HIV in Poor U.S. Neighborhoods as Intense as Developing World
Colorlines: “Researchers looked at HIV prevalence, or the share of a given population that is infected. They found HIV prevalence in high-poverty neighborhoods to be more than double that of the nation overall. Moreover, within high-poverty neighborhoods, prevalence among people living below the poverty line was double that of those living above it. If silence equals death, so does poverty.”
How the Media Should Treat the Sexual Assault Allegations Against Al Gore
The Nation: “The media outlets that bothered to report on the story have hardly reported the story. With one dubious exception, I couldn’t find a single source that did what any reporter with the most basic questions about the charges should have done: interview an expert on sexual violence who might be able to provide context and comment on the likely credibility of the story.”
Six Women Convicted of Homicide for Having Abortions
Latin American Herald Tribune: “‘Of these seven cases, one was a spontaneous abortion, two others were undertaken because of rape and the rest were for accidental pregnancies,’ Cruz said. ‘All the men that got them pregnant abandoned them and accused them’ of getting the abortions,’ said the activist.”
Jury Decides Consent Is Not Required for Girls Gone Wild
Jezebel: “‘I am stunned that this company can get away with this,’ said Jane Doe after the ruling. ‘Justice has not been served. I just don’t understand. I gave no consent.’ When she heard what O’Brien had said, she tearfully added, ‘I was having fun until my top was pulled off. And now this thing is out there for the world to see forever.'”
Daily Kos: (on Shirley Sherrod) “So what is going on here? The incident has been condemned for racism, and surely racism has a great deal to do with it. The disintegration of our national discourse on race (which was never all that stable anyway) has been hyper-accelerated by the right’s tactic of defending against charges of racism by leveling the same charge at the attackers, baselessly, shamelessly, over and over again.”
That’s What She Said: 700 Working Musicians Tell It Like It Is
NPR: “The stories in the musicians’ responses — which we are making available here in all their glory, unedited and uncensored — are by turns infuriating, hilarious, downright inspiring and heart-breaking. Our goal in asking these questions and publishing the musicians’ answers is not to make any sweeping declarations about what’s happening in the concert halls, recording studios or practice spaces around the country. We don’t know. But every single one of the women whose answers you can read here has some idea. We call the project Hey Ladies: Being A Woman Musician Today.”