Irish women

Irish women least satisfied with sex in Europe

Women from Ireland are the least satisfied in Europe with their sex life, says a study of the sex habits of girls across the European Union.
A massive seven out of 10 Irish women say they are not satisfied with their night-time sexual activity, The Sun reported citing the study by Women’s Health magazine.
Irish women are also the busiest in bed among European countries. A whopping 42% have sex more than three times a week. Their perfect time for sex is said to be 11 pm on a Saturday night.
The study of 1,000 females was conducted to find out the truth behind European women’s sex lives and the difference in sexual appetites.
It found that women from Scotland were more sexually satisfied.
After Irish women, Londoners and Welsh women have the most sex. One-third of women from these two regions have sex three times a week.
Having sex outdoors was labelled the “most exciting” way — with 40%. It was followed by sex at work and on the beach.
But not all the 1,000 women polled seek such naughty sexual thrills, with 28% saying the only place they had sex was at home.

World

Women’s World Championship Draw Complete, Tourney to Decide Olympic Spots.

The 2012 London Olympic Games will see boxing history made when women take to the ring for the first time ever in Olympic competition. Fans of boxing will be able to see gender equality in the sport on the world’s biggest stage.
The draw for the Women’s World Championships were held in Qinhuangdo, China May 11. The draw comes after some changes were made to the Olympic qualifying process the day before changes the path some boxers will have to take to get to London.
Boxing slots open for the Olympics will now have to come under a continental quota system. The wrinkle means wins at the World Championships are only part of what will be considered. There will still be eight boxers from each weight class who will get berths out of China, but continental numbers will play a part.
Essentially, there are two parts to the Olympic selection, requiring a strong finish in the Worlds but also taking into account the strength of other boxers from the same regions. It can be compared to how team sports like soccer are given Olympic berths.
A clear example of the way the continental changes will impact Olympic hopefuls is seen in three American boxers. Flyweight Marlen Esparza and middleweight Claressa Shields will need to place in the top two in their respective classes from the Americas to earn a ticket to London. Queen Underwood, a lightweight from Seattle, Washington, will have to see the best finish in the Americas to see her way clear to the Games.
There is another aspect to the World Championships beyond Olympic qualification, and that is fights in non-Olympic classes. The United States team has three Olympic hopefuls, and six boxers looking to do their best at the Worlds. A full list of all the brackets can be viewed here.
A total of 343 women boxers from 77 nations are at the Worlds. Host nation China along with Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have the maximum allowed ten boxers. Canada, France, Kenya, and the United States are sending nine. Other nations with strong representation are Australia and Vietnam with eight, while DPR Korea, Germany, Poland, Serbia, and Venezuela each are sending seven.
The list of countries participating in the Women’s World Championships for the first time is impressive, and even includes Afghanistan.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand: Witchcraft an excuse to eliminate women to usurp property?

In the space of just over a month, four persons were brutally killed in Jharkhand this year, all four stated to be the victims of witchcraft. On March 10, throats of Sushil Oraon and Jhibi Oraon were slit in Lohardaga’s Lawagai village, while on April 16 the head of Budhva Mahali was severed and his wife Etwari Mahali suffered a macabre death at Haslata village in Gumla district.
The police said that the killings were the result of witchcraft being practised widely in the remote villages of Jharkhand.
The police’s contention was corroborated by a recent survey which found that 1,157 murders, committed between 1991 and 2010, were due to the evil practice.
Since 2001, there exists a law in the state “Jharkhand Dayan Pratha (witchcraft) Act” to control the crime, but it has been proved more effete than effective.
According to an official report of the Jharkhand Social Welfare Ministry, mostly widows, single women and families with no male members fall victims to these arcane beliefs.
The ministry pointed out that the real motive behind the killings was usurpation of the helpless women’s moveable and unmoveable property.
Jharkhand Social Welfare Minister Bimla Pradhan said Rs 20 lakh was earmarked this fiscal to organize workshops, publicity campaigns through the Jharkhand Information and Public Relations Department in an effort to weed out witchcraft.
This superstition has led to atrocities against women. The need of the hour is to launch a widespread awareness campaign to root out the evil belief, she said.
Hardly a month passes without a witchcraft murder happening in Jharkhand, particularly in the districts like Chatra, Latehar, West Singhbhum and Gumla.
It’s because of lack of awareness (that such incidents happen). An awareness campaign will be launched to eradicate this superstition, Gumla Superindent of Police Jatin Narwal said.
If necessary, action would be taken against those spreading the superstition, he said.
The Dehradun-based Rural Litigation & Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), an NGO engaged in rooting out witchcraft across the country, has recently approached the Supreme Court pleading for a direction to all states to have strict acts in place to deal with witchcraft-related crime.
The SC observed that when women were getting fifty per cent reservation in legislatures, there should be strict laws to prevent atrocities on women, RLEK Chairman Avdhash Kaushal told PTI over phone.
Unfortunately, witch-murders take place practically every week, which is nothing but a murder for property under the excuse of witchcraft, he says.
Kaushal suggested that the laws be made more stringent by increasing the present three-month prison term for such murders.

Water polo

UCLA, USC earn women’s water polo rematch

Bruins top Iona, Trojans defeat Princeton and will meet Saturday in a semifinal. UC Irvine will play top-seeded Stanford in the other semifinal.

Second-seeded UCLA put away Iona, 14-3, and No. 3-seeded USC dominated Princeton, 14-2, on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA women’s water polo championship tournament at San Diego State.
UC Irvine was an 8-6 winner over Loyola Marymount, and Pomona-Pitzer fell to Stanford, 17-5.
Senior KK Clark scored four goals for the Bruins (22-3), who established a 5-0 lead and never looked back. Sarah Orozco, another senior, had a hat trick for UCLA, which moved into a semifinal match Saturday with USC (22-5).
“I thought we did a good job with our composure and executed early, which makes all the difference,” UCLA Coach Brandon Brooks said.
Goalkeeper Sarah Wilkey made 11 stops for UCLA and Caitlin Dement recorded five saves.
Against Princeton, the Trojans took a 6-0 lead on goals by Colleen O’Donnell, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Chelsea Silvers, Patricia Jancso, Eike Daube and Madeline Rosenthal. Overall, 10 players scored for USC.
The Trojans went on a five-goal run to close the game and now await UCLA, which had three one-goal victories over USC this season.
Seven consecutive goals broke open a 1-1 game and led No. 1-seeded Stanford (24-2) past eighth-seeded Pomona-Pitzer. Victoria Kennedy led the Cardinal with four goals, and Alyssa Lo and Pallavi Menon also posted hat tricks. Kaley Dodson scored twice for Stanford, which moves into the semifinals against fourth-seeded UC Irvine (25-6).
That will be the second meeting between Stanford and UC Irvine this season.
The Cardinal defeated the Anteaters, 17-5, on March 4.

Miami women

University of Miami women’s tennis team advances to regional final.

UM defeated North Florida and will face Utah in the regional final. The winner of that match makes it to the NCAA Round of 16.

The University of Miami women’s tennis team took one big step forward Friday — and it certainly wasn’t a foot fault — in the NCAA regional at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on the UM campus.
The Canes defeated in-state opponent North Florida 4-0 to move into Saturday’s 1 p.m. regional final against Utah, which upset Texas Tech 4-3. The winner of Saturday’s match between UM (19-4) and Utah (12-10) will advance to the NCAA Round of 16 next week in Athens, Ga.
UM’s No. 1 player, Anna Bartenstein, had a tougher time than expected. She lost her first set to North Florida’s Aline Berkenbrock 6-2, but that bad first set brought out the grit in Bartenstein.
“Yes, I was mad at myself,” Bartenstein said. “I think I should have started right from the beginning. I was a little stressed out, and I wasn’t playing my game.”
In the second set, she turned things around, winning 6-2 and was awaiting the third set when UM’s Melissa Bolivar clinched the match for the Hurricanes with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 triumph over Simona Weymar in No. 4 singles.
Bolivar’s clinching match gave the Canes a 4-0 victory and the rest of the matches, including Bartenstein’s, did not have to be completed.
Bartenstein and fellow senior Gabriela Mejia have been the key to UM’s success this season.
“They won’t tell you this,” UM coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said of Bartenstein and Mejia, “but they bear the weight of this team on their shoulders.”
Friday was particularly trying for both of them. They graduated in the morning and then almost immediately had to ditch the cap and gown for tennis shorts.
“They’ve got finals, senior pictures, they have family coming from all over the world, they’re walking [for their degrees] at 8:30 a.m. in the morning and they know they have to go out here and compete, and not just compete, but to go out and compete in the top two positions for this team and pull in Ws,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We haven’t been in a real competitive situation in three weeks. All in all, I think they did a great job.”
Freshman Liat Zimmerman also contributed to the UM victory with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over North Florida’s Marina Cunningham.
Bartenstein accepted her diploma for marketing and will stay in school in order to get her MBA.
Mejia was handed her degree in international finance and marketing and, moments later, was teaching North Florida’s Lorna Aviles how to manipulate numbers with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.
Yaroshuk-Tews is proud of Bartenstein and Mejia walking away with their diplomas but also was nostalgic.
“It’s always tough when you know your time with the seniors is coming to an end,” she said.

Bethune-Cookman women

Texas-Pan American men, Bethune-Cookman women lead PGA Minority Collegiate.

Texas-Pan American took a seven-stroke lead Friday in the first round of the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship, while Bethune-Cookman opened a 19-shot advantage in the women’s competition.
Santiago Bueno, from Mexico, led Texas-Pan American with an even-par 72 in windy conditions on PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course, and Kevin Kirakossian, from Tualatin, Ore., had a 73. The Broncs had a 6-over 294 total. Alabama State was second, followed by Tennessee State at 302.
“The wind made it very difficult today, but I managed to finish very strong and help the team,” Bueno said. “This is my last college tournament, so I want to bring home a title and finish well.”
Kirakossian, a member of the 2010 championship squad, overcame a bogey on the par-5 first hole.
“I definitely didn’t start the round like I wanted. You are supposed to birdie the par 5s out here,” Kirakossian said. “But I was able to steady myself after that and finish well for the team.”
The Bethune-Cookman women’s team had a 305 total on the Ryder Course. Patrizia Trevisan, a freshman from Austria, opened with a 72.
“I had a rough start with two opening bogeys, but I recovered and am really happy with how I finished,” Trevisan said. “This tournament is so important and we want to win the title badly.”
South Carolina State was second, and defending champion Texas-Pan American was tied for third with Hampton at 329.
In Division II, Fayetteville State finished at 300 to take a 13-stroke lead over Lincoln University. Jedidiah Frazier led the Broncos with a 71, and Jake Barge had a 72.
“The wind was just unbelievable and you had to hit fairways and greens in regulation to post a good score,” Barge said. “I was really satisfied with my round and got the most out of what was a difficult day.”
In the Men’s Independent Division, Justin Watkins of Central Oklahoma and Chris Davis of Carroll University, shared the lead at 74.
“It was extremely windy out there today and I spent the whole day really grinding to shoot a good score,” Watkins said. “Birdies were hard to come by, and I had three, and overall I am happy with how I performed.”
In the Women’s Independent Division, Mia Campbell of Alabama State topped the field with an 83.

Gators women’s

Gators women’s lacrosse team sticking out as nation’s No. 1.

Quick-starting Florida battles Albany today in NCAA opener.

University of Florida lacrosse coach Amanda O’Leary built in three years what some programs take a lifetime striving for — a No. 1 ranking nationally and a legitimate chance to play for the national championship.
The Gators (17-2) will open NCAA Tournament play against Albany (12-5) at1 p.m. today.
“I think,” said O’Leary, “we’ve put ourselves on the map.”
Freshman draw specialist Shannon Gilroy scored seven goals as UF knocked off top-ranked Northwestern 14-7 to claim its first-ever American Lacrosse Conference Tournament title last week. The Gators beat the defending national champions for the second time this season and were the unanimous top team in this week’s polls — joining North Carolina (accomplished in 1996) as the only third-year programs reach No. 1.
It also was the fastest a Florida program has reached the top spot in its sport in school history.
Defense will be a key in tournament play and O’Leary actually took a page out of the UF basketball teams.
“You could basically put lacrosse on a basketball court and not see much difference, so we do a lot of basketball drills,” said O’Leary, who in April became just the 12th lacrosse coach in NCAA history to get 200 career wins.
“We certainly have watched our women’s basketball practice, we’ve watched our men’s basketball practice to get some hints, not only defensively, but offensively.”
While the Gators are still a relatively new face in the sport, O’Leary has huge goals and thinks her team can win it all, but how they do could be as much mental as physical.
“I think if our team comes out and executes and does the things that we typically do well, I think we can play with anyone in the country,” she said.
“I’ve also seen us at the other end, where we don’t necessarily play very well, and we can lose to anybody in the country if we do that.
“It’s just a matter of how we come out of that locker room, ready to play, ready to compete and, hopefully, at this stage of the game they understand what’s at stake and they are going to come out and be ready when that first whistle blows.”
This year’s squad feels it is better than the one that fell short of reaching the Final Four last season.
Junior defender Emily Dohony: “I think we’re definitely a better team this year. It’s leadership on the field and off the field. Everyone is a leader in their own way. We had leadership last year, but not as much, which comes with experience. This year, we are really ready to go the Final Four and succeed further than last year.”
Junior defender Sam Farrell said last year’s team may have lost focus at the end.
“This year, we have one goal in mind,” Farrell said. “And we are definitely not going to lose focus. We’re going to stay focused every step of the way.
“We’re obviously taking it one game at a time, but if we do get past this first weekend, we’re going to work so hard for the next game.”

Women team

Women team up to build homes.
Therese Johnson never thought she would own her own home.
But Thursday afternoon she was working with about 20 other local women to build her new home from the ground up.
“It’s a dream come true,” said 44-year-old Johnson, who has worked in the Thibodaux High School cafeteria for 18 years. “It means a whole lot to me. I thought I would never own a home, but I guess God stepped in.”
More than 50 local volunteers, mostly women, also stepped in to build Johnson her dream home as a part of Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Week, a nationwide Habitat for Humanity effort.
The effort aims to get more women involved with Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, teach them construction skills and move families out of poverty housing, according to Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity officials.
“This is the third year we’ve gotten women from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes to pick up a hammer and go to work building homes — doing what is traditionally thought of as a ‘man’s job,’ ” said Andrea Clark, executive director of Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity. “It’s wonderful for the homeowner, and it’s a blessing for the community.”
Habitat volunteers began working on the home Thursday morning and will continue through today.Volunteers groups from many local companies pledged their time, including Lowe’s, Terrebonne General Medical Center, Best Buy, Amelia Belle Casino and John Deere. Lowe’s also provided Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity with a $5,000 Lowe’s store gift card, as well as in-store volunteer training in support of Women Build Week.
Chris Ledet Homes of Thibodaux sponsored the project.
Sheri Eschete, wife of Thibodaux Mayor Tommy Eschete, was one of the women working on Johnson’s future home, hammering on its base. She got involved after judging the organization’s Mr. Habitat fundraiser last summer.
Sheri Eschete said she’s not traditionally “handy” — the most hands-on she gets is sewing. But she was happy to help.
“I think Habitat is a great organization because it gives people a chance to help themselves,” she said. “I’m not really good with a hammer, but I’m learning.”
Future Habitat homeowners have to put in “sweat equity,” or volunteer hours working on other Habitat projects, to qualify for homes.
Habitat homes typically take about three to nine months to build, said Habitat volunteer coordinator Aimee Bourgeois. But many volunteers like to stay involved, volunteering to continue working on a home after Women Build Week, and that makes the process go faster.
If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Bourgeois at 447-6999, ext. 224, or email her at labourgeois@bayouhabitat.org.
Johnson said working to build her own home was a good experience, and the St. Charles Street lot where her shotgun home will be located is “perfect.” She plans to live there with her 22-year-old son.
“I’ve lived in Thibodaux all my life. It’s a quiet neighborhood. It’s perfect for me,” she said.

Tennis

Tech women’s tennis falls in first round of NCAA tournament to Utah.

The Texas Tech women’s tennis team saw its historic season come to an end Friday with a 4-3 loss to Utah in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The No. 21 Lady Raiders won their first Big 12 Conference title this season and earned their first trip to the postseason, but for the second time this season, they were unable to solve No. 37 Utah.
One of Tech’s five regular season losses came against the Utes back in February. Deja vu reared its head on Friday, as the Lady Raiders lost in identical fashion as they had three months earlier.
“It was an eerie feeling,” Tech coach Todd Petty said in a telephone interview, “because it seemed like it went down the same way. It’s just one of those things. I don’t think it was nerves. I think it’s just a bad team match up with them because of the positions with them and where they’re at.”
Tech won the doubles point with narrow victories from Caroline Starck and Nikki Sanders at the No. 2 position and Rashmi Teltumbde and Elizabeth Ullathorne at No. 3. Then, in singles, straight-sets victories from Adams (No. 2) and Sanders (No. 6) gave Tech a 3-0 lead.
But Utah stormed back tie the match with victories at the No. 1, 4, and 3 positions, leaving the match to be decided by the result of the battle at No. 5 singles between Tech freshman Kenna Kilgo and Utah’s Lucia Kovarcikova. Kilgo won the first set, but Kovarcikova won the second set and triumphed again in the third to push Utah into the second round.
Petty said his team was “out-toughed a little bit” in the loss. With
“After each one of our losses to end the year we talk about raising the bar,” he said. “I think that will really drive them. My character and the character of this team is that no is going to ever outwork us, and they did that today. We want to make sure that never happens again.”
Tech ends its season at 19-6. Adams and Kilgo will participate as the 19th-ranked doubles team at the NCAA individual championships later this month.

Indian women

Indian women boxers make winning start at World Championship.

Indian women boxers were off to an impressive start at the World Championships-cum-Olympic Qualifiers in Qinhuangdao, China with Mandakini Chanu (57kg) and Neetu Chahal (69kg) advancing to the second round with easy wins.
Mandakini and Neetu are competing in the non-Olympic categories as only 51kg, 60kg and 75kg divisions have been picked for the London Games where women’s boxing will make its debut in the quadrennial extravaganza.
Mandakini comprehensively defeated Serbia’s Bojana Ranic. Right from the moment the gong was sounded, Mandakini went on a relentless offensive against the Serbian who was physically taller and heftier.
At the end of Round one, the score was 10-3 in favour of India and during the second round, Mandakini stunned Ranic twice whereby the referee had to administer the standing count of eight on both occasions.
Finally the Referee stopped the contest in the third round in favour of Mandakini. Mandakini will now take on world number one Tiara Brown of USA on Monday.
Neetu, meanwhile, defeated Hungary’s European Champion Bianka Nagy 22-6.
At the end of the first round, Neetu was leading 4-1and although Bianka was a very experienced boxer, Neetu’s attacking play gave her the edge and the bout.
Score at the end of second Round was 9-3 which increased to 17-5 by the next and finished at 22:6.
Neetu’s next opponent is also a world number one — Marie de Jong of Netherlands. PTI PM Indian women boxers make winning start at World Championships
New Delhi, May 12 (PTI) Indian women boxers were off to an impressive start at the World Championships-cum-Olympic Qualifiers in Qinhuangdao, China with Mandakini Chanu (57kg) and Neetu Chahal (69kg) advancing to the second round with easy wins.
Mandakini and Neetu are competing in the non-Olympic categories as only 51kg, 60kg and 75kg divisions have been picked for the London Games where women’s boxing will make its debut in the quadrennial extravaganza.
Mandakini comprehensively defeated Serbia’s Bojana Ranic. Right from the moment the gong was sounded, Mandakini went on a relentless offensive against the Serbian who was physically taller and heftier.
At the end of Round one, the score was 10-3 in favour of India and during the second round, Mandakini stunned Ranic twice whereby the referee had to administer the standing count of eight on both occasions.
Finally the Referee stopped the contest in the third round in favour of Mandakini. Mandakini will now take on world number one Tiara Brown of USA on Monday. Neetu, meanwhile, defeated Hungary’s European Champion Bianka Nagy 22-6.
At the end of the first round, Neetu was leading 4-1and although Bianka was a very experienced boxer, Neetu’s attacking play gave her the edge and the bout.
Score at the end of second Round was 9-3 which increased to 17-5 by the next and finished at 22:6.
Neetu’s next opponent is also a world number one — Marie de Jong of Netherlands.

Women’s Golf Second

Women’s Golf Second After Two Rounds at NCAA’s.

The second-seed LSU Lady Tigers did two things they wanted to do Friday on a cold and rainy second-round day at the NCAA Women’s West Regional golf tournament at the Colorado National Golf Club.
The put themselves in position for a good advancement position for the D1 Championships and they have a chance to win their first regional title.
The Lady Tigers, ranked seventh in the country, followed a 3-over 291 with a round best 2-over 290 to stand at 5-over par 581 for 36 holes, Stanford, ranked 40th in the country, played in the morning wave and moved to the lead while sitting on the bench in the afternoon at 4-over 580.
Third place is five shots behind LSU at 10-over par 586 with North Carolina and top-seed UCLA tied for the position. The eighth and final qualifying spot that will advance teams to the NCAA D1 Women’s Golf Championships in Franklin, Tenn., is held by California at 21-over par 597.
After an opening round played in 80 degree sunshine, Friday’s second round was played at times in a light rain with temperatures in the mid-40s.
But the Lady Tigers answered the call and now, after finishing a program best second in last year’s Central Regional, behind UCLA, has a chance to get the title on the final day.
Individually, defending NCAA individual champion sophomore Austin Ernst, posted a 3-under round of 69 to go with a 1-under 71 to stand at 4-under 140 for 36 holes. That puts her in second place one shot out of the lead of Catherine O’Donnell of North Carolina at 5-under 139.
LSU also got a great rebound from freshman Madelene Sagstrom who posted a 2-under 70 to finish at 2-over 142, moving her up 42 places to a tie for 12th in the individual standings. LSU also counted a 2-over 74 from senior Tessa Teachman and a 5-over 77 from senior Jacqueline Hedwall.
“I am so very pleased with how the team came out and played (Friday),” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “Everyone had to play in the same conditions, but the girls blocked it out of their minds and went about their business. The team showed a lot of mental toughness. Obviously, qualifying is the most important thing in this event, but we are in a position to win this tournament and we want to have one more strong round and see what happens.”
The top 12 teams in the standings will get the chance to probably decide the eight spots, playing first in the morning wave that begins at 8:30 a.m. CDT. LSU will tee off with Stanford and North Carolina off the first tee at 9:36 p.m. CDT.
Live scoring for the final round is available at LSUsports.net through Golfstat.com. Round updates will also be available on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUwomensgolf and on Twitter @LSUwomensgolf.
NCAA WOMAN’S WEST REGIONAL GOLF
At Erie, Colo.
Second Round Team Results (Par 288-584)
1. Stanford 287-283 – 580 +4; 2. LSU 291-290 – 581 +5; 3. North Carolina 288-298 – 586 +10; 3. UCLA 290-296 – 586 +10; 5. Baylor 300-293 – 593 +17; 6. Texas Tech 300-294 – 594 +18; Pepperdine 297-299 – 596 +20; 8. California 296-301 – 597 +21. 9. Colorado 297-301 – 598 +22; 9. Illinois 296-302 – 598 +22; 11. Tulsa 297-303 – 600 +24; 11. UC Davis 305-295 – 600 +24; 11. San Jose State 302-298 – 600 +24; 14. Oklahoma 305-296 – 601 +25; 15. UNLV 302-301 – 603 +27; 16. Iowa State 302-302 – 604 +28; 17. TCU 302-304 – 606 +17; 18. New Mexico 303-307 – 610 +34; 19. Denver 304-311 – 615 +39; 20. Kennesaw State 309-311 – 620 +44; 21. Missouri State 314-307 – 621 +45; 22. Oregon State 313-318 – 631 +55; 23. Northern Colorado 311-324 – 635 +59; 24. Jackson State 348-355 – 703 +127.

Individual Top 5 (Par 72-144)
1. Catherine O’Donnell, North Carolina, 70-69 – 139 -5; 2. Austin Ernst, LSU, 71-69 – 140 -4; 3. Sydney Burlison, Stanford, 67-74 – 141 -3; 4. Sally Watson, Stanford, 71-71 – 142; 5. Hayley Davis, Baylor, 69-74 – 143 -1.

LSU Scores
2. Austin Ernst 71-69 – 140 -4
T12. Madelene Sagstrom 76-70 – 146 +2
T22. Jacqueline Hedwall 71-77 – 148 +4
T40. Tessa Teachman 76-74 – 150 +6
T54. Lindsay Gahm 73-79 – 152 +8

Woman

Woman who ate poison while pregnant loses appeal.

The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday declined to drop murder and feticide charges against a woman who ate rat poison while she was pregnant in a case that medical and women’s rights groups contend could have larger repercussions.
However, the court’s unanimous ruling does allow Bei Bei Shuai to be released on bond, which is rare in murder cases.
Shuai’s attorneys contend the Chinese immigrant living in Indianapolis ate rat poison in a suicide attempt, not to kill her baby, and that she was suffering from depression. Prosecutors have said she wanted the baby to die. The baby died three days after being born.
Defense attorneys argued in court documents filed March 9 that prosecuting a woman based on the outcome of her pregnancy violates constitutional rights to due process and equal treatment and is cruel and unusual punishment.
Shuai, 34, lost her bid to have the charges against her dropped when Indiana’s highest court declined to hear her appeal. Friday’s order let stand a February Indiana Court of Appeals ruling that ordered a Marion County judge to set bond. Shuai was charged in March 2011 and has been jailed since.
Shuai’s attorney, Linda Pence, said she was “devastated” that the high court declined to hear the case. “It’s horrible. She shouldn’t be in jail. She should never have been in jail in the first place,” Pence said.
Bryan Corbin, a spokesman for the state attorney general’s office, which defended the charges on appeal, emailed a brief statement. “We respect the Court and the process in this difficult case,” Corbin said.
Several medical and women’s rights groups, including the National Organization for Women and the National Alliance for Mental Illness, have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of Shuai, claiming that prosecuting Shuai could set a precedent under which pregnant women could be prosecuted for smoking or other behavior that might deemed a danger to their fetus. They said that could discourage women from seeking prenatal care.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said prosecutors are merely applying Indiana law.
“The Legislature has drafted a law that says the intentional killing of a fetus is within the murder statute. We think that intent is present,” Curry said. “All we can do from the prosecutor’s perspective is enforce the law.”
Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the New York-based National Advocates for Pregnant Women, said Indiana courts have ignored 80 organizations and experts who have warned that allowing the case to go forward is “bad for mothers and babies.” An attorney from Paltrow’s group is helping defend Shuai.
“The message is … if you suffer a pregnancy loss or do anything an outsider thinks could be harming your pregnancy, you could be charged with a crime and put on trial,” Paltrow said.
Curry disputed that theory.
“We’ve attempted to make it clear that there’s no intention whatsoever to endanger pregnant women, to endanger a fetus,” he said.
Shuai was 33 weeks pregnant when she ate rat poison on Dec. 23, 2010, after her boyfriend broke up with her. Shuai was hospitalized, and doctors tried to treat her for the poison. Court records show doctors told Shuai that they detected little problem with the fetus until days later, when the premature baby girl was delivered by cesarean section Dec. 31. The child, Angel Shuai, died from bleeding in the brain after being removed from life support.
The Indiana Court of Appeals in February ordered a judge to set bond for Shuai, saying her defense attorneys presented sufficient evidence to rebut the murder and feticide charges. But the three-judge panel declined to dismiss the case, saying Shuai had not proven that common-law immunity exists for pregnant women who harm their own fetuses.

women control pill

Birth control pill recall puts women on alert

Women are wondering if their birth control medicine worked and are buying pregnancy test kits after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of a million pill packets.

The sequence of the pills in the blister packs — the 21 days of medicine and the seven days of placebo — may be out of whack because of a packaging error.

The 1 million packet recall is limited to the brand name Lo/Ovral-28 and its generic equivalent, norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol, which are manufactured by Pfizer Inc. but labeled as Akrimax Pharmaceuticals products. Physicians advise women to check the lot numbers on their packets and start using alternative forms of contraception if they have the recalled medicine.

Some women may want morning-after pills to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, but the window may have closed for that medicine to work. It’s most effective 72 hours after conception, said Dr. Helen Cavasin of Tennessee Women’s Care in Hendersonville. She advised women not to smoke or drink alcohol until they determine whether or not they are pregnant.

“They can take a pregnancy test now, but they have to realize that if conception has occurred within the last several days, that negative pregnancy test is not necessarily enough to confirm that they are not pregnant,” Cavasin said. “They would take another pregnancy test one to two weeks additionally to confirm that they are not pregnant.”

Her best advice for women who have the recalled packets is to start relying on an alternative form of birth control, such as condoms, and to contact their pharmacies and doctors for advice.

Dr. Kelly Williams of Murfreesboro Medical Clinic noted that the affected medicine is not one of the more popular forms of oral contraceptives. He does not prescribe the medicine.

It’s not unusual for women to skip a few days taking the pill, he said, but the packaging mix-up increases the likelihood of a surprise pregnancy.

“If a patient misses several days’ worth of pills, they can usually make it up by coming back on the next day,” Williams said. “What the FDA is saying here with these pills is there is not enough estrogen. If they miss a pill, they are going to be in trouble.”

And he pointed out it is possible for a woman to get pregnant when she stays on a correct pill regimen — even without a recall.

“People get pregnant on birth control. It happens.”

Disruptions possible

The packaging defects do not pose immediate health risks for those women who took the actual birth control medicine beyond 21 days, the FDA said. However, they may experience disruptions with their menstrual cycle, Cavasin said.

“During that seven days of placebo, you have your period,” she said. “With some people, their packs may have had too many days of hormones and not enough of the placebo days, which is not really actually dangerous, it just means they might skip their period or have a short period or an abnormal period.”

Pharmacists at Riverside Village Pharmacy in Inglewood and Reeves-Sain Drug Store in Murfreesboro said that as of Wednesday afternoon they had not received calls from concerned women. Both businesses also had pregnancy tests in stock.

Women 2

Women from around the world to assess role of technology

Women leaders from India and over 50 other countries are gathering in Bangalore on Friday to discuss role of technology in empowering women, particularly in developing nations.

The three-day conference titled “Women and Technology” is being organised by the Art of Living (AoL) International Centre, founded by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar .

This is the fifth International Women’s Conference (IWC) hosted by AoL. Parliamentarians, film makers, corporate executives and social activists from India, Argentina, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Bulgaria, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bangladesh, Singapore and Japan will attend the conference, a statement from the AoL said on Thursday.

Union minister of state for human resource development Daggubati Purandeswari, first Woman presidential candidate of Egypt Bothaina Kamel, Israeli parliamentarian Ronit Tirosh, and Jordanian filmmaker Al Wajd Al Fayez are some of the leading personalities attending the conference, it said.

“The conference will focus on the impact of technology on women and society, the connection between spirituality and technology, raising awareness on the role of yoga and meditation in relieving stress, the opportunity to use technology as a tool to empower women in the developing world and technology serving as a connecting link between women belonging to different social strata,” the statement said.

“The purpose of this conference is to raise awareness on the multi-dimensional impact of technology on women. The new age woman is on par with men in creating new technology as well as in using the same,” said IWC chairperson Bhanumathi Narasimhan.

The conference will showcase the rich heritage of various cultures by both Indian as well as international artists.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will preside over the inaugural function, the AoL statement said.

Women’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball: Northwestern hopes shots fall against Michigan on Thursday

Northwestern hopes February will mean an end to turnovers on the court and a turnaround of its record.

Traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., Thursday, the Wildcats look to beat the Wolverines on their home court, much as Michigan did to NU two weeks ago.

“The mistakes that we made in that game we’ve really got to try to clean up going into tomorrow,” coach Joe McKeown said.

In the previous game, the Cats had a sluggish start and no control of the ball, turning the ball over 18 times in the first half, a statistic McKeown called “crazy” and “unacceptable”.

McKeown said he noticed NU becoming more confident in the last two matches, even in the loss to Purdue last Thursday, and especially in the Cats’ victory over Indiana on Sunday.

Michigan has lost its last two games, but the Wolverines remain a threat with the second-lowest turnover average and the second-best scoring defense in the Big Ten.

In its last meeting with Michigan, NU shot 36.5 percent for the game and made only seven field goals in the first half.

Meghan McKeown said the Cats worked on taking better shots, running through their offense and looking before they pass.

“For us it’s being able to control the tempo, get the offensive rebounds, really working the ball inside,” the sophomore guard said. “Dannielle Diamant has been unstoppable lately. Last time they played here, they couldn’t guard her so hopefully (Thursday) will be the same.”

Diamant earned her third consecutive double-double against Indiana, but the junior forward had only 12 points when the Wolverines visited Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 19, 10 fewer than Sunday.

The poor shooting present in its last match gives freshman guard Karly Roser confidence that Thursday will be a better day for NU’s offense, she said.

Roser said the more than 11-minute stretch in the Jan. 19 contest, when the Cats only managed two points, was “ridiculous.” This game they will focus on all the “little things” that coach McKeown reiterates, including making better decisions on the court.

“We have to be balanced, getting more possessions by not turning the ball over so much,” coach McKeown said. “Trying to get better shots and I think that for us if the big key.”

Roser added that Michigan has some good three-point shooters in its starting lineup and NU must ensure the Wolverines don’t get open looks, especially from behind the arc. Michigan scored 27 points off three-point shots in the previous matchup.

She said her number one goal on Thursday is shutting down Courtney Boylan, Michigan’s number two scorer. Roser also said she wants to attack the basket and get open looks for teammates against the Wolverines.

Meghan McKeown said NU needs to have a great shooting day at Michigan to get the win.

“Some days with basketball, shots are going to fall or shots aren’t going to fall,” she said. “You have a game where you can go 5-for-5 and you have games where you go 0-for-12. It just is kind of the way the game works. Everyone’s been in the gym shooting, working it out so hopefully we’ll be making it rain on Thursday.”

Missouri women

Missouri women fall to No.1 Baylor

Losing the opening tipoff isn’t necessarily an accurate predictor for the rest of a basketball game. Conceding that tipoff by sending out one of your shortest players to jump center against an All-American? That move has the making of a long night.

At 5-foot-9, Missouri freshman guard Morgan Eye was no match against 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner of Baylor, who remained flat-footed and still won the tip easily. She scored Baylor’s first eight points and spent much of the second half on the bench as the top-ranked, undefeated Lady Bears rolled to a 71-41 win over struggling Missouri on Wednesday night.

Baylor (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) dominated every facet of the game, outscoring the Tigers 42-14 in the paint, 25-4 off turnovers, 17-2 on second chances and 12-0 in fast breaks.

“Some of those unforced turnovers, when we lack poise or the toughness that we need to have – I think that’s the most frustrating thing,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “Because those are all leading into easy conversion transition buckets for them.”

BreAnna Brock and Sydney Crafton led Missouri (10-10, 0-9) in scoring with eight points apiece, while Christine Flores, the team’s leading scorer with an average of nearly 19 points a game, was held to seven points and seven rebounds.

Flores made just 3-of-15 field goals and missed all four of her 3-point attempts. Many of her inside misses came on shots either altered or rejected by Griner, who had four blocks against a Missouri team whose front-line starters are five and six inches shorter.

Pingeton felt her senior leader lacked the same confidence she has displayed in previous games, especially on the perimeter.

“I feel like she took some rushed shots,” the coach said. “She didn’t have the poise that maybe she’s had as of late with her shot, especially on the perimeter.”

When it came to defending Griner, add Missouri to the ranks of those whose game plans sounded good on paper but didn’t work out as planned once it came time to take the court against the Lady Bears. Griner scored 18 points overall, Destiny Williams had 10 points with 11 rebounds and Odyssey Sims had 12 points for Baylor.

“We’ve seen it all,” Mulkey said after the game. “I thought they used up the shot clock quite a bit to shorten the game, keep it low-scoring. They stayed in the zone and challenged us to basically be patient and work it around.”

Missouri kept pace with Baylor early on, briefly taking their only lead at 4-2, but trailed 28-18 at halftime after a seven-minute scoring drought that left the Tigers with just six points after 10 minutes. Baylor quickly took control in the second half, scoring the first 10 points and going on a 24-5 run over the first seven minutes of the period to put the game away.

The Lady Bears, who had 11 steals overall, sped up the pace in the second half as Missouri continued to flounder, converting just 31.4 percent of its field-goal attempts for the game and 26 percent of its 3-point attempts.

“We’re the victim tonight,” Pingeton said. “It can go from a 12-point game to a 25-point game in a matter of minutes. “Their transition game is very aggressive, and when you have a turnover in that open court, it’s going to be a layup at the other end.”

The Tigers remain winless in their final season in the Big 12 Conference before joining the SEC next year. They set season lows for points in both the first half and the entire game.

Mulkey said her team was well prepared against Missouri, which starts two freshman guards as Pingeton attempts to build a struggling program in her second year in Columbia after seven years coaching Illinois State.

“I told them in the scouting report: expect two post players that can shoot the 3 to take you outside, “Mulkey said. “Expect them to shorten the game, keep it low-scoring and just be patient on defense, disciplined the last 10 seconds of the shot clock. You’re going to see a zone.

“Everything I told them came true tonight. But it’s not something we haven’t seen.”

Thai women

Tip-off leads to trio of young Thai women who were ‘held as sex slaves’

A TIP-OFF to the Salvation Army uncovered their ”abhorrent situation”. Three young Thai women, allegedly lured to Australia from Thailand on the promise of student visas, had been allegedly held against their will to work as sex slaves in a Sydney brothel.

Yesterday, the Australian Federal Police announced they had arrested the 42-year-old Chinese-Cambodian owner of the Diamonds 4 Ever brothel in Guildford and charged him with human trafficking offences.

The three Thai women, believed to be under 18, claim they were told they were travelling to Australia on student visas but, once here, their passports were confiscated and they say were taken to the brothel and forced to work as prostitutes.

The brothel’s website boasts of ”dream ladies” and an excellent reputation for luxurious, prestigious services.

But the reality was ”abhorrent”, the AFP’s national co-ordinator of human trafficking operations, Glyn Lewis, said.

”It’s our general experience [that] these women live under very harsh conditions,” he said. ”Their freedom’s restricted, they may be forced in various ways coercively, threatened with deportation by the owners [and] lied to. They often have [poor] language skills so they’re really in a very frightened state when we get to meet them.”

Jennifer Burn, director of Anti-Slavery Australia at the University of Technology, Sydney, said a client or co-worker may have raised the alarm to the Salvation Army, which runs a safe house for victims of human trafficking.

Thai women chose to speak to police, leading to a long investigation culminating in late-night raids on the brothel as well as four residential and business addresses in Cabramatta, Casula and Canley Heights on Wednesday.

The brothel owner, Phnom Penh-born Song Chhoung Ea, was arrested and charged with several offences carrying a maximum of 25 years’ imprisonment. The charges include conducting a business involving sexual servitude, facilitating entry of persons into Australia knowing they would be exploited and allowing persons to work knowing they were in breach of visa conditions.

Thai women have been referred to the Red Cross for a three-month recovery program and may be granted special witness protection visas.

Virginia Senate

Virginia Senate passes bill requiring women to undergo ultrasound before abortion

The Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, the first of several legislative measures this year that are expected to dramatically alter abortion law in the state.Democrats and moderate Republicans in the Senate had rejected similar legislation each year for the past decade, arguing that the bills’ intent is to discourage women from the procedure. But now that the body is more conservative, abortion and other social legislation are back to the forefront.

Republicans, in control of both chambers for only the second time since the Civil War, are looking to pass a slew of bills in the 60-day session that take on abortion. They include banning the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, requiring that insurers that cover abortions also offer policies that do not, and giving rights to a fertilized egg at the moment of conception. Another bill, which will be debated in the House of Delegates on Thursday, would end state subsidies for poor women to abort fetuses that have serious birth defects.

The House has been pushing the abortion legislation for years but only now has sympathetic partners in the Senate and the governor’s mansion.

The House is expected to easily pass the ultrasound bill in the coming weeks. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R), who opposes abortion rights, has already said he would sign it into law.

The measure passed Wednesday would require a woman to undergo an ultrasound to determine the gestation age of the fetus and be given an opportunity to view the pictures. A woman who refuses to view the ultrasound would have to sign a statement — which would become a part of her medical file — saying she was given the option. The bill also would require the abortion provider to keep a printed copy of the image in the patient’s file.

McDonnell, a rising star in his party and a possible vice presidential contender, has been uncharacteristically outspoken in his support of the ultrasound bill and other abortion proposals that are likely to come to his desk. As a delegate, he introduced a bill, now law, that requires providers to receive written permission from a woman before performing an abortion.

‘Legitimate health issue’

Supporters of the ultrasound measure say it would provide crucial medical information to women seeking abortions, while opponents say it would subject women to unnecessary tests and invade their privacy.

“It’s a legitimate health issue,” said Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Winchester), who sponsored the legislation.

Vogel also said the measure “does not infringe on a woman’s decision, her autonomy.” She added: “It is not invasive. It does not attempt to infringe in any way on the doctor-patient relationship, and it absolutely does not infringe on her right to have an abortion.”

The Senate voted 21 to 18 in favor of the ultrasound bill, largely along party lines, with a pair of Democrats who oppose abortion rights voting with 19 Republicans. One Democrat was absent. Sen. John C. Watkins (R-Chesterfield) voted against it.

Women

Women Fret Over Implants, Line Up at Doctor’s Offices

In Venezuela, where women seem to love going under the knife, hundreds are lining up at doctor’s offices worried breast implants.

The office of plastic surgeon Ignacio Sousa in Caracas is packed. College students in their 20s, housewives in their 40s, middle-class office workers: nearly all are fearful that their breast implants may be leaking.

Thousands of women worldwide are consulting their doctors about health concerns that have sprung up since December due to faulty silicone breast implants made by the now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP. In some cases, the implants filled with industrial-grade silicone have split open, prompting growing demand for their removal.

Venezuela

Babes in Arms in Venezuela?

“It’s like a snowball,” said Sousa, who has been receiving dozens of patients every day since the news broke that French authorities recommended the implants be removed.

The scandal has hit beauty-obsessed Venezuela particularly hard. An estimated 16,000 Venezuelans have the implants, one of the highest figures among Latin American countries, along with much-larger Brazil, where about 20,000 women have PIP-made implants.

Breast enlargement surgery is common in Venezuela and has grown in popularity in recent years among middle-class women, thanks in part to low-interest loans offered by private clinics for the operations.

The PIP brand was used frequently until the implants were pulled from the market in 2010.

Like many of those affected in Venezuela, Sania Arroyo has struggled with the mounting medical bills. The 33-year-old bank employee and single mother managed to save about 20,000 bolivars, or $4,600, for surgery to replace the implants in January, scraping together nearly four times what she paid to have them inserted in 2007.

Miss Venezuela

Former Miss Venezuela Loses Battle with Breast Cancer

Miss Venezuela suspected a problem with the implants when she felt a tingling pain under her left breast, and an ultrasound exam confirmed one had ruptured and was leaking silicone into her body.

Miss Venezuela said the replacement implants feel more comfortable, but she’s still apprehensive about them.

“I feel so much better now, although I still have the fear something similar could happen again,” Arroyo said, holding a plastic case containing the ruptured implant and the yellowish silicone that leaked out.

PIP’s silicone gel is transparent, but doctors say the substance often turns yellow when it comes in contact with body tissues.

Arroyo is one of 495 Venezuelans who are suing companies that sold the implants, demanding payment of medical costs.

Venezuela’s government offered to remove the implants for free, but many women say they won’t take up the offer because they prefer to have new implants and the government won’t pay for them.

Venezuelan women

Venezuelan women

French authorities say an estimated 300,000 women have the implants worldwide, including more than 42,000 in Britain, more than 30,000 in France, 9,000 in Australia and 4,000 in Italy.

The implants were never approved for sale in the United States, but tens of thousands of pairs were sold in Latin America. In Colombia, for instance, the association of plastic surgeons says about 14,000 pairs of PIP implants were sold.

On a per-capita basis, Venezuela appears to lead Latin America in the number of breast implants. That’s no surprise to most people in the country, where beauty pageants are a source of national pride and where some teenagers receive implants as birthday presents. Middle-class women sometimes set aside large portions of their salaries for the surgery.

An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 women undergo breast enlargement surgeries in Venezuela each year, and doctors say the numbers have been rising.

“Terror has certainly gripped patients who have the implants, but I don’t believe the desire for breast enlargement surgery is going to diminish,” said Gabriel Obayi, a surgeon who has been answering many emails from women concerned about health risks.

Like most surgeons in Venezuela, Obayi recommends that PIP implants eventually be removed but advises that surgery is not urgent in most cases.

Regardless of the brand, breast implants are known to break down over time and rupture in some cases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned silicone-gel type implants in 1992 amid fears they might cause cancer, lupus and other diseases. But in 2006 the agency returned the implants to the U.S. market after most studies failed to find a link between silicone breast implants and disease.

implants

Hottest Latinas of 2012

The FDA began an investigation last year into a possible link between implants and a very rare form of cancer, known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The agency said it had learned of about 60 cases of the disease worldwide among women with implants.

France’s Health Safety Agency has said the suspect PIP implants appear to be more rupture-prone than other types, but officials have not specified why.

French health authorities have said they don’t know enough about the health effects of the industrial-grade silicone in the faulty implants, and have recommended that women get them removed after the implants ruptured in more than 1,000 cases. The government has agreed to pay for the procedure.

Investigators in France say PIP sought to save money by using industrial silicone rather than the medical-grade variety.

Last week, French authorities filed preliminary charges against PIP’s founder, Jean-Claude Mas, who according to his lawyer is under investigation for “involuntary injury.” His company went into bankruptcy proceedings shortly after the government in 2010 pulled the implants from the market.

The scandal has left many women asking about the risks they may face, and doctors so far have limited answers.

“We don’t know, neither in Venezuela nor Latin America, what percentage of PIP implants rupture,” said Dr. Carlos Nieto, a surgeon and board member of the Venezuelan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

It’s also unclear how many women have had the implants removed so far.

In Argentina, about 300 women are negotiating with private clinics and a local distributor, Pro Estetica, demanding the defective implants be replaced for free, said attorney Virgina Luna, who represents the group.

Jobless Mexicana Flight Attendants Pose for Calendar

Gabriela Febres, a 30-year-old financial analyst in Caracas, has joined the legal case against Venezuelan distributors. She suspects she needs to have surgery soon because her right breast has been hurting for weeks.

“This affects you in so many ways: your job, your finances and your psychological state,” Febres said. “The uncertainty is the worst.”


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