the digital giraffe

All About Women
Our Woman of the Month Award for October, 2026, goes to Michele Kraft, Dooctor of Podiatry in Carmel, CA, with 40 years of experience. Dr. Kraft has that rare gift of understanding how the entire body affects the feet as well as life style and nutrition.

The Feminist Majority Foundation reports that over 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan are unable to receive any education due to the restrictions put in place by the Taliban. We now learn that Afghanistan's health systems are being dismantled as well so that the country has a severe shortage of female medical professionals. Nurses and midwives have been forced out of employment. Due to restrictions on moving around women cannot visit health centers to be treated. As a result, infant and female fatalities have sharply risen.

Women in the United States find it difficult to get IUD devices free of hormones. Copper IUD's are said to be hormone-free and are widely available in Canada but not in the U.S. The one exception here is Paragard, a fairly large IUD said to cause cramping and heavy bleeding, especially for women who have never given birth. Copper IUD's prevent pregnancy by releasing copper, a natural spermicide, into the uturus, whereas noncopper devices release a hormone which can cause depression and anxiety. In 2025 the FDA approved Miudella, a copper IUD, but its side effects include anemia, pain during sex, backaches, cramping, and vaginal irritation and discharge. More serious side effects may include ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, and expulsion.

A survey of global practices reveals that women with the same medical problem are less likely to be offered intervention like surgery, a stent, or a strong painkiller. The problems reviewed included kidney disease, Parkinson's, liver failure, and cadiovascular conditions. It appears that doctors are inclined to attribute anxiety to female patients and make more diagnostic mistakes with women as well.

In a TED talk 3 years ago, it was revealed how strict rules written by men in Iran severely restrict the lives of women, like having to be covered head to toe rather than wearing a swim suit when going into the water. One woman reported that she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly. After repeated beatings she became comatose and died. The heart-breaking stories amount to a human tragedy unfolding right before our eyes.

A survey of cases of intimate partner violence reveals that control of finances is one method used to harm survivors. Abusers frequently use technology to monitor, exploit and sabotage these survivors, predominately female. This renders the survivors unable to seek relief or leave or exit the relationship. Other abusive techniques include targeting the survivor's passwords, changing subscriptions, selling a survivor's assets, or damaging credit scores.

MIT'S Data + Feminism Lab is offering a 9-month course titled Technofascism, Feminism and Democracy, that meets the third Tuesday of each month from Septemer 2026 to May 2027 via Zoom. Participants will spend 5 to 13 hours per month with lectures, readings, and bulletin boards. The Lab itself specializes in gender and racial justice and is part of the Department of Urban Structures and Planning.

A viewer and good friend alerted me to this "Elderly Fashion Dance", described as a surreal AI music video and guaranteed to bring smiles to your heart. Some others are called "Surreal Fashion Dance" and "Surreal AI Art" Video". (Thanks to JK for these.)

Cartels at war with each other in Mexico have targeted women, resulting in disappearances and killings. As a result, Sinaloa state has become the most dangerous in that country for females. The fighting is so intense that gender violence, domestic violence, and cartel retaliation are overlapping each other. Last year alone, 105 women were killed there, the highest number in 14 years. As of July of this year, 153 women have disappeared.

The New York Times reports on Denmark's forced implantation of intrauterine devices in women and girls in Greenland in order to restrict population growth. Some were only 12 years old with no idea what was happening. The process has become a symbol of Danish mistreatment of Greenlanders. Years of pain, infertility, and health problems occurred to as many as 4,000 women, often suffered in silence and shame. Now an apology and some form of compensation are being offered.

Confitex Technology, based in Aukland, has won 2 awards for its new washable nonwoven material for absorbent hygiene products like pads, liners, and incontinence protectors. The remarkable nonwoven fibers were machine-washed and tumble dried more than 30 times. The material has no petroleum-based superabsorbent polymers.

Be sure to email giraffe@giraffe.com with your suggestions, be they articles, videos, images, cartoons, music, or comments, so that we can share our celebrations and our concerns with each other.

Last updated October 1, 2026 - 32 years of monthly Web publication

Corinne Whitaker - Artist, Editor, Author, Poet, Sculptor, Publisher, Composer, Betaphysician, Chief of the Newanderthal Tribe

Best of Foster City 2016
Best of Palo Alto 2013

Golden Web Award, 2001 and 2000

Artist of the Month, Artisan Bazaar, 2000

Best in Cyberart Award, 1999

winner of BATech's "Catch of the Day"

winner of Fractal Design's "Artist of the Month"and "Image of the Day"

Featured Master Artist, Shadowart Galleries, 1997 and 1998

Guest Artist of the Month, Hampton Click Salon Online
Exhibit below from Virtual Gallery online