Women

There will be a presentation on depression/anxiety and self-defense for women from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Jenkins Memorial Church, 133 Riviera Drive, Pasadena. Program will feature speakers from the Domestic Violence Crises Center, Legal Department, Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ron Bateman's office and the States Attorneys Office. Information: 410-437-2846.

The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition will sponsor a women's health expo from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 20 at the Sheraton Hotel, 173 Jennifer Road, Annapolis. Information on skin care, stress management, nutrition, cosmetic surgery, decorating tips, fitness, finance and belly dancing will be featured, including medical research advances and the latest treatments. The registration fee is $40 and includes breakfast. To register online go to nocc.kintera.org/centralmd or call 443-433-2597.

Commentator Jessica Valenti suggests that throughout history men have wanted to control women ("A war on women," Feb. 29). After following the Republican primaries recently, I tend to agree. I'm pro-life and anti-abortion but smart enough and anti-government enough to want law enforcement out of the situation. One would think those Republicans who clamor for less government would concur. I fail to understand why anyone - male or female - would oppose birth control. As much as our culture likes to believe we're all unisex and our differences have been erased, the reality is that nothing has changed.

Inside Lacrosse women's Top 20 No. School Rec. Prev. 1. Northwestern 1-0 1 2. Maryland 2-0 2 3. Penn 0-0 3 4. North Carolina 3-0 4 5. Duke 4-0 5 6. Syracuse 2-0 7 7. Georgetown 0-0 6 8. Notre Dame 0-0 8 ...

I'll leave it to your Kevin Van Valkenburg to decide what he thought the Top 10 sports events were - that's his prerogative as a columnist. However, I am writing to question his decision to only mention the Maryland men's NCAA title in his narrative leading up to the final selections. What about the women? They won a title too. Even if Mr. Van Valkenburg didn't see it or appreciate it - others apparently did. Sports Illustrated named it the top women's game of the decade! What gives? Tricia O'Neill, Lutherville

Women have been given the opportunity to serve the armed forces in direct combat ("Military ceiling lifted," Jan. 25). This is a landmark opportunity for females to have equal opportunity with their male comrades when engaging in battle. Forget gender gibberish, it boils down to attitude and commitment. There will certainly be scenarios where females will be making life and death decisions on the battlefield where there is no virtual component. Their decisions in the midst of combat could possibly help save lives.

Scientists have always thought the HPV virus clears most women after a couple of years, but new evidence suggests it may linger in the body undetected and reappear later in life. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health followed 850 Baltimore women aged 35 to 60 who received regular cervical cancer screenings. They found that reactivation may increase in women around 50-years-old. Results of the study, which was conducted in partnership with researchers at Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine in Malaysia, were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

I'm writing you to express concern over how the media has covered the death of South African Reeva Steenkamp ("Pistorius breaks down in first court appearance," Feb. 16). She has been sexually objectified, and her loss of life has been trivialized. I ask that you please avoid sexualizing her in this publication, avoid glorifying the man who stands accused of her murder, and be more acutely aware of how you report violence against women generally - an issue that impacts at least a billion women worldwide every year.

As fans of the late Christopher Hitchens cycle through the five stages of grief, it's interesting to see which of his opinions can still inspire the kind of anger that is unlikely to ever fade into acceptance. There are, of course, the obvious candidates: his characterization of Bill Clinton as "a rapist" or his vilification of Mother Teresa as "a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud. " There is also his oh-so-chivalrous shout-out to the Dixie Chicks, whom he called "fat slugs" (or "slags" or "sluts" depending on your source)