WMC Daily News Brief - Saberi, Sotomayer, UN
May 29, 2009
Roxana Saberi On Her Imprisonment In Iran 5/28/09 NPR: Journalist Roxana Saberi, who spent four months in an Iranian prison, returned to the United States on May 22. Until now, she has not spoken to the media at length about her ordeal, during which she says she faced "severe psychological and mental pressure" to confess to being a spy. Advocates Line Up to Praise Sotomayor 5/28/09 Women's E-News: Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court this week has stirred an outpouring of favorable reaction from some of the most prominent advocacy groups focused on the legal rights of women, Latinas and Hispanics. Finally, A UN Agency For Women 5/27/09 Guardian: The UN system has failed the world's 3 billion-plus women – but a new 'super-agency' may bring welcome change. Time Warner's Rocky Marriage To AOL Is Coming To An End 5/29/09 LA Times: By ending its alliance with the Internet company, the media conglomerate can now focus on its movie, TV and publishing units. The move is applauded by industry analysts. Amber Waves Of Blame 5/27/09 The Nation: Media commentators love to reduce everything about women to catfights about sex, so it's not surprising that this belittling and historically inaccurate way of looking at the women's movement--angry prudes versus drunken sluts--has recently taken on new life, including among feminists. Gov’t Urged To Explain Journalist’s Inclusion In Army 'Hit List' 5/28/09 GMA News: An international media group urged government Thursday to explain the inclusion of journalist Carlos Conde in the “order of battle" of the Philippine Army. Smile And Say ‘No Photoshop’ 5/27/09 NY Times: More often than not, images have been altered...with retouching software that can make celebrities and models look thinner, taller, unblemished, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth. It now seems fresh, even exclamation-worthy, when a magazine presents an unvarnished image. Unshackling Female Prisoners In Labor 5/28/09 Salon: In case you missed it, here's some news that deserves praise: Last week, the New York legislature passed a bill that prohibits the state’s prisons from using handcuffs or shackles on female inmates who are about to give birth. Tammy Bruce: The War Against Women 5/28/09 Verdens Gang (Norway) via Fox News: As the old adage reminds us, you can tell the nature of a country by the way it treats its women. You can also assess the condition of civilization by the way it responds to oppression and misogyny. Valedictorian Knows What Future Holds 5/28/09 NY Times: Thursday was graduation day for Cathy Watkins. She received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Marymount Manhattan College. Ms. Watkins did so well in her courses that she was named the class speaker... At 41 — a grandmother of three, no less — she was not the standard age for a graduate. Right-To-Life Amendments Sweep Mexican States 5/29/09 RH Reality Check: Mexico is now facing a historical legal confrontation over the definition of the starting point for the right to life... Over the past year 12 Mexican states have approved constitutional reforms defining personhood as beginning at the moment of conception. Updated Guidelines For Pregnancy And Weight Gain Are Largely Unchanged 5/29/09 LA Times: The long-awaited revision of the 1990 recommendations puts a cap on the amount an obese mother should gain and places more emphasis on exercise. Some doctors wanted to see a lot more. Religious Rockers Cater To Women Only In Israel 5/28/09 AP: The band has been playing together for three years, and the crowds have grown steadily in numbers. But the band has held fast to one golden rule: No men are allowed. Kansas Girl Wins National Spelling Bee 5/29/09 AP via Wall Street Journal: Cool and collected, Kavya Shivashankar wrote out every word on her palm and always ended with a smile. The 13-year-old Kansas girl saved the biggest smile for last, when she rattled off the letters to "Laodicean" to become the nation's spelling champion. "Kick Like A Girl" Scores 5/28/09 Salon: "Kick Like a Girl," the fast and feel-good 30-minute HBO documentary,tells the story of a group of 8-year-old girls whose coach signs them up for a challenge they didn't see coming: a season spent playing against the boys. Women's Baseball Eyed For Games 5/28/09 AP: The International Baseball Federation has formed an 11-member panel to push its case for inclusion of women's baseball in the Olympics.
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