International Women's Day +more!

Well, today is international women's day, and the theme of this year is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity: Progress for All." Let's all recommit ourselves to another year of standing up for women and ourselves and what we believe in.

On another note, apparently James Cameron [director of Avatar] is a feminist. In his movies:Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2, Cameron has casted females in more interesting roles than males.. which makes him a feminist. It's interesting because people start throwing out the "f-word" when they talk about J. Cameron, but a lot of people never stop to think about what it means to be a feminist. Being a feminist is not saying that women are better than men, it's saying that women and men should be equal, and that women should have equal opportunity and rights. There is a difference! I am not one to classify Cameron as a feminist or not, but, I think it's great that James Cameron likes to cast women in strong roles, it for sure goes against the Hollywood norm of the victimization of women.

I'd also like to bitch about "Dear Abby" and how this column is bad for everyone.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend "Adam" and I are high school seniors. We have been serious for only three months, but we've been dating for more than a year. He is sexually experienced, but I am not - I'm still the "Big V."
On prom night, I want Adam to be my "first," but because I have been disappointed in the past, I don't want to be left heartbroken. I love Adam with all my heart - he's all I want in a guy. But I feel torn about what to do. Should I go ahead and "seize the day"? Or should I make him wait? Please help!

- TEEN GIRL IN THE GAMBLING STATE

DEAR TEEN GIRL: Your boyfriend may be a wonderful person, but to lose your virginity simply to celebrate prom night is not a mature decision. Sex carries with it responsibilities - and can result in unplanned

"surprises," as the following letter shows. Read on...

The title ought to read: Dear Abby: Ever heard of contraception!? The rest of the letter tells a story of a girl who had sex, got pregnant, married her father, had the baby, dropped out and threw her life away [a very slippery slope]. There are a lot of reasons not to have sex, especially if you're being pressured into it, but there are these things called contraceptives! Not that anyone would know about these mystical things because they don't teach about them in school, but apparently if you use them properly, there's a good chance of being protected from pregnancy and STD's. Even if that doesn't work, and you do get pregnant, we [as women] still have control over our bodies which means that we could terminate the pregnancy as needed [hooray for choice and options!]. When did Dear Abby join the "abstinence is better than thou" lobby?

[Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.]