Ferida Wolff writes: This Fall, though, has been slow in offering up its charms. The summer heat seemed to last longer than usual. I wonder if our winter weather will be different as well. Certainly different from my childhood memories of autumn. Weather-wise there are more storms, more drought, more floods all across our nation and the world. There is more political animosity, more anger, more active hatred. I try to look at people in a universal way, hoping to see what connects us rather than tears us apart. I look for the joy in life even though I know there are times for grief.

The 2018 election season saw the highest number of women in American history run for, and elected to, federal office. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, nearly 260 women candidates were successful in their primary elections. As of press time, a record-breaking 102 women were elected to serve in the 116th Congress, with several races remaining undecided. An additional ten women Senators were not up for reelection this cycle, which would bring the total number of women who will serve in the House and Senate next year to 123 to date.

“The three defendants sentenced today ran a pill mill masquerading as a cash-only ‘pain clinic’ that issued medically unnecessary prescriptions for thousands of tablets of oxycodone,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Department of Justice will use every tool at its disposal to aggressively pursue the pill mills—and their owners and operators—flooding our communities with illicit opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year.”

People with cancer were 2.6 percentage points more likely to vote in the 2008 election than people with any of the four other conditions. People with heart disease were 2.4 percentage points less likely to vote. Socioeconomic status and race played into these “chronic condition effects.” The authors found that among respondents who had cancer, African Americans and people without a college education were more likely to vote than their white and well-educated peers. People with poor self-rated health, no insurance, disabilities, and less emotional support were also less likely to vote than the general population.

"In this country, which stands so specially on equal representation, it is hardly possible that the same equal suffrage would not be established by law if the matter were to be left merely to the progress of public sentiment and the ordinary course of legislation. But as we confidently believe, and as we have before stated, the right already exists in our national constitutions, and especially under the recent amendments. The interpretation of the Constitution which we maintain, we cannot doubt, will be ultimately adopted by the Courts, although, as the assertion of our right encounters a deep and prevailing prejudice, and judges are proverbially cautions and conservative, we must expect to encounter some adverse decisions."

Jo Freeman reviews and writes: Race and war entwined during the riots. Most people have forgotten that the first riot of the decade was in Birmingham in 1963. They spread North in 1964, but it was the Watts riot of 1965 that really woke people up. The number of riots peaked in 1967 but didn’t decline until the next decade. The riots as much as anything pushed race off of the public agenda in favor of war. Racial progress stalled while the anti-war movement thrived. The Sixties was a period of major cultural change, so it is fitting that this book comes out as we enter another such era.

Fourteenth Amendment - All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Prior to the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment, the protections in the Bill of Rights limited only the actions of the federal government, unless the provision specifically stated otherwise. The Supreme Court, in what is called “the doctrine of incorporation” has since interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to apply most provisions in the Bill of Rights against state and local governments as well. This has meant that the Fourteenth Amendment has been used more frequently in modern court cases than any other constitutional provision.

Rose Madeline Mula writes: Shortly before my mother died, friends were reminiscing about the happiest days of their lives. When they asked my Mom what hers was, they expected her to cite one of her carefree childhood days in Italy, her wedding day, or the day I graduated from Boston University, which they had often heard her recall with pride. Instead, her immediate response was "The day I became an American citizen." I haven’t been to New York Harbor recently; but if I were to go there today, I think I would find that Lady Liberty is weeping.

Now that our postal workers (and FBI and other law enforcement agencies) are on the front line protecting us from the transfer of potentially deadly packages across the US, this recent protest on the part of postal workers against the President's attempt to privatize our postal system, seems even more relevant. "Our postal system is older than the country itself. It was a vital component of our country's public good then. It still is today," postal worker Julia Bates stated. "And along the way, one fundamental fact has always been true: Our postal system has never belonged to any president, any political party, or any company. It's belonged to the people of this country."

Brooke’s Your Reflector Number I (Personality) Quiz from the Secretarial Training Program in Waco, Texas from January 1959 to June 1959: Do I smile readily and naturally? Do I avoid 'bossing' other people? Am I fastidious about my appearance at all times? Do I avoid gossipping? Do I refrain from showing off how much I know? Do I refrain from talking about myself? Is my voice pleasing and well-modulated? "A secretary is a person - usually female - whom the boss tells everybody but her he couldn't do without."

Seriously Funny aims to contextualize recently acquired French lithographs within the larger comedic graphic tradition in Europe and America by installing them alongside prints, drawings, paintings, and sculpture from the 16th to the 21st century. With its jocularity often mistaken for triviality, caricature has long been misunderstood as inferior to artworks created in the classical Grand Manner, the large and imposing academic easel paintings that artists were trained to emulate.

One lesser-known problem that continues to local election officials is the national shortage of poll workers. They greet you at the plastic folding table set up in your neighborhood’s library, church or fire station, asking you for your name, address and, depending on your state, photo ID before handing you a ballot or directing you to a voting machine. More than just glorified receptionists, these underpaid few are really the gatekeepers to democracy. 

Among other posts, Raye Montague served as the program director for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Integrated Design, Manufacturing, and Maintenance Program as well as the division head for the Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Program. On January 22, 1984, she accepted the newly created position of deputy program manager of the Navy's Information Systems Improvement Program. The movie Hidden Figures awakened an awareness of the previously unacknowledged contributions of black engineers and mathematicians in American defense and space industries, Raye Montague was dubbed a "real-life hidden figure."

Joan L. Cannnon wrote: A year or so ago, I was invited to attend a tea given by the combined membership of all the book clubs in the town where I now live. A presentation was scheduled for the proprietor of the much-loved local independent book store cum gift shop. She is a legend in the area for her teas as well as author signings and the eclectic choices in her store. There were at least 300 in attendance. The place (the largest fellowship hall available in a local church) was crammed. It seems that in a town with a population under 25,000, there are dozens of book clubs! 

Our society values action. We enjoy “action movies”, we use “action verbs” on our resumes, and we praise active people. When we hear news, we think about what action to take. If we hear that the economy is booming, we want to take more investment risk. If a company announces record earnings, we want to buy more of its stock. If everyone says interest rates will go up, we want to sell our bonds. Often the right strategy is counter to our nature and we should hold to our established plan. Here are three reasons why.

In June 1930, after an exhaustive investigation by the federal government, notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone was indicted for income tax evasion. During a highly publicized trial, the prosecution documented Capone's lavish spending and proof that Capone was aware of his obligation to pay federal income tax but failed to do so. After nearly 9 hours of deliberation, the jurors found Capone guilty of three felonies and two misdemeanors. Capone was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison and to pay $80,000 in fines and court costs.

Jo Freeman writes: One of the most striking aspects of the protests against putting Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court was how quickly the issue of sexual assault went viral. There are many reasons to not want Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court but that’s the one that caught fire. Another striking aspect was that 90% of the people who turned out to protest, at least in DC where I participated in those protests, were women. They were mostly older women, not the younger ones who usually populate protests.

None of the new laws ban the use of nondisclosure agreements for sexual abuse and harassment outright — proponents say some victims might want to protect their privacy after an incident. But some laws do bar using the agreements at hiring, and others ensure NDAs can’t stop victims from coming forward in criminal proceedings. In Washington, state lawmakers approved a package of bills targeting NDAs that cover sexual abuse and harassment, and employers there will no longer be able to require people to sign them as a condition for employment. Existing contracts will be considered void.

Rose Madeline Mula wrote: Shakespeare was wrong, by the way. “To be or not to be?” is not the question — especially for a Catholic, like me, for whom “not to be” — i.e., suicide — is not an option. No, the real question is “To drive or not to drive?” If I can hold out until self-driving cars are readily available, that could solve my problem. Hurry up, technology!

"After a summer of scorching heat waves, deadly wildfires, flooding, flooding, and more flooding, we were weary. Fall’s bitter battle for the Supreme Court brought us not a refreshing crispness, but a renewed sense of the brittle fragility of the bonds that hold our country together...[Florida]panhandle residents cannot afford to be weary, as now is the time to heed the warnings of local officials ... But nor can storm-tormented residents of the Carolinas afford to be weary, because recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence in September have barely begun and Michael threatens to bring yet another round of heavy rain."

Jo Freeman Writes: Hundreds showed up for the standard pre-protest training at a nearby hotel, they were told that the real action would be on the steps on the east front of the U.S. Capitol. Shouting "Sexual Predators on the Court, Hell no, We Don’t Support," they role-played getting arrested and discussed how much resistance or non-cooperation to offer. The crowd was told that the Capitol cops had barricaded the Capitol steps to keep protestors from occupying them. They were told to go to Hart atrium instead. An hour later a fraction of those thousands had gone through the security screeners. Several offices, probably of Democratic Senators, also displayed signs in their windows saying such things as "We Believe Survivors" and "Kava NO."

(Flickr/Fibonacci Blue)   From Journalist's Resourcee: Leading up to the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Journalist’s Resource will be focusing on some of the controversial issues that divide the United States. Allegations of sexual assault loom large in…

Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have both put their personal security at risk by courageously combating war crimes and seeking justice for the victims. They have thereby promoted the fraternity of nations through the application of principles of international law. This year marks a decade since the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1820 (2008), which determined that the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict constitutes both a war crime and a threat to international peace and security. This is also set out in the Rome Statute of 1998, which governs the work of the International Criminal Court.