Been busy busy busy at my internship, so I apologize for not being able to post everyday. Here's a Buffet of the Week with several feminist-friendly stories and current events to make up for the lack of updates. Enjoy!

• As most of you know, Obama has officially gained the amount of delegates needed for him to win the nomination. Clinton is now respectfully bowing out, and planning to endorse Obama.

• The first U.N. General Assembly debate on human trafficking was held this week. Among the speakers at the event was actress Ashley Judd, who stressed the importance of empowering women and girls.

• I'm not sure how many of you have heard of this, but recently, a lesbian couple received complaints at a baseball game because they were kissing. An usher told them that their kissing was "inappropriate" - he had received a complaint from a woman who said that parents shouldn't have to explain to their kids why two women were kissing. Ugh.

• This is interesting. An artist in Bangkok is challenging the standards of beauty in China through her exhibit "Naked Beyond Skin." The exhibit features sculptures of nude women of various shapes, sizes, and body types. The sculptures are hairless, and are all showing different moods. Many are disturbed by the naked women, but they can't help but feel intrigued.

• Interestingly enough, West Point has adopted gender-neutral lyrics to its songs. For example, "the men of the Corps" becomes "the ranks of the Corps."

• The New York Times has a very interesting essay written by a doctor, who performed abortions before Roe vs. Wade.

• First same-sex weddings in Greece are stirring controversy. Surprised? Me neither.

• A Durban rape survivor plans to open a special hospital specifically for rape survivors.

• A writer in Germany is sparking controversy through her new racy novel. "Wetlands" follows an 18-year-old girl as she explicitly and honestly describes her sex life and private grooming habits.

• Similar to Angola's "Miss Landmine," Denmark now has an unconventional beauty pageant of its own: "Miss Headscarf."

• In Zimbabwe, predominantly female activists have been arrested and may be facing torture.

• Check out this super trendy line at Kmart that promotes abstinence amongst teen girls. The sweatpants sport the slogan "true love waits." So... if I don't wait until marriage, my love isn't true...?

Feel free to comment with any stories that I missed!

Woo, it's been a long day. I'll be visiting family all weekend, so updates will resume on Tuesday. To tide you over, here's your buffet of the week:

• Ellen challenges McCain on gay marriage! Probably the best video I've seen all week. McCain gets his ass handed to him.


• Hillary addresses sexism in an interview with The Washington Post, calling it "deeply offensive to millions of women."


• In Colombia, women continue to fight for reproductive rights. A 13-year-old rape victim being refused an abortion? They have a long way to go...


• This is very upsetting: some Zimbabwean women are so desperate that they have begun to sell sex in order to buy food. Some perform sexual acts for as little as 50 U.S. cents.


• Huuuuge gap in pay between male and female lacrosse coaches. On average, men made $85,000 more in 2006.


• In Tanzania, girls can disappear and no one will raise an eyebrow. Human trafficking is all too common, where a girl can sell for $20.


• The US Senate passed a supplemental war spending bill on Thursday, which included a provision to restore government subsidies for birth control pills sold at university and low-income health centers.


• The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has brought a lawsuit against the Air Force that questions the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.


• Women seek to ban men's ski jumping from the Olympics because the sport excludes women from participating.

Anything I missed?

Here's some interesting current events from all around the world.

• In South Africa, police rescued eight women who were lured into forced prostitution.

• The Times printed an article about Fox News attempting to be more balanced by conducting interviews with both Clinton and Obama. We'll see how long their "balance" lasts. Click here to see an interview on Fox News with Obama, and here to see one with Clinton.

• Every minute, somewhere in the world a woman dies during pregnancy or in childbirth.

• TV personality Sam Newman went on a sexist rant recently, claiming that women serve "very little purpose" in AFL boardrooms and that women have done nothing for football. Umm... maybe because no one will let us.

• Several women have come out and accused Bloomberg L.P., a company founded by Mayor Mike Bloomberg, of discrimination against pregnant employees.

• AlterNet posted a video, showing a voter asking McCain if he really called his wife a cunt. Watch McCain get all flustered. It's fun. (For those of you who don't know, a few reporters came out and said they overheard McCain call his wife the C-word to her face a couple years ago).

• Pro-choicers and anti-choicers are grappling with one another in Tennessee.

• A new study shows that not all doctors are talking to their patients about breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. The results of the study show that doctors are more likely to tell educated white women about breast reconstruction, and less likely to tell less educated Hispanic women.

• Interesting article over at AlterNet that explores bisexuality.

If I missed anything significant, please comment!

This is a horrific consequence of the War in Iraq that many people are not aware of. It has been estimated that as many as 50,000 women and girls, some as young as 13, turned to prostitution after fleeing to Syria due to Bush's invasion of Iraq. From alternet.org:

Facing starvation, as many as 50,000 women and girls have been forced into prostitution in Syria alone, according to Hana Ibrahim of the Women's Will Association.

"70 percent to 80 percent of the girls working this business in Damascus today are Iraqis," 23 year-old Abeer told the New York Times. "The rents here in Syria are too expensive for their families. If they go back to Iraq they'll be slaughtered, and this is the only work available."

Disgusting. I can't imagine the Bush administration giving two shits about this, however.

If you want to learn more about human trafficking, as well as find out ways to get involved to help put an end to it, you can visit the Global Fund for Women.