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Daughter of No Comment -- February 2001 |
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There is so much going on that Daughter hardly knows where to begin, but
begin she shall.
Two women, American Ann Bancroft, 45, and Norwegian Liv Arnesen,47, have become the first women to cross Antarctica on skis and sails. This means they went over the 1,688 mile land mass with winds gusting up to 100 mph and temperatures averaging minus 93 degrees. Is anyone reading this complaining about our winter? In "Looking Good, Male Body Image in America," by Lynne Luciano she notes that men who undergo surgery to enlarge their penises "mostly suffer from a phenomenon doctors call 'locker room syndrome,' meaning they want larger flaccid penises, rather than larger erect ones, to give themselves greater self-confidence among men." Wonder if there is any connection that can be made between penises and pistols? Randall Mark, 20, pleaded guilty to throwing a canned salmon patty at Rep. Helen Chenoweth- Hage during a congressional hearing. He missed the Idaho Republican and hit Rep. Rick Hill. Some "boys" can't throw, what a doofus* Patricia Ryan, 36, sued the Cabaret Nightclub in Scranton Pa., where she worked as a stripper after she was badly burned while performing a fire-breathing routine. She suffered second degree burns when she accidentally dribbled a mixture of 151 proof rum and salt on her chest. She was awarded $363,153. Gives Dragon Lady a whole new meaning. Social notes from all over: New Delhi, India police accused Prem Pal, 30, of murdering his wife and a daughter after his wife discovered he was living with a eunuch, Sharda. His wife, Reeta Devi, 25, had traveled to the Indian capital with their three daughters to plead with him to return home. Instead he gave them sweets which poisoned and killed two of them. A police spokesperson said "Reeta was becoming a hindrance in his relationship with the eunuch so he killed his wife in connivance with the eunuch." Different strokes for different folks, or what? Inbal Hayut filed suit in New Paltz, New York, against The State University of New York claiming she was sexually harassed by her professor, Alex Young, when he noted that she wore the same colored lipstick as Monica Lewinsky and made comments such as "How was your weekend with Bill? And "Shut up, Monica, I'll give you a cigar later." She said he created a "sexually hostile environment." Daughter can only wonder what course Mr. Young thought he was teaching? Troglodyte humor? Another doofus* award. The indictment of former Suffolk County, New York, teacher, Anthony Correnti, 26, on 52 counts of sexual abuse, rape, and sodomy charges that he abused five girls ages 13 to 16. The case raises policy questions because if his employers had questioned his former employers or the State Board of Education they would have found he was on a list of teachers never to be hired again. Daughter wants to know who decides what due diligence is. Five boys, ages 10 to 13, raped and sexually assaulted a 13 year old girl whom they knew. They were all members of the Boys and Girls Club, a Coney Island, NY youth center. They called out to her, she followed them to a sheltered area near an apartment building where three youngest of the boys groped her, then another boy held her while she was penetrated. All five were charged with rape and sexual assault. Daughter wonders if the statistics indicate that rapists and their victims are getting younger. The United States Justice Department estimated that 1.7% of U.S. college women were raped during the 1996-97 school year, and 1.1% were victims of attempted rape. The report also said 13% had been stalked at school that year. College orientation should include mandatory serious self-defense classes. Is "siliconadas" in your vocabulary? When Kelkoo.com was launched in Sao Paulo, Brazil they looked for a "hook" and found bigger breasts. The company motto "comparing is natural" was plastered on billboards showing two pairs of naked female breasts-one the size of grapefruits, the other much smaller. Silicone implants are so "hot" that they are in short supply and the Brazilian Central Bank is studying making loans to low- income people to get bigger boobs. They are sold by the milliliter and surgeons often encourage big ones so the women won't want to "trade up" when they see bigger ones. Until recently the most popular cosmetic operation in the country was a breast reduction but now, fueled by busty models and TV, the bigger the better. What is it with breasts? Suffolk County, NY police have four women who say highway patrol officer Frank Wright had made them undress or show their breasts to avoid charges of drunk driving. He let the women go after the "show and don't tell." If you think our TV is out of bounds, how about this example from Israel? A home video, taken by convicted rapist Sergi Golov, showing him physically raping and sodomizing his house cleaner who was moaning and begging to be left alone was aired. She was naked although her face was blacked out. The rapist was clothed and his face was not shown. The original tape was 6 hours long. It was shown, said Rafik Halabi, head of the Channel One news department, because "this is a document that should shock society, in order to protect women from the aggression of men, and I hope the broadcast will lead to the suppression of this shocking phenomenon." Women's advocacy groups said airing it had more to do with a ratings competition and questioned whether the woman had given her consent to be raped yet again. This time in public. A doofus* to Mr Halabi with a cluster for a lame excuse. The growing preference for female ob-gyns is causing a tempest and some lawsuits by men in the field who are feeling discriminated against. This field is changing rapidly as more women enter it and provide the services that women want without being patronized. Currently 64% of ob-gyns are men so we haven't taken over yet. The crybabies should suck it in and consider whether they want to go to a female urologist. The Boston based nonprofit, Regaining One's Self Esteem (ROSE Fund), is a group of miracle working cosmetic surgeons who repair the faces of women who have been battered, kicked and choked by their husbands, and who couldn't heal their souls until their faces could again look normal. This was impossible for low income women. ROSE teamed up with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and they donate the surgery. One patient, an eight year old girl, her whole body covered with burns, cuts, pencil points and bite marks was abused by her mother who went to jail. Is this an idea that could be replicated in other parts of the country? How is impossible to escape from the abuse when one sees ones damaged flesh every time one looks in a mirror? Fox TV, owned by News Corp. rejects ads for any birth control device even while airing shows that promote promiscuity. Anyone seen "Temptation Island?" It's all about sex. Ad agency president Al Kaestnbaum which has the Encare (a spermicide) account says "It seems ironic that they have a problem with birth control, but not promiscuity." Needless to say, ads for Viagra and lubricants are aired freely. Condoms are only advertized in the context of disease prevention not birth control. Jon Nesvig, president of sales for Fox broadcasting should get a special hypocrite award which he can share with other broadcasters. If the airwaves are public, what responsibility do stations have to inform the public without censorship? Inquiring minds want to know. Natalie Angier, author of "Woman, An Intimate Geography" says that "The more a woman takes control of her sexuality, the better it is. You were designed to please yourself." She writes from a liberation biology or understanding women's nature from a female perspective. She also says the basic drives of men and women are basically the same and that women are not necessarily nicer then men. She believes women's freedoms are human freedoms and that it is a great time to be a girl since most of the limits are gone and now girls are free. Agree, and let's all work to keep our hard won freedoms strong. Self described feminist, Laura Doyle, author of "The Surrendered Wife: A Practical Guide to Finding Intimacy, Passion and Peace With A Man" advises that the man does it all. All. Does anyone remember Marabel Morgan who wrote "The Total Woman" and her advice to wives to greet husbands at the door wrapped in cellophane? Imagine how many surprised delivery men there must have been? Psychiatrist Dr. Jean Baker, says "These ideas periodically come back around in one form or another. The whole change in the image of women that we've been going through is incredibly complex. People react with simple answers. But this is one of the most simple that I've heard." There are support groups for women following this path so they can try out the words without breaking up. The wife should keep surrendering a secret from her husband and she will find that with responsibility lifted from her she will be happier. Ms Doyle says that this approach will feel odd and even dishonest at first and suggests that women cover their mouth with duct tape to curtail the urge to sass. Why does the Stepford Wives come to mind? It is one of the most manipulative concepts Daughter has come across in a long time but if you are interested you can join a group to practice saying "Whatever you want, dear." Daughters long suffering spouse just rolled his eyes when she told him about it and said he wasn't holding his breath in anticipation of a surrendered wife. The book will be available in trash cans soon. Granny nominee Eminem is an equal opportunity hater and his nomination is an insult to us all. He rants about beating women, and raps about raping his mother. In one song, "Criminal" he says "My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/That'll stab you in the head whether you're a fag or lez/Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest/Pants or dress/hate fags? The answer's 'yes.'" His biggest market is white teenage suburbanites. Ever wonder what your kids or grand kids are listening to? Marshall Mathers (his real name) gets a double doofus*. Groups promoting abstinence until marriage have gained strength since conservative Republicans in Congress amended the 1996 Welfare Reform Act to provide funds to promote chastity. The new law set aside $250 million for 5 years- $437 million including mandatory state matching funds- and barred participating programs from encouraging use of condoms or contraception, or giving any information that might undermine the abstinence message. This and the H.I.V. education program is all the money your government spends for sex education. The H.I.V. program does encourage the use of condoms but its funding is dwarfed by the abstinence money. And we know how well abstinence works, don't we? Let us take a minute to remember a dynamic, wonderful woman who was an inspiration to many of us. Florynce Kennedy, lawyer (threatened to sue Columbia Law School if they didn't let her in) and political activist (founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus) died recently in New York. She was 84 and she packed those years with colorful action. She led a mass urination to protest the lack of women's restrooms at Harvard. People magazine (1974) called her "the biggest, loudest and, indisputably, the rudest mouth on the battleground where feminist activists and radical politics join in mostly common cause." NY State Supreme Court Judge Emily Jane Goodman said "She showed a whole generation of us the right way to live our lives." Kennedy said "The higher you aim, the better you shoot." and "If you're not living on the edge, then you're taking up space." Her way with words is legendary, and Gloria Steinem, who lectured with her in the '70's, always wanted Flo to go last because "after Flo I would have been an anticlimax." Flo was a star who brightened all our lives and we will miss her. | |
