About.com's 2003 Political Dot-Comedy Award Nominees Announced

I'm very pleased to report that I'm a nominee in two categories in this year's About.com Political Dot-Comedy Awards competition. My MadKane.com political humor as a whole is nominated in the Best Parodies (Overall Achievement) category and my Dubya's Dayly Diary is a nominee in the Best Bush Humor category. So if you have time, I'd really appreciate your voting for me in
one or both categories here. Thanks!

And even if you're not in a voting mood, I'll bet you enjoy visiting the terrific nominees in categories including Best Web Cartoons, Best Satirical News, Most Entertaining Left-Wing News & Commentary, Most Entertaining Right-Wing News & Commentary, Best Print Comic Strip, and Best Late-Night TV Comedy. You may even find some new (to you) humor sites to help you survive 2004.

FYI very few blogs are nominated. This Modern World (Tom Tomorrow) in the comic strip category is a notable exception.

To Everybody...

May you all have a blessed Christmas. Takecare and Godbless.

Beware of bothersome gifts

Tuesday, while cleaning out closets, I took a tour of gift blunders. Some were things people have mistakenly given me. Others items I bought as potential gifts but never got around to matching up with recipients. Though I've made my share of mistakes, there are people who have me beat.

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) - Gary and Karri Clark haven't forgotten their second Christmas together. He knew she wanted bathroom accessories, so he wrapped up a couple of gifts and waited.

The toilet seat and towel rack didn't go over too well.

``Here I thought I was doing good,'' he recalled with a laugh. ``It was something she can always use, day after day. It's the gift that keeps on giving.''

The Clarks were among those who responded to requests by the Daily Times-Call newspaper to share their stories about bungled gifts and best intentions - the waffle makers, blenders and vacuum cleaners given with love and practicality in mind that will never be forgotten or forgiven.

Karri Clark admits she wanted a new toilet seat a decade ago because there was a crack in the old one. She just didn't think she'd get one gift wrapped.

``I could not believe it,'' she said. ``What man gives you a toilet seat for Christmas?''

. . .Gary Clark admits his bathroom gifts were out of desperation: It was Christmas Eve, he was at Kmart and he couldn't think of what to buy his wife.

``She wanted it, but not for Christmas,'' he said. Since then, he's done better: His wife received a Ford Explorer for her birthday this year.

Fellows (and any boneheaded women, too) hold off on anything having to do with the elimination. Yes, I know there are some really big collections of toilet paper in very pretty colors, but. . . .

Meanwhile, I need to unload kids' softwear, 100 percent wool sweaters and several SLR camera/binocular sets.

Note: This item will also appear at Mac-a-ro-nies.

The vote is in: women are more rational than men.

The results of a recent study are written up in New Scientist:

Both male and female students at McMaster University were shown pictures of the opposite sex of varying attractiveness taken from the website 'Hot or Not'. The 209 students were then offered the chance to win a reward. They could either accept a cheque for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for $50-$75 at a variable point in the future.

Wilson and Daly found that male students shown the pictures of averagely attractive women showed exponential discounting of the future value of the reward. This indicated that they had made a rational decision. When male students were shown pictures of pretty women, they discounted the future value of the reward in an "irrational" way - they would opt for the smaller amount of money available the next day rather than wait for a much bigger reward.

Women, by contrast, made equally rational decisions whether they had been shown pictures of handsome men or those of average attractiveness.

(via DazeReader)

Ellen Goodman Re-introduces a Radical Idea.

21 years ago, Equal Rights Amendment opponents listed three horrible fates that would follow if we added women's equality to the Constitution: (1) unisex toilets, (2) women in combat, and (3) gay marriage.

Well, today we've got all that. The only thing we don't have is, ta da, the Equal Rights Amendment.

Read Goodman's painfully true piece here.

WORLD AIDS DAY 2003: Live and Let Live

My goodness, it is another World AIDS Day. This is among my least favorite days of the year. Don't misunderstand: I do not minimize the need for this day. It is vital to remind the world of the human cost of HIV and AIDS. We must remember those we have lost. We must thank the care providers and researchers who give so much time and effort to help those who have the disease. We must rededicate ourselves to this crucial effort. And as difficult as my experiences have been in reporting on the disease; in volunteering as a helper and "buddy"; in raising my voice as an activist; even in sitting at deathbeds, holding friends' hands and easing their way from this life to the next, I recognize the blessings and growth bestowed on me from having lived through them. Indeed, I am grateful for these experiences, for the many wonderful people whose life paths have intersected mine -- and for the global effort to honor them. Still, I suspect I have been at this AIDS business for far too long. My first awareness of the disease came 20 years ago, and in the intervening two decades, I have suffered a lot of loss. As of Nov. 30, I have lost 121 acquaintances, friends, and loved ones to AIDS. Thinking of the happy memories I shared with these people -- which I do often -- gives me great joy. But on each World AIDS Day, I think of these people en masse, in a rolling line: Willie and Robbie and John and Leon and Steve and Connie and Carey and Vince and Audra and Andre and Bobby and Paul and Lorraine and Jamal and Rochelle and Joe and Colin and Walter and Mary Sue and on and on ... As you can imagine, it can be mind-numbing, and each year the process becomes increasingly brutal. My beloved grandfather, who died from cancer three years ago, once said to me during a time when a lot of his 70- and 80-year-old friends were dying that I had undergone too much loss for someone so young. I was just over 30 then and agreed. Now, I am 42 and more fatalistic: Death is part of life. Whatever your age, you deal with it and go on. I can do that. But it doesn't make the grief disappear, though, and the pain intensifies as the years roll by. Five years ago, I was stunned and saddened by the death of a friend and AIDS activist. My pain was such that I had to write about it. The story appeared in Baltimore City Paper in May, 1998. My pain is such today that I have to share a piece of it here: Upon hearing that Steve had died, I also learned his funeral would be a political event, a showy media fest in front of the White House. This was poetic justice, in a sense. Steve had given his life to the fight against AIDS. He moved from Seattle to Washington, by way of stops across the nation, following candidate Bill Clinton and demanding that if the Arkansas governor won the presidency in 1992 he make finding a cure for AIDS a top priority. Clinton promised Steve -- to his face -- that in his first 100 days in office, he would launch a Manhattan Project-type effort to find a cure and guarantee comprehensive health care for all Americans. To make sure that the president-elect made good on his pledge, Steve moved to the nation's capitol with his [partner] Wayne. And he made Clinton a promise of his own: "I will haunt you." So I suppose lying in state in front of the White House was a fulfillment of Steve's vow. I know it was his final wish -- when he entered the Washington Hospital Center for what would be the final time a month ago, he told Wayne he wanted a political funeral in front of Bill Clinton's house. As someone who loved him, I had no choice but to respect his wish. Still, I was angry. Color me selfish, but my friend was gone. I wanted an opportunity to mourn in a manner that I thought he deserved--something solemn, dignified, respectful. And I wondered about AIDS activism in general. For those of us who've worked in the trenches, from caring for dying loved ones or "buddies," to shouting ourselves hoarse in the street or sitting in a jail cell, to taking on unfeeling government suits -- all the while neglecting our own lives, families, relationships, and personal health -- how much is enough? Steve gave up his life -- apparently willingly. He fought incessantly, irritated and riled many, lost sight of his priorities time and again, and paid fuck-all attention to his own well-being. And now, by his own choice, he was giving up the only opportunity to have his friends and loved ones speak only of their love for him. What more is necessary to create visibility for the war against this disease that has murdered thousands and held activists' and caregivers' lives hostage for nearly two decades? Does some well-meaning fool have to hang himself in the village square using a long red ribbon as a noose? Yes, I have dealt with much loss. It haunts me today and likely will do so until my dying day. But I must think of my lost loved ones and about their deaths. On World AIDS Day, there is no choice. The situation is worsening, according to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who warns that the world is losing the fight against the disease. Read his 2003 World AIDS Day message here. As noted by England's National AIDS Trust, five people die from the disease every minute. The disease once known (erroneously) as the "gay plague" now affects every part of this planet, infecting more than 42 million people, 5 million of them last year alone. More stats from NAT's World AIDS Day site: Worldwide, and in 2002 alone, AIDS claimed 3 million people last year. That's over 8,000 people every day. But the story does not end there: just under 14,000 new cases of HIV infections occur every single day. 95% of all AIDS cases occur in the world's poorest countries. In several southern African countries, at least one in five adults is HIV positive. In 2000, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women in South Africa rose to its highest level ever: 24.5% bringing to 4.7 million the estimated total number of South Africans living with the virus. That's a terrifying thought. And it's the reality that millions of people in developing countries are living with HIV and AIDS as you read this: communities devastated, teachers and doctors dying every day, people's futures shattered, because they can't afford the drug treatments that are helping people living with HIV and AIDS in richer countries like [Britain and the US]. Adding insult to proverbial injury, there are those who, through ignorance and/or bigotry, still attempt to stigmatize those with the disease Hence this year's WAD theme: "Stigma and Discrimination -- Live and Let Live." NAT offers a test that asks Are You HIV Prejudiced? Take the test and learn something about yourself. However you score, make it part of your life to stop this nonsense. Help people learn to live and let live. So there are many reasons that make World AIDS Day necessary. UK organization Avert offers a summation: In order for HIV to be effectively tackled on an international level, efforts need to be made to End the discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS. Educate people in safer sex and drug use, using appropriate media. Provide condoms freely to people in the developing world. Provide financial and medical assistance so that people with HIV and AIDS can be treated. [The World Health Organization is making a move today that is a start in dealing with this need.] Started in 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about raising awareness [and] education and fighting prejudice. World AIDS Day is also important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done. Indeed. I have been at this AIDS business too long. But as long as prejudice continues and education is needed and items sit on the to-do list, I will stick with it. Quoting Frost, there are miles to go before I sleep. Much love always to everyone on my list... You are missed, every World AIDS Day and, in truth, every single day. Resource Links From UNAIDS, AIDS information by country Centers for Disease Control's HIV Prevention Strategic Plan through 2005 CDC's Prevention Strategies for HIV-Positive Individuals AIDS Day's Stark Reality, Australia's The Age, 11/30/03 AIDS Ministry and Hospitality Bible Study for World AIDS Day 2003 by Nancy A. Carter, United Methodist Church All Africa.com on World AIDS Day 2003 AIDS.org on the Importance of Testing AIDS.org's HIV Frequently Answered Questions and Fact Sheets AIDS Treatment News At ALL FACTS AND OPINIONS, this day is dedicated to the commemoration of World AIDS Day; there is also an ongoing online vigil. Please join us to remember, share, and commit to the effort to end the plague.

Margaret Cho reveals her "diet secrets."

This is a little old, but I just found it. Margaret Cho, super-awesome (and super-crude) feminist comedienne posted on her blog about why she's lost so much weight. She calls it the Fuck It Diet, and it involves eating whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. It's amusing and somewhat empowering.

iPod jacking makes people share

iPod jacking makes people share

I recently irked some folks by saying I believe conservatives and libertarians (conservatives who wear their caps backward) don't like to share. That explains why they are usually opposed to supporting the common good. MacRumors reports there is something new to for such persons to worry about. Wired's Leander Kahney has the original story.

During his regular evening walk, software executive Steve Crandall often nods a polite greeting to other iPod users he passes: He easily spots the distinctive white earbuds threaded from pocket to ears.

But while quietly enjoying some chamber music one evening in August, Crandall's polite nodding protocol was rudely shattered.

Crandall was boldly approached by another iPod user, a 30ish woman bopping enthusiastically to some high-energy tune.

"She walked right up to me and got within my comfort field," Crandall stammered. "I was taken aback. She pulled out the earbuds on her iPod and indicated the jack with her eyes."

Warily unplugging his own earbuds, Crandall gingerly plugged them into the woman's iPod, and was greeted by a rush of techno.

"We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."

The following evening, Crandall saw the woman again. This time, she was sharing her iPod with another iPod regular Crandall had spotted on his walks.

Within a couple of days, Crandall had performed the iPod sharing ritual with all the other four or five regulars he sees on his walks. Since August, they've listened to each other's music dozens of times.

I freely admit to iPod promiscuity. Since acquiring my first, soon after the esteemed MP3 player/hard drive was released, I have shared music with family, friends and complete strangers. My current digital companion, Titania, has been handled by more men than I've given my phone number in the last year. The iPod has become well enough known that people will often ask to take a closer look at it. Some say they are considering getting their own. Like Crandall, I notice other iPod users and they notice me. We sometimes compare notes on what we have on our 'Pods, listen to each others tunes briefly or, now that a hack allowing it is available, trade songs.

I really hadn't given much thought to the sociability factor of the iPod, taking it for granted. The article at Wired and responses to it at MacRumors have caused me to realize that I may need to become more circumspect. What if the not-so-secret sharer is a conservative or a libertarian? Then, I could be unknowingly stepping on his toes.

Crandall, who also has a weblog, Tingilinde, has seen iPod sharing catch on in his native milieu and heard rumors of it on some college campuses. But, he has also encountered hostile responses when suggesting mutual musical moments in New York City.

In looking back, I realize I've usually been the respondent to iPod information and music exchanges. However, if the iPod jacking spreads, that may change. Perhaps I will become an aggressive plucker of plugs. But, I promise not to force conservatives and libertarians to share.

This entry appeared at Mac-a-ro-nies.

Chicken & Testosterone

Anil Dash's recent post "Halalapalooza" is both amusing and provocative. I'm not yet sure what conclusion I'm going to draw from it, or what response I might have to it.

Pantihose and Promises

It's been a year and a half (that's when I stopped ballroom dancing and dudeing up with the frilly fun clothes that go along with it) since I wore pantihose, but I struggled into a pair yesterday as I readied myself for my cousin's daughter's wedding. I finally twisted far enough to get them on, but not after hearing a few crunches and cracks in my back. Not a good sound for someone who's got a major problem with a disc in her lumbar spine. As it turned out, no harm seemed to have been done, but I have promised myself that from now on, no more pantihose.

And then my cousin's daughter and now husband promised each other, in front of friends and family, all the things that people promise each other when they're in happily love and looking toward a future together.

It was a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony that included a reading from the Book of Genesis about how the Judeo-Christian God created man, realized that the poor guy was lonesome, and then formed woman out of the guy's rib. Yeecchh!!

I wanted to stand up and yell, "Hey, haven't you heard of Lilith? Don't you know the power of myth to make real history happen? No, No! That's not the story that needs to be told. You got it wrong. You got it all wrong!!"

But, of course, I didn't. I just squirmed in my seat and hoped for the best.

And the reception was the best! Tribal, even.

I have to hand it to my cousin's daughter and her mate. It was their celebration and their way to celebrate. The DJ revved up everyone (except those of my mother's generation) with rhythms driven by blood-pounding drums. And the tribe gathered around the newlyweds, who writhed and wound around each other as well as others in the gathering circle as the bride's white gown sparkled through the web of strobing limbs. They danced in groups, alone, and in pairs -- men with women, women with women, men with men. The beat went on, and on, and on. The circle ebbed and flowed and whooped and danced. The air throbbed with promise.

And my cousins and I crowned our you'd-never-know-it-graying-heads with glow-in-the-dark circlets and became, for those moments, our younger, vital, music-infused selves. Luckily, I must have sent my sciatic nerve into shock because it never felt a thing.

After the reception, some of my cousins went back to one of their homes to continue partying. I had to drive back upstate. The party was over for me. At least this one was.

But I'm promising myself that I will find more chances to party. And I'm promising myself that I will do it without the back-breaking risk of wriggling into those claustraphobic pantihose.

Rape Defense?

Found via Warren Ellis-- a South African doctor invented a tampon-like device that is designed to cut a rapist's penis. The article appears to be well over a year old, but I had never heard of such an item before. Apparently the obscenely high number of incidents of rape in South Africa led the doctor to develop the device.

I certainly applaud the attempt to address the problem of rape, but part of me recoils at such a particularly vicious method, and questions, too the efficacy of a device. Obviously, its existence is meant to serve as a deterrant, but it doesn't actually prevent anyone from being raped-- it just brings about a brutally short end to any sexual assault-- and there are plenty of ways for a woman to be assaulted without an actual penis in the picture. And what is to prevent a woman from using one of the devices unethically (that is, on someone who wasn't actually intending rape)?

According to the article, other women had objections as well:

"I would be extremely uncomfortable. Again the onus is put on the woman. Men who rape women should be jailed for life. Men should not rape, end of story."

Firing up my feminism.

Related to this post below and Burningbird's various posts about the Blogging Ghetto on her own site, I've done my own take.

Alan Watts, Tyra Banks, Vogue Magazine, Shelley Powers, Victoria's Secret and Kabul Afghanistan -- strange (or maybe not) bedfellows and all inspirations for firing me up about Using the Systems (including using Blog Sisters, which I'm doing right now).

Gender discrimination is illegal

Depend on Robbie Port to cause me to set aside what I had intended to post today to pen an emergency correction to dangerous notions about gender discrimination. He says:

Everybody thinks men and women should be exactly equal. They should be considered for the same jobs as men and should be paid at the same level. Companies engaged in hiring new employees are often encouraged to hire women and we've all heard the new politically correct job titles such as "mail carrier" instead of "mailman." In theory, that sounds nice. In practice some problems arise.

Take, for instance, firefighters. Every day these people are faced with dangers and often must count on the strength and agility of their co-workers. If I were a fireman I would want the strongest person available to be backing me up in a hot situation. I would want the same if I were a police officer or a soldier. Granted, many women are just as strong, or stronger, than most men but in general men are bigger and stronger.

. . .All I'm saying is that men and women are different and when we hire for jobs those differences should be taken into consideration, especially in dangerous jobs like those I described above. If a woman wants to be a fireman that's great, as long as she can past the exact same tests and examinations that the men do. If the job you want requires you to be able to complete 30 pushups then you'd better be able to do those 30 pushups. If you can't, find another job.

Let's consider two of the errors in Port's ill-conceived entry.

Municipalities do not decide the rules for hiring workers in a vacuum, as he claims. State and federal law regulate various aspects of employment, including discrimination

.

A major criterion determining whether rules against hiring or promoting women are discriminatory under Title VII, the most relevant statute, is employment-relatedness. The only way it would matter if an employee can do 30 pushups is if doing those pushups can be shown to be directly related to firefighting. Otherwise, the requirement would be irrelevant to being qualified for the job, regardless of whether someone likes his firefighters strong -- and male. The issue is not the gender of the employee, but what skills the job requires.

Title VII has been around for so long I tend to take it for granted 'everyone knows' that the kind of discrimination Port supports is illegal. His is the kind of misinformation I would expect to read in material from the 1960s or 1970s, not in 2003.

Robbie Port's latest assault on reality is evidence of a a major problem with the blogosphere: The Ports spout so much inaccurate information that the minority of smart, responsible bloggers are virtually forced to clean up after them.

By the way, Port's blog is called Say Anything . . . and he really does.

Note: This entry also appeared at Silver Rights.

Geeky Gamers

In a short article on the BBC's web site, game developer Anna Larkin challenges the stereotype that video games appeal only to a certain demographic. She posits that it's the presentation of games, not the games themselves, that attract the typical male teenager to a game:

Most video game adverts appear in gaming magazines, and many of the adverts that do appear depict gamers as male.

This only serves to reinforce the stereotype that only males play games and that they are something that a female would not be interested in.

I have to agree. I certainly enjoy a good rousing shoot-em-up every once in a while, though I generally prefer puzzle and strategy games. I don't oay attention to the game's marketing material; I look at the game itself, and think, would I enjoy that?

Two Roads Diverged

"For me, femininity had become the other 'F' word," says Christine Sneeringer.

For Tamela Vaughn, an affair with a college sorority sister sent her into the "darkest period of my life."

Millions of people in this country are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Most of them, despite prejudice from society, disapproval from churches, and unequal treatment under law, accept and embrace who they are. But a relative few, who tend to hold conservative religious beliefs, attempt to change their sexual orientation, to go from gay to heterosexual. Sneeringer and Vaughn both embarked on that difficult, some say potentially dangerous journey. Now, both women say they have found joy and peace in their relationships with God and with themselves. But though these women took a similar journey, they found their fulfillment in very different places.

The piece is much too long to share here. Read the rest at All Facts and Opinions.

But Who Will Save Our Souls?

Call me a cynic. Call me unpatriotic. But I would not, just could not, bring myself to watch the Jessica Lynch story on TV yesterday.

Maybe it was all the hype. Maybe it was the fact that others in Jessica's unit, who had suffered the same fate or worse, were being totally ignored. Maybe it was the announcer telling me it was the show "All America had been waiting for." Maybe it was that annoyingly commercial sounding patriotic tune they kept playing in the promos. Whatever it was, whenever the trailer came on, I cringed.

I thought maybe it was just me, but then I saw an online poll and it seemed there were quite a few folks who, like me, had had about enough of the excessive marketing of Jessica's and Elizabeth Smart's story. My mother was in town over the weekend and we were sitting on the couch watching TV when another one of those annoying trailers started in on us. The announcer said the show would be airing in one hour. My mother groaned and made reference to the fact that we should remember to switch stations before the hour was up. I indeed was not alone.

I suppose that years of being a public relations professional, where you quickly learn the effects of "spin" and become adept at spotting it everywhere has made me a bit cynical. But even without these acquired skills, I know a propaganda tool when I see one. And this one wasn't even subtle. Heck, even Jessica Lynch herself is calling foul. She has stated that she feels the government is using her. And maybe that's why this whole thing just never sat too well with me.

How many nameless and faceless innocent Iraqi men, women and children are being killed on a daily basis? We waged war on a country that may or may not be connected to the terrorists who supposedly started this whole mess...do we care about the Iraqi soldiers who our soldiers are no doubt killing and torturing? What about the American male soldiers? Where's their movie? How many Pulitzer prize winning authors were clamoring to write the tales of Vietnam vets?

I watched Chris Rock's "Head of State" over the weekend and while I found it pretty buffoonish, there was this one funny line they kept repeating. At the end of every speech, the vice president who ran against Chris Rock's character would state, "God bless America...and no place else."

It was quite comical and obviously a slap at our "patriotic" statement of "God bless America." As though no place else deserves to be blessed. As though the American people are the only people who matter in the world. As though only perky American women have a story worth telling or are worthy of our empathy.

I listened to the words of Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief, the Iraqi attorney who notified the U.S. military about Jessica's presence in the hospital, and once again I found myself being a bit skeptical. According to our government, Iraqi women are treated atrociously. Yet it was American Jessica's plight that, in his own words, "changed his life"?? Whatever.

I think this man saw and seized an opportunity and I think the U.S. saw and seized an opportunity to make some money off of American citizens in the form of advertising and book sales. I don't begrudge Mohammed for doing what was best to create an opportunity for his family. But shame on the U.S. military and TV execs who exploited this situation. "Jessica shot until she ran out of bullets." "Jessica's gun was jammed, she says she could not defend herself." "Jessica was slapped." "Jessica says she was so not slapped."

I in no way mean to be insensitive to American troops; I mean to be insensitive to hypocrisy. I'm also insensitive to being set up.

'All America' is not "waiting" for the next good, real life war story to be turned into a TV show. The majority of Americans are waiting for the war stories to end. This war is going to cost more lives and more money than anybody can afford. All the good ol' fashioned patriotic propaganda movies in the world can't slap a perky picture on that.

The full version of this article can be found at The Somewhat Heroic Adventures of SWEET.

Belly Busting

This story caught my eye because just two days ago, Spousal Unit and I were walking around at the local shopping mall when we happened upon a small kiosk offering belly-dancing accoutrements for sale. It was wonderful: There were sheer scarves that felt so soft to the touch, a collection of instructional videos (which I want for my upcoming birthday), even those marvelous brass finger cymbals known as zils or zagat. SU made a comment about how cool it would be to sit in an Egyptian or Moroccan club to watch a bevy of gorgeous exotic women twirling around. I had to agree wholeheartedly.

Well, if we ever get to Egypt, it appears we may be limited to gawking at local talent. The Associated Press reports that the Egyptian government has banned all foreign belly dancers.

The government says it wants to protect homegrown practitioners of the seductive Middle Eastern dance form and is no longer granting new work permits to foreign dancers or renewing existing ones.

The victims, who include Europeans and Americans, say it's unfair and illogical, and they are backed by one of the Arab world's most respected dancers, Nagwa Fouad, who is urging the government to reverse its ban.

"There is not enough Egyptian talent, so obviously people need foreigners," says Palestinian-born Fouad, who retired from dancing in 1997 after a career of four decades.

"There has always been a mix of Egyptian and foreign belly dancers here. Why should this change?"

What makes the move particularly curious is the fact that Egyptian society is growing less comfortable with the idea of scantily dressed Muslim women gyrating in public. That being the case, it does not make sense to boot willing non-Muslim performers.

But government officials say morality is not the issue. "Belly dancing is an Egyptian thing and is not a hard job," Nawal al-Naggar of the Ministry of Labor and Immigration told AP. "It is not hard to find belly dancers from Egypt. There are too many foreign belly dancers in Egypt working at nightclubs."

Hassan Akef, a leading dancers' agent, agrees. A supporter of the ban, Akef says the job market has been flooded with foreign performers, who mostly hail from Russia and the Ukraine. "They don't give the Egyptians any chance," he said.

Some foreign performers are fighting back. Two belly dancers, one from Russia and one from Australia, are taking the matter to court -- according to them, the new prohibition is unfair. And a French performer has asked her government to try and convince Egypt to reconsider.

from all facts and opinions

Are we not pus-- oops!-- women?

There's weird and there's weird. Ms. Lauren at Feministe turned me on this bit of weirdness, courtesy of weirdo Kim du Toit.

The Pussification of the Western Male

Now, little boys in grade school are suspended for playing cowboys and Indians, cops and crooks, and all the other familiar variations of "good guy vs. bad guy" that helped them learn, at an early age, what it was like to have decent men hunt you down, because you were a lawbreaker.

Now, men are taught that violence is bad -- that when a thief breaks into your house, or threatens you in the street, that the proper way to deal with this is to "give him what he wants", instead of taking a horsewhip to the rascal or shooting him dead where he stands.

Now, men's fashion includes not a man dressed in a three-piece suit, but a tight sweater worn by a man with breasts .

Now, warning labels are indelibly etched into gun barrels, as though men have somehow forgotten that guns are dangerous things.

Now, men are given Ritalin as little boys, so that their natural aggressiveness, curiosity and restlessness can be controlled, instead of nurtured and directed.

And finally, our President, who happens to have been a qualified fighter pilot, lands on an aircraft carrier wearing a flight suit, and is immediately dismissed with words like "swaggering", "macho" and the favorite epithet of Euro girly-men, "cowboy". Of course he was bound to get that reaction -- and most especially from the Press in Europe, because the process of male pussification Over There is almost complete.

How did we get to this?

The idea is not as new as he likely thinks it is. Far Right pundits, including gun research fraud John Lott, have been making the argument that troublesome women (along with uppity Negroes, of course) have been the ruination of America for quite a while.

You can read the rest of du Toit's Ode to Retrograde Masculinity here.

Note: This entry is an excerpt from Silver Rights.

Harmonic Concordance

In 1987 the Earth saw the first astrology-based global celebration of our era, the Harmonic Convergence. In two days we will have the chance to be a part of another landmark cosmic event, the Harmonic Concordance. "Harmonic convergence" describes the coming together of a group of energies to create a common tone. The term "Harmonic concordance" describes a group of energies in unison and resonance with a common tone.

Potential For Healing: According to astrologer Karen Steen, "Certainly, the chart indicates an opportunity to integrate greater emotional, spiritual, and ecological awareness into our personal lives and political and economic structures – if only that we all tune in together to such shared thoughts and feelings....

An expanded awareness now, as indicated by the Concordance chart, can assure real progress in our individual endeavors and progressive options for addressing global crises...."

What should you do?: Join together on that day with others in your community to focus on what you want more of in the world. Meditations visualizing a peaceful world, prayers of affirmation regarding harmony and global prosperity, and other such celebrations of the positive will have a far reaching effect. Remember, spirit work done alone makes a difference but that effect is multiplied (not added) when you join with others to do it, so organize a meditative get together with a friend or two or find a community gathering in your area. Spread the light and share the love.

On November 8-9, release what you no longer need with the total lunar eclipse, and open to the global energies of the Concordance. Finally, with the total solar eclipse of November 23, ground your expanded awareness and creative capacity, and begin anew to implement your intentions and plans."

-- Excerpted from full article at http://www.blisstherapy.com/news.html

POLITICAL LEANINGS?

Utne Magazine reminds us that the reality of today's political landscape is a bit more complex than the labels "right" or "left" and that political identities like "green," "communitarian," and "populist" don't easily fit the traditional left-right dichotomy.

So if you're as lost as I am, these quick quizzes may sort through your "real" political orientation, or if give you something to just want to waste your bosses time.

PoliticalCompass.org

AmericanChoices.org