I was reading this article on the safest place to be a woman. Go Denmark, when I read the statistics for maternal deaths.
What is going on in the USA to have such high maternal deaths?
“ on maternal mortality, a key indicator of access to healthcare and the responsiveness of the system to women's needs.
Australia had 2.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Norway was the best in the group with 1.7 deaths, while the United States was the worst with 21.1.”
If you click on https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/ you will go to the report and if you touch the country you want the information pertaining to that country comes up.
Regards
Matildagirl
The above information is bit misleading, that was in the developed world, the breakdown for the world is.
Developed world average is 11.9
Central & East Europe & Central Asia average 17.3
East Asia & Pacific average 77.4
Latin America & Caribbean average 85
Middle East & North Africa 53.8
South Asia average 153.3
Sub Saharan Africa average 506.9
Fragile States average 539.7
The World averages 212
Hopefully the figures are improvements on past years, the data relates to 2020 and we aren’t going backwards.
Regards Matildagirl
@matildagirl a major contributing factor is that Black American moms get worse maternity and pre-natal care and have shocking bad maternal mortality statistics, which brings the US rates down. In addition to having less access to pre-natal care and a more difficult time getting to appointments, their complaints are often brushed off and not taken as seriously as white women.
Serena Williams has published articles about her own near-fatal birth experience. Even though she is a world famous athlete with a very wealthy white husband, she still faced the same attitudes when giving birth.
Another challenge is that we have no system for paid maternity leave. So people will work right up to their due date and beyond because they need money. And in some cases, return to work 2 weeks after giving birth. Some large employers give paid leave but if you are less educated or work for a small business, you’ll probably face pressure to return to work sooner.
Hi everyone, just a little “light” relief from the doom and gloom in the world, a story regarding New Zealand’s bird of the Century election which was just recently held, which got “high jacked” by John Oliver. The two videos explain the why and what of the story and the news story gives the results.
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNPwrCrJ/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNPweSSP/
It’s funny and meant lightheartedly but the theme is being played out in other countries in not so funny ways.
Regards
Matildagirl
@matildagirl I love this story! After reading such upsetting news, I think I’ll stop with this story so I can go peacefully off to sleep.
Reilly believed the competition should be kept open to international voters in 2024.
Additionally, it was amazing to know that people from 195 countries had taken the time to read about birds and vote.
“Bird of the Year has always been a really fun local competition. The more conservation concerns reach a global audience, I think that can only be a good thing.”
While the numbers have not yet been crunched, it’s likely the influx of international votes has resulted in a record-breaking amount of donations to allow Forest and Bird to continue advocating for our taonga (prized) species.
An update for you
Hi everyone,
I know my posts aren’t of the spiritual kind, but I hope you can still find interest in them.
“We finally have a government – but at what cost? I have previously said that New Zealanders did not vote for a lurch to the right. The difference in the seats tell us that story – 59 v 55 on the left when New Zealand First seats are not taken into account. Winston Peters was previously in government with Labour from 2017 to 2020, signing off on the responses to the Christchurch shootings and Covid crises, and one assumes his return with the National party is more about his personal ambitions than a rightward policy direction.”
For those that may be interested in NZ and their recent election (not of the bird variety).
NZ have their new government, it took 6 weeks for the 3 parties required to get an agreement. The leaders of the 2 smaller parties are going to share being deputy prime minister, half the term each.
“On 14 October, the centre-right National party beat the centre-left Labour party, winning a razor-thin majority to govern in a coalition with Act. That majority disappeared once additional voting results were announced three weeks later, forcing National to rely on a third party, New Zealand First, to reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.
The country had been in political limbo for weeks, as the three party leaders shuttled between upmarket Auckland hotels to conduct negotiations. It is the second-longest period of negotiations under New Zealand’s mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, the first being in 1996, when New Zealand First was also kingmaker and took two months to make a deal.”
Regards
Matildagirl
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out over the next 3 years.
6 weeks to form a government seems like a long time, wow.
Speaking of hostages (by accident this time)
All the 41 Indian tunnel workers have been freed after 17 days trapped in collapsed passage.
Regards Matildgirl
Some life lessons from Tim Minchin. Worth watching.
(Timothy David Minchin AM[2] (born 7 October 1975) is a British-born Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter.)
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNCbr3aA/
Regards
Matildagirl
On a happier note Christmas Lights Downunder
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNsco4W1/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNscKCEp/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNs3dL2s/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNsccmYJ/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNs3e9tJ/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNs3N3dm/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNscTWae/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNs3NY7r/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNscnUcb/
May have overdone the links
Merry Christmas
Matildagirl
Some slightly odd Christmas events down under.
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNty54br/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtyfmgN/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtyDrqD/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtyCYE8/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtyKDwt/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtyX4Bu/
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNtythwb/
Regards to all
Matildagirl
@marigold Some info on the contest
https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/best-decorated-christmas-buses#:~:text=John, 8-year-old,never been on one before.
@matildagirl Very interesting insights into NZ's political system. I've always wondered about the pros and cons of a multi-party system like yours. It seems complex, is it representative and does it work? Do you have concerns about the current leadership going forward?
@kathleen Hi Kathleen,
I am not a Kiwi, I am from Aus, we have different systems but we both have more than the two parties, but they are usually smaller ones. It still either of the 2 major parties that have to govern but in NZ case it is rare for one party to be able to govern in its own right they have to combine with another party and work together. In their current situation it is 3 parties combined. They have the MMP system which I think is what Germany has.
We have preferential voting where we list who we want in a descending order, I think you call it a Ranked system and some of your states are trying that, I believe Alaska did it for their last election.
I personally think we have the better system of the two, but I am not really a political animal so can’t really give you a lot of information. In our case the Labor party (the left) can get a majority in its own right to govern. The Liberal party (the right) never can it always has to combine with the (National party- the old country party) they call it the Coalition to be able to govern.
Labor brings in the good stuff like universal healthcare, national disability insurance scheme, superannuation, the Libs go more for Business and balancing the budgets. The smaller parties usually have the Balance of Power in the Senate and they can block extreme legislation , get it watered down or bolstered depending on the issue.
Both countries must be doing something right because we both rank highly in the various indexes like happiness, health, longevity, GDP, stability etc. and low in corruption, crime, violence and so forth.
Hope that helps in some way
Regards
Matildagirl
PS not sure what will happen with our countries and I guess Canada as well if we decide to ditch King Charles as our Head of State. That electing a President is a whole other ball game, not sure I like the idea, it seems a bit fraught. The main issues are do we want one? If so how do we get him, do we vote directly, have the Parliament elect him, the party of the time pick someone. What powers should he have if any, purely ceremonial?
If it’s all too hard, we may stick to Charles, then William, than Georgy boy. Kick the debate down the road for future generations, the old if it ain’t broke don’t fix it idea.
I think our current Prime Minister was going to float the idea to be a republic with a president if he won the next election but as his referendum for a Voice to Parliament for Aborigines sank without trace this year he may not. The main sticking points are do we vote for the position or is it an appointment like we do the Governor General position, who can run, how expensive will it get to do this. Could we end up with a Trump.
Regards
Matildagirl
@matildagirl Hi Matilda, thanks for the explanations regarding your government. Sorry I confused you for a Kiwi, lol! I've always been interested in knowing more about both Aussie and NZ politics as, despite the sometimes heated rhetoric, there seems to be enough agreement to actually make decisions. In the US, we have such a polarized population that it's really hard to get things done with our two-party system. We stay frozen and then we inevitably move backward instead of forward. Money and power drives a lot of bad decisions in the US. I think our founding fathers would be horrified to see the effect that Trump and MAGA have had on our democracy. Good on Aussies that despite their disagreements, they ensure that democracy thrives.