December 2005 Archives

I have to give some props to my boyfriend for getting me my favorite holiday gift this year: The Subtle Safety Defensive Ring.

This ring is so bad ass. It looks like a normal ring, but it actually folds out into a self defense device--kind of like mini brass knuckles. Awesome.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to kick some New Year's Eve ass.

This just makes me want to barf. Pottery Barn Kids has taken the initiative not only to perpetuate gender roles, but sell it for a shitload of money.

The company’s new “Retro Kitchen Sets” has done extremely well in sales this holiday season, even considering the pricing, which ranges between $250 and $650. (By the way, this kitchen is purely for play.)

The kitchen set is (of course) in their “girls’ rooms” section, which comes separately with a washer, dryer and vacuum; in short, they decided to gather every domestic household item they could think of and throw it into the girls' section of the site.

As for the boys, they have a number of different themed rooms to choose from, including the “airplanes bedroom,” the “trains playroom,” and the “thomas sports playroom.”

When asked about the kitchen set only being included in the “girls’ rooms” section, company spokesperson Lauren Nelson replied, “I think girls tend to be better at domestic play. Boys have tool sets and train sets.”

WOW. Is it just me, or do you hear the theme song from "Leave It To Beaver?"

While we’ve raised the issue of midwifery before and questioned how necessary hospitals really are when it comes to natural childbirth, a recent study has found that coaching during labor may be unnecessary, even possibly harmful.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published the study in their January issue, which was conducted in at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. It was there that they split 320 pregnant women into “coached” and “uncoached” groups. In the end, the only variation between the two groups was that the coached women endured thirteen minutes less of labor time than the uncoached.

So where does coaching become potentially harmful? Some months later, the women who were coached during childbirth had less bladder capacity and more overactive bladder muscles than the others. These symptoms may potentially contribute to incontinence.

While the researchers didn’t conclude that coaching is truly dangerous for women, they have said that letting them “labor down” -- otherwise giving them more control over the pace of the delivery -- may be used as a potential alternative.

The new A&E show Rollergirls is airing on Monday, and I’ll admit I’m very curious find out what the show will actually be about.

On one hand, the huge billboard ad I saw in the middle of Manhattan was pretty ridiculous; all of the rollergirls were lined up, looking like Miss “Punky Bruiser” above in their schoolgirl skirts and busty boobies. Just check out the website. On the other hand, these ladies look like some kick-ass bitches who I would normally be a number one fan of.

The thing is, can we really expect much from a show that comes from the same producers as Laguna Beach?

Side note: Make sure to check out the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, New York’s only all-female roller derby league. It’s interesting to see the pics on their site and the difference between what’s real and what’s marketed.

Check out this article from USA Today about women’s rivalry in the workplace: Are we conditioned to be catty or just as competitive as the next Joe? Here’s a snippet:

The feminist movement that took root in the 1960s embraced the concept of women as standing shoulder-to-shoulder in their effort to open new doors in male-dominated businesses.

But today, with the number of women in the labor force at record numbers, another question is being raised: In the workplace, are women sometimes their own worst enemies?

It's the topic of a book, "I Can't Believe She Did That! Why Women Betray Other Women at Work", which was released in October and has attracted articles in international publications. The book by journalist Nan Mooney, based on interviews with more than 100 women, concludes that women often shy away from direct conflict and instead engage in unhealthy competition — talking behind one another's backs, sabotaging success, feeling threatened by other women — that can be detrimental to all women in the workforce.

Calling all babymakers!

Due to the severe declining birth rates in Poland, the new government has recently introduced legislation that will compensate women -- in dough -- for each child that they bear. Lower-class women will receive even double the amount.

Women’s groups in Poland have said it will be unsuccessful and that the country should follow Sweden and France’s footsteps by providing better childcare facilities for working parents and increased paternity leave.

Thoughts?

That might as well be the title of Kate O'Beirne’s new anti-feminist book. Instead the former vice president of the Heritage Foundation (so you know it’s going to be good) decided to go with a slightly more verbose title: Women Who Make the World Worse and How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, and Sports.

Oh is that all? Damn, ladies; we need to step it up! So many institutions to destroy, so little time.

The Ashton Kutcher-produced show Beauty and the Geek is wrong on so many levels, but it’s this promotional poster that truly disturbed me.

Any thoughts? (And be careful what you say; my boobs are watching.)

I’m all for making fixing your car fun, but this is a bit nutty. I mean, does this company really think that slapping some pink on tools will make women want them more?

My new favorite tech and product blog Popgadget hits the nail on the head:

They look more like ‘Barbie does tools’ than anything that you would want to seriously whip out in case of a car emergency. If you got caught using one of these things in public, wouldn't you be somewhat embarrassed?

But hey, if you really like pink go for it I guess. Just don't be surprised when someone laughs at the cutesy bag for the jumper cables.

A new survey by Podtrac says that 78 percent of people who have ever listened to a podcast are men. But women aren’t far behind--the 12 percent of women who had listened to podcasts were more likely to have listened to them recently.

Podtrac CEO Mark McCrery says “the fact that so many women who have listened to podcasts have done so recently signals the beginning of a trend toward a more balanced gender composition of the podcast audience. It's also reflective of the ever-increasing variety of podcast content with broadening appeal.”

Another recent study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project says that women are using the internet more than men, particularly young women.

The report, "How Women and Men Use the Internet," examined use by both sexes, looking at what men and women are doing online as well as their rate of adopting new Web-based technologies.

“I think the real interesting story is the young women, because that is the one age cohort where there are many more women online,” said Deborah Fallows, who wrote the report based on findings from surveys conducted over the past five years. “The younger women are just much more comfortable with the Internet.”

The study reports that 86 percent of women 18-29 years-old use the internet, compared to 80 percent of men the same age.

I have to admit, I don’t listen to podcasts more than a couple of times a month. Anyone know any good podcasts dealing with women’s and gender issues? (Besides the much-missed Sex Talk, of course. Sigh.)

No one likes a bad marriage (I hope), but it’s women who bearing the physical brunt of relationships gone wrong.

Researchers say that say long-term anger and hostility between partners is much more dangerous for women than men and can impair our immune system and put us at risk for depression, high blood pressure and even heart disease.

Ouch. The good news? Women in happy marriages are healthier.

Women in Jordan are increasing their efforts to get a 20 percent quota of seats in local councils reserved for women.

Mai Abu Samen, head of the Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW), said that “a quota for women will help increase their political participation and bring desired reforms,” and could potentially double women’s current political representation.

For more info on women’s political participation and the effectiveness of quotas, check out the Gender and Governance program at the Women’s Environment and Development Organization.

Not.

More than 25 percent of young women in the U.S. douche regularly. Why ladies, why?!

Douching is believed to raise the risk of bacterial infections and cause pregnancy complications. Plus it’s just gross.

Thankfully, new research shows that it’s relatively easy to educate young women on the dangers of douching and convince them to give it up.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that three quick counseling sessions with young women at their clinic were enough to persuade nearly half to give up douching.

...One year into the study, 49 percent of the young women who received information on douching said they had not douched in the past 3 months.

Now if we could just do something about that creepy “vaginal cleansing film” we’d be all set.

Please tell me this is a joke.

One of the greatest female sartorial dilemmas - 'does my bum look big in this?' - is to be answered by a team of researchers.

Experts are launching what is thought to be the world's first scientific study into how clothing can affect the appearance of the female rear.

The team from Heriot Watt University's School of Textiles and Design in Scotland believes the study could have major implications for retailers.

Female volunteers wearing hundreds of different types of clothing will have their rears photographed for the study.

I mean, I get that they’re design folks but don’t they have anything better to study? Ew.

Weird thing: While doing a Google search for the infamous Sir Mix-A-Lot song, I found this gem of a Christian spoof: Baby got Book. (Oh my goodness, Becky, look at her Bible...It is so big. She looks like one of those preacher guys girlfriends...)

A new reports shows that black women living in poor neighborhoods are less likely to get pap smears than women in more affluent neighborhoods.

"Even among women who were professionals or who were educated, they, too, had decreased screening if they lived in neighborhoods with high poverty," said study author Geetanjali Dabral Datta, a postgraduate fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The report appears in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer.

In their study, Datta and her colleagues focused on the connection between socioeconomic factors and how they affected cervical cancer screening, most notably the Pap smear. They collected data on more than 40,000 black women from across the United States. These women all participated in the Black Women's Health Study of Boston University and Howard University.

What makes this report even more troubling is that black women have twice the mortality rate from cervical cancer as white women. This gap in cancer screening rates could be a contributing factor to this.

The reasons why certain women aren’t getting screened for cervical cancer remains unclear, Datta says. She speculates that it could be lack of access to transportation or child care. Datta also believes that the same trend might be seen in other kinds of preventative health measures like mammography and cardiovascular testing.

“There needs to be a focus on high poverty neighborhoods," she says. "We need to think of people's socioeconomic context when it comes to health behaviors.”

A new poll published in the Okaz daily claims that 60 percent of Saudis think women should be allowed to drive.

These results come two days after Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz told reporters that he believed it was fine for women to drive. (So long as their fathers, husbands and brothers approved, of course. Ugh.)

Ms. magazine announced their top ten news stories for women this year. Check them out here.

Agree or disagree? Any additions?

From the Abstinence Clearinghouse:

Want a unique giveaway item for your next class or abstinence presentation? These suckers, in cherry flavor, are a fun way to get the message to teens: Don't Be a Sucker! Save Sex For Marriage.

I realize this is slightly old news (that will teach us for taking days off!), but it’s too important not to post on.

Mattel—maker of American Girl products—has decided not to renew their partnership with Girls, Inc. when it ends this year. Girls, Inc. and American Girl caused quite the controversy with their collaborative “I Can” campaign. Because these people are ignorant assholes.

Pam at Pandagon has more.

New research from the Harvard School of Public Health shows that women who take oral contraceptives may be lowering their short-term risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

The study, published in Archives of Neurology, reports that the incidence of MS was 40 percent lower in those taking oral contraceptives compared to those who weren’t.

Researchers compared 106 women who had a new diagnosis of MS between January 1993 and December 2000 with 1,001 other women without MS. Information was taken from the British General Practice Research Database.

Women were also found to have a lower risk of MS during pregnancy, but a higher risk in the six months after having a baby - compared to those who were not pregnant.

Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, affects women twice as much as it affects men.

247Gay reports that Portia De Rossi has been voted one of the ten sexiest women on television.

The poll, which asks avid television viewers their opinions on several aspects of the medium, clocks De Rossi at number nine, a rare bright spot of news for the show given FOX’s recent announcement it was pulling [Arrested] Development from its line-up.

De Rossi, whose headline grabbing romance with Ellen DeGeneres peaked earlier this year with a cover story in The Advocate, made the list with a prestigious line-up of women, including Alias star Jennifer Garner and Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria, who topped the list.

Good for her. But then here comes the worst frat-boy quote ever to kill it:

Writer Mark Runyon further touted De Rossi’s sex appeal by saying, “Did I mention her affiliation with the lesbian party? Every guy knows that just multiplies a woman's sexiness, imagination running amok with possibilities.”

I’m sure all the lesbians out there will just squeal with delight when they hear that guys think they’re hot. (As long as they look like De Rossi, of course.) Ick.

Cause god forbid women have one goddamn place left to exercise their legal right to choose.

Anti-choice activists are attempting to completely eradicate any semblance of reproductive rights in their Mississippi--they are trying to shut down the state’s last women’s health clinic that provides abortions.

The Jackson Women's Health Organization, which treats more than 3,000 women a year statewide, said a setback would not mean defeat and may only put the issue back in front of a judge. The clinic, which is still operating, risks having to scale back the kinds of abortion it can perform.

"We have no intention of leaving and we intend to continue to provide the services that we're providing," said Susan Hill, president of the North Carolina-based National Women's Health Organization. "It won't be easy, but we're staying."

The clinic is waiting to heart if the Department of Health has granted them new certification; in the meantime anti-choice groups have been doing their best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

More from the Associated Press.

Feministing is off celebrating the season. We will resume posting on Tuesday, December 27th.

We all hope you have happy holidays and a peaceful new year.

Is to have these people shot.

Well, not really, but these definitely may be the most offensive and infuriating shirts I've ever seen. Just check out the new products on their homepage, and be prepared to gag.

What really pisses me off is that they seem to think that labeling the shirts as "offensive" somehow makes it okay for them to sell.

Thanks to Jen for pointing out this garbage.

A feminist sorority--you can’t make this shit up.

Salon has a piece today on Zeta Omega Eta, a feminist sorority at Connecticut’s Trinity College. I don’t know much about sororities--I think I was one of a handful of freshman girls who didn’t rush. But any kind of feminist group is cool with me.

But no matter how nontraditional this sorority is, there’s one thing about Zeta Omega Eta that seems all too familiar. Check out the pic that accompanies the article and you'll see what I mean.

since the tsunami. And according to this Sharia judge the tsunami hit because of women.

MARLUDDIN JALIL, a Sharia judge who has ordered the punishment of women for not wearing headscarves, was uncompromising: “The tsunami was because of the sins of the people of Aceh.”

Thundering into a microphone at a gathering of wives, he made clear where he felt the fault lay: “The Holy Koran says that if women are good, then a country is good.”

A year after the disaster which many see as a divine punishment, emboldened Islamic hardliners are doing their best to eradicate sin — and women are their prime targets.

If we can get away from the hoo haa Muslims are eeeevil language of the article, this does give us something to think about. To update on last weeks post about how women are more affected by natural disasters, what have the local effects of the tsunami been on women?

Clearly in this part of Indonesia, not so good. Read the article.
via Times UK...

This is awful. At least they got the settlement.

Nine women with mental disabilities who were sterilized at a psychiatric hospital in British Columbia will share a $450,000 settlement reached with the provincial government.

The women were sterilized while they were patients at the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in nearby Coquitlam between 1940 and 1968.

The case has been pending since 2001.

The lawsuit in B.C. alleged the sterilizations were done for the convenience of the hospital without any scientific evidence supporting the belief that children of the patients would inherit serious mental disabilities. It also alleged the sterilizations were a violation of each patient's sexual privacy and was considered an assault.

The public guardian operates under provincial laws to protect the legal rights and financial and personal interests of individuals who cannot protect themselves.

Um yeah, you think?

The lawsuit by former player Jennifer Harris filed in federal district court in Harrisburg accused Portland of discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation. The university and athletic director Tim Curley were also named as defendants.

Harris, who is black, said in the filing that Portland repeatedly asked her to change her appearance to look more "feminine."

"In pursuing her discriminatory policy -- known as 'no drinking, no drugs, no lesbians' -- Ms. Portland has particularly targeted players who are African-American," Harris' attorneys wrote in the lawsuit, according to a copy of the filing provided by one of her lawyers, Karen Doering, of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Harris' attorneys have said that while the player is not gay, she was perceived to be gay by her former coach.

The University and the coach have declined comment at this point.

via Sports Illustrated (yeah I know...)

The American Center for Law and Justice, founded by evangelist Pat Robertson, has filed a lawsuit to stop Illinois from requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception.

Grrr.

The rule, imposed by Governor Rod Blagojevich earlier this year, requires that pharmacies “must accept and fill prescriptions for contraceptives without delay.” Blagojevich also created a toll free number where women can report non-compliant pharmacies.

But the right-wing Christian organization is arguing that this violates pharmacists’ rights. (Women? Who are they?)

From the org’s website: Doctors, nurses and pharmacists should not be compelled to violate their conscience and participate in an abortion procedure.

Wow. I had no idea that women were looking for over-the-counter abortions! Please. (And don’t forget, a good number of these “conscience clause” pharmacists actually refused to fill prescriptions for birth control, not just emergency contraception.)

Women still live an average of four years longer than men, but it seems the boys are catching up. Or is that women are becoming more unhealthy?

Medical experts say women are working harder, smoking more and undergoing more stress, which leads to the No. 1 killer -- heart disease.

"We are getting equality in ways we may not want," said Dr. Sharon Brangman, a board member of the American Geriatrics Society.

...over the last 10 years, the average annual rate of improvement for men has been 2 percent; for women, it's slightly less than 1 percent, the index shows.

For the 22 years covered by the index, the expected average lifetime for men has gone up by 3.7 years; women's climbed only 1.7 years.

Why not a dildo cozy?

Via Nerve.

Don’t blame me; it isn’t my headline: Women seize power from lazy men

Women in a Croatian village have seized power from their lazy menfolk in local elections.

After their success, the women of Lozisca on the island of Brac vowed "to let the men back into our beds, but never back into politics".

They won all seven seats on the local council after deciding they were sick of seeing the village men doing nothing for the community.

Merica Bogdan, one of the seven women who was elected to serve on the local council, told local media: "The time has come for women to rule.

"We were not satisfied with the work the men did for the community and we launched a campaign to take political power and do something good for Lozisca.

Good for them; but damn are they harsh! And how do the men feel about the political coup?

Tonko Valerijev, whose wife Helena is the newly-elected head of the local council, said: "They are a lot more persistent in their work than their predecessors. Frankly, they're doing a great job."

Scariest headline ever on Alito from Bloomberg News: Alito Would Likely Be Religion's Best Friend on U.S. High Court

Great. Say bye bye to the separation of Church and State.

You gotta love Katha Pollitt.

In response to yesterday’s Broadsheet story about Saks Fifth Avenue’s less-than-classy shopping event, Pollitt sent the following letter to the store manager:

I am writing to express my shock and outrage at Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Shop with a Bunny” Day on December 7. To have these half-naked breast implantees taking men around to shop for their wives and other women is an insult to the women whose patronage has made your store prosperous and successful-- to say nothing of the women who work there and had to smile their way through this sexist spectacle, and the women who will be the recipients of Christmas gifts purchased not with love but with a frat-boy leer. I guess the joke will be on them. (Perhaps you are not aware that women are making fun of “Shop with a Bunny” Day on the Internet. Check out the item at www.salon. com.)

My mother and grandmother thought shopping at Saks was the height of elegance and style. I used to think that too. From now on I will take my shopping dollars to stores that respect the women who keep them in business.

You have lost me as a customer forever.

If you’d also like to write a letter, get the store manager’s contact info here.

The website that featured yesterday’s classy abstinence product of the day is clearly the funniest/most disturbing thing ever.

Geared towards teenage girls, Proknowledge.org touts itself as “helping woman of all ages get straight facts on relationships, sex, birth control, teen pregnancy, abortion STDs and more.” In reality the site is just a sneaky anti-choice, anti-sex group trying to appeal to what they think teen girls would like.

Pandagon and Feministe pointed out the scary though hysterical advice the site gives on relationships and sex. Outside of building your perfect guy (cause gays are just a myth), the most horrible feature on this pink-toned monstrosity of a website is the marriage section.

It was the True or False Marriage Quiz that really got to me. Here are just a few of the false and potentially dangerous messages the site is sending young women:

This is just creepy. Broadsheet reports that the upscale department store Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City launched a shopping event designed to get more men to spend big bucks--Shop with a Bunny. Sigh.

The store actually hired Playboy playmates to shop with the male customers. From Rebecca at Broadsheet:

According to Sun reporter David Lombino, it worked; a bunch of sharp-looking guys in pinstripes showed up to be led around the store by playmates. "We've got bankers and we've got construction workers here tonight," playmate Jennifer Wolcott from St. Louis told the Sun. And playmate/veterinarian Colleen Marie described a recent five-month bus tour of the nation as a whirlwind of "shopping and pajama pillow fights."

No kidding! Pillow fights! I wonder if they also gave each other massages and brushed each other's hair and licked a lot of lollipops and then made out?

Indeed. When did Saks turn into frigging Hooters?

I love the idea that someone would put this poster up in their teen daughter's room. Forget about being pregnant--I wouldn't want to tell my dad anything with bug eyes like that. It looks like lasers are about shoot out of those motherfuckers. And is that a halo around his head? Shiver.

Amazingly, the President still hasn’t answered this question.

38 members of Congress, led by Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), sent President Bush a letter asking him whether he is for or against birth control.

This is the fourth letter sent to Bush on the subject since White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan refused to answer this question earlier in the year.

“I thought that in the 21st century, answering a straightforward question about birth control would be easy, but apparently it isn't for the Leader of the Free World," said Maloney. "I was hoping that the president would be able to answer whether or not he supports birth control in less than 165 days. Since we received no response, we have to ask again.”

I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Federal researchers say that more American women are having children they didn't want--women surveyed in 2002 said that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted. In 1995, only 9 percent were unwanted.

The reason behind these numbers is unclear. Of course anti-choice groups are claiming the survey as a victory, saying that the research indicates a “pro-life shift” in the nation. (Leave it to anti-choicers to think unwanted kids are a good thing.)

Others--like myself--believe that the research reflects the rollback of reproductive rights and decreased access to contraception and abortion. For example, the Guttmacher Institute says that the number of abortion providers in the U.S. has fell steadily in the last ten years, from 2,400 in 1992 to 1,800 in 2000. Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher’s associate director for domestic research, noted in the LA Times that the increase of government restrictions have made it more and more difficult to provide abortions.

Oh and get this:

The proportion of unwanted births at time of conceptions was highest among girls under 18 -- 25.4 percent. It was lowest among women 30 to 44 -- 10.4 percent.

I’m sure that has nothing to do with abstinence education, limited access to contraception and the almost impossible hurdles teens have to jump to get abortions. Nah, they must have just run into the Fetus Tree or something and went through a “pro-life shift.” Sigh.

Germany is clearly expecting a hell of a lot of sex work going on during the 2006 World Cup.

Prostitution is legal only in designated areas in Germany, hence the oh-so-helpful "no prostitutes here" signs. The signs are supposed to stop fans from bothering women who aren't sex workers and stop sex workers from moving out of the legal areas.

Working girl or not, I think we can all agree with the sign's sentiment that thigh-high boots are not acceptable under any circumstances.

<img src="http://feministing.com/imageStorage/imageStorage/imageStorage/imageStorage/herpeskills" > <br />

<a href="http://proknowledge.org/" TARGET=NEW>Herpes kills!</a> (Kiss, kiss.)

New research says that many seven to 11 year-old girls maim and destroy their Barbie dolls. Duh.

Many girls thought it "cool" to mutilate Barbie because she was just a "plastic" doll, according to the Bath University study of 100 youngsters.

Dr Agnus Nairn said: "It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage."

I certainly have memories of cutting of my Barbie dolls’ hair into buzz cuts and twisting their heads and bodies into unnatural positions. I believe I even gave one a black eye with some nail polish. I never fucked with any of my other toys or dolls--just Barbie. Curious.

Any other Barbie-maimers out there?

Cause nothing says holidays like a tree decorated with plastic fetuses.

A women-only gym in Kansas, Body Boutique, is causing quite the uproar after putting up a fetus tree in the gym lobby. Yeah, you heard right. The tree was put up along with informational pamphlets from a local anti-choice organization, Birthright of Lawrence.

The tree contained a dozen blue and pink stockings, each stuffed with a plastic figure and attached card that labeled the dolls as being “between 11 and 12 weeks old.”

The tree also held coupons for Birthright videos, pamphlets and children’s clothes. Other coupons included savings on a video titled “After the Choice,” another video showing abortion procedures, a brochure on the morning-after pill and a card that offered quart-size, press-and-seal plastic bags.

Birthright of Lawrence intended that people take a figure home in exchange for a $5 donation.

Gym co-owner Lorinda Hartzler said she is unsure if she will keep the tree up; several women have already canceled their memberships in opposition.

Seriously--working out isn’t enough of a pain in the ass without having to stare at creepy tree-fetuses? Ugh.

...when it starts like this:

We’re comfortable enough in the workforce that women are choosing to stay home with their children. Wildly popular seminars are held to teach people how to make us orgasm. Given these developments, it’s not unreasonable to wonder about the purpose of a unified feminism in today’s society.

Yeah, ladies! Now that a small group of elite women can stay at home with their kids and pay for sex seminars, the fight is over. Whew, I'm glad that someone told me. Thanks, Harvard!

Hundreds of poor rural women in Bangladesh descended on the capital Dhaka on December 7 to say 'no' to the WTO negotiations currently being held in Hong Kong.

Supported by Christian Aid partner, UBINIG, women from the countryside carrying earthen pots and bamboo winnowers were joined in Dhaka by garment workers, professionals, artists, singers and housewives.

The protestors called on governments to be more accountable to people when signing WTO agreements perceived by many in Bangladesh as being ‘anti-people’, but especially ‘anti-women’.

‘We are against unfair and unjust WTO Agreements. We do not understand whose agreements these are which have such negative impacts on our lives and on the lives of our future generation.’

Hells yeah! Issues include land rights, seed patents, corporate take over of rice crops/fields, pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are running off into water supplies, garment worker rights and conditions and water privitization.

Basically nothing about agreements with the WTO are good for the local people, especially women who bear the brunt of a gendered division of labor since they are the ones working on the fields and in the factories. These women rock.

via Reuters.

This is terrible.

Eight women sued the state Health Department on Friday, alleging officials received complaints about a gynecologist for years but did not suspend his license until after he had abused scores of other patients.

A jury convicted Charles Momah last month of two counts of rape and two counts of indecent liberties. He faces up to 23 years in prison when sentenced next month.

The lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court seeks class-action status, saying at least 60 and perhaps as many as 500 women were abused by Momah and his twin, who has been accused of posing as the doctor. No criminal charg