Women’s lib is not over.

Nor should it be. I am happy that today we are leaps and bounds ahead of where women stood in, say, the 1950’s, where the ideal was Donna Read. While some women might very well prefer that way of life (and that’s perfectly okay), the rest of us can more easily pursue other avenues. The emphasis is on the “more,” not the “easily.” I think it says a lot about how much further we have to go towards equality that just this week we are seeing the Senate pass a wage discrimination bill. This news makes me happy to no end, but the fact that we need a bill of this sort highlights the fact that women are still not treated equally in the work force. I was aghast a couple of years ago when I heard that Lilly Ledbetter's lawsuit against Goodyear for wage discrimination was denied simply because she had not known about the discrimination until after working there for 19 years, basically saying that wage discrimination was A.O.K. as long as it was kept secret.

Also, I caught a bit on CNN today about how women are upset that with President Obama’s possible job creation plan there will not be enough jobs created for women, since most of the work will focus on construction. I think that is another barrier to overcome, thinking that women can’t do construction jobs. Ever heard of Rosie the Riveter? Creating public works jobs can benefit both sexes, as long as women are not discriminated against in hiring practices. The idea of “women’s jobs” and “men’s jobs” is an outmoded idea. There are in within both sexes people capable of doing all sorts of jobs equally well and the only profession I can currently think of that requires specific male or female roles is pornography.

As I’m writing this I notice that Sparky has also posted something on the struggle of women in the work place. Check it out. There is definitely still a ways to go for women to be on equal footing with men in this sphere.

Catchy Headline

Sex smell lures 'vampire' to doom

Anger in Oakland

Oscar Grant, 22, was shot to death at the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Fruitvale station in Oakland by a BART police officer New Year's Day . Grant was unarmed and restrained at the time of the shooting. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, resigned this week avoiding questions about the incident. The extreme action, and the lack of accountability for Mehserle have sparked a lot of anger in Oakland. According to an Associated Press article, protests last night turned violent, and arrests were made.

This is not the only incidence of wrongful death by law enforncement in Oakland. In 2007, an Oakland police office shot and killed Gary King, Jr. in the back. There were protests then as well, but the death of King, Jr. did not gain nearly as much attention as that of Grant. The likely reason: video of Grant's death taken by standers-by, and shared widely across the web. This media event has put spot light on the police brutality in this city.

The wider awareness and undeniable evidence of the wrongful death of Grant has given police brutality activists the stage, brought more community involvement, and also more outrage and anger. The protest I witnessed this morning outside of the Oakland offices of BART, were peaceful, but there were signs that the peace was fragile. The group chanted "justice for Oscar Grant" and listened to speaches, but as they approached the glass door entrance angry pounding could be heard. A voice over the bullhorn said, "let's be respectful" and "don't break the glass." When I left everything was still intact.

This event has also given the youth of the city the impetus to get involved. Many of the people there were students from a local highschool, the same highschool that Grant attended one of students told me. I talked with a highschool teacher who had come to the protest with his students. "We knew that they were going to come no matter what , so we came with them, to help keep what happened last night from happening again, and I think it's important for them to be here."