Hasta La Gadget!

In most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, poverty is concentrated in the rural areas, where approximately 125 million people live. The majority of the population is made up of self-employed farmers and small business owners who rely on their own hard work to survive.

Rural women in particular wear many hats in their homes and on their farms. They are the primary caregivers to children and the elderly; they also take responsibility for housing, medical care and education. On their farms, they help with planting, harvesting and tending livestock, keeping chickens for eggs and goats for milk and cheese to sell and feed their families.

Although all of these contributions are critical and provide substantial financial support for their households, women rarely perceive it as such. They describe their activities as simply part of being a housewife and rarely seek opportunities to expand their economic opportunities independently. In fact, most women do not even have access to a bank account. In Paraguay, for example, only 23 percent of women have an account at a formal financial institution.

Women’s World Banking began a project in 2012 with financial institutions in Paraguay, Colombia and Peru to offer loans specifically tailored to these hardworking women. Two years later, nearly 25,000 women have access to loans in their own names — many for the first time in their lives.

This video provides a glimpse at how small loans create big changes in the lives of participating women and within the financial institutions that serve them.

To learn more about this project and get involved, visit www.womensworldbanking.org.

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Cisco supports the Center for Microfinance Leadership for executives of microfinance institutions (MFIs) dedicated to expanding access to financial services for women. To find out more information about Cisco’s focus on economic empowerment, please visit: http://csr.cisco.com/pages/economic-empowerment

Apple is one company that is very well known for the amount of secrets that they keep, so it does get pretty surprising to hear that a particular leak concerning an upcoming device from Cupertino is deemed to be as close as possible to the real deal. The iPhone 6 will certainly generate a fair amount of buzz for sure, with whispers of this next generation iPhone rolling out later this September 9th, not to mention being accompanied by a slew of photos and possible renders. What you see above is the alleged retail box of the upcoming iPhone 6.

The source that leaked it claimed that an Apple beta tester was the one behind the photo, and regretfully, did not want to reveal any more information than expected. Hence, we should always take all rumors with a pinch of salt, and this one even more so. While the image quality is not exactly the best, there is always a very small possibility that it could very well be true.

However, one would have to ask, just where the heck is the Health app that is located on the front display? If this was the real deal, surely Apple would do its bit to promote iHealth right in front of the box, right? Perhaps this is a knockoff of the iPhone 6 that hails from where else but China.

Alleged iPhone 6 Retail Box Spotted

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The iPad from Apple proved to be a catalyst for the tablet market, just like how its iPhone kicked off the whole smartphone revolution. Having said that, for a device that is easy enough that even a dog can learn how to use it, it seems as though rumors of a next generation iPad has been rather slow, with one or two coming in amidst an avalanche of iPhone speculations. This time around, word on the street has it that the next generation of iPads are starting to enter production in Asia.

After all, the tablet will need to be manufactured somewhere to begin with, right? It seems that the next iPad Air is touted to launch before this quarter is over, or perhaps in the beginning of the next quarter, while there is also word on the new iPad mini that has been listed for release before 2014 bids us goodbye and we welcome 2015.

There are also whispers of Apple placing a new anti-reflective coating on the iPad Air display so that it will be easier on the eyes when it comes to reading, even more so when one is viewing it under bright sunlight. Like any other rumor worth its salt, pardon the pun, one would have to wait for time to help us separate the wheat from the chaff.

New iPads Rumored To Enter Production In Asia

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Many media outlets have been talking for a number of years now about how ubiquitous mindfulness is, the impact it’s having in a variety of sectors and all the wonderful science that continues to be published. But I noticed that many people in the media don’t talk much about the actual formal practice of mindfulness meditation and that’s probably because it can be a hard habit to establish. One thing I’ve learned is if you want to establish a practice you have to look directly at what’s getting in the way and allow those obstacles to be your greatest teachers.

Here are five obstacles that have been in people’s way for thousands of years and the antidotes to get over them.

Doubt

The uncertainty about whether something will “work” or not often plagues many people in the beginning of their practice. The thoughts is, “this can work for others, but it won’t work for me.” Sometimes doubt is healthy, teaching us to look closely at things before we buy them. But the unhealthy doubt just takes us away from experience before it teaches us anything.

Antidote: We have to remember that thoughts are just thoughts; they’re not facts (even the ones that say they are). When we notice this doubt slipping in, just take note of it, perhaps even notice the fear that is often underneath it, and then gently return back to the practice.

Restlessness

Let’s face it, it’s hard to sit still for a period of time when the mind can be so busy. We’re trained from a young age to do, do and do some more. The mind may rebel a bit when learning how “to be.” You might catch it running through a million to-do lists and try and count the minutes until the end of the practice. This is all completely natural.

Antidote: It’s important to recognize that restlessness and boredom are just sensations like any other. If you look deeply at restlessness or boredom, underneath it is often some form of anxiety or fear. But you don’t need to investigate it to reduce its impact, just naming it as you recognize it can really reduce its impact. You might even try adopting a beginner’s mind and getting curious about the sensation of restlessness. This is how you get back in the driver’s seat.

Irritation

Getting irritated occurs for many reasons. Maybe we don’t feel like we’re having a good meditation experience or there’s an annoying noise in the room or it’s a secondary emotion that comes after feeling restless. In other words, we’re irritated that we’re so restless in the practice.

Antidote: While our urge is to resist the irritation, we have to remember the old adage “what we resist persists.” The work here is to include it as part of the mindful experience. As the chapter goes in The Now Effect, “It is what it is, while it is.” Our work is to recognize the irritation, allow it to be there and we can either investigate it deeper or watch as it naturally comes and goes.

Sleepiness

Being the sleep deprived nation that we are, it’s easy to feel a bit sleepy when we come down from our busy minds. Our body does what it naturally wants to do, go to rest. We also feel sleepy sometimes when an experience is overwhelming, so it’s good to be curious whether the tiredness is telling you that you need more rest or that there’s a feeling that needs to be expressed.

Antidote: If from time to time you fall asleep when meditating, consider it a good nap that you needed. However, if this is happening often you might try sitting in a more upright posture, standing up, having your eyes slightly open or maybe splashing some water on your face before starting.

Wanting

You’ll notice when you practice that your mind may fall into a state of wanting to be somewhere else than where you are. Or maybe it’s even more innocent of just wanting to get a bite to eat and so the mind starts drifting onto different food topics. Or before you even get to practice your mind wants to conditions to be different than they are so you don’t even get to practice. This state of mind can either stop us from practicing or ignite restlessness, irritation and others.

Antidote: If you notice this state of mind before you practice, you might consider what you can practice instead of what you can’t practice. For example, in a noisy place, the Sky of Awareness practice from The Now Effect would do quite nicely. If the mind is busy wanting to be somewhere else during the practice, see if you can be easy on yourself, simply continuing to notice the thoughts straying and gently bringing your attention back. If it’s continues to be a strong pull, maybe intentionally shift your practice to being aware of thoughts like in the Movie in Your Mind practice.

Ultimately, having a regular mindfulness meditation seems so simple, but practice isn’t always easy. We have our brains to contend with that throws up all these obstacles.

Even if you just made it your intention to be on the lookout for these obstacles and apply the antidotes as best you can, that would be an extremely beneficial practice.

Be forgiving of yourself as you go and remember you can always begin again.

Adapted from Mindfulness and Psychotherapy