· September, 2008

Stories about Women & Gender from September, 2008

Jamaica: Power Struggle

  30 September 2008

“Portia Simpson-Miller…represents to the elite and middle class in Jamaica what Obama represents to white, bible-thumping, gun-toting mainstream America. Which is worse I wonder: To be black (socially speaking) in a black country or to be black in a white country?” Annie Paul provides thoughtful commentary on the recent opposition...

Japan: The psychology of prostitution, and why it should be legalized

  29 September 2008

id:fromdusktildawn delves into the the roots and social context of prostitution [ja], arguing that by looking down on women who work in the sex industry, men offload feelings of guilt about their lust for prostitutes onto the prostitutes themselves. The blogger claims that by legalizing the 5 trillion yen prostitution...

Malaysia: Molotov cocktail thrown at politician's house

  27 September 2008

A molotov cocktail was thrown at the house of Malaysian politician Teresa Kok. She condemned the act and attributed the “despicable act to certain media groups and blogs that have deliberately demonised and portrayed (her) as chauvinistic, anti Malay and anti Islam.” She adds: “They persisted in reporting similar fictitious...

Jamaica: Child Missing

  27 September 2008

After an eleven year-old girl goes missing in Kingston, Abeng News Magazine examines the plight of Jamaica's children: “With no inclination to tackle the complexity of the issues involved and no plan in sight to deal squarely with the crime menace…the youth will remain at the top of the island's...

Jamaica, Senegal: Wife Beater

  25 September 2008

“The worse it gets for Bara, the worse it gets for his wife”: Jamaican diaspora blogger Stet tells the story of a wife beater in Senegal.

Barbados, Jamaica, U.S.A.: Political Issues

  25 September 2008

Living in Barbados says that the recent battle for leadership in Jamaica's opposition party proves “that the overlapping values of candidates’ religion, race, gender, class, colour, speech, perceived intelligence and such personal characteristics–may play out in our little garden of politics at least as much as we think they do...

China: Infant Formula Scandal Highlights Decline in Breastfeeding

  24 September 2008

Health authorities in China reported this week that nearly 53,000 children have become sick after consuming tainted infant formula. As the effects of these contaminated dairy products become more widespread, many are discussing the alternative to formula — breastfeeding. The scandal erupted earlier this month when Sanlu, China's top-selling infant...

Jamaica: Post-Portia

  23 September 2008

“The whole class battle is already history and vanishes with Portia. Still, we will hear about it as long as Portia is leader of the PNP…”: Jamaica and the World examines the aftermath of the opposition's party's leadership elections.

Ukraine: MTV and Domestic Violence

  22 September 2008

Natalia Antonova links to her piece on GlobalComment about “MTV Ukraine and the normalization of domestic violence.” LJ user maryxmas has translated Antonova's text into Ukrainian; a Russian translation is posted in the feministki LJ community.

Jamaica: Portia Prevails

  22 September 2008

Both Active Voice and My View of JamDown from Up So blog about former Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller's victory over “the unprecedented leadership challenge by long-time party stalwart Dr. Peter Phillips.”