WMC News Brief: Ling & Lee, Sotomayor, Azfar
July 29, 2009
Detained Journalists Get No Media Play 7/29/09 Politico: With so much news this summer, there’s one story that had been largely squeezed out: the case of the two American journalists detained in North Korea. News of Laura Ling and Euna Lee’s fate slowed to a trickle seven weeks after they were sentenced on June 8 to hard labor for allegedly crossing into the country in pursuit of a story Sonia Sotomayor Wins Backing Of Senate Committee 7/28/09 LA Times: Judge Sonia Sotomayor, poised to become the first Latino member of the U.S. Supreme Court, won the support of the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a lopsided vote cast largely along party lines for President Barack Obama's first nominee for the nation's highest court. In War And Isolation, A Fighter For Afghan Women 7/28/09 NY Times: Everybody wants Pashtoon Azfar. Her government, American aid groups and her own colleagues, the midwives of Afghanistan, all want her to work for them, lead them, help them rebuild a health system from the rubble of war. Plagued By Female Troubles In Adland 7/29/09 Guardian, UK: How can women possibly fight for equality when they have bikini line stubble, bad digestion and gingivitis to deal with? Teenage Girl's Radio Rape Admission Sparks DOCS Inquiry 7/29/09 News.com.au, Australia: CHILD welfare authorities are investigating a girl's admission live on radio today that she was raped as a 12-year-old. Weighing In On The Surgeon General’s Weight 7/28/09 RH Reality Check: Critics charge that Dr. Regina Benjamin sends the wrong message to Americans because she’s not visually thin and thus visually healthy. I contend that that charge sends the wrong message to Americans – thin does not equal healthy any more that a deep tan makes a person "look healthy" or a full figure means a person is unhealthy. Sarah Grabs The Grievance Grab Bag From Hillary 7/29/09 NY Times: The woman who was prematurely counted in is out. And the woman who was prematurely counted out is in. Goodbye, Sarah. Hello, Hillary. NYC Mayoral Candidates Speak At Women's Forum 7/27/09 Epoch Times: Two mayoral candidates, Comptroller William Thompson and City Council Member Tony Avella, discussed their plans for improving the state of women at Pace University on Monday evening. The incumbent Michael Bloomberg was not part of the event. Trial Set For Anti-Abortion Activist In Kansas Doctor's Death 7/28/09 CNN: A Kansas judge on Tuesday ordered an anti-abortion activist to stand trial in the death of a Wichita doctor who was gunned down at his church. Mainstream Media Reinforces Unexamined Arguments Against Public Funding For Abortion 7/28/09 RH Reality Check: Will abortion be the magic bullet that kills off health care reform? Certainly it seems that mainstream media sources---the same ones that are pushing the idea that health care reform is dead, in a classic “tell a lie until it’s true” maneuver---believe that abortion is an effective cudgel to beat health care reform to death. Malalai Joya: The Woman Who Will Not Be Silenced 7/28/09 Independent, UK: Enraged by Taliban oppression Malalai Joya became a women’s rights activist, and after the US-led invasion, took on the new regime as an MP. But speaking out has come at a cost. She tells Johann Hari why death threats won’t stop her exposing ugly truths about Afghanistan. Japan: Activist Visit Won't Affect Ties With China 7/28/09 AP via Google: The visit to Japan of an exiled Uighur activist who China blames for this month's ethnic riots will not affect relations between Tokyo and Beijing because its approval was not politically motivated, the government said Tuesday. Myanmar Dissident Verdict On Friday 7/29/09 NY Times: Final arguments concluded Tuesday in Myanmar in the trial of the pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the court announced that it would deliver a verdict Friday, diplomats said. Nicaragua Abortion Ban 'Cruel And Inhuman Disgrace' 7/28/09 CNN: Nicaragua's total ban on abortion is a "cruel, inhuman disgrace" that's led to the rise in maternal deaths, human rights organization Amnesty International has said. Feminism And M-16s: Transforming Macho Policing In Rio 7/28/09 Guardian, UK: Female drugs unit members on the frontline of battles with gangs in slums. Young Japanese Women Vie For A Once-Scorned Job 7/28/09 NY Times: The women who pour drinks in Japan’s sleek gentlemen’s clubs were once shunned because their duties were considered immodest... But with that line of work, called hostessing, among the most lucrative jobs available to women and with the country neck-deep in a recession. EGYPT: Disputes Rise Over Quotas For Women MPs 7/27/09 IPS: Disputes have arisen over new legislation setting a quota for female representatives in parliament. Spokesmen for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of President Hosni Mubarak describe the quotas as a milestone for women's rights, but some critics say the move threatens to create more problems than it solves. Tanzania Launches Bank For Women 7/28/09 BBC: Tanzania has launched a bank aimed specifically at women in what officials say will be an empowering move. Britain's Low Rate Of Rape Convictions Blasted 7/28/09 Women's eNews: Analysis of the most recent statistics about rape convictions from British authorities indicate that, despite government initiatives, only 7 percent of rapists are convicted and in some areas these rates are going down. 'Don't Tell Women How To Give Birth' 7/29/09 BBC: How a woman gives birth provokes strong views, with impassioned arguments for normal births, and for Caesareans. But Cathy Warwick of the Royal College of Midwives says the most important thing is for women to be able to choose. Shrew Versus Shrewd 7/28/09 LA Times: There are more and better roles for women on one season of "Brothers and Sisters" and "Big Love" or "Damages" and "Desperate Housewives" than there will be in an entire year of Hollywood films. Roles that require depth and wisdom and boundless energy, that demand of their performers the dramatic flexibility and exploration of character. Roles that don't seem to punish them simply for being women. Showcase: Women Celebrating Womyn 7/28/09 NY Times: The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival was started in 1976 as a private space for women, most of whom are lesbians, to set themselves apart and away from scrutinizing eyes. “For many of us, it is a relaxing, organic environment where we feel most whole and most truly ourselves,” the festival’s Web site says. Sherry Herman's Comeback Still Going Strong At Women's Amateur 7/28/09 Star-Ledger, NJ: Sherry Herman of Hollywood, who announced her return to the New Jersey State Women's Amateur after a decade's absence by winning the qualifying medal for the 84th title chase on Monday, kept it going Tuesday through the first two rounds of match-play. Girls’ Sports Pack Economic Punch 7/28/09 NY Times: As the popularity of youth tournaments has intensified over the past decade, a peculiar trend has emerged: girls’ sporting events tend to attract more relatives and generate more revenue for tourism than similar events for boys. And that is drawing increased attention from economic development officials. Descenza Breaks Women's 200m Fly Record 7/29/09 AFP via Google: US swimmer Mary Descenza broke the women's 200m butterfly world record in the heats at the world swimming championships here on Wednesday.
Comments