• Carolyn Rodgers, a poet and leading member of the Black Arts Movement, died on April 2. “What made her important was her unique use of language and her descriptions of our community,” said Haki Madhubuti. He continues:
“When she read, people would sit up and take notice. Men gravitated toward her like she was a Corvette.” Rodgers passed away in her Chicago home. She was 69. • A student from the University of California may have discovered a new treatment for acne, but before you throw out your Proactiv, be warned: It includes human breast milk. • Women’s rugby is the Next Big Thing, according to the New York Times. Women make up the fastest-growing segment of rugby players in the U.S. and coach Kathy Flores thinks it has something to do with the violent nature of the game. “Women have always wanted to be physical, but they haven’t had the opportunity,” she said. • Nathalie Woods and Elizabeth Knowles recently became the first same-sex couple in Britain to jointly sign a birth certificate. Their daughter, Lily May Betty Woods, was born earlier this month. But Lily doesn’t legally have two mommies – the birth certificate describes both women as “parents” instead of having spaces for “mother” and “father.” • A major study out of Australia found that women who regularly take multivitamins are 19% more likely to develop breast tumors. Researchers suggest that vitamin supplements may increase the density of breast tissue, a risk factor for breast cancer. • 10 Australian businessmen have come together to campaign for women’s rights in a group organized by Elizabeth Broderick, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. “It is strong male leadership that’s going to change the picture for women in Australia – which in a sense is a little bit depressing,” she said of the Male Champions for Change. • Cuban authorities are clamping down on protests held by the “Ladies in White,” which is the name given to female relatives of jailed political dissidents. For the past two weeks, a group of nine women have been prevented from marching in Havana by security agents. The government has called their protest against alleged human rights violations an “enemy campaign.” • Bummer: “Viagra for women still a fantasy.” Apparently, while scientists do have a better understanding of female sexual arousal, they are not really much closer to developing a drug. • UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has called for Muslim Gulf states to improve the position of millions of foreign workers in the region. During a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, Pillay said that the rights of migrant domestic workers in the gulf states is “of particular concern, because their isolation in private homes makes them more vulnerable to physical, psychological, and sexual violence.” • Seven-year-old Lauren Newton has a special relationship with a robin in her garden. The bird waits for Lauren after school every day and is perfectly happy to eat out of her hand. Her mother says the bird has “almost become part of the family.” • This week the case of the Applesauce Assault will go to court in Los Angeles. In this lawsuit, a woman is accused of striking an airport security officer after he attempted to take away her 93-year-old mother’s applesauce. She denies hitting the agent, and claims she merely brought down her hand to prevent him from taking the food. • A woman from the UK has developed a Chinese accent as a strange side effect from her migraines. She also sometimes speaks with an eastern European accent. Doctors say this is not unheard of. • A recent poll found that the majority of Tea Partiers would not even consider voting for Sarah Palin for president in 2012. Although the Tea Party is in many ways Sarah’s last fan base, they don’t even want her in office. So that’s one thing we can agree on. •