It’s been a long time since NPR made me cry, but Tuesday night, the magnificent Anne Garrels (above) filed a report that brought me to tears in the parking lot of Target. It was a sweeping evaluation of where women in Iraq are since the U.S. invasion, and sister, the news is not good. Women being killed in Basra for wearing makeup and “Western” clothes. A reporter in Baghdad whose life was threatened, so she moved to a regional capital where she was safe, but her family couldn’t get along without her and her income. So she’s now back in Baghdad, her life still on the line. And the final story was of a woman who had no prospects for marriage, so she has remained a virtual slave to her own family. Listening to her cousin describe her pain — such a bright, curious, passionate woman, doomed to a life of lonely drudgery or worse — is what finally pushed me to tears. Try explaining that to the 8-year-old in the back seat.

Why is it that the conditions for women have gotten worse since our push for democracy in Iraq? Why is it that only reporters like Anne Garrels cover this story? What can we DO about it?

As Super Tuesday bears down on us (don’t forget to vote Feb. 5, kids), the endorsements, both official and unofficial, have started. The Commercial Appeal went for Hillary, though it sure sounds like they dig Barack, too. (And McCain on the Republican side.) The New York Times, too, though the Kennedys — Caroline is the one whose opinion matters most to me — have gone for Barack. Then there are my friends, mostly women. “Obama lives diversity in his bones,” said one. With our tattered reputation all over the world, she said, we need someone like Obama who can unify us, inspire us, help us see beyond us and them. Another of my well-read pals will vote for Hillary’s experience, with a trace of defiance that the upstart younger guy is swooping in to challenge her. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m fast becoming campaign-obsessed, vacuuming up info about the presidential candidates as “mega-Tuesday” (that’s what Donna Brazile calls it) gets ever closer. The Washington Post (campaign junkie’s news outlet of choice) does a good job today dissecting what will happen on Feb. 5, but there’s nary a mention of what the campaigns, particularly the Democratic campaigns, are doing in Tennessee, much less Memphis. Are we even on the radar? And what are local politicos doing to advance their candidates? Can anyone tell?

Today I got an e-mail from Hillary (oh, yeah, we’re on a first name basis … not; I get e-mail from all kinds of politicos, dating back to my time on the CA editorial board and as a senior editor at the paper). Anyway, Hillary has launched a Tennessee Women’s Council (you mean she didn’t have one already?), and lists exactly ONE woman from  West Tennessee — Paula Barnes of Cordova. (Uh, wouldn’t that be Memphis? Why not say so? And Paula, who are you?) Read the rest of this entry »

I admit it: I’m glued to CNN (and Newsweek and the NYTimes and all kinds of blogs) these days, snarfing up campaign coverage. I’m fascinated by the Hillary/Barack dynamic, and the reactions and punditry surrounding the Dem frontrunners. (Hey, and what happened to John Edwards, anyway? And sayonara to Bill Richardson; I actually sorta liked him.) And no, I haven’t decided whom to vote for, though it’s clear that because I live in Tennessee, not even one of the “big” Super Tuesday states, this whole Democratic nomination could well be decided before Feb. 5, when I finally have to decide.

Wanted to post this column (from the NYtimes Jan. 8) that has been making the rounds; got it from two of my friends yesterday. I think it’s well-done, provocative, and pretty much nails the race/gender issue. What do you think?

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The long-awaited movie adaptation of the wildly popular book, “The Kite Runner,” opens Friday, and though the film has been dogged by controversy — read about it here — it’s totally worth seeing. Though not if you want light holiday entertainment; the story is brutal, though the emotions are powerful and pure. The thing that struck me when I saw the movie in preview was how true to the tone of the book the movie is, and how sere and barren the setting was. Does Afghanistan really look like that? Hosseini’s evocation of his homeland made it seem beautiful, despite its troubles.

Did you read the book and are you going to see the movie?