Entries for April 2006

Rape is just part of the price of admission. How crazy is that? Yet it's true, according to the Associated Press. As more women enter the United States illegally (a decade-long trend), more of them are raped in the desert and the rough-and-tumble border towns they must traverse to get here. The AP reports, "Rape has become so prevalent that many women take birth-control pills or shots before setting out to ensure they won't get pregnant. Some consider rape 'the price you pay for crossing the border,' said Teresa Rodriguez, regional director of the U.N. Development Fund for Women."

Talk about bad timing! On Equal Pay Day, Wimbledon announces it's still going to pay male players more than females. Love-30. That is, Wimbledon 0-Venus Williams 30, if Williams goes ahead with a possible boycott—or, shall we say, girl-cott?

Is Madison Avenue discovering big money in real women? TV long ago recognized the riches in reality. Yes, lots of eyeballs (to wit, people) tune in to watch other real people in reality shows. But Madison Avenue has been slow to follow. Seems people still want to buy products that look better when they're modeled by, well, models and celebrities, rather than age-ridden real people.

Bet you don't know what day Tuesday, April 25, is. It's the American Life League's National Pro-life T-shirt Day. Seems as if interest groups on the left and right and in the messy middle have turned every day, week, and month of the year into some cause-related marketing event. Are there any days, weeks, or months left unclaimed? Perhaps, but this event was still news to me.

And you thought college tuition was the most extortionate expense associated with child rearing. Think again. USA Today reports that daycare costs are rising so quickly, sticker-shocked parents are comparing preschool with the cost of a second mortgage. In some cities, day-care centers (not private nannies, remember, but a supposedly less-expensive alternative) charge almost $2,000 per month.

Two more national trends to watch as Democrats' chances in individual House races become more clear: how the parties energize their respective bases and the effect of gerrymandering following the 2000 census.

Washington is all atwitter over Democrats' chances in November of taking back one or both chambers of Congress. But before Democrats go wafting off into ether (and few have), progressive partisans have some Himalayan-size mountains to scale. Most pundits are focusing on the House as the Democrats' best shot for a takeover. That, of course, requires a pickup of at least 15 seats. Will national polls showing Republicans in big trouble with voters prove right? Or will local issues, incumbency, and new candidates' strengths or weaknesses swing elections?