Why Hearing Men’s Voices in the Abortion Debate Is so Crucial
United States (Greed) – Yeah, it’s not. I mean really, did you think I had lost my mind? Thanks for joining my Ted Talk though. Share this:
Read MoreMonth: May 2019
Marijuana Legalization – a Rare Issue Where Women Are More Conservative Than Men
United States (Conversation) – Surveys show that on issue after issue, women are more liberal than men, save for one: Men are more likely than women to support the legalization of marijuana. Americans are becoming more supportive of marijuana legalization each year but the gender gap remains a constant: While 68 percent of men now support marijuana legalization, only 56 percent of women do. What’s behind this gender gap? We suspected mothers might be a key driver. In our book “The Politics of Parenthood,” we were able to show that…
Read MoreHow Tribes Are Harnessing Cutting-Edge Data to Plan for Climate Change
United States (Yes) – The village of Taholah on the Quinault Indian Nation is just a stone’s throw from a pebbled stretch of beach pocked with the tiny holes of razor clams. The town is wedged between Washington state’s rocky Pacific coastline and a hillside of towering cedar and Douglas fir evergreens. It’s been the home of the Quinault peoples for 12,000 years. And for the last 50-odd years, the home of tribal member Larry Ralston. Back in 2008, when Ralston first learned climate change would cause sea levels to rise,…
Read MoreSudanese Women Are Using Social Media to Trade – and Break Gender Barriers
Sudan (Conversation) – The role of women in the recent protests in Sudan has attracted a great deal of attention. This is because women who try to have a prominent public role in the country face criticism and can be accused of neglecting their family duties. This was particularly true after the introduction of Sharia law and Sudan’s public order laws in 1983. These laws shaped gender norms and defined the position of women in Sudanese society. But the rise of social media – and the use of smartphones – has…
Read MoreUrban Bee Keepers Can Help Save Wild Bees
Canada (Conversation) – With reports of declining insect populations worldwide, or what George Monbiot calls an “insectageddon,” there is growing concern about the health of pollinators. This in turn has led to increasing interest in urban beekeeping, pollinator gardening and urban bee advocacy. Yet there is also a growing backlash against urban honey bees. Some native bee advocates argue that in North America, honey bees, which were brought to the Americas by European colonialists, belong in the monocultured fields of industrial agriculture, where they are critical for crop pollination, not…
Read MoreHow LGBTQ People Are Resisting Bolsonaro’s Brazil Through Art
Brazil (Conversation) – Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in October 2018 and took office in January 2019. Since then, the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights has chosen to remove the legal protection status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people. Some politicians are now pushing for a ban on talking about gender diversity and sexual orientation in schools. Bathroom laws pertaining to which toilet facilities trans people are allowed to use and bills defining what constitutes a family, same sex marriage and laws enabling…
Read MoreAmericans Might Love Cinco de Mayo, but Few Know What They’re Celebrating
United States (Conversation) – Many Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but how many actually know the story of the holiday? Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo doesn’t mark Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on Sept. 16. Instead, it’s meant to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, which was fought between the Mexican and French armies in 1862. In Mexico’s long and storied history, the Battle of Puebla is generally considered a fairly minor event. But its legacy lives on a century and a half later, particularly in the United States….
Read More“Guns and Safety Aren’t Synonymous for Us”: Some Black Texans Fear Plans to Arm More Teachers
Texas, United States (TexasTribune) – Ahmir Johnson knows what can happen when people who look like him get in law enforcement’s crosshairs. The senior at Round Rock High School recalled hearing stories earlier this year of a black student who was grabbed and thrown to the ground by a police officer just outside of nearby Cedar Ridge High School. He recounted another incident at his own school a few years back in which a school resource officer reportedly grabbed a student by the throat after being called to break up a…
Read MoreHow Taxpayers Covered a $1,000 Liquor Bill for Trump Staffers (and More) at Trump’s Club
Florida (Propublica) — In April 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, estate and club, for a two-day summit. While Xi and his delegation stayed at a nearby hotel, Trump and his advisers stayed at the peach-colored, waterfront resort. That evening, Trump and a dozen of his closest advisers hosted Xi and the Chinese delegation in an ornate dining room where they ate Dover sole and New York strip steak. Those sorts of lavish, formal gatherings are expected for a major bilateral summit. DALLAS,…
Read MoreIs There a ‘Feminine’ Response to Terrorism?
New Zealand (Conversation) – After a terrorist shot and killed 50 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded differentlythan most leaders have after similar attacks. Usually, history shows, presidents and prime ministers try to appear rational after terrorism. They reassure people that the situation is under control, thank police and other first responders and offer updates on the investigations. Other world leaders, most of them male, have reacted by launching mass surveillance of the public, repressing civil liberties, strengthening law enforcement or…
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