Obama Mobilizes Rapid Response on Web: Campaign Targets Media When Attacks Aired
9/17/08
Chicago Tribune: Much of Barack Obama’s political success can be traced to a database listing contact information for millions of people. Now Obama’s presidential campaign is increasingly using the list to beat back media messages it does not like, calling on supporters to flood radio and television stations when those opposed to him run anti-Obama ads or appear on talk shows.

Abortion Issue Again Dividing Catholic Votes
9/16/08
NY Times: A struggle within the church over how Catholic voters should think about abortion is once again flaring up just as political partisans prepare an all-out battle for the votes of Mass-going Catholics in swing-state towns like Scranton.

Top Party in Israel Is Picking a Leader
9/17/08
NY Times: The main party in Israel’s governing coalition began choosing a new leader on Wednesday, and polls indicated that the winner will probably be the country’s foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, who says her goal is to form a new government without general elections and charge ahead on peace talks with the Palestinians.

Couric Gets Palin Sit-Down
9/16/08
Broadcasting & Cable: Katie Couric will interview Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin Sunday, Sept. 28, and Monday, Sept. 29, CBS News confirmed Tuesday.

Reporters From Paper Suing Chief of Tribune
9/16/08
NY Times: A group of current and former reporters at The Los Angeles Times sued the owner, Samuel Zell, on Tuesday, accusing him of recklessness in the takeover and management of the newspaper’s parent, the Tribune Company.

Houston Stations Help Residents Pull Through
9/16/08
Broadcasting & Cable: Residents in the Houston DMA are turning to local stations for help as the No. 10 DMA recovers from Hurricane Ike. With an estimated 70% of local homes without power, the stations’ on-air role may have diminished, but they are still providing a vital lifeline — as well as a shoulder to cry on — as the market gets back on its feet.

Lawsuit Is Filed to Halt Alaska Dismissal Inquiry
9/16/08
NY Times: Five Republican state lawmakers on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking to halt an inquiry into Gov. Sarah Palin’s dismissal of her public safety commissioner, arguing that the Legislature has exceeded its authority by conducting a “McCarthyistic investigation.”

Sarah Palin, Others Don’t Have Heads For Business, Carly Fiorina Says
9/17/08
LA Times: John McCain has repeatedly said that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is qualified to be vice president. That prompted St. Louis radio host McGraw Milhaven of KTRS on Tuesday to ask McCain economic advisor Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co., whether she thinks the one-term governor has the experience to run a “major company like Hewlett-Packard.”

Attorney General Sues Phoenix Country Club for Allegedly Discriminating Against Women
9/17/08
Star Tribune, MN: Arizona’s attorney general has sued the Phoenix Country Club, alleging it discriminates against women by prohibiting them from enjoying the same amenities and networking opportunities as men. The country club has a men’s grill that excludes women and a women’s grill that excludes men, but the suit alleges that the men’s has superior amenities and is well-known as a place to network and broker deals in the business community.

A Senate Fixture Toppled
9/17/08
Boston Globe: Dianne Wilkerson, the state’s lone black senator and one of Beacon Hill’s most controversial figures, lost in yesterday’s primary by a paper-thin margin to a second-time challenger in a race in which Wilkerson’s legal issues apparently overshadowed her high-profile endorsements and her record.

Female Suicide Bombers Are Latest War Tactic
9/17/08
Washington Post: U.S. and Iraqi officials say Sunni insurgent groups, especially al-Qaeda in Iraq, are using religion, money and empty promises to persuade sometimes vulnerable women to conduct suicide attacks, highlighting the movement’s desperation at a time when its influence and ranks have declined.

Iran’s Women’s Rights Activists Are Being Smeared
9/17/08
Women’s eNews: Women’s rights activists recently succeeded in stalling a bill to ease polygamy, temporary marriage and male-bias in divorce. But Nayereh Tohidi says a nasty smear campaign and continuous arrest show the adversity they are up against.

Women Play Key Role in Post-Genocide Rwanda
9/17/08
Independent Online, SA: Women are playing a crucial role in post-genocide Rwandan politics with the help of a seat reservation system that has made the country one of the few with equal representation of the sexes. Following Monday’s voting in parliamentary elections, Tuesday saw the start of the process to elect 24 women to reserved seats. This hybrid system has led to an almost 50-50 representation in parliament.

Kenya: Muslims Join Catholics in Opposing Proposed Abortion Law
9/16/08
AllAfrica.com: Muslim leaders have joined Catholics in opposing a proposed law to legalize abortion, which has renewed controversy on the issue.The leaders urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to throw out the Bill, stressing that it was against religious and human norms to legalize the procedure. The Bill, drafted by the Federation of Women Layers (FIDA-Kenya) and the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), is yet to be tabled in the legislature.

Drug Makers Ignoring Key Gender Differences, Immunologist Warns
9/17/08
Globe and Mail, UK: Mounting evidence that the immune systems of men and women work differently isn’t being taken into account by pharmaceutical companies when they develop new drugs, a leading Canadian immunologist says. Eleanor Fish, a professor at the University of Toronto, says this means women may be taking prescription drugs that aren’t as effective for them as they are for men.

Study: Incontinence a Common Problem among Women
9/17/08
Time with CNN: It is an embarrassment that many women choose to ignore, but incontinence is a widespread disorder that may affect one in four women and perhaps as many as one-third of older women in their lifetime, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

SNL’s Goals: Funny and Evenhanded
9/16/08
NY Times: For the staff of a comedy show, the people behind “Saturday Night Live” certainly care a lot about fairness. “The trick with all of these people is to try to come out as fair and evenhanded as possible,” said Seth Meyers, also the head writer for “SNL.” He added that the inclusion of Ms. Poehler’s Clinton character “made it safer to mention things about Sarah Palin without making it seem like an attack piece.”

‘I’m a Man-Loving Feminist’
9/17/08
Guardian, UK: At 35, Juliette Lewis has already had two careers – as a celebrated actor and a barnstorming singer. She talks to Kira Cochrane about Scientology, Sarah Palin and substance abuse.

Three Olympians are Allocated to New L.A. Women’s Pro Team
LA Times: In a ceremony at the Sports Museum of America in New York on Tuesday, 21 members of the U.S. national team were assigned to the seven clubs that initially will make up Women’s Professional Soccer. Kristine Lilly, the country’s all-time appearance leader and a two-time world champion, will join the Boston Breakers, along with Angela Hucles and Heather Mitts.