Wed 2-24-10

Lisa started the show on Wednesday by telling listeners to stay tuned to News/Talk 1400 WSTC / 1350 WNLK for the latest in weather and traffic reports because of the second round of snow hitting the area this weekend.

Transitioning into hard news and human-interest stories, Lisa discussed news about Mosab Hassan Yousef, 32, who is the son of one of the founders of Hamas, Sheikh Hassan Yousef. Mosab claims that he was one of the top Israeli agents, nicknamed the "Green Prince," by Shin Bet (the Israeli CIA). According to Haaretz, Mosab supplied key intelligence on almost a daily basis from 1996 onwards, tracking down suicide bombers and handlers from Hamas, his father's organization. The information he supplied led to the arrest Marwan Barghouti, and some of the other most wanted men by the Israeli authorities.



Mosab Hassan Yousef has published a book called Son of Hamas (Salt River Press), which reveals information about his missions with Shin Bet.



Lisa mentioned another news story that she has been following about the assassination of a Hamas leader at a hotel in Dubai. The original blame was placed on Israel's Mossad, however Dubai officials now admit that they are being led to believe that the cause was from a Hamas insider. Lisa calls the story fascinating because it reminds her of anecdotes from a spy novel.



Reflecting back on Mosab Yousef, Lisa quotes him by saying that it is impossible for Hamas to make peace with Israel because it is against what their G-d tells them. They can only make a cease-fire. He then says that the Hamas militants are responsible for the deaths of Palestinians, not Israelis.



Lisa told about her own experience in Israel right before the war with Lebanon in 2006. She described her location in Northern Israel at a point between Syria and Lebanon, which is where the capture of Gilad Shalit took place. Mosab Yousef, who is a practicing Christian now living in California, says that he wishes he could be in Gaza now to fight for the liberation of Gilad Shalit. Mosab does not believe that the current procedure of prisoner exchanges is an appropriate tactic in freeing Shalit.



Also in human interest, Lisa shares a news story from Argentina. The story involves the "Dirty War" (1976-1983) where Argentinian security forces rounded up pregnant women and tortured them. The news story revolves around a man named Abel Madariaga, whose wife was kidnapped and never found. When Madariaga's wife was kidnapped, she was pregnant, and the baby was taken and adopted. Years later after a DNA test, Madariaga Quintela, 32, was matched with his biological father Abel Madariaga.



After a news break, Lisa talked about the news in Italy about the Google executives who were convicted in a case involving freedom of Internet and human rights. There was a video that was uploaded on Google that involved several children bullying a child with Down syndrome. Parents requested that Google remove the video, and Google complied. An advocacy group alerted prosecutors about the video. This is the first case of its time because Google executives are being held for the content on their site. Lisa relates this to suing publishers for the content that they control and distribute, saying that the Internet is totally different than that because of the sheer volume of content being uploaded daily. Google plans to appeal the decision because, "it attacks the principles of freedom on which the Internet was built." It is important to understand, Lisa points out, that none of these people were involved with the production of this video, nor did they upload it onto the viewing platform. The prosecutors argue that it should have been noticed because it was on the "most viewed" list. Lisa pondered that it is interesting to examine what exactly the Internet is, and if Google should be held responsible. Lisa does not believe they should be prosecuted.



On the topic of media, Lisa discussed Murdoch investing heavily with the Rotana television. Lisa is fascinated to see what will happen to the content once the deal between Murdoch and the Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Tala goes through.



Lisa introduced her guest Wednesday, Helen Benedict, by saying she should win a Pulitzer Prize in investigative journalism for the work she does. Benedict's book, "The Lonely Soldier", was commented on by the creator of "The Vagina Monologues", Eve Ensler, who said "it is hard to determine what is most disturbing about this book: the devious and immoral tactics used by leaders and recruiters to get women to join the military, the terrible poverty and violence that women were escaping that led them to be vulnerable to such manipulation, the raping and harassing of women soldiers by their superiors and comrades once they got to Iraq." Ensler calls this book important, and a crucial account of the war on women who gave their lives for their country.



Lisa asked Helen how many women were serving in the US Military at the time of her reporting, and how many are reporting now. In the Middle East, mostly Iraq, Helen places the figure near 206,000 women. Lisa asked about the history of women being segregated in the military, versus being integrated with the men. Helen said it began after Vietnam, when women were not allowed to carry weapons and were kept as nurses, in separate jobs and quarters. After the draft when the military needed more bodies, it opened a lot more jobs to women. President Kennedy believed in women having equal opportunity in military jobs. Over 90 percent of military jobs are open to women except for infantry and calvary divisions.



Lisa asked Helen to talk about one of the stories in the book, so she chose to focus on the character of Abby who comes from Wisconsin. In Abby's hometown, many kids joined the military, and it was an accepted and honored path. Abby joined the National Guard before 9/11. Despite her vision of the National Guard, she was deployed to Iraq to be a combat soldier following 9/11. She was deployed with an engineering unit that was historically all male. The men were not comfortable having women there, and had crates of pornographic magazines, made sexual harassment remarks, and they looked at women as embarrassing and incompetent.



Abby was in a mortar attack on her base, and worked to save people, dragging bodies out. She was nominated for a Bronze Star, but her commander spoke against her because he was against any woman being recognized for honor. The hostility and abuse drove Abby out of the military. The men who are accused of harassment are not prosecuted because the military cannot afford to lose their fighters.



Lisa asked Helen whether this was simply a rush to political correctness, in integrating forces. She wonders why women and men are trained separately. Helen responded by saying that in the Marines women and men are separated during training. Before taking a call, Lisa asked if Helen had conducted a comparison into the way women are treated in the Israeli Army versus the US Army. Helen found that the biggest problem in the US Army is the isolation of women. Whereas in the Israeli Army there isn't the isolation problem, Israeli women are stilled banned from ground combat, as are Americans. She stresses that sexual harassment and abuse is not unique to the US Army, but that it happens in the Israeli Army, too -- though she says the harassment in the Israeli Army is more closely related to that which would happen in the civilian world or in the office setting.



Lisa mentioned that US Navy submarines are now being integrated. The problem of abuse, Helen says, is the men's problem, not the women's.



Lisa and Helen agree that the men need to learn how to behave. A caller who had a brief moment to talk said that he believes things should be kept segregated, because "boys will be boys" as Lisa paraphrased.



Lisa admitted that because she is not from a military family, she doesn't have enough experience to comment on it.


Staying on the topic of treatment of women, Lisa switched the focus to the treatment of women who take maternity leave. The European Union is thinking of making a change to make it compulsory for employers to pay women on maternity leave for 20 weeks with full pay. The current law in the UK is that the first six weeks are 90 percent of pay, followed by 33 weeks of statutory maternity pay of 123 pounds per week. Women on maternity leave cannot be fired for one year.



The US and Australia do not have mandatory maternity leave benefits. France, Singapore, and Austria offer 4-months. Swedish mothers get paid for a year and a half at 80 percent of their salary.



Lisa has been self-employed for a long time but when she was pregnant with her son in 1986 she was working with a company who did not pay her for maternity leave. Lisa worked until her due date, commuting from Westchester to Manhattan. After her son was born, Lisa's boss called her inquiring when she would return, and she was confused because of an arrangement where she thought she had until November to return, and when her boss needed an immediate answer, Lisa ruled in favor of family.



Lisa is surprised because that happened back in 1986, and still in 2010 we do not have mandatory maternity leave pay.



Lisa returned from a news break making a comment about you can date your life by the "soundtrack of your life," and the songs that were released throughout your life.



Back to the idea of maternity leave, Lisa explained that we're on-par with Ghana, Swaziland and Zambia who also do not provide women with mandatory paid maternity leave. Sudan only gives 8 weeks. Less developed countries around the world give full and partially paid leave. Lisa calls it a matter of priorities.



On the subject of maternity, Lisa mentions a story about the Octo-Mom not ruling out having more children. Lisa says, "Sweetheart, tie your tubes." Lisa believes that the hardest job is being a parent, but it's not one that anyone is particularly qualified for.



Speaking of parents in the news, Charlie Sheen's wife Brooke Mueller has checked herself into rehab, according to TMZ.com. Charlie decided to preemptively check himself into rehab, as well. Lisa wonders then, who is taking care of their baby twins?



Before the news break, Lisa mentioned that a new Vincent Van Gogh painting has been discovered. It depicts several human figures, not brightly colored, and it was believed to be painted in 1886.



Lisa came back from another news break by talking about a story involving education and Mayor Bloomberg in his efforts to get rid of the "dead wood" in schools. In Providence, Rhode Island, 82 teachers were fired from Central Falls High School because Central Falls High School was in the bottom 5 percent in performance compared to other schools in the state. The American Federation of Teachers was very angry about this, and went out to protest. The US Secretary of Education applauded the district for doing what he believes is right for the students, and was not standing with the union. After negotiations broke down, the superintendent no longer believed the high school could be transformed, hence choosing the turn-around model.



Lisa thinks that maybe we need to start over in some of these schools. The superintendent said that up to 50 percent of those teachers will be hired back in the turn-around model.



Lisa mentioned that her appearance at the Taste of Stamford has been postponed until next Thursday because of the weather that's coming to the area.



Focusing on some more news, Lisa brought up the disaster in Haiti. According to the Wall Street Journal, approximately 30 percent of the surgeries performed in make-shift operating rooms will have to be re-done. Many wounds are already dirty and diseases like malaria are posing a problem in the tented communities.


In other news, the senate is disposing of the Volcker proposal to reinstate the rule that would prohibit banks from risky trading opportunities. Chris Dodd will unveil the plan next week. Risky trading at banks will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but apparently will not be banned outright.



In more financial news, over 20,000 people gathered to strike in Greece because of the country's financial problems. The government announced freezing civil-service wages, public-sector entitlements, and the closing of tax loopholes in the case of certain professions. The fuel tax will be increased (Wall Street Journal).



Wrapping up the show, Lisa asked Mike, the board-op, about his favorite Olympic event so far, and he said it was figure skating because of the beauty behind it. He called it majestic. Lisa said the most exciting for her was an extreme skiing sport, but that her favorite was figure skating.


Written by: Alexandra Kirsch (kirscha2@msu.edu)