Tehran Cops: Lady Killers

This video isn't of just any police academy. This is the Iranian Women's Police Academy Graduation Ceremonies. And if you're not up on your Iranian culture, then you don't know it's against the law for a woman to walk around wearing anything less than a four-person tent. I gotta admit, I admire the heck out of these women! Someone needs to make an action movie pronto.

BC Awareness

Wearing pink and a pair of jeans is apparently on the docket for many Americans tomorrow, myself included. It's officially Lee National Denim Day for Breast Cancer Awareness. I'm not a big band-wagon jumper, but when I see that they are looking to make more effective, less toxic breast cancer treatments, develop blood tests for earlier detection, and create resources to educate patients and families about new options, I threw my Abe Lincoln in the bag and picked up a pink pin. I'll be wearing jeans and a pink sweater tomorrow, because one in eight women is a lot and I or someone I love could be next.

Here's to keeping the girls healthy and beautiful! : )

Remembering 9/11

This is always a hard day for me as it is for many Americans and other sympathetic souls around the world. A complete list of victims can be found here. Needless and painful deaths. Both here in our country and at the US Embassy in Germany.



We remember.





Memorials held around the country and around the world. Photos here.

Arugula Pig-Stick

Wow, have you ever seen the mud-slinging quite this ugly before? It must require thick skin to run for any office, let alone the Presidency of the United States!

In Obama's case, a colorful analogy just turned a pig, into a rampaging Republican elephant.

I have to say that the pig in lipstick comment certainly did not seem to be directed to the 'lipstick pitbull,' Sarah Palin, as is now being charged. And I think the Republicans could do without the petty, toe-stepping at this point. But I guess the GOP sees this as an opening in the gender gap and are swinging the axe to deepen the divide.

Then again, Obama did "accidentally" flip off Hillary Clinton in the primaries, so maybe he's "not that innocent" after all.

Honestly, I doubt Obama is ready to lead a nation. He comes off these days as a petulant teenager, whining about not getting his way. I think if he can stay calm and unaffected then the GOP will have to do the legwork to prove their ticket, but if he keeps saying, "Come on!" and "Gimme a break!" all the time, people are going to see him as a weak candidate. What do you think?

Just Say No To Abstinence

Ohio did just that.

The abstinence-until-marriage programs in the state of Ohio recently came under heavy fire. The AIDS taskforce of Ohio asked that state funding for the no-sex-till-marriage programs be withheld until proof for their efficacy can be shown. The programs, which began under Pres. Clinton, took on added steam and additional funding under Bush (no surprise there). Ohio law requires sex ed to promote and "emphasize" that abstinence from sexual activity is the only 100% effective means of protecting oneself from STD's and unwanted pregnancy (ORC 3313.60). Whereas most non-profit organizations must match their government funds with their own funding, the state of Ohio matches the funds for the abstinence-only programs. The US government doesn't care who matches it, just so long as it's matched. But the Ohio AIDS taskforce does care. You see, the AIDS taskforce has to match their own funds and would much rather see state funds go directly to AIDS patients than to be 'thrown down the drain' in an attempt to rally Ohio teens around the no-nookie flagpole. You can't blame them. The abstinence only programs are not only syphoning off large amounts of state funding, they also blatantly advertise hetero-monogamy as "God's plan for our lives." As it turns out federal funding may not be used for religious purposes, don't you know, which gives the AIDS taskforce a nice little platform on which to launch an assault.

It's not the only platform though. Studies show that whereas the no-sex-till-wed programs muster a lot of enthusiasm, the numbers of STD's and pregnancies among the students who signed up to "keep themselves pure" were just as high as teens exposed to (no pun intended) "safe-sex" programs. In other words, it wasn't necessarily working.

I find this interesting; this battle raging over what to tell the kids. What will work best. What will make those pesky numbers of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases drop. How to get the number of teen pregnancies down, etc. It is already and has been for some time a wild, overgrown weed patch in our national psyche. A word to the wise is no longer sufficient. The world is dangerous and ignorance is anything but bliss.

But as for the notion that a child equipped with a condom is "safer" than a child without is a total crock. It does hurt a thirteen year old girl's feelings to get plowed under by some boy or man in their pursuit of the national past time. I remain unconvinced that there is any thirteen year old in this country who would benefit by having sex.

So... is Cheryl Biddle, executive director of Abstinence the Better Choice, justified in saying "we want to balance the scale" by continuing a message of abstinence only in Ohio and is that "balance" worth $455,000 in state funding? Or is the idea of preaching abstinence worth the government's money only if you also hand out cherry-flavored condoms?

One last thought before I descend my soap box:

Learning to put on a condom without also learning to protect your heart seems an ass-backwards way to protect the young of this country.

Kolam on the Floor

In the process of designing an Indian themed wedding I came across the art form of Kolam or Rangoli, in which rice flour is poured or brushed on the floor in patterns of dots and continuous lines. Some of these patterns are quite elaborate and in parts of India, these kolams are drawn by women at the doorstep daily to protect those within from evil and to invite prosperity (and ants). While I'm not so sure about the protective qualities of flour, I do like the designs a great deal. One website intimated that the dots represent obstacles we face, while the line (traditionally one continuous) represents our life starting with God, passing around many obstacles and returning to God, which I thought was a beautiful sentiment. The photo below leads to the nicest kolam blog I've found online:


You can design your own Kolam with this Kolam Generator. Learn more about Kolams.

7/11 America's Favorite

In a day to honor the convenience of stores that have short lines and no gas pumps, I'd like to celebrate the institution that is 7 Eleven. They are currently sucking up to the mainstream movie industry by renaming stores "Kwik-E-Mart" for the upcoming Simpson's Movie. (Wish I could have seen that convenience store cat-fight bid war!) They also claim to have America's Favorite Beverage: the Slurpee. I had to verify this for myself, so I did an instensive two minute google search for America's Favorite Beverage. Here's what I found:

According to "The Man Room," it's beer.

According to this study, it's Soda Pop!

This touring site says beer again.

And here we're back to Carbonated Sodie Pop!

But nowhere on 90 pages does it say, "America's favorite beverage is the 7/11 slurpee." The closest they get (besides 7/11 websites themselves, obviously) is somebody saying that the Slurpee "is America's favorite frozen drink." I think 7/11 is full of it!

But that's not to say I don't enjoy a slurpee every now and then. I like to mix half cherry and half coke.

What the World Eats

I am fascinated by this photo essay from time.com on What the World Eats.

In fact, I was riveted by one family in particular; the Batsuuri family. First of all, I didn't see how they could spend so little and get so much, and of more interest to my Western eye was their dress and accomodations.

Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar
Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings

And so I began to wonder where this place "Ulaanbaatar" was. So I looked it up. Ulaanbaatar is the capital city of Mongolia. And if you knew that then you might also know that Ulan Batar means "red hero," in honor of Mongolia's national hero Damdin Sükhbaatar. (He liberated Mongolia from Ungern von Sternberg's troops, Chinese rule, and called in the Soviet Red Army. His statue still adorns Ulan Bator's central square.)

Parkour

You must have heard of it or seen glimpses of it by now, but perhaps you didn't know that the art form of Parkour is more than young, athletic angst without a skateboard. Apparently, Parkour is more a philosophy of life than an afterschool calorie burner. David Belle, founder of the art form defends it from the critics who would call it "urban acrobatics." For him, Parkour is a way to overcome obstacles in life, not just jumping from building to building. Get a taste of belle at his best with this video. Finally, the French invent something we can all enjoy. = )

(And as an added treat, enjoy the comedic ravings of "parkour experts" Rabbit and Nimrod.)

I thought this was a joke...

But it wasn't. And apparently this girl's gotten too much publicity and was probably nominated for a suicide watch so she went into hiding.

There are whole gigantic web communities devoted to encouraging themselves and others to starve and be underweight and malnourished. Most, by their own admission, use it as a form of control for emotional pain that, obviously, cannot be controlled in this way. Most are teens although there are several blogs from "older" women in their twenties and thirties who claim that they can't give it up. New word for the day: "Thinspiration."

Celebrity Crushes

I've decided it is time for me to develop a Celebrity Crush. I'm not sure what that involves, but I am pretty sure I should have one just for academic purposes. Since I don't have a lot of experience with celebrity crushing, I decided to research this fascinating phenomena.

First Stop: PBS.org
What You Should Know About Celebrity Crushes. I felt it was important to read what the "responsible" media of our culture wanted me to know about my Celebrity Crush. Most notably, PBS advises me to cease and desist if it "takes up way too much of your attention, time or money." So I think I'll stop at five posters over my bed and one trip to Hollywood or Nashville. Shall we continue?

Next: Picking a Celebrity to Crush Upon
Really this one is the hardest. I mean, Celebrities are usually good looking, but so few have any redeemable qualities upon which one can hang fantasies. I am afraid I will need recommendations. They don't even have to be good ones, since this is purely for science. Old or dead (or old dead) celebrities don't count. Has to be someone "on the scene." Uhm, they should also be men.

Finally: Feeling Out The Demographic
While I am waiting for the bestest Celebrity Crush suggestion, I decided to read up on the effects of Celebrity Crushing from web readers around the world:
Young Misses talk about their crushes in boring detail and with far too many "OMG"s and "LOL"s.

11/11 11:11:11

Today is Veteran's Day. It's about ten thirty here. At 11:11 am I will be sitting quietly at my desk thinking about the many men and women who have served, fought, and died for my freedoms. I am grateful to them and for them. Grandpa included. My Dad, too. All y'all.

Thank you.

"Fresh Up!"

Cooking with Seven-Up!

Hell No, We Won't Go!

Q: What's worse than living in a giant stadium with no privacy, no posessions and no home?

A: Living in Cleveland. Apparently.


Mayor Jane Campbell announced shortly after Hurricane Katrina to a polite crowd of Clevelanders that Cleveland was opening its doors and its hearts to a thousand evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The beds were made, the water bottles stacked, the temporary housing was all in place. And Cleveland waited. And waited. And waited.

Word slowly trickled back from the Astrodome: No one wanted to come. Awww, poor Cleveland! So, FEMA decided that rather than let Cleveland feel like the unpopular kid at the lunch table clutching his bag of off-brand chips and his dinted apple, that they were going to force 500 people to relocate to Cleveland. (I'm laughing so hard as I write this that I'm having trouble seeing my keyboard.) The poor bastards!

Welcome! : )

Rare Bit of Welsh Wedding Fun

Seems getting to the church on time is getting harder and harder.

Where Are We Going?

Oktoberfest

Here in Cleveland, we celebrate our Oktoberfest in September because we are progressive. Or maybe it's just because it's too cold in October. Or maybe because we don't recognize the word "October" when it's spelled "Oktober."

I don't know.

I do know that Tara and I went to the Oktoberfest on the west side of town today and were swept up in the giddy, Germanic fun!

If you listen to this post, you will hear five new swear words or phrases inspired by our time at Oktoberfest. They were in no way influenced by alcoholic beverages. Seriously. They weren't.

Pick your favorite and use it this week!

Tree Cozy (updated)

What do you do when you spot a crochet-covered tree on your way across town? You get a camera and take copious pictures to post on your blog, of course. This Tree Cozy is part of a citywide art project to beautify and enhance our city. I am waiting for a phone call from Cleveland Heights City Hall as to who the artist was and what the "message" of the tree may be. My mother thinks it's a Divers-i-Tree.

UPDATE: This tree was created by artist Carol Hummel, a sculpture teacher at Kent State University. The article (linked) says she has two pieces in Cleveland Heights. I wonder where the other one is...

It almost makes me cry...

when MSN reports that,

"As patches along Highway 49 blinked to life, there were screams of joy and fulfilled dreams: air conditioning. Hot showers. Hot food. Clean hair. Eventually, ice."

These are things refugees in other parts of the world would never expect to get. Maybe not in their entire lives.

We are a wealthy nation. I wonder if we ever truly appreciate it.

Fashion Update

Fashion Week is coming up so I thought I would round up a few of the hottest looks so we can all stay current. Let's take a look-see!













This season's look is skinny and bored. If you aren't skinny at least try to look extremely uninterested in everyone and everything around you. If you have a cat, use it as your model. Of course pairing a look of utter boredom with a wraith-thin body screams high-fashion, so try to shed those last one hundred pounds of excess body fat and muscle. Whatever you wear, remember, emaciated ennui completes any look!