats at beautiful nature resorts all over the continent and appears regularly as a speaker and contributing facilitator at other live & virtual events. Leela divides her time between Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and the rest of North America.