162 posts tagged “current affairs”
If you think wearing seat belts is stupid, I have an alternative way you can protect yourself in case of a car accident: obesity. A 600 pound woman was thrown from her car, but survived. She was too heavy to fly to the hospital and had to be taken by ambulance.
Link: 600 lbs. woman survives getting thrown through sunroof.
There's a new book coming out by Dawn Eden called The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On. An excerpt of the the book is available online and Jill over at the Feministe has effortlessly pointed out the problems with Eden's major argument. That argument appears to be that by having premarital sex, women devalue men. Society, by encouraging women to have premarital sex, therefore also devalues men. Or straight men, anyway. Gay men are not devalued because women are not having premarital sex with them or being encouraged to do so. At least that is one possible intrepratations of Eden's rather illogical argument. Since Jill has already ripped Eden's argument apart, I won't go into it anymore. But I will leave you with my favorite "exchange," which begins with Eden's statement:
When I had nonmarital sex, I became accustomed to seeing myself as a commodity—a varied collection of looks, wit, intellect, and je ne sais quois. I looked for men whose commodities were worth as much as my own.
Most of all, I looked for men whose commodities were readily apparent. The singles scene isn’t known for its subtlety. Men who were reserved or modest, who didn’t flirt readily, who weren’t attuned to my single-gal vibe—the nature of my casual-sex mind-set forced them all out of the running.
Is it any surprise, then, that I tended to date narcissists?
Jill's response is classic:
If you were seeking out men who are like you it’s not.
It might be a sterotype, but I love a catfight 'cause girls are mean.
First, there were the cartoons. Now, it's the brothel:
A German brothel seeking to drum up business during the World Cup has been forced to remove the national flags of Saudi Arabia and Iran from an array of flags on its facade after threats from Muslims saying it was insulting their faith.
At least that makes sense!
What happens if a penny is worth more than a penny? It's not some philosphical question, but a real problem with the rising cost of metals. Pennys already cost the mint more to make then they are worth, which suggests they ought to be eliminated already. However, if people can melt a penny down to make $$$ it could make it even mroe costly for the mint. Sadly, there doesn't appear to be much they can do about it. Asked about their plans to deal with this eventually, the mint responded such issues were for Congress to decide. Good Luck!
It is with much sadness that I must report the death of Humphrey.
China has a lot of people. Don't believe me:
Every year, 8.5 million Chinese peasants move into cities. Most of their destinations are mere specks on western maps, if they appear at all. But their populations put them on a par with some of the world's megalopolises. Britain has five urban centres of more than a million people; China has ninety. A few - Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Nanjing - are well known around the world. The names of many others - Suqian, Suining, Xiantao, Xinghua, Liuan - are unfamiliar even to many Chinese. Nowhere is the staggering urbanisation of the world more evident than in Chongqing. Never heard of it? This is where the pace and scale of urbanisation is probably faster and bigger than anywhere in the world today. This is the Coketown of the early 21st century.
Set in the middle reaches of the Yangtze, this former trading centre and treaty port has long been the economic hub of western China. But after its government was given municipal control of surrounding territory the size of many countries, it has grown and grown, becoming what is now the world's biggest municipality with 31 million residents (more people than Iraq, Peru or Malaysia). The population in its metropolitan areas will double from 10 million to 20 million in the next 13 years.
Link: Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Invisible city.
Forty-five percent of Iraqis believe attacks on U.S. and British troops are justified, according toa secret poll said to have been commissioned by British defense leaders and cited by The Sunday Telegraph.
Rumsfield is a horse's ass, but his horse has a good name:
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia, Oct. 22 - Mongolia has 131 soldiers in Iraq, and on Saturday it received an official American statement of gratitude from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
Mr. Rumsfeld came to Ulan Bator to deliver that message personally, and he was given a horse.
In dazzling sunlight on the grounds of the Mongolian Defense Ministry, Mr. Rumsfeld took the reins of the calm gelding and said, "I am proud to be the owner of that proud animal." He immediately announced that he would name the horse Montana, because the dusty plains and mountains that ring the Mongolian capital reminded him of that Rocky Mountain state.
Link: A Horse for Rumsfeld, but, Whoa, There's a Snag - New York Times.
More evidence of the impending disaster that is the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.
Dam, there was nothing I enjoyed more than taking my chickens for a walk:
The Netherlands is banning farmers from keeping fowl outdoors to try to prevent the spread of bird flu.
