Who is Ayn Rand? 04 Jun 2010 Charles Murray A review of Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right, by Jennifer Burns and Ayn Rand and the World She Made, by Anne C. Heller
And heads up! I have been adding new material -- e.g. editorials, updates to the Ayn Rand section -- to the front page of ifeminists on a daily basis for the last several days. These additions do not show up in the center newsfeed, the contents of which constitute this e-newsletter but, instead, are displayed in the left or right-hand columns. If you do not visit the site occasionally, then you will miss much of its value. So please do click on the ifeminists.net front page from time to time.
And, now, onto the main event.... Best, Wendy
NEWS REPORT
Canada, Stronger child porn ISP law coming http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14766 The federal government plans to introduce new legislation Tuesday forcing Internet providers to alert police if they encounter any host sites linked to child pornography, The Vancouver Sun has learned. The Internet companies would also be forced to safeguard evidence if they believe a child-pornography offence has been committed using a server they provide, a senior government official confirmed Sunday. The new bill also makes it mandatory that any tip received by Internet companies about potential child-porn sites be reported to a designated agency. The legislation allows for fines to Internet providers who do not comply of up to $100,000 for corporations, and up to $10,000 and six months in jail for companies owned by a sole proprietor. (11/22/09)
AP probe finds innocents framed by PC porn virus http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14765 A months-long investigation by the Associated Press (AP) found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus. Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses - the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it's your reputation that's stolen, said AP technology writer Jordan Robertson. “This is what my son, Paul Monk, was saying from the very beginning,” said Patsy Hug of Mt. Mesa. “But we didn’t have the financial resources to fight it. His lawyer estimated that if we took the case to court, it could cost at least $100,000.” (11/17/09)
The puzzle of boys http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14764 Some critics, in particular the American Association of University Women, contend that much of what passes for research about boyhood only reinforces stereotypes and arrives at simplistic conclusions: Boys are competitive! Boys like action! Boys hate books! They argue that this line of thinking miscasts boys as victims and ignores the very real problems faced by girls. But while this debate is far from settled, the field has expanded to include how marketers target boys, the nature of boys' friendships, and a host of deeper, more philosophical issues, all of which can be boiled down, more or less, to a single question: Just what are boys, anyway? (11/22/09)
Ames library votes to keep copies of Sex http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14760 Free copies of a sex-education magazine for teens will still be available at the Ames Public Library despite a petition to have them removed. The library board voted 6-1 Thursday to continue offering Sex, Etc., which is published three times a year by Rutgers University. The magazine is displayed among pamphlets and other free materials about topics such as finances, suicide, death and anorexia. Joyce and John Bannantine had submitted a petition with 118 signatures asking the library to stop offering the free copies and to keep the library copy among other periodicals so teens would have to actively seek out the information. (11/21/09)
Kennedy barred from communion for abortion stance http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14757 Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday. The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family. "The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the paper in an interview conducted Friday. Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him "that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I've taken as a public official," particularly on abortion. (11/22/09)
Burka Barbie under the hammer http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14754 One of the world's most famous children's toys, Barbie, has been given a makeover - wearing a burka. Wearing the traditional Islamic dress, the iconic doll is going undercover for a charity auction in conjunction with Sotheby's for Save The Children. (11/22/09)
Fitness fallout at Lincoln U. http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14753 A southern Chester County university's requirement that overweight undergraduates take a fitness course to receive their degrees has raised the hackles of students and the eyebrows of health and legal experts. Officials at historically black Lincoln University said Friday that the school is simply concerned about high rates of obesity and diabetes, especially in the black community. Some experts said recent amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act might lead to exemptions for morbidly obese students, who could argue that participating in the class would be dangerous. (11/22/09)
Dr may lose license for calling patient fat http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14752 Dr. Earl Sunderhaus, an Asheville eye doctor, has what might charitably be described as a brusque bedside manner. That much is not in dispute. But the N.C. Medical Board may decide Sunderhaus overstepped the bounds of decency when he recently told a patient she was irresponsible for being unemployed, on Medicaid, and relying on taxpayers to cover another pregnancy after giving birth less than a year earlier. What really galled her, the patient complained, is that Sunderhaus poked her thigh and told her she is fat. (11/21/09)
Health care debate headed to Senate floor http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14750 Health care reform backers won a key victory Saturday night as the Senate voted to move ahead with a floor debate on a sweeping $848 billion bill. The 60-39 vote to prevent a Republican filibuster against the start of debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's legislation broke down along strict party lines. All 58 Senate Democrats -- along with independent Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont -- supported bringing the measure to the floor. (11/21/09)
UK, Dream killer freed by judge http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14749 Brian Thomas, 59, admitted killing Christine, 57, in their camper van, but blamed his rare sleep disorder. Jurors were told they could reach only not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity verdicts on a murder charge. The judge told the jury to declare Mr Thomas, of Neath, not guilty over the death in Aberporth, Ceredigion in 2008. The High Court judge, Mr Justice Davis, sitting in Swansea, described Mr Thomas as a "decent man and devoted husband". (11/20/09)
NJ district proposes charging for kids detention http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14748 It's the first of its kind in a New Jersey school district – a plan that would cost parents money for their children's punishment. It's a proposal that has some parents in the Nutley School District up-in-arms, a plan that would make them pay the price for their kids' detention. Two board members are sponsoring the plan that would target students who are habitually sent to detention. Steven Rogers, who is also a police lieutenant, said the proposal would save the district $10,000 a year and force parents to be responsible for their kids. (11/20/09)
White House at odds with bishops over abortion http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14745 A top Obama administration official is praising the new Senate health bill's attempt to find a compromise on abortion coverage — even as an official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says Sen. Harry Reid's bill is the worst he's seen so far on the divisive issue. The bishops were instrumental in getting tough anti-abortion language adopted by the House, forcing Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to accept restrictions that outraged liberals as the price for passing the Democratic health care bill. Reid, D-Nev., now faces a similar choice: Ultimately, he will need the votes of a handful of Democratic senators who oppose abortion to get his bill through. Republicans hoping to block the health bill in the Senate are relishing the Democrats' predicament. (11/20/09)
Double X to be folded back into Slate http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14743 Six months after the Slate Group launched Double X as "a new kind of women's online magazine," it's being transformed into a section of Slate.com, a very old kind of men's online magazine. It's unclear what, if anything, that means, but it's strange that the Slate Group—the unit of the Washington Post Co. that publishes Slate, the Root, Slate V, and The Big Money—would reverse itself so soon after launching Double X to much fanfare just a few months ago. [Ed. This ezine recently ran a hacket job on the mens movement and caused a backlash of justified criticism.] (11/20/09)
NY Court gives gay spouses benefits http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14740 New York’s top court ruled yesterday that gay couples legally married elsewhere are entitled to some government benefits, boosting stalled legislative efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. The Court of Appeals rejected a Christian legal group’s argument that same-sex marriage was akin to incest and polygamy, although the court avoided declaring that gay couples are entitled to all the rights of other married couples. The 4-to-3 decision was on the narrow question of benefits; the court did not address whether the state must recognize same-sex marriage but encouraged the Legislature to settle the issue. (11/20/09)
Israel, Woman arrested for shawl http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14739 Police on Wednesday arrested a woman who was praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, due to the fact that she was wrapped in a prayer shawl (tallit). The woman was visiting the site with the religious women's group "Women of the Wall" to take part in the monthly Rosh Hodesh prayer. [Ed.: it is not only Muslim countries that impose dress codes by law upon women] (11/18/09)
Sex offender fine with Missouri CPS http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14738 According to court documents the man was convicted of sexual misconduct with a girl who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, which was in 2006. He was given a six month suspended sentence, placed on one year probation, and required to register as a sex offender. At the time of his conviction he worked as a case worker for the Child Support Enforcement Agency in Joplin, an agency of the State of Missouri's Social Services Department, and continued there until this past October when our investigation began. We called the department and a supervisor told us she knew of the man's prior conviction. But she believed there was nothing wrong with his employment since he did not work directly with children. [Ed.: state agencies and agents do not apply the same laws to themselves as they do to ordinary people. As far as they are concerned, they *are* the law.] (11/18/09)
Pelosi, Abortion will not sink health bill http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14736 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday predicted that she can corral enough moderate Democrats to guarantee passage of health care overhaul legislation — even if it doesn't contain a controversial House proposal that would expand abortion limits. In an interview with NPR airing Friday on Morning Edition, Pelosi said that the key will be separating House members who are looking for any way to kill the bill from those who, "in good faith," want to pass legislation that embraces the longtime practice of prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion. [Ed.: it is all power politics and victory at any price. Why not? It is taxpayers who will pick up the tab of the bribes and compromises being struck.Not the politicians themselves.] (11/20/09)
No more letters from North Pole? Ho ho oh no! http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14735 The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks. Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to tighten rules in such programs nationwide. [Ed: this massive over-reaction is part of the hysteria surrounding the issue of sex offenders.] (11/20/09)
Texas marriages in legal limbo since 2005? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14733 Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state. The amendment, approved by the Texas Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by Texas voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But the trouble-making phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares: "This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage." Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. (11/17/09)
Libertarian calendar girls launch fundraising effort http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14732 LOLA, the Ladies of Liberty Alliance, have launched a fundraising effort to get their organization off the ground and into full pursuit of their primary goal, as stated on their website: "Conspiring to attract libertarian women into the movement one activist at a time." They're doing it with a 16-month "Activism" calendar featuring, as LOLA's Executive Director Allison Gibbs put it, "the movements most intelligent as well as beautiful women." LOLA granted the Libertarian News Examiner an exclusive pre-release peak at The Ladies of Liberty Alliance 2009-2010 calendar. (11/17/09)
A year shattered by sex abuse allegations http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14731 Greg Geist of Carroll says the Iowa Department of Human Services wrongly placed him on the state's child abuse registry. And an administrative law judge with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals agrees. In a ruling this summer, the judge reversed and "found to be incorrect" a social worker's finding that Geist sexually abused a 15-year-old boy. His name was removed from the abuse registry. But not before he spent 393 days on it. Not before he lost his job in human services. Not before he lost his license to be a foster parent. Not before he cashed out his retirement savings and declared bankruptcy. Though the 31-year-old Iowan had spent his adult life working with kids - in shelters and residential treatment facilities and as a school liaison officer - being on the registry prevented him from getting another job working in these fields. (11/15/09)
Ark., Police tase unruly 10 year old girl http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14725 According to a police report, the officer was called to the home by the mother and witnessed the child kicking and screaming. The officer's statement said the girl's mother, Kelly Hamlert, told him to use a Taser on her if he needed to. The officer did shock the girl after he said she kicked him in the groin. "He had no other choice. He had to get the child under control," said Ozark police Chief Jim Noggle. (11/17/09)
Read the Senate abortion compromise http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14727 The health care reform package unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Wednesday night bars the use of federal funds for abortion services, but does not go as far as the House bill -- which prevents women in many cases from buying insurance with their own money that covers abortion. The Senate version would require at least one plan within the health insurance exchange that the bill sets up to offer a plan that covers abortion and one that doesn't. It would also authorize the Health and Human Services Secretary to audit plans to make certain that abortion isn't being paid for with federal dollars. The relevant text is reprinted. (11/18/09)
Mexico, anti abortion fight goes federal http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14726 A majority of the country's 32 states have now enacted anti-abortion measures in response to Mexico City's legislature permitting abortions in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Mexican states currently set their own laws on abortion, but the constitutional proposal adopted by the Veracruz lawmakers late Tuesday is likely to make the issue a federal one. Under the constitution, a single state legislature can propose an amendment that must be considered by Congress, and even pro-choice activists said Wednesday that given the makeup of Congress - and what they called heavy lobbying by the Roman Catholic Church - Veracruz's proposal stands a good chance of approval. (11/18/09)
CA Schools let students seek secret abortions? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14729 A 12-year-old girl is prohibited from bringing aspirin to California public schools without a note from her mother or father – but in many California districts she may sign herself out of classes, leave her junior-high campus without parental permission, secretly have an abortion and return to school before the end of the day – and her own family may be none the wiser. Parents and educators across the state have been in heated debate over school policies allowing children to be excused during class time without parental notification for "confidential medical services" such as abortions, birth control, and drug and mental health services. All parents should ask their own school administrators whether their children may be excused without consent, even families who live outside California. (11/19/09)
Women banned from wearing trousers in Paris http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14723 The rule banning women from dressing like men – namely by wearing trousers - was first introduced in 1800 by Paris' police chief and has survived repeated attempts to repeal it. The 1800 rule stipulated than any Parisienne wishing to dress like a man "must present herself to Paris' main police station to obtain authorisation". The latest attempt to remove the outmoded rule was in 2003, when a Right-wing MP from President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party wrote to the minister in charge of gender equality. The minister's response was: "Disuse is sometimes more efficient than (state) intervention in adapting the law to changing mores." (11/17/09)
KS, Cut to schools despite threat of suit http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14721 Gov. Mark Parkinson plans to announce next week how he'll make nearly $260 million in cuts and other budget adjustments. The changes are designed to prevent a deficit when the state's 2010 fiscal year ends June 30. Some of Kansas' 293 school districts already are contemplating suing the state because it has backed off previous commitments to increase aid to schools each year. And Parkinson's budget-balancing measures are likely to include further reductions in education funding. School aid consumes more than half the state's general tax revenues, and Parkinson can't impose a tax increase without approval from legislators, who don't reconvene until January. (11/17/09)
Date rape drink spiking an urban legend http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14717 A study of more than 200 students revealed many wrongly blamed the effects of a "bad night out" on date-rape drugs, when they had just drunk excessively. Many are in "active denial" that drinking large amounts of alcohol can leave them "incoherent and incapacitated", the Kent University researchers concluded. Young women's fears about date-rape drugs are so ingrained that students mistakenly think it is a more important factor in sexual assault than being drunk, taking drugs or walking alone at night. The study, published in the British Journal of Criminology, found three-quarters of students identified drink spiking as an important risk – more than alcohol or drugs. More than half said they knew someone whose drink had been spiked. But despite popular beliefs, police have found no evidence that rape victims are commonly drugged with such substances, the researchers said. (10/27/09)
DC board won't allow gay marriage ban on ballot http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14716 The D.C. City Council is expected to approve gay marriage next month, but opponents wanted voters to weigh in. The elections board said allowing residents to vote on a ban would conflict with the city's 1977 Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination. Errol R. Arthur, chairman of the two-member board, suggested as much at an October hearing. He said in a press release Tuesday that the "laws of the District of Columbia preclude us from allowing this initiative to move forward." Similar ballot measures derailed same-sex marriage in Maine, where lawmakers passed a statute allowing gay couples to wed but voters repealed it, and California, where voters repealed court-sanctioned gay marriage. (11/17/09)
NJ teen barred from abortion protest sues school http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14715 A New Jersey high school student claims in a federal lawsuit that school administrators violated her First Amendment free-speech and religious-freedom rights when they said she couldn't participate in a day of silent protest against abortion. The girl, identified in court papers as C.H., says she asked the Bridgeton High School principal last month for permission to join in the Pro Life Day of Silent Solidarity, a worldwide protest organized each year by Stand True, a ministry in Troy, Ohio. But the principal said no, telling her she couldn't do anything "religious," according to her lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Camden by a lawyer hired by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based legal group that takes on religious freedom cases on behalf of Christians. The organization sent an advisory before the day of protest that it would defend students who are barred from participating. (11/17/09)
Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14714 Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems. Her civilian attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Monday that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care. (11/16/09)
UK, third of divorce kids lose touch with dads http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14709 One in three children whose parents separated or divorced over the last 20 years disclosed that they had lost contact permanently with their father. Almost a tenth of children from broken families said the acrimonious process had left them feeling suicidal while others later sought solace in drink, drugs or crime. Opposition politicians said the poll presented an alarming picture of a system “in a mess” which was all too often leaving fathers “shut out”. The poll of 4,000 parents and children was carried out to provide a snapshot of the workings of the family court system exactly 20 years after the implementation of the landmark 1989 Children Act. (11/16/09)
Politics of Burka and Niqab heat up in Canada http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14713 The Muslim Canadian Congress is lobbying to ban the burka and niqab, but authorities say apparel is a matter of individual expression. Young women who have adopted the clothes say they like the modest attire. The organization's push for a ban has reignited a long-standing debate over the practice, which others argue is a religious right protected under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Last fall, an Ontario court judge created controversy when he decided a woman did not have the right to wear a veil when testifying in a sexual assault case. And in 2007, a Quebec elections official ruled that women should be required to remove their veils to vote. In response to the congress's statement, the Canadian government expressed support for the organization's work to encourage tolerance and women's rights, but indicated it would not pursue a ban. (11/16/09)
RI opens door to domestic partnerships http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14711 Republican Gov. Don Carcieri stridently opposes gay marriage and civil unions, which are not recognized in Rhode Island. But after meeting privately Thursday with members of a gay rights group, Carcieri emerged from his Statehouse office and told reporters he would consider backing a domestic partnership system, perhaps one similar to an expansion approved this month by voters in Washington state. It offers gay couples the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner, and rights related to adoption, child custody and child support. (11/16/09)
France, Woman marries dead fiance http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14708 A French woman earned the rare distinction over the weekend of becoming a wife and widow at the same moment, when she married her dead fiancé. Magali Jaskiewicz , 26, got hitched on Saturday to a portrait of Jonathan Goerge in the town of Dommary-Baroncourt. The pair had originally planned to tie the knot in January this year, but two days after they registered their intention at the town hall in December 2008, Jonathan was killed in a road accident. This apparently terminal impediment to the union didn't deter Jaskiewicz, who decided to take advantage of "the possibility of posthumous marriage under specific circumstances", viz: that French law is satisified the evidence shows "unequivocally the intention of both to marry". [Ed.: as a reader comments, what next? Will she register him to vote in Chicago?] (11/16/09)
UK, Wife beaters register to come? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14710 Men with a history of domestic violence could be put on a register so that any future partners can be warned about them. The controversial plan, which is being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers, would list around 25,000 suspected and convicted serial wife beaters. Police would approach women with the information if they are notified that a man on the register has moved home. Alternatively, women could be given the right to ask about the past of a man they are with. A small number of pilot areas are already trying out a similar system in relation to sex offenders. [Ed.: pretty soon everyone will be on a government registry for something or other.] (11/16/09)
7 more Prejean erotic tapes surface http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14706 Days after Carrie Prejean referred to her solo 'erotic' tape as the biggest mistake of her life, the existence of seven more similar tapes has been established. The fired Miss USA's reputation, or what was left of it, has dropped to zero level, much like the clothes that she shed to pose in the newly unearthed tapes and over 30 nude and erotic photographs, many of which Carrie snapped herself using her reflection in a mirror. RadarOnline.com, which has made the claim about the existence of the tapes, describes one of them as proof. "On one tape Carrie is wearing just a flowing white blouse as she touches her own body in an alluring manner. Carrie can be heard moaning on a few of the tapes." [Ed.: important only because she became a symbol of Christian sexual purity and a voice against the gay lifestyle.] (11/13/09)
NH, Sex offenders often cluster In urban buildings http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14705 Officials and sex offenders said it often isn't easy for them to find a place to live, and many eventually settle for the same rooming house or apartment building. Two sex offenders who live in the same Manchester rooming house spoke to News 9 but asked not to be identified. When News 9 spoke with them, almost 20 offenders lived in the building, where a simple dorm room and kitchen access costs $135 per week. "It is very difficult for a sex offender," one offender said. "Very, very difficult." Offenders said reintegrating into a place they're not wanted isn't easy. "People don't want to give you jobs, give you a chance for anything," said an offender. (11/15/09)
UK and Aussie apology for forced shipping of kids http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14704 As many as 150,000 poor British children were shipped off to the colonies over three and a half centuries, often taken from struggling families under programs intended to provide them with a new start—and the Empire with a supply of sturdy white workers. Forty years after the program stopped, Britain and Australia are saying sorry to the child migrants, who were promised a better life only to suffer abuse and neglect thousands of miles from home. (11/15/09)
Canada, No to barbarcs practices http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14702 Canada's revamped citizenship guide warns newcomers that "barbaric cultural practices" such as honour killings will not be tolerated, marking a stronger tone against importing beliefs that clash with Canadian values. "In Canada, men and women are equal under the law," the document says. "Canada's openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, ‘honour killings,' female genital mutilation or other gender-based violence. Those guilty of these crimes are severely punished under Canada's criminal laws." The guide, released on Thursday and called Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship, (read the full guide) is the first of its kind to explicitly denounce violence in the name of family honour. (11/12/09)
The abortion tangle explained http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14701 The Stupak amendment, named for Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), would ban individuals from using new government subsidies to buy insurance plans that cover abortion, and it would prohibit a government-operated plan — the public option — from carrying abortion coverage. Stupak and his allies, including every House Republican, a quarter of the chamber’s Democrats and the Vatican, say that it simply extends an existing prohibition on federal funding for abortion — an annually renewed policy called the Hyde amendment — to the health care exchange that would be established for the uninsured under the health care bill making its way through Congress. But lawmakers who support abortion rights contend that, if the Stupak amendment’s logic is extended to the $250 billion in tax breaks Americans get to buy coverage through employer-based plans, it could strip abortion coverage from tens of millions of women who already have it. (11/16/09)
COMMENTARY AND OPINION
Don't choose to ignore Chinas forced abortions http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14763 One of the few incontrovertible assertions one can reasonably make is that no one supports forced abortion. Yet, coerced abortions, as well as involuntary sterilizations, are commonplace in China, Beijing's protestations notwithstanding. While the Chinese Communist Party insists that abortions are voluntary under the nation's one-child policy, electronic documentation recently smuggled out of the country tells a different story. Congressional members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission heard some of that story recently before President Obama left for Asia, including China, to discuss economic issues. (11/23/09)
Are hate crimes a threat to liberty? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14761 Winning wars in the Information Age largely depends on winning the battle for public opinion. Thus the opinion-shaping role of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) when it attacked a high profile California professor for his criticism of Israeli policy in Palestine. That ADL intimidation campaign successfully chilled debate on campuses nationwide during several time-critical months while a new president, promising the hope of change, reassessed U.S.-Israeli relations. His only change—endorsing more Israeli settlements on Palestinian land—quashed any hope of peace. (11/20/09)
Womens reproductive health is not a social issue http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14758 Language matters, so let's be clear: Women's reproductive health is not a 'social issue.' Deciding whether to carry the red purse or the black bag to dinner Saturday night? That's a social issue. Wondering why your child wasn't invited to her classmate's birthday party? That, too, is a social issue. Attempting to limit women's access to legal and safe abortions? Not even remotely a social issue, so let's stop calling it that as we debate the Stupak-Pitts amendment, which is the latest effort in Congress to prohibit insurance coverage for abortion. (11/21/09)
How to get ahead in law http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14756 Last June, District Attorney David Capeless of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, announced that he was dropping all charges against 44-year-old Bernard Baran, a man who has spent half his life behind bars on child molestation charges that the state no longer has the confidence to retry. Baran was convicted in January 1985 of molesting six children at a pre-kindergarten day care facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In this case, prosecutor Daniel Ford, now a judge on the Massachusetts Superior Court, showed the grand jury that indicted Baran an edited video interview with the children. According to court documents, the video shows several kids alleging that Baran had sexually abused them. Edited out was footage in which some of the children denied any abuse by Baran, interviewees accused other members of the day care faculty of abuse or of witnessing abuse, and, most important, interrogators asked the same questions over and over—even after repeated denials—until a child gave them an affirmative answer. Some children were even given rewards for their answers. (11/20/09)
Whats stopping us from feeding the world? Government http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14755 The immediate cause of rising hunger has been rising food prices, caused in the short term by a combination of poor harvests, increasing demand from rapidly growing developing countries like China, and a shift in food production towards biofuels in the USA. But these sit in a wider context where the world market for food is tight and innovation has been held back. Because only a small proportion of the world’s food is traded, even small shortfalls can produce wild swings in prices, while the problem of growing more food has become a low priority both for research and international aid. In her contribution to spiked‘s online debate, What’s the Future of Food?, Caroline Boin, a project director at International Policy Network, puts the blame squarely at the feet of governments. ‘Barriers to trade are four times higher in developing countries than in high-income countries. (11/22/09)
Thriving on dissent or demanding consensus? http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14751 We are asked to accept global warming theory on the basis of computer models making projections based on data sets. Of course, as with all such models, “garbage in, garbage out,” so the data that is input is critical to appraise the claims being made by the modelers. Yet, the gurus of warming are absolutely paranoid that other researchers will be able to scrutinize their data and methodology. I will say that this is not “political” behavior, not at all. This is precisely how religious sects, protecting sacred dogma behave. Throughout history the religions of the world have strictly forbidden “heretics” from questioning the theology of the sect. Investigation, that didn’t conform to the “consensus” was punished, often with death. Religious thinking is directly contrary to scientific thinking. (11/22/09)
Wrong to ignore dangerous behavior due to PC http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14747 As more red flags are uncovered about the Fort Hood tragedy, some observers allege that political correctness played a significant role in enabling this to happen. Has public concern over political correctness grown from its well-intentioned origin of inclusion and acceptance into a dangerous unwillingness to acknowledge obvious patterns of toxic behavior? Psychiatrist, physician, speaker, and author Dr. Gaby Cora asserts that dangerous behavior in a work environment, including a military work environment, must not be ignored in the name of political correctness. It is certainly fine to allow people to voice their opinions and discuss their religious views in public. If, however, you have a disgruntled employee or soldier, attention must be paid to the distinction between speaking out loud and bad-mouthing the decisions of leaders and peers. Fearing accusations of intolerance, many are afraid to voice legitimate safety concerns, which can endanger others. (11/21/09)
Welfare, how help becomes a hindrance http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14742 Certainly, the welfare state, and the dependent status that comes with it, has long been regarded by its critics as the cause of everything that is going wrong in society. It is blamed for the breakdown of community; it is blamed for the various deprivations and depravities associated with the creation of a dependent underclass, from anti-social behaviour to child abuse. It is even blamed for the failing UK economy, for unsustainable public spending, ‘hidden’ unemployment and negative growth. Yet, for all that the welfare state finds itself falsely accused of a multitude of problems, the charge of welfare dependency is fairly levelled. While there are only 800,000 official job seekers, more than 2.5million are claiming incapacity benefit, and hundreds of thousands more are reliant on housing benefit and income support, amongst other things. In all, there are nearly five million people out of work and claiming benefits at the moment. What is perplexing is that for all the concern about public spending levels – particularly on welfare – critics do not oppose the retention of this ‘safety net’. (11/19/09)
Too many people? No, too many Malthusians http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14741 Malthusians are always wrong about everything. The extent of their wrongness cannot be overstated. They have continually claimed that too many people will lead to increased hunger and destitution, yet the precise opposite has happened: world population has risen exponentially over the past 40 years and in the same period a great many people’s living standards and life expectancies have improved enormously. Even in the Third World there has been improvement – not nearly enough, of course, but improvement nonetheless. The lesson of history seems to be that more and more people are a good thing; more and more minds to think and hands to create have made new cities, more resources, more things, and seem to have given rise to healthier and wealthier societies. (11/19/09)
Feminism should be about equality...for males too http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14737 Earlier this month DoubleX, Slate's short-lived female-oriented publication (launched six months ago and about to be folded back into the parent site as a women's section), ran an article ringing the alarm about the dire threat posed by the power of the men's rights movement. But the article, written by New York-based freelance writer Kathryn Joyce and titled "Men's Rights' Groups Have Become Frighteningly Effective," says more about the state of feminism--and journalistic bias--than it does about men's groups. (11/18/09)
Aussie Male victims of DV seek recognition http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14730 Men as well as women are often victims of domestic violence. But now an attempt by men's health advocates to highlight the problem of male victims has sparked a dispute with female campaigners. A group attempting to reduce violence against women says the message about men is misleading and distracting. (11/19/09)
A climate scare in Trafalgar Square http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14728 A twenty-first century tribute to the Royal Family? A satirical swipe at the Labour government? A mistaken delivery address? At first, it’s difficult to know what to make of the large hunks of dead wood currently cutting a dash in London’s Trafalgar Square. That is, until you read the info-boards positioned around the installation or encounter the press-released promotional material. At which point Ghost Forest’s meaning, or better still, its message, will become all too clear: all this modern stuff, this industrial development, has come at an environmental cost we’ve been able to ignore for too long. It is art for those who know the carbon price of everything and the value of nothing. And art without value is not really art at all. (11/18/09)
Menu mandates missing math http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14724 The most conspicuous effect you will see from President Obama’s health care overhaul won’t be at your doctor’s office or the hospital. It will be at your local Burger King. That’s assuming the Senate goes along with a provision, already approved by the House, that requires restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to display calorie counts on their menus. Although supporters claim such mandates have the power to make people thinner and prevent obesity-related disease, New York City’s experience suggests they have little or no impact, possibly because customers who are interested in nutritional information can already obtain it. New York began requiring calorie counts on restaurant chains’ menu boards in July 2008. (11/18/09)
Leviathans Orphans http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14720 Her son needs her at home. The Empire demands her services in its war on Afghanistan. Since nobody is able to provide the child with a suitable home while she's away, the mother quite sensibly decided that her first duty was to her child. So Alexis Hutchinson of Oakland, California, an Army Specialist -- and, what's infinitely more important, a single mother to her11-month-old son, Kamani -- may wind up in prison. Her son, who was kidnapped and briefly detained by Child "Protective" Services -- may wind up in foster care. Many enlisted mothers become single parents due to the Army: The divorce rate for female soldiers is triple that experienced by male enlistees. The pressures are particularly acute for those families in which both parents are in the military. (11/16/09)
Shared parenting should be the norm http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14719 I think my kids have learned, through this gradual process of replacing old traditions with new ones, that they are loved and secure and have two parents who are equally devoted to them. Anyway, it’s not heroic. It shouldn’t be newsworthy. It’s simply co-parenting–putting the needs of your children front and center stage, over your own, to help them recover as best they can from the trauma of divorce. I hope to see it become the norm. I have every confidence that it will. (11/17/09)
Give children the store of human knowledge http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14718 The main reason education often is not educating is because it finds it difficult to give meaning to human experience. Time and again, curriculum specialists inform us that because we live in a world of rapid change, the conventions and practices of the past have become outmoded, outdated or irrelevant. Present educational fads are based on the premise that because we live in a new, digitally driven society, the intellectual legacy of the past and the experience of grown-ups have little significance for the schooling of children. The implicit assumption that adults have little to teach children is rarely made explicit. But there is a growing tendency to flatter children through suggesting that their values are more enlightened than those of their elders because they are more tuned in to the present. So children are often represented as digital natives who are way ahead of their text-bound and backward-looking parents. (11/18/09)
There is more to human character than sharing toys http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14712 A new report by the British think-tank Demos has hit the headlines, with its claim that ‘Parents are the principal architects of a fairer society’. Based on research from the Millennium Cohort Study, the report argues that how children are parented has a more significant impact upon their future life chances than just about anything else, including poverty and the social class into which they are born....Unfortunately, while Demos’ enthusiasm for addressing this issue is refreshing, its narrow focus on parenting styles and outcomes among young children means that the report ends up peddling the same old mixture of common sense and nonsense. (11/16/09)
Gay marriage lost but not losing http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/enews/enews.php?item.14703 Opponents of same-sex marriage waxed triumphant recently when voters in Maine rejected a measure allowing gays to wed. Maggie Gallagher, head of the National Organization for Marriage, crowed, "This victory in Maine interrupts the cultural narrative that was being manufactured, that somehow American opinion is shifting on the gay marriage issue." But she and her allies are the political equivalent of a Minnesota Vikings fan, gazing upon Brett Favre's middle-aged gridiron wizardry. They had better enjoy it now, because it's not going to last. (11/16/09)
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