AFP provides more context to the recent trouble in the Sudan, where journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein was detained and sentenced to 40 lashes for the crime of wearing pants. Due to the case’s extreme publicity, Hussein’s sentence was commuted to a fine of 500 Sudanese pounds (200) dollars. Ten of the 12 women detained at the restaurant Hussein was visiting have been lashed for their supposed transgression. The arbitrary laws poorly define what is acceptable attire for women and what is not – and Sudan’s uneasy combination of Islamic and Christian law further complicates matters.

Hussein for her part vows to continue the fight for women’s independence in the Sudan: 

“I’m ready for anything to happen. I’m absolutely not afraid of the verdict….If I’m sentenced to be whipped, or to anything else, I will appeal. I will see it through to the end, to the constitutional court if necessary.”

Jambalaya Demonstration with Joey Chiasson at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, September 19th

Foodies should make tracks for the Southern Food and Beverage Museum on the 19th, at 2:00 PM. Local Cajun chef Joey Chiasson will demonstrate how to make an authentic and delicious jambalaya, drawing on his wealth of knowledge about old-school Louisiana cuisine. Chiasson’s talents extend further then jambalaya making: he’s won cooking competitions, cooked at Cajun French Music Association events, and regularly teaches youngsters about their culinary heritage.

There’s always a fun food event going on at the Southern Food and Beverage museum. Check the Museum’s events listings to see what’s up next. 

Tulane’s own Paula Morris discusses her new YA book, “Ruined: A Ghost Story” with Susan Larson of the Times Picayune. Morris also discusses the influence the city of New Orleans has had on her work, and her plans for her next novel, “”Rangatira”. 

- FG

Save the date for a tasty meeting of the Garden District Cookbook Club, held at the Garden District Bookshop on Prytania and Washington Avenue. This month’s outing features Richard Sutton, owner of the locally beloved St. James cheese company. Sutton will lead a conversation on contemporary cheesemaking, and will then conduct a tasting. The book of the month will be “The Cheese Chronicles,” author Liz Thorpe’s engaging journey through the ever-growing world of American cheesemaking and cheese-eating. 

Meetings begin at 6:00 PM and discounts on the featured book are always offered. For more information: Call 895-2266, or email gdkrewe@aol.com.

BERLIN — Securing sufficient funding is the greatest obstacle to improving women’s well-being and rights in the developing world, officials attending a conference on sexual and reproductive health said Friday.

The Berlin meeting, which brought together representatives from some 300 non-governmental organizations around the world, came 15 years after the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, where a similar group set goals to improve the sexual health and rights for women, particularly in the developing world.

Here’s hoping this Berlin action will reverse the disasterous moves of the Bush government, which blocked funds to the Clinton era plan on the claim that it “promoted abortion”. Good news from Scott Radloff of the U.S. Agency for International Development: “We’re likely to be witnessing about a 50 percent increase in funding for both family planning, reproductive health and for maternal/child health over a two-year period.”