“Comfort women” fund to end in 2007


Japan has just announced that The Asian Women’s Fund—set up in 1995 to help women who were forced into military brothels during World War II—has “achieved its purpose” and would close in early 2007.
The fund financially compensated 285 “comfort women” in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan—Japan would not compensate these women directly. Many women have refused money from the fund, saying that the indirect payment indicates that the Japanese government is not taking full responsibility for what happened.
Other disturbing facts:
An estimated 200,000 women from across Asia were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.
Tokyo has also not offered an official apology to former “comfort women”, and refused ...


Japan has just announced that The Asian Women’s Fund—set up in 1995 to help women who were forced into military brothels during World War II—has “achieved its purpose” and would close in early 2007.

Timing is everything?

Check out Ellen Goodman’s column, Can women have it all?, which takes on the problems women academics face with the work/life balance.
I’m especially fond of her jab at those who would suggest that women just need rethink their timing:
But “life sequencing” remains a conversation about women directed at women. When was the last time you heard a treatise urging men to marry and father earlier in life?
How true…

Check out Ellen Goodman’s column, Can women have it all?, which takes on the problems women academics face with the work/life balance.
I’m especially fond of her jab at those who would suggest ...

So apparently we can’t drive either


First it was math, now it’s driving. Jesus.
A German study is claiming that some women aren’t great map readers and parkers because they weren’t exposed to enough testosterone as a fetus. Huh.
But wait, it gets even stranger. A big part of this study had to do with the length of people’s ring and index fingers:
In women, the two fingers are usually almost equal in length, as measured from the crease nearest the palm to the fingertip. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index…
Women with the male pattern of finger length did better than those whose wedding finger was shorter…they also scored better on ...


First it was math, now it’s driving. Jesus.
A German study is claiming that some women aren’t great map readers and parkers because they weren’t exposed to enough testosterone as a fetus. ...

The Slippery Slope of Re-framing Reproductive Rights

You should check out Linda Feldman’s piece for the Christian Science Monitor, For Democrats, Abortion Revisited. Discussing Howard Dean’s comments on abortion during “Meet the Press” last month (in which he urged respect for anti-choice Democrats), Feldman explores how differing views on reproductive rights may impact DNC leadership decisions. She argues that the party is at a cross-roads, as many Democrats struggle to reframe the current reproductive rights platform to satisfy red-staters.

“Some Democrats, including those who oppose abortion rights, point to Clinton’s mantra that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare” as the winning formulation. In a press-club speech last week, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts spoke in those terms. He won ...

You should check out Linda Feldman’s piece for the Christian Science Monitor, For Democrats, Abortion Revisited. Discussing Howard Dean’s comments on abortion during “Meet the Press” last month (in which he urged ...

Sexual Harassment in the Royal Air Force

A new report found that nearly half of the women in Britain’s Royal Air Force have been sexually harassed while in active service. More than 1000 of the 2500 women interviewed reported having been sexually harassed during the last twelve months.
Responding to the relatively low rates of reporting, the Ministry of Defence noted simply that, “Whilst people experience unacceptable behavior, the majority tolerate it and do not complain especially because they feel it will not be taken seriously or will affect their career.” As I’m sure it would, given that most women reported being harassed by two or more male servicemen of a senior rank.
United Press International reported on one particularly disturbing ...

A new report found that nearly half of the women in Britain’s Royal Air Force have been sexually harassed while in active service. More than 1000 of the 2500 women interviewed reported having been ...

What We Do Now


If you are looking for an activist upper, let me recommend What We Do Now. This phenomenal book was written and published within a month of the election, and contains essays by twenty-four activists grappling with how the progressive community should respond to the resurgence of the red states.
Check it:
Percival Everett describes the problem like this: “I can deal with disappointment of my candidate having lost. I cannot deal with the lies. But we lost because of lies…The race for the White House in 2008 has already started. And the advantage goes to the liars. It goes to them because they have managed to divide the country into red and ...


If you are looking for an activist upper, let me recommend What We Do Now. This phenomenal book was written and published within a month of the election, and contains essays by twenty-four ...

Happy Birthday to Roe…


Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Hopefully you have some kickass events planned for the day, however, if Thursday’s festivities left you feeling like you have little left to celebrate, then take a moment to reflect on what you’re willing to do to for the reproductive rights movement.
Whether it’s a commitment to start escorting at your local abortion clinic, writing a quick email to Congress, taking a pro-choice picture, making a donation, or posting on BushvChoice–just get busy.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, encourages that: “We need to talk to neighbors around the kitchen table about the values of freedom and ...


Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Hopefully you have some kickass events planned for the day, however, if Thursday’s festivities left you feeling like you have little left to celebrate, then take a ...

Post-Roe Postcard

Make sure to check out Sharon Lerner’s piece in The Nation, Post-Roe Postcard. The piece highlights what we’ve discussed previously: how prevalent (and scary) Mississippi’s anti-choice laws are, but perhaps more importantly, how the state serves as a grim reminder of what all states will look like if Roe is overturned.
Here’s a snippet:
A small, mostly rural population and the absence of local prochoice organizations have helped turn Mississippi into the perfect laboratory for antiabortion strategists.
Meanwhile, prochoice activists see Mississippi as a glimpse of what might become the norm in a possible post-Roe future…Even while Roe stands, Mississippi is a cautionary tale for the rest of the country.

Make sure to check out Sharon Lerner’s piece in The Nation, Post-Roe Postcard. The piece highlights what we’ve discussed previously: how prevalent (and scary) Mississippi’s anti-choice laws are, but perhaps more importantly, ...

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