WMC Daily News Brief: Barbara West, Michelle Obama, Slavery

October 28, 2008

Journalism Or Partisanship: Did Barbara West Interview With Joe Biden Cross The Line?
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-barbara-west-joe-biden-102708,0,7076684.story
10/27/08
Orlando Sentinel: Nothing Barbara West has done in her 22 years at WFTV-Channel 9 has generated the attention of her interview last week with Sen. Joe Biden, Barack Obama's running mate.

New To Campaigning, But No Longer A Novice
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/us/politics/28michelle.html
10/27/08
NY Times: On a visit to her husband’s campaign office here the other day, Michelle Obama was handed a phone and a script of talking points and made calls to a few undecided voters. Mrs. Obama mixed policy on taxes and health care with chitchat about Ohio, laughter about her life in politics and tidbits about her family.

Historic Verdict As Niger Is Convicted Of Failing To Protect Woman Sold Into Slavery
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/historic-verdict-as-niger-is-convicted-of-failing-to-protect-woman-sold-into-slavery-975449.html
10/28/08
The Independent, UK: The West African regional Court of Justice has convicted the state of Niger of failing to protect a 12-year-old girl from being sold into slavery, in what has been hailed as a victory for human rights.

Palin's Love Boats
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702438.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
10/27/08
Washington Post: Until two cruise ships steamed up to Alaska two summers ago, the record for the silliest statement by a journalist had been held by Lincoln Steffens, in his time a famous American radical. Sent in 1919 to see how Russia was doing under the communists, Steffens supposedly reported, "I have seen the future, and it works." In 2007, several conservative journalists got off their cruise ships and met Sarah Palin. They saw the present, and she was a babe.

Dolly Parton Pans White Spaces Vote
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6608923.html?nid=3343
10/28/08
Broadcasting & Cable: Singer Dolly Parton has weighed in on the issue of allowing unlicensed mobile devices to share the white spaces in TV spectrum with TV stations and wireless microphones, adding her name to the list of those asking the FCC to hold off on a planned Nov. 4 vote to approve the devices.

Both Sides Of Aisle Rip MSNBC
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i28df3fc9f6707d14460f4bedad4a506b
10/27/08
Hollywood Reporter: In a room full of television industry executives, no one seemed inclined to defend MSNBC on Monday for what some were calling its lopsidedly liberal coverage of the presidential election.

Stocks: The Meltdown And The Media
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/oct2008/pi20081027_137742.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis
10/28/08
Business Week: Wall Street has been through crises before—1907, 1929, the 1970s, and 1987 all tested investors as much as the financial crisis of 2008. But this time, something is different: Three cable business channels and countless web sites offer 24-hour coverage of financial markets seven days a week.

A Shade Cooler Than Superwoman
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_10831935
10/27/08
Denver Post: Mothers often approach Gloria Steinem lamenting that their daughters don't know who she is. "That's OK," Steinem tells them. "As long as they know who they are."

What Hope Can't Fix
http://www.theroot.com/id/48585
10/28/08
The Root: As much of the country is brimming with promise, poised for hopeful discussions about how far we've come as a nation, the shocking and brutal murders of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew in Chicago are vicious reminders of the harsh realities in many black communities that will remain unchanged next week—regardless of the outcome on Nov. 4.

Women With Disabilities At Risk For Partner Abuse
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE49Q5LJ20081027
10/27/08
Reuters: A new study shows that women with a disability are far more likely to experience a physical assault by a spouse or other intimate partner than those without a disability.

Love, Sex And The Changing Landscape Of Infidelity
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/health/28well.html?ref=science
10/27/08
NY Times: A handful of new studies suggest surprising changes in the marital landscape. Infidelity appears to be on the rise, particularly among older men and young couples. Notably, women appear to be closing the adultery gap: younger women appear to be cheating on their spouses nearly as often as men.

Somali Woman Executed By Stoning
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7694397.stm
10/27/08
BBC: A woman in Somalia has been stoned to death after an Islamic Sharia law court found her guilty of adultery.

Fighting For Muslim Women's Rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7689897.stm
10/27/08
BBC: Some of the world's leading Islamic feminists have been gathered in Barcelona for the third International Congress on Islamic Feminism, to discuss the issues women face in the Muslim world.

One Indonesian Shares Women's Rights In Islamic Schools
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1028/p01s06-woap.html
10/28/08
Christian Science Monitor: In her boarding schools, Lily Munir teaches women and children that their religion supports gender equality.

Violence Against Women Glaring Example Of Human Rights Breach In Afghanistan
http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1331008&lang=EN
10/28/08
Trend News Agency: Increasing violence against women in Afghanistan is a glaring example of breach of human rights, experts say. The key reasons are strong effect of traditions in the public and weak education of the population.

Diabetes Is A Risk In Pregnancy That Carries Risks Beyond
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/health/28brod.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
10/27/08
NY Times: Gestational diabetes, which affects about 4 percent of pregnant women, usually occurs midpregnancy, by the 28th week of gestation. Though its causes are unclear, there are some clues, namely placental hormones that suppress the action of insulin in the mother.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Rising Among U.S. Women
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102701159.html
10/27/08
Washington Post: The number of American women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is growing again after four decades of decline, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

'America The Beautiful' Probes Fashion's Ugly Side
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3795
10/28/08
Women's eNews: A trio of indie movies highlight America's toxic obsession with weight and its harmful impact on women and girls. Advocates say it's difficult to mount a counter attack against harmful media images.