JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) —  Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for 30 years under apartheid, died after a concert in Italy. She was 76. In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world: Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon and for JFK.

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I saw her perform back in the early 90s with Hugh Masekela and
during her performance she called out American woman for not having a
Women’s Day celebration that year even though women all over the world had
organized one in their countries, even in countries where women were
persecuted much more harshly than here. She showed why they called her
Mama Africa!

According to the Department of Defense, 41 of the 99 U.S. military women who have been killed in Iraq died in “noncombat-related incidents.” Of the 99 U.S. military women killed in the Iraq theater, 41 were women of color (21 African-Americans, 16 Latinas, three of Asian-Pacific descent and one Native American).

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So this morning I hear this on Democracy Now!

Pro-choice activists are gathering around the country today to mark the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. In Albany, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is addressing the Family Planning Advocates of New York State. Shortly after taking office last year, Spitzer introduced a bill that would declare abortion a fundamental right for women. The bill would also ensure abortion remains legal in New York should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. [includes rush transcript]

And by the afternoon, this is the new headline…

NY governor linked to prostitution ring
NEW YORK - Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the crusading politician who built his career on rooting out corruption, apologized Monday after allegations surfaced that he paid thousands of dollars for a high-end call girl. He did not elaborate on the scandal, which drew calls for his resignation.

What’s really going on?!

At least one out of every three women in the world is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime and one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape. Trafficking, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, dowry murder, honour killings and female infanticide are other aspects of the problem….

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Rep. Maxine Waters and other progressive lawmakers are tired of watching Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama dance around the issue of Iraq withdrawal. As the January 27 ‘Peace March on Washington’ approaches, leaders of the Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus plan to turn up the heat on the Democratic presidential frontrunners.

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Clinton gets backing of Maxine Waters

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Some performers are finding that early success online can turn into an album contract.

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The power of the vote is going to be truly tested in South Carolina, a state where slavery had strong roots and now where women of color may actually be the deciding factor in the January 26, 2008 primary in South Carolina, a historical day indeed make not mistake about it.

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I was looking forward to a quiet family holiday in New York this summer with my three children, our dog Maxmillian and my husband, who is being treated for a heart condition that developed while he was a political prisoner in Pakistan from 1996 to 2004. I thought we would go to the theatre and spend time walking in Central Park, as well meeting up with friends for nice, long chatty dinners. But in this surprisingly momentous summer of 2007, our quiet family vacation disappeared as we found ourselves caught up in the media attention on my country Pakistan, and its fast changing political situation.

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday after addressing a large gathering of her supporters.

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Women in jail can suffer slow and painful deaths for treatable and simple illnesses as a result of the horrific state of prison health care.

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Warner Bros president of production Jeff Robinov has made a new rule that “We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead”, according to DeadlineHollywood. Apparently, Robinov won’t even look at a script with a female lead.

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