South Carolina Governor Admits Affair

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina, after questions arose over his disappearance from the state during the past week. Earlier today we spoke with Gina Smith, reporter for “The State” newspaper. Smith encountered the Governor arriving at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia this morning.

The Rating Companies

Credit ratings agencies such as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s used to be widely viewed as independent arbiters of financial investments, but they gave triple-A ratings to the subprime mortgages at the heart of the economic meltdown. New York Times business reporter Gretchen Morgenson tells us that under President Obama’s plan to reform Wall Street, very little is being done to rein them in.

Whaling

** FILE ** A whale leaps out of the water in what is called breaching in the channel off the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui in Hawaii, USA, in this Jan. 23, 2005 file picture. A slim majority of nations on the International Whaling Commission voted Sunday, June 18, 2006 in support of a resumption of commercial whaling, but pro-whaling nations still lack the numbers needed to overturn a 20-year-old ban. The resolution, approved 33-32 with one abstention, declares that the moratorium on commercial whaling was meant to be temporary and is no longer needed. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

A whale breaches off Hawaii (AP)

Pro- and anti-whaling forces are debating the future of whaling at this week’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission, where a study was released that says countries would be better off economically if they switched their whaling industry to whale watching. The BBC Environment Correspondent Richard Black joins us from the meeting on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

N.O.W.’s New President

National Organization for Women, the nation’s largest women’s rights group, has a new president. Terry O’Neill, a 56-year old attorney from Maryland, edged out 33-year old Latifa Lyles, who’s African American. We speak to Terry O’Neill about her feminist philosophy and plans for leading N.O.W.

Summer Reading for ‘Tweens, Part I

Kids 9-to-12 years-old are now the “tween” demographic. They have their own music, movies and TV shows. But what about books? We have suggestions for great summer reads for tweens from children’s librarian, Sherry Eskin, of the Honan-Allston branch of the Boston Public Library. Tomorrow on Here & Now, we hear about summer reading for older ‘Tweens.

Our ‘Tween Picks and, Hear Readings from ‘Tweens

Meg Cabot, “Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls” — Audio Extra!
Jeff Kinney, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” – Audio Extra!
Pseudonymous Bosch, “The Name of this Book is Secret” — Audio Extra!

Music from the Show

Air, “Mike Mills”
Air, “The Wee Trio”
Air, “About a Girl”
Thelonius Monk, “Caravan”
The Lickets, “Meat City”
Ahmad Jamal, “Patterns”
Moby, “Myopia”
Nick Jonas & Miley Cyrus, “Before the Storm”
Miley Cyrus (as Hannah Montana), “True Friend”

Robb Moats

I was stunned by Ms. Young’s response when Sherry Eskin listed “I cut myself at night” as one of the things tweens cared about. The fact that Ms. Eskin even mentioned this potentially serious situation coupled with Ms. Young’s amused burst of laughter minimizes what may be a symptom of a greater underlying issue in the tween’s life. Some children cut themselves out of “what if” curiosity, but other children–and some adults–use self mutilation as a mechanism to punish what they view as bad behavior or thoughts. While self-mutilators rarely do themselves serious harm, the trance-like state generated during the process can lead injury requiring medical treatment. Moreover, some slip into other behaviors including anorexia and bulimia, which may occur along with the self-mutilation.

While I its clear the host and her guest meant no disrespect to those who suffer from these disorders, its important to note that systematic and repetitive self-mutilation at any age may warrant psychiatric evaluation.
J.P.HAMPIE

Did you really just support a statistic from the soon to be head of N.O.W. comparing the incomes of EVERY woman in America, to and I quote “White Men”?
Does that sound like a logical comparison?
Robin Young

Hi, Robin here..

I’m going to listen back to the NOW piece,
but I wanted to address Robb’s concerns..
and make clear that I didn’t meant to laugh at the mention of “cutting”, I’m so sorry if it sounded that way!

I meant to exclaim….(and I think I said something about that being more serious than I expected, or words to that effect).. because I was surprised!

But no, you’re right, we had NO intent to make
fun of that disorder!

Thanks for your comment
Robin
Gloria Primera

How soon we forget! It is really distressing that young women forget how we had to battle for every inch of progress made for women. Women were jailed for wanting to vote & not that long ago. European women have always had rights before us & still do. I marched on Washington, sat at a coffee with Sarah Weddington who won the right for women to have a modicum of control over their own bodies. When I became pregnant in ’62, pregnant women couldn’t teach (nor could they attend public schools) in Texas. Then, later, we adopted our daughter, because there was no maternity leave where I was a professor at San Antonio College & I would have again lost my job if I got pregnant, so I stayed on the birth control pill for 15 years. During this time I had a half dozen trips to the emergency room as it caused me (unknowingly then) to get migraine headaches & had to be “knocked out” – & was later told I’d been playing “russian rouletter” with having a stroke. In ’77 I was at a NOW meeting at Trinity U. & volunteered to be a torch relay runner for the 1st Natl. Women’s Conf. in Houston. So what is wrong with giving women full equal rights legally? I remember when I first heard NPR & cried with tears because it was like “radio free America” finally reaching the boondocks here in Texas. Thank you for the work you do. God bless you & God bless the new President of NOW!
Christina Mullinax

In answer to J.P. Hampie’s comment – When you are using statistics it is important to be as clear as possible. Men of color make less on average than white males. Women of color make substantially less than their male counterparts as well as White women. As NOW members we often do not get the opportunity to have lengthy sound bites to explain the nuanced discussion about pay disparity between gender, let alone race.
Gloria Primera

Thanks for commenting on Hampie’s statement. Right on, sister. You go, girl! Pass it on!
Will Warner

I guess I was not suprised to learn that the new president of NOW is an extremist. She really said that one doesn’t have a right to be a nurse, even though qualified and employed in that capacity. Are you kidding me? Anybody who will not admit that abortion is morally complicated is an extremist.

I used to be a feminist, but I will fight that lady with every thing I have.
http://N/A Tim Vaill

How do you submit a story idea to Robin?

TLV
Alexis

Robin, Love your show and was delighted when our local NPR station started carrying your broadcast.

With regards to your interview with Pete Peterson of Blackstone, who said something to the effect that he would like the American people to march on Washington in protest of the deficit–I’d be more impressed if he had made that suggestion during the Bush Administration!!