QOTD: Simon Doonan

Gay, but a lover of all things womanly, Simon Doonan (of Barneys New York fame), said something that made me smile. 

He bemoans the rise of "porno chic" and notes that there is "a lot of conformity, a lot of blonde hair ... I often wonder if feminism was just a dream. I can't believe how women feel so scrutinised, and they're still so self-critical - I thought they would have let go of that now but they haven't. There's a very masochistic thing with women now that I didn't used to see. My girl friends in the punk era weren't like that at all." He looks slightly forlorn. "You know, at least once a week someone calls me up and says, 'Don't you think it's terrible when fat girls have muffin tops over their jeans?' And I say, 'Not if they're happy.' Who cares?"

The Worst Places on Earth for Women

Flipping through my Marie Claire yesterday, I see a small piece (better than no piece at all!) about the "Worst Places on Earth for Women". 

Some of the nations they included are: Sierre Leone, Haiti, Moldova, and Nepal. 

Even though the U.S. economy is in a tailspin and we're going to have to bring back the W.P.A. and people are going to be begging from a slice of bread, our human rights have passed the crude, physical assault stage. Instead, we modern society types focus on emotional, subversive, "intellectual" woman-focused assault. We (they?) install a "glass ceiling", refuse to adjust the gap in female vs. male pay, don't offer maternity leave. These are hallmarks of our "modern" society out here in the Western world. 

In less developed spheres, ideas like "literacy", "hygiene" and "sexual assault" are only now beginning to enter their societies and become national issues. 

A sampling, from Human Rights Watch: 

Human Rights Watch has found that Russian government officials reject complaints from victims, refuse to investigate rape, neglect to refer victims to forensic doctors for evidence collection, and drop cases when they believe the victim is “at fault.” 

Similarly, in Pakistan, women who attempt to file rape charges face police harassment and disbelief, and may themselves face arrest and prosecution for engaging in extramarital sex. 

Women in India face daunting obstacles in prosecuting rape cases, beginning with lodging reports with the local police to confronting judges’ insensitivity to their plight. If an Indian woman is poor, belongs to a lower caste, or lives in a rural area, it is even more difficult for her to access the justice system.

For the cost of a mani/pedi - donate or talk to your Congressional rep!

Chuck Lorre is a Superb Cynic

Chuck Lorre, he of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and A Half Men" producer fame, loves writing these "vanity cards". They are on the end part of his shows and usually are extremely sarcastic of other producers/Warner Brothers. 

I'm a particular fan of Vanity Card #215, although when I read this aloud (in "the voice"), my boy told me to please, stop. 

Workplace Woes: Chauvinist Pigs Make More Money

You know, for their Stepford brides. No, seriously, a study in the United States suggests that "old-fashioned" men, the ones who think women should stay home and make meatloaf instead of mergers, consistently out-earn more than their modern-thinking counterparts. The tune - an extra $8,500 a year!

The study, consisting of 12,686 men and women interviewed in 1979 and three more times in the following two decades, ending in 2005. 

Questions floated around during these interviews, like "do you believe a woman's place is in the home", "do you believe that the employment of women leads to higher rates of juvenile delinquency" and others plucked from "Freakonomics". 

On the other side, women with "modern" views made $1,500 more than "traditional" thinking women. I bet those "traditional" women are at home baking cookies, perchance?

Dr. Magdalena Zawisza, a psychologist involved in the study, noted that there may be several theories which explain the difference, 

"It could be that more traditionally-minded men are interested in power, both in terms of access to resources - money in this case - and also in terms of a woman who is submissive." 

Or...

"Another theory suggests that employers are more likely to promote men who are the sole earner...to those [are] not..."

But what about the woman's position - any single mothers out there? Thoughts? 

No! Not Miniskirts!

After calling to make wearing a miniskirt illegal, Ugandan Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo proceeded to call his people "weak mentally". 

There are definitely people who can't hack a miniskirt. But trying to say that the miniskirt is suddenly indecent after it's been out since the Swingin' London days of the 1960s is a moot point, right? Uganda isn't (by far) the stupidest country in the world. There is a 66% literacy rate and official

language is English and the country seems relatively peaceful considering the neighbors. So why then is the miniskirt suddenly indecent?

Roman Catholics dominate religious thought in Uganda, is it that? Maybe. But I've been to Brazil and it's very Catholic there as well...and I'm sure we've all seen Brazilian cut bathing suits. 

The minister also claims that "indecent dressing"is just one of the vices facing Ugandan society. Right, along with 

"Theft and embezzlement of public funds, sub-standard service delivery, greed, infidelity, prostitution, homosexuality [and] sectarianism..."

A democratic and free society doesn't impose a dress code on their citizens, especially one that is so shamelessly biased toward women. 

I don't like banana hammocks but I don't find it necessary to completely ban them. Maybe if they were banned, we wouldn't have all this "greed" and "theft" we've been hearing so much about from Wall St. lately...

Men Target Breast...Cancer

This is awkward, no?





And the "oh, golly" attitude...it's not 1960. This ad person should be fired. You're not in "Mad Men", genius!

Heard & Seen: 37th & 8th Avenue

Maybe I should just avoid Midtown. 

Sad Sack: "hey baby! I want to make babies with you!"

Brushes up to her and, as she passes him (disgusted), he continues leering. 

Killing Babies is Not the Answer

China is having some issues. While the Beijing Olympics were pretty much a hit, they were critiqued for subjecting a young girl to the harsh reality of the entertainment industry (re: lipsyncing) and also for their highly shady documentation of their national gymnastics team. Their human rights practices in Tibet are a national tragedy. We here in the States are pretty upset over their tainted dog and cat foods which are poisoning our pets. 

I'm sure the Communists are upset that they can't just make us all shut up, because the sh*t has really hit the fan over there now. Tainted baby formula has been found in Chinese homes and has contributed to acute kidney failure in as many as 158 babies. The total number of babies sick from a poisonous additive - melamine - in the formula has risen to 6,244. 

Melamine, an industrial chemical usually used in non-food products like fertilizer, glue and flame retardants, was the chemical that was found in the poisonous pet food that gave us a big scare earlier this year and led to the deaths of more than 8,000 pets. 

Sanlu, the parent company of the tainted milk powder suppliers, has seen 22 of their brands contaminated with melamine, mostly in the Gansu province of China (picture above).  

China (no matter what they think) is still a developing nation and does not have the regulatory controls set in place to oversee all the milk formula factories. It's like Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" over there. My opinion of China and their governmental policies is clear - they have changes to make and those changes will cost them their status if they do not give freedom to their people.

"Authorities are bracing for possible long-term effects from the children's exposure to tainted milk, and pledging free health care for the affected children, many of whom live in poor rural areas where families are less able to afford imported milk brands. Many of the children are suffering from kidney stones, which otherwise rarely occur in infants"

Even if this quote is insincere, it is refreshing to hear that the "authorities" are treated rural Chinese with some sort of humanity.

Been Gone Far Too Long

Sorry readers, I've been out of the country for many weeks now - but I'm finally back! Regular postings (because, it seems, I have not stopped objectifications) will commence...soon. 

Heard: 42nd & Broadway

Construction Worker: "Yeah, but she got a nice ass and legs on her!"