Posting resumes December 29, 2008. Enjoy the holidays!

WMC Daily News Brief: Caroline Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Iran

Caroline, Or Change
12/22/08
Columbia Journalism Review: Remember when “Caroline Kennedy” was “Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg”? In answer to the what’s-in-a-name question, then, the media have been suggesting: Caroline’s a Kennedy, sure, but she’s something else, too. For better or for worse.

Clinton Moves To Widen Role Of State Dept.
12/23/08
NY Times: Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.

Iran Shuts Down Rights Center
12/22/08
Washington Post: Iranian authorities on Sunday closed the office of the country’s main human rights organization, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.

Iraq Still Deadliest Place For Journalists – CPJ
12/18/08
Reuters: Iraq remained the deadliest country for journalists in 2008 for the sixth consecutive year with 11 journalists killed, according to an annual analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Long Road Ahead For Women Seeking Office
12/22/08
National Journal: Caroline Kennedy may or may not succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate next year. But in one respect, Kennedy is already walking in Clinton’s shoes: Her campaign has pushed gender politics front and center yet again.

In Choice To Lead NOAA, A Wide Range Of Credentials
12/23/08
NY Times: Jane Lubchenco, the marine ecologist President-elect Barack Obama has chosen to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would bring diverse scientific credentials to the job.

Clinton Absorbs $13.1 Million Loan To Campaign
12/22/08
AP via Kansas City Star: Hillary Rodham Clinton has written off $13.1 million in personal funds she lent her failed presidential campaign, new disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show.

On Abortion, Pro-Choice Is The Compromise Position
12/22/08
Huffington Post: The mainstream media and politicians have presented abortion as an issue on which the country is evenly divided between two camps — pro-life and pro-choice — and the only way to deal with the issue is to come up with a grand compromise.

Up, Up And Go Away
12/23/08
NY Times: I have experienced the decline of airline service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe I have felt it more acutely because I remember the days when to fly was to soar. The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated.

Independent Appeal: Modern Face Of Slavery
12/23/08
The Independent (UK): The treatment of India’s domestic workers is a topic the establishment rarely addresses. ut slowly the country is being forced for the first time to consider the problem.

Women Challenge Iran’s Iron Ceiling
12/20/08
The National (United Arab Emirates): As calls for the improvement of women’s rights in Iran have escalated in recent years, the government has shown less tolerance towards activists.

RIGHTS: “Sodomy Laws” Rooted In British Colonialism
12/22/09
IPS: Although 66 countries signed a statement at the United Nations on Dec. 19 affirming that human rights protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity, activists note that dozens of nations still criminalise homosexuality and seven impose the death penalty.

Ghana: Drop In Female MPs, A Cause For Concern For Women’s Rights Advocates
12/22/08
Public Agenda via AllAfrica.com: Various women right groups have expressed their concern about the abysmal performance of women in the recent parliamentary and presidential elections.

Thoughts From Mumbai: A Return To Gandhi’s Dream For India
12/23/08
Women’s International Perspective: In the aftermath of Mumbai’s most recent encounter with terrorism, there is the feeling of isolation felt by those pleading for sense and reason. These voices are being drowned out amidst the jingoism and war cries of an “eye for an eye” currently heard on the streets of the city.

The Time To Lift The Global Gag Rule Is Now
12/23/08
RH Reality Check: Over the last eight years, the impact of the Global Gag Rule has been harshest in parts of the world most in need of better health services.

Arabs Lavish Jewels On Secretary Of State Rice
12/23/08
AP via Boston Globe: President George W. Bush’s foreign policies may be unpopular in the Middle East, but Arab leaders showered his top diplomat with jewelry worth far more than a quarter of a million dollars last year.

Gay Christians Denounce Pope’s Comments
12/23/08
The Independent (UK): Lesbian and gay Christians today denounced Pope Benedict’s claim that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

Czech Republic: Abortion Services Not “Abortion Tourism” For EU Citizens
12/23/08
RH Reality Check: Recently, the Czech Republic cabinet unanimously approved a new bill that would extend abortion privileges and other health services to all European Union (EU) citizens.

HHS Rule Out Of Touch With Medical Reality
12/23/08
RH Reality Check: In a rule released yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt refuses to offer any evidence to support allegations that too few doctors and nurses know that federal law already protects their jobs if they abstain from providing abortions or sterilizations based on their personal beliefs.

Some Hidden Choices In Breast Reconstruction
12/23/08
NY Times: For many cancer patients undergoing mastectomies, reconstructive breast surgery can seem like a first step to reclaiming their bodies. But even as promising new operations are gaining traction at academic medical centers, plastic surgeons often fail to tell patients about them.

So Is Fish Safe To Eat Or Not?
12/23/08
NY Times: The federal government has been trying to persuade pregnant and breast-feeding women to limit their intake of fish because of mercury contamination. Now some federal scientists are arguing that these women should actually increase their fish consumption.

Hormones Boost Frequency Of Women’s Migraine With Aura
12/22/08
HealthDay via Washington Post: In women, hormones increase the frequency of an inherited form of severe migraine accompanied by visual disturbances called auras, according to a Massachusetts General Hospital study.

Rottenberg Handed Ambassadorial Role
12/22/08
FIFA.com: Long-serving former Germany women’s goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg has joined the team of ambassadors for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™. The 36-year-old, a world champion in 2003 and 2007, is now set to work in promoting the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held on German soil.