Women's Victory

I once heard historian John D’Emilio speak about the “leaping and creeping” of social change. Women certainly understand this concept — trying to change the world for the better, periodically celebrating small victories, when all of a sudden a convergence of events creates huge and significant change.On Tuesday, Dec. 8, a convergence of events resulted in tremendous victories for women. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley won the Senate primary and is likely to be the 16th pro-choice Democratic woman elected to the Senate. And Democratic women in the Senate led the fight to defeat the Nelson-Hatch amendment (aka the Stupak amendment), which would eliminate insurance coverage for abortion for millions of women. Every pro-choice Democratic woman in the House and Senate voted against this anti-choice effort.
One victory shows women know how to win. One victory shows why women need to win.
Massachusetts has been an extraordinarily difficult state for women in politics. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect in the political world. Several women have run unsuccessfully for governor — and, of course, the state has never elected a woman to the Senate. But change is in the air. Read the rest of this entry »

A quick start proved to be the difference Thursday night for the University of South Dakota women’s basketball team.

The Coyotes’ 67-49 win over Black Hills State included an 18-point lead after nine minutes at the DakotaDome. Thereafter it included a lot of scrapping against the eighth-ranked NAIA Division II team in the nation.

USD (3-3) struggled with turnovers against BHSU after the early blitz. Though the Yellow Jackets never wilted in the way NAIA teams that give up a 21-0 run are supposed to, the Coyotes never gave in to the idea of an upset, either.

“We really wanted to come out and take control of the game,” USD guard Annie Roche said. “That kind of a start builds the adrenaline and it gets everyone interested. Now we need to be able to do it for 40 minutes.”

The Coyotes hit a very warm 56 percent from the floor against the Yellow Jackets (8-3), but buckled at times against their defensive pressure.

Turnovers have been an issue for USD against most opponents this season, regardless of level. With 23 giveaways against BHSU, there was no dramatic improvement on that count.
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Nothing is better than those lazy summer months, but don’t let that laziness creep into every aspect of your life. The June’s Women’s Health has some tips (101 to be exact) that will help keep your sex life as hot as the weather. Here are just a few to get you started.

- Leave the bedroom: Summer is for exploring. Find a new place to spice up a ritual that never needs to become just routine.

- Break out the wine: Women who drink one or two glasses of red wine a day have more sexual desire than women who don’t.

- Red hot chili pepper: Nibble on one, and the capsaicin (which provides the spice) will raise the heart rate and trigger endorphins.

- Turn up the tunes: Marvin Gaye, anyone? Listening to your favorite music and sex stimulate the same areas of the brain. Both at the same time can only double the fun.

IF YOU’RE IN, SAY ‘I’

You may think you sound self-absorbed if you are always throwing out the first-person singular, but chances are, your guy likes it. According to the journal Personal Relationships, women that use “I” when messaging their guy tend to have longer, happier relationships, as reported in the June issue of Women’s Health. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not hard to see why the manager of the Indian women’s team, Diana Eduljee, the former India cricketer, made a point about the step-motherly treatment her team has endured at the World T20. “It feels nice to see all of you here, attending the press conference. My phone’s been ringing ever since we made it to the last four and the men crashed out,” Eduljee said.

That the women have suddenly found themselves in the spotlight might have been more to do with the shortcomings of Dhoni’s side than their own prowess, but the fact that they are two wins away from being world champions in the World T20.

On the eve of their semifinal against New Zealand, the Indian skipper, Jhulan Goswami said her team was looking to go a step ahead from their semifinal finish at the last 50-over World Cup in Australia earlier this year.

“We didn’t play to our potential in Australia. We wanted to win the Cup, not finish third. However, we are lucky that we have the chance to play the World T20, make sure not to repeat the mistakes and win the Cup,” Goswami said.

This is the first time the women’s World Cup is being held simultaneously as the men’s, something Goswami said, would help the women’s game. “It’s a big thing for women’s cricket that the match will be played before the men’s semifinal. It’s a nice way to promote women’s cricket. That the game will be telecast live is a boon.

“Our friends and family will be able to watch us and that will be an inspiration for us. The players are excited. Hopefully, we will be able to draw youngsters to women’s cricket,” Goswami said. Read the rest of this entry »

The University of California, Davis and three current or former students have agreed to a legal settlement that will promote women’s sports at the Sacramento-area campus.

The agreement requires UC Davis to reach specific proportions of male and female athletes by the 2019-20 school year. The university can do that by adding women’s intercollegiate teams or taking other steps to provide equal opportunities for male and female students to participate in varsity sports.

The settlement, which needs approval from a federal judge, also requires the university to contribute $110,000 to promote intramural sports. Read the rest of this entry »

Heavy rain overnight Tuesday washed out Wednesday’s second round of the Women’s City Golf Championship, and as a result the annual event will be decided over 36 holes instead of 54.

A shotgun start for the final round is slated for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Former Grand Valley State golfer Kristina Langton, who plans to turn professional later this summer, shot even-par 74 to take the lead Tuesday. Kim Kester was two shots back after a 76, and Allison Tyler, a teammate of Langton’s at GVSU, shot 77. Joan Garety, a 10-time champion, was five shots off the pace after a 79.

The Senior Women’s City event, slated to be played over the final two days and 36 holes, will be decided over just 18 holes. Read the rest of this entry »

Several local nonprofits will receive grants from The Women’s Fund to pay for financial literacy classes for women and girls.

The Women’s Fund, along with corporate partners Regions Financial Corp. and BBVA Compass, awarded a total of $65,000 in grants to the program. The classes will benefit an estimated 600 participants in the Greater Birmingham area, according to a news release.

Regions underwrote a $10,000 grant to the Birmingham Homeownership Center, which will provide financial counseling and classes to 40 new homeowners.

BBVA Compass has partnered with Girls Inc. to provide a series of age-appropriate classes about fiscal responsibility. Read the rest of this entry »

Four local organizations dedicated to serving women in the workplace have formed an alliance to more efficiently serve their clients.

OneKC for Women joins the Women’s Employment Network, Kansas Women’s Business Center, Women’s Capital Connection and First Step Fund to streamline services and reduce redundancies among the four organizations.

“By creating the alliance, women anywhere in the metropolitan area will understand that if you touch any one of us, we’re going to provide you with all of those options,” said Sherry Turner, president of the Women’s Employment Network.

Services offered for women in the Kansas City area will range from resume-writing tips for the unemployed to business-loan assistance. Read the rest of this entry »

Foundation membership, participation levels at all-time high

Washington Women’s Foundation has awarded grants to five local nonprofit organizations totaling $475,000. Grant winners include Northwest African American Museum, College Access Now, Cascade Land Conservancy, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, and The Mockingbird Society.

“These five organizations are doing vital work in our community, and they are poised and ready to do more,” said Carla Lewis, president of Washington Women’s Foundation. “We are honored to support their future endeavors with large impact grants funded by our members.”

Interest in the foundation’s collective giving model – where members pool their resources to make a major impact – is at an all-time high, according to Lewis. “Our membership ranks recently topped 500 for the first time in our 13-year history, and member participation in foundation activities has never been stronger,” she said. “During these tough economic times, more women are coming together to build and strengthen our community.” Read the rest of this entry »