November 20, 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). According to UNICEF, "The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights."

Okay, that's an incendiary headline, isn't it? I'm not one to enter the circular firing squad on Republicans (okay, so yes, I am, but not fresh-out-of-the-box governors who are serving as a bellweather for the Democratic agenda's chances in 2010), but there are certain issues on which I feel, as a libertarian feminist, on which I have to seek clarification, the question of whether a certain candidate actively works against the interest of women being one of them.

I've been following these races for quite some time and was glued to the television and Internet as the results came in. A big message was sent to three different entities on election night, a message to:

Much as we would like to believe that the long-drawn West Asian wars will end soon, the fact is that the U.S. now has a third front to its war on terror: Pakistan. And the Pakistan front is likely to be open for a long time. As a Taliban spokesperson reportedly said: "We are prepared for a long war."

Updated 10:20 p.m. CST: Army statements at Fort Hood shooting news conference declare the alleged shooter, Major Malik Nadal Hasan, a U.S. soldier and psychiatrist, was not killed during today's shooting spree on the Texas military base. A new source reports the following:

Earlier this week Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, landed in Newfoundland and began their first visit to the country since they were married in 2005. During the trip Camilla will get in touch with her Canadian roots by visiting her ancestor's Canadian castle.

For almost 15 years, Rody Alvarado Peña fought to stay in the United States. She fled here seeking asylum after suffering from horrific abuse at the hands of her husband. To save her life, she had to leave her two children with her parents. Her hope was that once she established herself in the US, they could join her. Instead, she found herself caught in a legal debate over whether domestic violence is a legitimate claim for asylum seekers. On October 30, 2009, The New York Times reported that the Obama administration recommended that Ms. Alvarado be granted asylum.

The New York Yankees have won their 27th World Series.Try to process that for a minute. 27 championship wins. That is insane. That is more than any other team in Major League Baseball. These wins date back to 1923, but that doesn't make it any less impressive.My favorite baseball team has never won a World Series. Ever.So congratulations to the New York Yankees, again. If they were a player I would be encouraging them to retire. I can't help but be reminded of the Crash Davis quote from Bull Durham about strike outs.

Warning: Rant alert First, I have to say that I had a lovely 'Halloween.' Because I live in a high-rise, all the kids are regulated to going to the mangement office to pick up their candy, so no knocking on my door. I went out for a couple of drinks with friends, talked about business journalism and American politics, went home, did a bit of writing and was in bed by 10. At my age and because I do not have a house to throw a party, I find dressing up kinda pointless.

First things first:The still unofficial totals, from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website as of midnight last night (and not yet updated):

Meet U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who recently argued on the Senate floor against what she described as discriminatory practices in health care coverage of women:

A long time ago I volunteered at a conference for Deaf/Blind participants held at Gallaudet University. It was a lot of fun. There were daily challenges to keep up with the participants who wanted to go everywhere and do everything. I was joyfully run ragged. I have one specific memory, a lesson that sticks with me to this day on expanding thinking beyond myself.