Gerrie Cobb, Astronette
Since the death of Walter Cronkite and the 40th anniversary of the moon landing have prompted Americans to reminisce about NASA, let’s include in our thoughts some of the women who have taken steps toward gender equality in space.
Record-setting commercial pilot Geraldyn “Gerrie” Cobb was the first of the “astronette” corps, a group of thirteen women who in 1959 passed the physical testing required of male astronauts.  Author Stephanie Nolan says:

A frequent topic on our blog is the sexualization of our teenage daughters and the danger that lies therein. But it is not just our young daughters, objectifying woman is a true cultural phenomena. Scary thing is how acceptable and celebrated that it has become.
ESPN's Erin Andrews
Erin Andrews of ESPN is the latest victim. Reports are circulating that Erin was the victim of video voyeurism after someone shot video of her in a private moment through her hotel room peephole.
Maggie Hendricks at Yahoo writes:
Sexual assault — and, make no mistake, …

Chris Brown makes a public apology. Turns out, he hit the wrong woman. Rihanna was and is an even bigger star than he going into the incident, and suffice it to say, folks ain’t buying Chris Brown.
Here’s the apology:

What do you think? Is the apology genuine? Does Chris Brown deserve forgiveness?

This past week, a dear friend of mine from Wall Street, Cammy Fulton,  passed away well before her time. Cammy worked at Lehman and was a Wall Street woman who always had other women’s back. She will be missed by many. This blog piece is in her memory.
Amidst the wreckage of our economy, a discussion started earlier this year in the MSM about whether this past economic downturn could have been avoided had more women been in positions of power on Wall Street.  Nicholas Kristof, a favorite …

The New Agenda welcomes profiles of any candidate for governor, US Senate or US House.  These profiles are the work of their authors and do not constitute an endorsement by The New Agenda.  If you’d like to submit a profile, send it to blog@thenewagenda.net .
Michelle Bachman graduated from Anoka High School from Minnesota in 1974. Like all children, she went beyond her home boundaries and attended Virginia’s William and Mary Law School where she graduated with a degree in tax law. However, she returned to Minnesota and served as an attorney …

Pilot Major Jennifer L. Grieves of Glendale, AZ (left); with copilot Maj. Jennifer. L Marino of Palisade, CO; and crew chief Sgt. Rachael A. Sherman of Traverse City, MI.
The ABC Headline reads:
President Obama’s Historic First Female Helicopter Pilot
Huh?  Jennifer Grieves became the first female pilot of Marine One (the helicopter that transports the president) in May of 2008, initially serving President Bush.  Since Grieves’ shattering of what ABC called the “glass rotors” pre-dates President Obama’s election, and since as far as I can tell Obama had nothing to do with her accomplishment, why does …

This is what we are up against and we need your help!
So many in our country do not understand sexism and how it impacts women’s ability to advance.
Watch this video of The New Agenda’s Amy Siskind defending Judge Sonia Sotomayor.   No sexism?  Hogwash!

Here’s some examples of sexism against Sotomayor courtesy of Women’s Media Center:

As Amy states, it is because of the women’s advocacy and women’s media watch dog groups which sprung up in 2008 that Sotomayor was defended against sexism. Our organizations are vital to the way forward for …

This post originally appeared on The Vyne.  The author expresses her own opinions, not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Photo credit: ABC News
Humanitarian. Family Doctor. Trailblazer. Fighter. These are all fitting words used to describe the incredible Dr. Regina Benjamin, President Obama’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General. In her life she has overcome tremendous odds, and has used tragedies in her life as fuel to make a significant impact on health and human services in this country.
Born in 1956 in Mobile, Alabama, her commitment to preventable diseases resulted from witnessing …

Criminal Minds is an ensemble television series featuring FBI agents who track down serial killers. It is a mystery who-did-it show, but in this case, the clues stem from the criminal’s own behavior and actions. The team members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit develop a profile based upon personality characters and determine from that profile who the killer is. It is a well-balanced mix of comedy and drama, love and action. It also features three amazing and empowering female characters.

 
Emily Prentiss is the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss. As a …

Rep Wasserman Schultz – PLAY BALL!
The premise of The New Agenda – being non-partisan – continues to spread — this time to the sports field!
Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) has teamed up with Rep Jo Ann Emerson (R) to form a non-partisan women’s softball team.  A group of 15 women senators and congresswomen from both sides of the aisle have been meeting at 7 a.m. each morning for the past month to practice.
Anne Schroeder Mullins reports on the team that surrounds Rep Wasserman Schultz:
She’s also in the bullpen as a …