Former Miss Venezuela chronicles her battle with breast cancer - National women’s issues | Examiner.com

Former Miss Venezuela chronicles her battle with breast cancer - National women’s issues | Examiner.com

Is a woman’s anger viewed differently?

A woman and her husband are dining out with a group of friends, the service is horrible, the food is horrible, and requests from the table are met with a smarmy attitude from the waiter. The bill arrives with gratuities included. Finally the woman has had enough. She complains to the maître d’ and demands that the dinner bill be adjusted to reflect the substandard service. The other couples are shocked and embarrassed that this woman complained and furthermore requested a discount on the bill. If this had been her husband’s action, would the couples have reacted the same?

Another woman is at work, the stress to meet a deadline is hanging over her head like the Sword of Damocles and her assistant asks a question that the woman has already answered several times. Suddenly she snaps and harshly spouts off about the necessity to pay attention. This woman’s colleagues are shocked and frown upon her actions. Yet, just one day earlier, a male colleague exuded a similar display of emotion and no one so much as blinked an eye.

Daily life is stressful and each of us is most likely going to hit the anger button on occasion, violent outbursts of anger are not what I’m speaking of and those, male or female, that display such behaviors need to check themselves. People get angry all the time in a variety of situations but is a woman’s anger viewed differently? How many times have you witnessed a woman get angry and also witnessed the disapproving reactions of others? How many times have you said, “She’s just hormonal” or even said that about yourself? Why is a woman’s display of anger seen as “emotional” or “hormonal” but a man displaying the same actions is seen as “just being a typical male”?

Maybe it’s time to set the record straight. Anger is not an exclusive, God given, male emotion. If a women is angry it ain’t cause she’s hormonal or overly emotional, you probably screwed something up that she now has to fix! Setting jest aside, both men and women at times get angry. Perhaps approaching anger with the gender extracted may diffuse the upset a little faster.

Abortion bill redefines rape

Many of you readers may already be aware of HR 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," introduced on January 20th by Rep. Chris Smith, (R-NJ) and further aware of the attempt to redefine the definition of rape by limiting federally funded abortion coverage only to victims of what the law defined as "forcible rape." Is there another kind of rape?

Smith announced on January 27th that he was dropping the "forcible rape" wording and replacing it with language from the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions except for cases of rape, incest, or to save a mother's life.

HR 3 has the Republicans fighting the Democrats and Pro-Choice groups fighting Pro-Life groups. This writer refuses to become entrenched in this political and personal argument because it doesn’t matter what political party one belongs to or whether one is Pro-Choice or Pro-Life. What does matter is our representatives, so desperate for their own personal gain, attempting to legally redefine the word rape. Did anyone bother to think about the repercussions for victims of rape and how HR 3’s redefinition could have opened the door for an easy out to anyone who commits rape?

Rock and Roll Museum announces “Women Who Rock” exhibit

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum announced the opening of an exhibition celebrating the women of rock. This new exhibit, ‘Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power’, will illustrate the important roles women have played in rock and roll from its inception through today. Opening of the exhibit will be on May 13, 2010 and run until February 26, 2012.

The ‘Women Who Rock’ exhibition is interactive, spotlighting more than 60 artists and will fill the entire 5th and 6th floors of the museum. Features of the exhibit will be artifacts, video and listening stations, and a recording booth where visitors can film a short story. Further, the exhibit will move through the rock and roll eras from the early years of the 20th century to the present.

‘Women Who Rock’ exhibit eras are formed into six separate eras, starting with the 1920’s and will work up into present day. A few featured artists include 1920’s blues artists Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, Ruth Brown from the 1950’s era, the Ronettes of the early 1960’s, Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin from late 1960’s, Heart, Fleetwood Mac and Donna Summer covering both the Rockers and Disco Divas of the 1970’s. The exhibit eras continue to Punk, Pop and finish with a look at the women of the 1990’s to present day. An additional feature offered by the museum will be educational programs for junior and senior high school students.

To kick off the exhibit’s opening weekend, the Museum’s annual It’s Only Rock and Roll Spring Benefit Concert will feature an all-star lineup including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Wanda Jackson and Cyndi Lauper, both featured in the Women Who Rock exhibit. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information about the ‘Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power’ exhibit call (216) 781-7625 or visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum website.

Egyptian women play a large role in conflict

Egypt’s people have shown that they are no longer afraid to fight against the three-decade authoritarian rule of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak. This is not surprising, as history has shown us that eventually citizens will fight back against this type of governmental rulership. What does come, as a huge surprise to many, is the role of Egyptian women.

One young woman who has become the face of the uprising is 26-year-old Asmaa Mahfouz. Approximately 2 weeks ago, Ms. Mahfouz posted a video online that soon went viral. In the video Ms. Mahfouz states, “As long as you say there is no hope, then there will be no hope, but if you go down and take a stance, then there will be hope.”

Ms. Mahfouz’s actions are certainly not the first time an activist has utilized the Internet as a tool to organize and inspire change. Yoani Sánchez of Cuba has had a well-organized Internet posse to help her publish her blog and expose abuses that occur in Cuba. But in a society such as Egypt, where women are expected to behave in a very reserved manner; this was more then just a bold move. Ms. Mahfouz could have faced both legal action and societal shun. Unfazed by those possibilities, she encouraged others with simple but moving words “Do not be afraid.” To her surprise, dozens of other people began to post their own pictures and videos.

Asmaa Mahfouz is one of the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement. Founded in 2008 the organization consists of bloggers and citizen journalists who utilizeFacebook, Twitter, Flickr, blogs and other media tools to alert their networks about police activity, organize legal protection and draw attention to their efforts.

Human trafficking in the United States

Human trafficking and the sex slave trade have been associated with underdeveloped and overpopulated countries for years. Contrary to a common belief, human trafficking is not just a problem in other countries. According to U.S. government estimates, thousands of men, women, and children are trafficked to the United States for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation. An unknown number of U.S. citizens and legal residents are trafficked within the country primarily for sexual servitude and, to a lesser extent, forced labor. Many Americans would be surprised to discover that modern-day slavery occurs here in the United States. Furthermore modern-day slavery and the sex trade in the United States has become a $28 billion dollar industry, rivaling drug trafficking.

One woman who is stepping forward to call attention to and take action against the human trafficking problem in Houston, Texas is Linda Geffin. Ms. Geffin is chief of the Harris County Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit. Geffen states, "Houston serves as a destination for victims of trafficking forced into commercial sex, as well as a training ground where women and girls are shipped to other destinations throughout the U.S. and that 30 percent of calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline come from Texas.

Currently all eyes are on Texas because of this week’s Super Bowl which is expected to draw plenty of sex workers. This makes a good platform to bring attention to the reality of modern-day slavery but to be clear, human trafficking and the sex slave trade are far from exclusive to the state of Texas. Cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and some U.S. territories.

Who are the human beings that are kidnapped and forced to work as slaves and where do they come from? This answer may be somewhat surprising. Victims of human trafficking can be children or adults, U.S. citizens or foreign nationals, male or female. Although many of the young women and children (both girls and boys) are brought to the United States from underdeveloped countries, just as many of the girls and boys are U.S. citizens, born and raised on U.S. soil. Many of the U.S. children are runaways. As for the children brought to the United States from other countries, they are promised legitimate jobs and a better life for their families and themselves.

An organization that is fighting modern slavery in the United States is the Polaris Project. Named after the North Star that guided slaves towards freedom along the Underground Railroad. The Polaris Project has been combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery since 2002. The organization serves both U.S. citizens and foreign national victims, including men, women, and children. Anyone can call their hotline free and anonymously to give a tip or to receive help at (888) 373-7888. If you wish to learn about how you can get involved with the Polaris Project, please visit their website by clicking here.