Five sugared almonds
At an Italian wedding, you might get a “bomboniera,” a little favor of “five sugared almonds for each guest to eat / to remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.” I’m taken with every element of this tradition. “Into every life some rain must fall” – but make it candy. A small token of fondness and appreciation that includes a nod to sadness. Thank you for being here, life is a mixed bag, have a little something.
So I named this little project Bomboniera as a nod to the mixed bag of items I have to share – headlines, events, anniversaries, various and sundry.
Thank you for being here, have a little something.
Workplace
A Top L Brands Executive Complained of Harassment. Then She Was Locked Out.
by James Stewart, New York Times
Monica Mitro was until last fall the executive vice president of public relations for Victoria’s Secret. She was a well-known figure in fashion and media circles who had spent decades at the company. But for years, Ms. Mitro suffered verbal abuse at the hands of Ed Razek, her boss and a top executive at L Brands, according to colleagues who witnessed numerous instances of mistreatment.
Why the WNBA's New Maternity Leave Policy Is Revolutionary
Maggie Mertens, The Atlantic
The discussion of female athletes and how they’re affected by everything from puberty to menopause has historically been avoided in research in the medical and sports-science worlds. This is due, at least in part, to the constant fluctuation of women’s hormones throughout the menstrual cycle, which makes them “more complex” to perform research on.
Reproductive health is a business issue
Lisa Hammann, Fast Company
Women now make up more than half of the U.S. workforce, from the frontline to the C-suite, and they care about having access to reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion. In fact, more than 80% of women expect their employers to provide this type of insurance, and many will not move for a job to a state where reproductive health services are restricted.
LGBTQ
'We will still exist': Hundreds gather for protest of transgender bills
Makenzie Huber, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Sam Mettler feels like he isn't welcome in South Dakota. The 22-year-old transgender male is a Sioux Falls native, but he said recent legislation introduced in the South Dakota Legislature denies him and other transgender people their rights.
Abortion
The Long History of the Anti-Abortion Movement’s Links to White Supremacists
Emily Douglas, The Nation
Despite the careful curation of its public image, racism and xenophobia have been woven into the anti-abortion movement for decades
Maternal Mortality
The CDC's updated maternal mortality stats show how far the U.S. has to go
Vanessa Taylor, Mic
There's been plenty of talk about the U.S.'s abysmal maternal mortality rate. But what most people don't realize is that the government itself wasn't really interrogating all that information. Now, though, the government is back in the conversation after the CDC released its first stats on the maternal mortality rate in over a decade.
Equal Rights Amendment
With time ticking, some lawmakers still hope state will become 39th to ratify the ERA
Janelle Irwin Taylor, Florida Politics
Two Democrats are sponsoring legislation this year that would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Florida. Neither have managed to get their bills on an agenda.
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