Not For Sale

After reading the recent post about sex trafficking and slavery it is hard not to feel upset. However, there are organizations working hard to end this awful practice. One of the organizations is Not For Sale. My brother works extensively with this organization and wanted to pass on some information about how we can all get involved in the movement to end sex trafficking.

Here is what he wrote:

There are 27 million slaves in this world today. That is more than ever before in history. The Not For Sale Campaign is a movement that is dedicated to ending modern day slavery.

Not For Sale aims to educate and mobilize an international abolitionist movement through the innovation and implementation of open-source activism. Inside the United States, the campaign identifies trafficking rings and collaborates with local law enforcement and community groups to shut them down and provide support for the victims. Internationally, the campaign partners with poorly resourced abolitionist groups to enhance their capacity.

To get involved please visit: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

On the path to equality.

AP photo by Haraz N. Ghanbari

Today, President Obama is expected to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, fulfilling one of his campaign promises...
Gail Collins' Op-ed:

Lilly's Big Day

Science of desire....

New York Times Magazine cover

Here's a New York Times Magazine article on some research that came up in a previous discussion... I have only had the chance to read half of it thus far (it's a longer one), but it seems interesting...

What do women want?

He gives me hope.

One day after the Roe v. Wade anniversary (Happy Anniversary!) Obama lifted the Global Gag Rule. More here.

Nicholas Kristof

If you haven't been reading Nicholas Kristof's op-eds in the past few weeks (New York Times) on sex slavery and trafficking, please check them out.
Warning- they are hard to handle at times.
Here are some links:
The Evil Behind the Smiles
If this isn't slavery, what is?
Striking the Brothels Bottom Line

And here's his blog on Clinton's reaction to some of these problems during her confirmation hearing and possible State Department involvement:
Hillary Clinton on women in foreign policy

Inauguration update

Openly Gay Episcopal Bishop to Deliver Invocation at Lincoln Memorial

Lily Ledbetter Bill Update

According to the New York Times:

Seizing on an issue that resonated in the 2008 campaign, the House is set to vote on the Lily Ledbetter bill, named for the Alabama woman whose pay discrimination complaint was rejected by the Supreme Court because it was not filed within six months of her being treated unfairly – even though she didn’t know it at the time.

The bill was stalled by Senate Republicans last year and Ms. Ledbetter set out on the campaign trail, working on behalf President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats. The bill passed the House easily last year and fell just three votes short of overcoming a Republican filibuster. But with the changed makeup of the Senate, its approval is certain since some of its opponents have retired.

Obama and the black press

from AP

This article from the Politico is interesting, and I think it relates to women, especially since the readership of most of the magazines its speaks of is largely female.

Obama brings firsts for black press