One of the saddest commentaries on the state of our culture is a new report that some college sexual assault victims have welcomed remote learning as a way to feel safe.
Think about that.
Meanwhile, in addition to the demonstrations in Britain following Sarah Everard's murder, women are protesting sexual violence in Australia following accusation of rape by officials in powerful positions.
During my final years before retirement, several of the investigative projects I helped coordinate focused on #Metoo cases in various sectors of California's economy including the yoga industry.
The consensus is that sexual harassment is about power not sex, and while I generally agree with that, it may also be true that for the men who engage in this behavior it may also be about sex in a certain distorted way.
That's because many men traditionally have associated having power with greater access to women and there is plenty of data suggesting that having more resources does enhance men's chances to obtain women's affection.
As long as everything remains consensual, no one should have much of a problem with that, but any hint of coercion or a quid pro quo tips the delicate balance over the top. A decent man can make a mistake, but repeated encroachments of this kind are both illegal and as we know, extremely hurtful.
That would appear to be the case in the controversy surrounding Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York.
Men's sexual needs are the subject of countless jokes and movies, but the connection between sexual fantasies and power is an area that remains murky and poorly understood. We can hope that the recent gains due to the #Metoo movement will be permanent, and it is significant that this is an area where investigative journalists -- women and men -- really have made a difference working together.
Much remains to be done, that's obvious. This weeks demonstrations in Britain and Australia are reminders that when women band together and speak out, the rest of the world will listen.
***
Arguments I find frustrating and no longer care to tolerate:
* Blaming women for violence committed against them.
* Blaming homeless people for being homeless.
* Blaming addicts for being addicts.
The news:
* Thousands of women took to the streets in cities across Australia on Monday to protest violence and discrimination against women. This comes as accusations of rape grow in the country’s halls of power. (AP, Reuters)
* Some college sexual assault victims have welcomed remote learning due to the pandemic because it has kept them safe from their attackers. “It took the entire country shutting down for me to feel safe. It feels like a real slap in the face,” said Michaela, a student sexual assault survivor. [HuffPost]
* Man who killed at least 8 and wounded one at massage parlors in the Atlanta area was arrested; many victims were Asian. (Fox)
* California Gov. Gavin Newsom has enlisted a roster of progressive stars— including Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — to fight the recall effort. (NYT)
* For a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has required millions of American parents to do the impossible. They’ve been asked to work and parent full time. They’ve been forced out of the workforce, but expected to somehow support their families. They’ve been tasked with keeping their kids safe at home, while also finding ways to support their mental health as children struggle with loneliness. And a comprehensive new report from the American Psychological Association shows the considerable toll those pressures — and others — have taken on the mental and physical health of parents with children under the age of 18 at home. [HuffPost]
* The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its declassified report on foreign threats to 2020 U.S. elections Tuesday, which concludes that foreign adversaries -- including Russia -- did attempt to interfere. Russia's efforts were aimed at "denigrating President Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the U.S." (CNN)
* President Biden’s sweeping stimulus package includes the largest single infusion of federal aid that public transportation has ever received, allowing agencies to scrap plans for draconian cuts. (NYT)
* Coca-Cola and Home Depot, both based in Georgia, have voiced opposition to Republican-led efforts to restrict access to voting in the state. The corporate firepower boosts activists' efforts against two bills moving through the Georgia General Assembly that would make it harder for people to vote, disproportionately so for racial and low-income minority areas. [HuffPost]
* Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discussed the findings of a new study that suggests three feet, not six feet, was sufficient distance for students if they adhere to safety precautions. (AP)
*Republicans remain steadfastly hesitant to take a coronavirus vaccine, with a new poll showing that 42% say they will probably or definitely not get the shot, compared with 17% of Democrats. The vaccination campaign could falter if it becomes another litmus test in America's culture wars. Fox News personalities are sowing doubts and Donald Trump has failed to endorse the shot, even though he was secretly vaccinated. [AP]
* Moderna Gives First Vaccine Shots To Young Kids As Part Of COVID-19 Study (NPR)
* The administration is seeking help in urging Republicans to get inoculated. But the president said he was not sure how much value there was in enlisting his predecessor. (NYT)
* Employers with large on-site workforce can set up COVID-19 vaccine clinics: CDC.(Reuters)
* Uber avoided paying into unemployment as government aid helped thousands of its drivers weather the pandemic (WaPo)
* Anyone in Oklahoma can now get the Covid-19 vaccine, thanks to several Native tribes (CNN)
* Astronomers Can't Hear Signals From Space Because Earth Is Too Loud (WSJ)
* Google gets into sleep surveillance with new Nest Hub screen (AP)
* Sharp, 'Off The Charts' Rise In Alcoholic Liver Disease Among Young Women (NPR)
* U.S. Capitol Police will begin scaling back some of the fencing around the Capitol that's been there since the Jan. 6 insurrection, saying there is now no "known, credible threat against Congress" that warrants the fortifications. [HuffPost]
* U-Conn., Stanford, S. Carolina and N.C. State earn top NCAA women’s basketball seeds (WaPo)
* The Worst Dust Storm in a Decade Shrouds Beijing and Northern China (NYT)
* Scientists Find New Invasive Mosquito Species In Florida (NPR)
* Israeli archeologists discover new Dead Sea Scrolls for first time in 60 years (WaPo)
* According to new data from the CDC, California has the second highest life expectancy for its population among states, behind Hawaii. [CBS]
* FAA to extend ‘zero tolerance’ policy for bad behavior while federal mask mandate is in place (WaPo)
* Facebook Reaches Deal With News Corp. Australia To Pay For News Content (NPR)
* Facebook Inc is rolling out a new publishing platform in the coming months in the United States that lets independent writers and journalists reach new audiences and monetize their work through email newsletters and individual websites. Competition is heating up in the space between firms like Substack, Medium, and Twitter’s recently acquired Revue, which lets content creators try out a mix of paid and free email newsletters to reach potential readers. Facebook’s new platform, which let writers monetize via subscriptions, will be integrated with Facebook Pages, the company said, adding it will also allow writers to create groups to engage with their reader community. (Reuters)
* Zookeepers Confirm Pandas Not Mating Because They’re Scared Of Messing Up Friendship (The Onion)
***
From the Library of Congress: "The text of what would become the Ninteenth Amendment was originally drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and introduced to Congress in 1878, then rejected in 1887. The Constitutional ammendement was proposed again in 1914, in 1915, in 1918, and in February 1919, failing to win addequate votes each time, until it was proposed again in May of 1919 and passed. Consequently the women's suffrage movement spanned over seventy years, and included various styles of songs to promote the cause during that time, until the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment by the states required thirty-six states in 1920. The songs sung by the suffragists were rarely recorded until long after their cause was won."
Rise up, women, for the fight is hard and long;
Rise up in thousands singing loud a battle song.
Right is might, and in strength we shall be strong
And the cause goes marching on
Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! The cause goes marching on.
-- Theodora Mills
-30-
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