Another modern-day Tiresias speaks out...

...but this time it's not about who--men or women?-- enjoys sex more, but rather about the bias against high-achieving women in Science.

Ben Barres' experience of life as both a woman and a man-- a gift of Science, not the gods-- makes him uniquely qualified to speak to this gender controversy... and he has been thinking about it ever since Harvard President Larry Summers made his unfortunate remark about the lack of women in Science.

Read Barres' perspective...

photo: from NYTimes, courtesy of Ben Barres

creep

When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather, in a beautiful world I wish I was special, you're so fucking special. But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here. I don't care if it hurts, I want to have control. I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul. I want you to notice, when I'm not around. You're so fucking special, I wish I was special. But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here?. I don't belong here She's running out the door, she's running, she run, run, run, run, run. Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want. You're so fucking special, I wish I was special, but I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here, I don't belong here. Creep © 1993, Thom Yorke

Women for Women International...

...matches up women from around the world with their sisters in war-torn countries in order to support them in their efforts to recover and become self-sustaining citizens, as well as advocates for other women.

What does it take? Just $27 per month for a year, to help a woman get back on her feet. Not only that, but her children benefit, and so does her community. But any donation is welcome.

Read just two paragraphs from their site, on the page where they explain "Why we do it:"

Across the globe, undeclared wars and internal armed conflicts have reached an unprecedented number. There have been more than 250 major wars since the end of World War II, resulting in over 23 million casualties. Modern warfare is no longer confined to battlefields; around the world, non-combatants are in the direct line of fire, suffering greatly and becoming the anonymous and undercounted casualties of violent conflicts. In today’s wars, 90 percent of casualties are civilians, 75 percent of whom are women and children; a century ago, 90 percent of war casualties were male soldiers. [emphasis added]

As never before, women are disproportionately affected by war and civil strife. Women are targeted for ethnic cleansing and subjected to rape as a tool of war. They lose male family members who leave to fight and are killed. Many are displaced from their own homes. When widowed by war, they are thrust into the role of sole provider, often without marketable skills or a viable means to earn an income and often in communities that do not value their place in society."

Believe it or not-- this worldwide safety net for women in dire need was the vision of a 23-yr old Iraqi woman who was going to school in the U.S. after being stranded here when Kuwait was invaded and she could not return home. She already knew from personal experience what it was like to live with war as part of one's daily life...

"Women who survive war are strong, resilient and courageous – they just need some support dealing with the aftermath of conflict,” Ms. Salbi says. “So, we give them the tools they need to help themselves and their families, while providing them with the education to be leaders and advocates in their communities.” - Zainab Salbin, founder & CEO of Women for Women International

Thanks to Urania's 9th House for the link to Women for Women ~~~ photo: source