Sociological Images discusses Dr. Pepper’s new diet drink for men. It’s not for women. Get it?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poNilLyCyCs[/youtube]

For years now award winning author Margaret Atwood has insisted that her novels aren’t science fiction, as everything she writes either has happened or could happen today (acclaimed science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin disagrees).  She prefers to describe her work as Speculative Fiction. In her most recent book  “In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination”, however, she “lends her distinctive voice and singular point of view to the genre in a series of essays that brilliantly illuminates the essential truths about the modern world. This is an exploration of her relationship with the literary form we have come to know as “science fiction,” a relationship that has been lifelong, stretching from her days as a child reader in the 1940s, through her time as a graduate student at Harvard, where she worked on the Victorian ancestor of the form, and continuing as a writer and reviewer.” Listen to Atwood discuss her latest work with NPR’s On Point.

MARGARET ATWOOD is the internationally acclaimed author of more than forty books. Her novels include The Handmaid’s Tale, The Edible Woman, Surfacing, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood. Among the awards and honours she has received are the Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award, the Premio Mondello (Italy), the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature (Spain), the Dan David Prize (Israel), and the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award. Margaret Atwood lives in Toronto.

Liz Chassey, Co-Chair of the Student Diversity and Inclusion Council, recently served as a guest blogger on Guerrilla Girls On Tour!  She posted an insightful feminist analysis of the new TV series Pan Am.  We are delighted to highlight the work of one of our own!

Gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny died on October 11- National Coming Out Day. He was 86. After serving in WWII, receiving his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard, and teaching at George Town, Mr. Kameny found himself fired from his job with the U.S. Army Map Service in 1958 for being homosexual- an injustice he tried to fight. The failure of that initial fight drove Mr. Kameny andhis friend Jack Nichols founded the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. in 1961. It’s goals  were to “to unify, to educate, and to lead.”  A more detailed story is available at The Moderate Voice. To learn more about Frank Kameny’s life and contributions to the LGBT Rights Movement go here.

Anyone who attended “It’s only Logical: Women in Technology, Math, & Science” on Wednesday Oct 5th heard me talk about Grace Hopper, one of my heroines. Here is a great piece of footage which illustrates just what a wonderful character she was, so incredibly smart and important to where we are today in technology. It is a 60 minutes interview from 1982 which was one year after I got my first computer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUT7gFQEsY[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVMhPVInxoE[/youtube]

In the wake of the death of Wangari Maathai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her stance on rights of women and protection of Kenya’s environment, the  Nobel Committee has awarded the prize to three women: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia — the first woman to be elected president in modern Africa — her compatriot, the peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, a pro-democracy campaigner (see full NY Times article here). This selection was made with the intention of focusing on the important role of women in the promotion of peace and democracy worldwide. Hear an interview  about the reason and timing of  decision below.  For more on the legacy of Wangari Maathai follow this link.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPAkgIEj9OE&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

Men lost more jobs than women did in the Great Recession, but their unemployment levels have been steadily decreasing over the past year, the study shows. Women, on the other hand, are facing a stalemate and regaining very few jobs, resulting in a significantly higher percentage of women who continue to have deep concerns about their economic security.  More here.

It turns out that the gender of your dining companions makes a big difference in what you eat and how much you eat. The new research on dining habits — although small — adds a new dimension to the study of risk factors for obesity, and could also shed new light on eating disorders such as anorexia.  Keep reading.

For some men, throwing an uncharacteristic four interceptions in one game would necessitate a real gut-check moment. They’d review film, talk to their receivers, go to Jesus. They’d ask, “What’s wrong with me?” Tom Brady knew what was wrong. He threw four interceptions, then HE cut his hair. Anyone who noticed sang “Hallelujah.”  Keep reading.