WMC Daily News Brief: RSF Report, Carolyn Maloney, Iraq

December 30, 2008

WMC Daily News Brief: RSF Report, Carolyn Maloney, Iraq

Fewer Journalists Killed In 2008
12/30/08
Reuters: Fewer journalists were killed this year doing their jobs than in 2007 due to a big fall in the number of deaths in Iraq, a media watchdog said on Tuesday.

More Women For Maloney
12/29/08
NY Daily News: As the less-than-positive reviews mount in response to Caroline Kennedy's weekend media blitz, another contender for Hillary Clinton's US Senate seat, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, has netted the support of a third women's group.

For Kurdish Girls, A Painful Ancient Ritual
12/29/08
Washington Post: The widespread practice of female circumcision in Iraq's north highlights the plight of women in a region often seen as more socially progressive.

Media, Civil Rights Groups Voice Support For Urban TV
12/30/08
Broadcasting and Cable: Ion Media and Robert Johnson's Urban Television have a number of supporters, at least in principle, for their proposal to create a minority-targeted over-the-air TV network by programming multicast must-carry channels and trying to get the FCC to grant those stations must-carry status.

Journos May Not Get Inaugural Spots
12/29/08
Politico.com: Inaugural planners warned the public Monday to be prepared for massive crowds, long delays and the closure of bridges and Metro stations on Jan. 20. There’s a warning for the press, too: Those credentials you requested might not be available.

Afghanistan: Media Outlets Under Siege
12/29/08
Eurasia Net: Afghan officials and international donors like to promote the country’s "lively, free and privately owned media." It is a success story highlighted in both Afghanistan’s much-toted National Development Strategy and at donor conferences. Yet, in most newsrooms across Afghanistan the story is somewhat different.

Caroline Kennedy Says She's Best For The Job
12/29/08
CNN: After weeks of criticism that she was being too elusive, Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy is now talking about why she believes she is the best person for the job.

Obama Team Engages Public On Health Care
12/30/08
Washington Post: Even before taking office or introducing concrete policy proposals, the administration-in-waiting is moving to build public support around the broad notion that the U.S. health system needs an overhaul.

Adventurous Health Secretary Sets Gender Standards
12/29/08
Charleston Gazette: With passion and grit, Martha Walker runs one of the largest and most challenging agencies in state government. She's secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

The Woman Who Built The Gates Foundation
12/30/08
Financial Times: When Patty Stonesifer tried to stop working for Bill Gates a decade ago, she asked him to meet some unusual conditions in order to keep her. She did not want to be paid, and she did not want to be involved in business. Rather, she wanted to work for his fledgling philanthropic project. Neither imagined the result.

Former Premier Hasina Wins Bangladesh Polls
12/30/08
AP via Google: An election official says the political alliance headed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won a landslide victory in Bangladesh's first election in seven years.

Yemeni And Palestinian Women Call For Ending War On Gaza
12/30/08
Yemen Observer: Thousands of Yemeni and Palestinian women and schoolgirls demanded a stop to Israel’s attacks against the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has now reached 350 and more than 1000 wounded mostly from civilians.

Iranian Authorities Raid Offices Of Rights Advocate
12/30/08
NY Times: Authorities stormed the private office of Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi, on Monday, seizing her computers and her clients’ documents.

Women Need 'Alternative Way' To Win House Seats
12/30/08
Jakarta Post: The chance of female legislative candidates securing seats in next year's elections is likely to shrink further with the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court on seat distribution in the House of Representatives.

Clergy Renew Women Bishops Threat
12/30/08
BBC: Traditionalist clergy have renewed their threat to leave the Church of England if it goes ahead with proposals for the ordination of women bishops.

Vietnam Jails Five For Trafficking Women To Malaysia
12/30/08
AFP via Google: A court in communist Vietnam has jailed five people for up to 17 years for trafficking women to Malaysia and forcing them to work as prostitutes, a court official and media reports said Tuesday.

Research Findings: Parental And Social Acceptance Of Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Teens Can Reduce Rates Of Suicide, Substance Abuse
12/29/08
RH Reality Check: Parents' attitudes and behaviors toward their gay, lesbian, and bisexual offspring are key determinants of their children's risks of suicide, subtance abuse and depression, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Hospitals Target Side Effect Of Breast Cancer Treatment
12/30/08
AP via Denver Post: Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies — the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema.

Patient’s DNA May Be Signal To Tailor Medication
12/29/08
NY Times: For more than two years, Jody Uslan had been taking the drug tamoxifen in hopes of preventing a recurrence of breast cancer. Then a new test suggested that because of her genetic makeup, the drug was not doing her any good.

Having A Baby: Vitamin D Deficiency Is Tied To C-Sections
12/30/08
NY Times: Vitamin D deficiency may increase the likelihood of having a Caesarean section, a new study has found.

Dominant Ochoa Setting Her Own Course To Greatness With Grace
12/29/08
AP via PGA.com: Of all the trophies Lorena Ochoa has collected since her magical hands first touched a golf club, one of her favorite mementos is a photograph taken when she was 12, standing beside a teenager who even then looked like a giant in the game. Her head doesn't quite reach the shoulders of 17-year-old Tiger Woods.

Gender Barrier Persists At Vancouver Olympics
12/29/08
NPR: No man or woman has flown farther than American Lindsey Van off the K90 ski jump built for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Van holds the distance record at the K90 hill in Whistler, British Columbia. But Van and other women contend they are barred from the 2010 games simply because they're women.

Riesch Wins Slalom; Vonn Leads World Cup
12/29/08
Washington Post: Lindsey Vonn goes into 2009 leading the overall World Cup standings. The best slalom racer, however, is friend Maria Riesch of Germany.