Wednesday

I have always been intrigued by the writer Germaine Greer. If you read her books, dating all the way back to the sixties, you will discover that she was the original grrlpower, third-wave feminist, long before Bust and Bitch came on the scene. I haven't always agreed with her positions on specific issues (female circumcision being one of them), but I think she has taken a really noteworthy stance in refusing to participate in an upcoming writers' festival in England because it is underwitten by Nestle'. Despite years of pressure from consumers and health advocacy groups all over the world, Nestle continues to try to convince mothers in the Third World that they should abandon breastfeeding for one of their commercial infant formulas. Lack of breastfeeding is a leading contributor to infant mortality rates, particularly in underdeveloped nations. Kudos to Ms. Greer.