Having a Jolie good time: Angelina thanks Capitol cops involved in January 6 riot and meets Chuck Schumer to talk about 'FBI reforms'
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- Published on Wednesday, 15 September 2021 13:56
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday and thanked officers who lost their colleagues after defending politicians from the insurrection during the January 6 riot, as she advocated for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Jolie took the opportunity to thank Capitol Officer Harry Dunn, who testified in Congress after he was called racial slurs and physically assaulted during the insurrection. A picture of Jolie standing next to Dunn was shared on Twitter. Dunn lost fellow officer Brian Sicknick, who suffered two strokes a day after keeping rioters from entering the Capitol and harming lawmakers. Four other officers who were on duty during the riot in January died by suicide after defending the site.Officers Gunther Hashida, Jeffrey Smith, Howard Liebengood, and Kyle deFreytag took their lives in the months after the attack. Jolie also met with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer to talk about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, but lapsed in 2019. 'I'm in DC leading up to the VAWA reauthorization, FBI reforms, and other important protections and rights. 'I've met with experts for years now, learning about best practices including non-biased forensic evidence collection, and advocating for improvements,' Jolie said in a statement. 'I'm grateful for these timely and valuable meetings with senators, especially focused on provisions for children's health,' she added. The VAWA was introduced by President Biden when he was a senator.In March, the House of Representatives passed legislation to restore it. If approved, the act would give funding to states that make dealing with sexual assault and domestic abuse a priority. Jolie reportedly asked senators to consider expanding the act to cover abuse targeted at children and 'prioritize children's health and safety in legal responses to trauma, including through judicial training and advancements in forensic evidence collection.'Sen Schumer thanked the Maleficent star on Twitter.'Thank you to Angelina Jolie for coming in today to talk about the fight to reauthorize VAWA in the Senate and how we can help support research on diagnosing injuries from domestic violence and child abuse to help survivors,' Schumer said.Senator Whip Dick told Forbes that Jolie was 'very serious-minded' and knew a lot about the subject. Jolie has been deeply involved in social causes. She made her Instagram debut in August, right after the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan. On her first Instagram post, Jolie shared 'A Letter from an Afghan Girl,' an account of the consequences of the Taliban taking power for women and girls in the country. 'I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago.'It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country.'To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand, weighed in Jolie. 'Watching for decades how Afghan refugees - some of the most capable people in the world - are treated like a burden is also sickening.'Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.'Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me, ' she concluded.Apart from having a successful career in Hollywood, Jolie has been a longtime advocate for several humanitarian causes.She has visited refugee camps since she was in her 20s, and is an United Nations Special Envoy.
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source : Daily mail 
Best supporting press secretary! Angelina Jolie poses for pictures at Jen Psaki's lectern during WH meeting to discuss the Violence Against Women Act
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- Published on Tuesday, 14 September 2021 13:54
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie surprised reporters at the White House on Wednesday by making an unscheduled appearance in the briefing room.Her visit was unannounced and only a handful of reporters were around to capture the moment she posed at Press Secretary Jen Psaki's lectern. She joked with journalists in the briefing room as they shouted questions about her visit to Washington. 'I feel like I walked into a press conference,' she said.'I've had good bipartisan meetings, so that's encouraging.' The 46-year-old star arrived at the White House a day after visiting Capitol Hill where she thanked officers who lost their colleagues after defending politicians from the insurrection during the January 6 riot, as she advocated for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. On Wednesday, she met with Psaki and White House Gender Policy Council co-chair Jennifer Klein, an official told DailyMail.com, before being offered a quick peek at the briefing room. 'It feels just like it should feel, feels very serious,' she said as she took up position on the podium. She said she wanted to highlight a health crisis facing families and find a less adversarial way to promote protection of women and children. A spokesperson for Jolie said she was in Washington to further her campaign work.'UNHCR Special Envoy is in D.C. for a second day meeting with senior White House and Department of Justice officials, and senators to continue to advocate for the rights of women and children and health in families,' said the spokesperson in a statement to NBC.'In her meetings she will talk about the importance of the VAWA reauthorization, FBI reforms, judicial training and health equity including non-biased forensic evidence collection.' On Tuesday Jolie took the opportunity to thank Capitol Officer Harry Dunn, who testified in Congress after he was called racial slurs and physically assaulted during the insurrection. A picture of Jolie standing next to Dunn was shared on Twitter. Dunn lost fellow officer Brian Sicknick, who suffered two strokes a day after keeping rioters from entering the Capitol and harming lawmakers. Four other officers who were on duty during the riot in January died by suicide after defending the site.Officers Gunther Hashida, Jeffrey Smith, Howard Liebengood, and Kyle deFreytag took their lives in the months after the attack. Jolie also met with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer to talk about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, but lapsed in 2019. 'I'm in DC leading up to the VAWA reauthorization, FBI reforms, and other important protections and rights. 'I've met with experts for years now, learning about best practices including non-biased forensic evidence collection, and advocating for improvements,' Jolie said in a statement. 'I'm grateful for these timely and valuable meetings with senators, especially focused on provisions for children's health,' she added. The VAWA was introduced by President Biden when he was a senator.
In March, the House of Representatives passed legislation to restore it. If approved, the act would give funding to states that make dealing with sexual assault and domestic abuse a priority. Jolie reportedly asked senators to consider expanding the act to cover abuse targeted at children and 'prioritize children's health and safety in legal responses to trauma, including through judicial training and advancements in forensic evidence collection.'Sen Schumer thanked the Maleficent star on Twitter.'Thank you to Angelina Jolie for coming in today to talk about the fight to reauthorize VAWA in the Senate and how we can help support research on diagnosing injuries from domestic violence and child abuse to help survivors,' Schumer said.Senator Whip Dick told Forbes that Jolie was 'very serious-minded' and knew a lot about the subject. Jolie has been deeply involved in social causes. She made her Instagram debut in August, right after the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan. On her first Instagram post, Jolie shared 'A Letter from an Afghan Girl,' an account of the consequences of the Taliban taking power for women and girls in the country.'I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago.'It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country'To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand, weighed in Jolie. 'Watching for decades how Afghan refugees - some of the most capable people in the world - are treated like a burden is also sickening.'Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.'Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me, ' she concluded.Apart from having a successful career in Hollywood, Jolie has been a longtime advocate for several humanitarian causes.She has visited refugee camps since she was in her 20s, and is an United Nations Special Envoy.
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source : Daily mail
How Guerlain, Angelina Jolie and UNESCO are working to protect the bees
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- Published on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 05:29
- Written by The CEO magazine
Without the busy little creatures, the world simply wouldn’t be able to function. They may only be a mere two centimetres in size, but a lack of stature doesn’t stop precious bees from carrying the hefty weight of the world. Quite literally, our planet simply wouldn’t function without the existence of the busy creatures – and Guerlain is rolling out its mission to ensure they never die out.As the damaging effects of climate change continue to rip across Earth, bees are in the firing zone with numbers across Europe and the US dropping. Dedicated to protecting this most precious of wonders, the luxury beauty brand’s enchantment with the petite insects transpires centuries.The maison’s adoration with bees began in 1853 when Founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain dedicated a citrus cologne to Empress Eugénie in celebration of her marriage to Napoleon III, creating a majestic totem that would flourish for 168 years and counting.From the sweet nectar blossoming in olfactory creations and skincare products to borrowing the uniquely shaped, historic Bee Bottle to inspire artisans, the bee has become more than the essence of the LVMH-owned brand. In turn it has inspired the company to act as a beacon of sustainability, shielding the vulnerable species for the benefit of future generations.“Pollinators like the bee – wild and domestic – are the victims of our way of life,” Cécile Lochard, Guerlain’s Chief Sustainability Officer, shares with The CEO Magazine. “The bee actually suffers from the virtue that we usually grant to this change: permanence.“We believe it to be eternal because it pollinates our collective memory, our infantile imagination – a dangerous error.”It is estimated bees pollinate 80 per cent of the world’s flowering plants, equating to around US$180 billion globally each year, according to the National Institute of Agronomic Research.However, over the past 15 years up to 90 per cent of bees have disappeared in some regions.“It is crucial to protect the bee as it sits at the heart of biodiversity,” Lochard says. “By pollinating flowering plants, foragers guarantee the reproduction of numerous plant species and no less than a third of the world’s food supply.“Indispensable for the pollination of flowers, bees constitute an essential link in the chain that helps to maintain the balance of ecosystems.”The bee has been at the heart of the French brand’s sustainability mission for almost 15 years. While some big businesses toss around terms that include green, clean and eco-friendly, leading to a rise in greenwashing – especially in the beauty industry – Guerlain truly endeavours towards a renewable future. “For close to 170 years, bees have buzzed between our creations with the same endless passion for exceptional raw materials. And we owe them much. To do our part – and then some – to protect bees is obvious.” – Cécile Lochard .Sustainable, transparent and natural formulas with eco packaging; a vision to be carbon neutral by 2030; Women for Bees (in partnership with UNESCO and in collaboration with the French Observatory of Apidology); the Guerlain for Bees conservation program; and an external sustainable board of 13 experts are among the major pillars of the maison’s dedication to sustainability.Not only is Guerlain responsible for beauty of the superficial visage, but it also encompasses the beauty of our natural world.“Nature has never ceased to inspire our creations as well as our commitment in the broad sense and more recently our raison d’etre, which has placed the bee at the heart of our actions,” Lochard says. “Guerlain commits and acts for a more beautiful and sustainable world, by elevating nature to an art to pass on its wonders to future generations, with the bee as sentinel.”
The force of women and bees .One of the oldest brands in the world has turned into the protector of the bees – and it has UNESCO and Angelina Jolie on side to bring its bold legacy to fruition.Partnering with UNESCO on its Women for Bees initiative, Guerlain’s new societal program is dedicated to preserving bees while simultaneously creating an international network of women beekeepers.“Over the past 20 years, bee populations have suffered dramatic losses never seen before,” Lochard says. “There’s been a dazzling decline in bee populations all over the developed world.“It’s a worrying phenomenon dubbed the colony collapse disorder or colony collapse syndrome.”Aiming to promote diversity, protect biodiversity and inspire younger generations, the five-year program began in June 2021. France, Italy, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Russia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Rwanda and China are among the regions being targeted in the first two years of the initiative in which beekeepers in training will be taught the theoretical and practical skills required for beekeeping.By 2025, 50 women will have graduated from the Guerlain x UNESCO Women for Bees program having built 2500 hives across 25 UNESCO biosphere reserves – restocking an incredible 125 million bees. As UNESCO’s 2021 Godmother of Women for Bees, Angelina Jolie will meet with female beekeepers to follow their inspiring progress.“When women gain skills and knowledge their instinct is to help raise others,” Jolie shares. “I’m excited to meet the women taking part in this program from all over the world. I look forward to getting to know them and learning about their culture and environment and the role bees play in that. I hope the training will strengthen their independence, their livelihoods and their communities.”Not only is the program a commitment to the environment, but it helps empower women through education, giving them the tools to create their own beekeeping operations and generate income, consequently creating more equality within communities.“All over the world, there are more women in hobby beekeeping than in professional beekeeping,” Lochard explains. “But things are changing fast. More and more women are taking formal training.“Because of the multiple roles of beekeeping and the crucial place of honey in the food chain, beekeeping should be an integral part of rural development strategies and policies for the direct benefit it brings to human wellbeing.”
How Guerlain is creating a sustainable future.There is something quite regal about the bee. From the ancient Greeks adopting the motif for gold coins and jewellery to Napoleon Bonaparte choosing the unique emblem to represent his status as Emperor in the 19th century, the humble insect has been culturally significant for millennia.Signifying wealth, good luck and prosperity in ancient times, bees are a fitting symbol of what’s to come if the world protects them.While they are at times an overlooked pillar of biodiversity, bees are crucial in creating a successfully sustainable future. And the 193-year-old brand is positioning itself as the queen bee of the global hive.“We’re a key player in the natural and clean beauty domain and have become the benchmark luxury house in terms of naturalness,” Lochard explains to The CEO Magazine.By 2021, 100 per cent of Guerlain’s new skincare products will be composed of at least 90 per cent of ingredients with natural origins.“It represents a real challenge, especially when it comes to the make-up category and the ability to maintain the levels of performance that meet our high standards, but it enables us to open a new chapter of its quest towards natural beauty by launching three essential products of a make-up routine formulated with more than 95 per cent of natural-origin ingredients,” she says. “We are by essence the nature-driven brand.”The French-founded brand launched its Bee Respect platform in 2019 – a digital tool to help consumers understand the whole cycle of its products. Providing details of more than 500 formula ingredients, packaging elements, some 40 suppliers, manufacturing location and carbon footprint, people can see what it takes to manufacture a product from start to finish.“It requires full transparency with no fear,” Lochard says. “I do believe that in any company and organisation, when you work on sustainability you have to keep in mind you work for the present but above all for the youngest generation.“For younger generations, there is no luxury without commitment to protect the planet, because the habitability of their future world depends on it.”Toxic chemicals flushing into oceans, plastic waste and deforestation caused by harvesting ingredients including palm oil are some of the adverse effects of the popular sector.However, preserving biodiversity, using innovative eco-designs, innovating clean beauty products that don’t sacrifice efficacy, promoting a circular economy, reducing C02 emissions and regenerating nature are some of the ways Guerlain is leaving a light green footprint on Earth.The brand even reduced its Orchidée Impériale day cream jar weight by 60 per cent in 2017. And the jar is also produced with partly recycled materials.“It was an audacious bet on our ultra-premium line, but it has paid off,” Lochard shares. “It also meets the essential values and principles in luxury: to create precious objects that can be personalised, kept and treasured or handed down.”And it’s bold moves like this that will truly make an impact on the natural world and within the environmentally damaging industry, which is expected to be worth US$716.6 billion in 2025.“This is the luxury revolution underway,” Lochard says. “This new era of transparency, which is in demand, also makes it possible to magnify artisanal excellence and high standards.“For close to 170 years, bees have buzzed between our creations with the same endless passion for exceptional raw materials. And we owe them much. To do our part – and then some – to protect bees is obvious.”
source : The CEO magazine
Angelina Jolie breaks a record: The star, 46, becomes fastest Instagram user to gain 1M followers... and she already has 7.6M followers after just THREE DAYS
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- Published on Tuesday, 24 August 2021 05:26
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie has become the fastest Instagram user to gain one million followers.The 46-year-old actress joined the photo-sharing platform over the weekend, and she has quickly amassed more than seven million followers on Instagram.The Eternals actress surpassed Rupert Grint and Sir David Attenborough to claim the record, as she amassed 2.1million new followers in under three hours.She is being followed by Drew Barrymore, Bella Hadid, Bella Thorne, Gretchen Rossi, Chrishell Stause, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Helena Christiansen, to name a few. The Hollywood star joined the platform to share a photograph of a heart-breaking letter from a teenage girl in Afghanistan, where the Taliban recently gained control of the country.Angelina's post read: 'This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan. Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. So I've come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.' She added, 'I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago.'It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country.'To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.' Angelina pledged to continue to support the Afghan people.Her post continued: 'Watching for decades how Afghan refugees - some of the most capable people in the world - are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.'Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you'll join me.' The 46-year-old actress and activist joined the social networking site on Friday.A source told People that Jolie joined Instagram to help spread awareness about the potential oppression of women in Afghanistan as their own abilities to communicate are being cut off.'Angie felt compelled to join in a moment when women and young people in Afghanistan are losing the ability to communicate on social media and express themselves freely,' the source said. 'From her point of view, if she's able to be a part of the effort to amplify their voices, then she felt it was reason enough to join and use her platform.'
The girl also wrote about how it was harder to go to school with the Taliban patrolling, and how much safer she felt before they were back in power.She also worried that her school would be closed down on their order.The teenager feared Afghanistan would go back to the 'past 20 years,' to a time when women had 'no rights,' when she said they were expected to work at home and had lost their 'freedom.' Jolie included a photo of Afghan women who were clothed head-to-toe in burqas. American troops in Afghanistan are now confined to running Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where American citizens and Afghans have been rushing to exit the country amid a full-scale Taliban takeover in recent days.The date for the US military to leave Afghanistan was originally set for May 1 by former President Donald Trump in a deal he signed with the Taliban, though President Joe Biden announced in April that he was pushing the final date to September.The president's military advisors informed him that there would be 'weeks or months' left to get Afghans who had helped the US out of the country following the September withdrawal, but they appear not to have counted on the weakness of the Afghan military, which almost immediately crumbled and failed to put up a fight against Taliban forces that quickly seized most of the country's cities.In a speech last week, President Biden reiterated that the timetable for exiting Afghanistan had largely been set by his predecessor.He admitted the US was taken off guard by the swiftness of the Taliban takeover and described scenes of mass panic at the Kabul airport as 'gut-wrenching.' Still, he said he was confident that the move to leave Afghanistan was the best possible option for the United States and that it was always going to be a difficult process.'The developments of the past week reinforced that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan was the right decision. ... I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.' The Taliban has claimed in recent days that it is a more moderate force than the one that ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.It claims that women will still be able to attend school, though they will have to be covered in clothing from head to toe.However, the Taliban has previously required women to be separated from men who aren't part of their family, so it seems unlikely that they'll be able to return to school or work if they can't be in the same room as male students and coworkers.
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source : Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie blasts the US' 'chaotic' withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years: 'As an American I am ashamed'
- Details
- Published on Monday, 23 August 2021 06:09
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie had sharp words for the United States' ongoing withdrawal from Afghanistan in an op-ed published by Time on Friday.The 46-year-old Eternals star and activist wrote that the US military was 'appearing to cut and run' amid the Middle Eastern country's turmoil as the Taliban regains control.She worried that the ongoing chaos could strip away any social progress that had been made for women and young girls in Afghanistan.Whatever your views on the war in Afghanistan, we probably agree on one thing: it should not have ended this way,' Jolie presumed.She called it a 'betrayal and a failure impossible to fully understand' that the US had given up trying to facilitate a peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government.Adding to the chaos among the government was the departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled to exile in the United Arab Emirates.The country's ambassador to Tajikistan has accused Ghani of stealing $169 million on his way out of the country, though Ghani insisted that he 'left with just a waistcoat and some clothes' in a video he filmed after his whereabouts became known.Jolie recounted meeting injured servicemen and women at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and noted 'how proud they felt to be a part of helping the Afghan people gain basic rights and freedoms.'She also noted how tenuous the situation is for young girls, who are have been targeted for attacks at school, and for women in government, who have seen assassinations triple in 2020, according to the United Nations.The actress wrote that journalists and activists were 'in hiding' in Afghanistan and were 'deleting their social media profiles and burning documents in a bid to keep themselves and their families safe.''After all the bloodshed and effort and sacrifice and time, America seems to have lacked the will to plan this transition in a managed way,' she continued. 'It was never going to be easy or perfect but could have been better, more decent and safer.'Jolie wrote that she believed 'that we were doing the right thing' and 'that we were fighting in a noble cause,' but it was difficult to continue to believe that as the US left Afghanistan after two decades.'As an American I am ashamed by the manner of our leaving,' Jolie continued. 'It diminishes us.'She warned of the ways the Taliban might punish women, including 'banning girls from school, confining women to the home, and inflicting brutal physical punishments, including public lashing, on any woman perceived to have stepped out of line,' and she bemoaned what she said was the US' failure to monitor the conditions for women.
The star also wrote that there would be a 'new refugee crisis' due to the US' withdrawal.She added that the current strategy to get Americans and Afghans out of the country wasn't enough.'It is only the beginning of what we need to do if all the years of effort and sacrifice in Afghanistan aren’t going to be wasted.' Jolie concluded by prioritizing an Afghan government focused on 'human rights.''Any future Afghan government should be judged not only on their attitude to terrorism, but on their behavior on human rights and — in particular — whether Afghan women and girls maintain the rights they have gained.Also on Friday, Jolie joined Instagram and made her first post a photo of a letter sent to her by an Afghan girl.'This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan,' she wrote alongside an image of the letter. 'Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,' she continued. 'So I've come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.'The teenage girl expressed a desire to continue her education in the heartbreaking letter, even as she feared that the Taliban would curtail those opportunities. A source told People that Jolie joined Instagram to help spread awareness about the potential oppression of women in Afghanistan as their own abilities to communicate are being cut off.'Angie felt compelled to join in a moment when women and young people in Afghanistan are losing the ability to communicate on social media and express themselves freely,' the source said. 'From her point of view, if she's able to be a part of the effort to amplify their voices, then she felt it was reason enough to join and use her platform.'
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source : Daily Mail
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