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The same Saudi Arabian clerics who two months ago said it was okay for men to marry 10-year-old girls are now trying to ban ALL women from appearing in print and TV media.
In a letter to new Information Minister Abdul Aziz al-Khoja the clerics called images of women in popular newspapers and magazines "obscene," and decried music and dancing on television. Images of women on television, said the clerics, are "a sign of growing 'deviant thought,'" whatever that means.
The letter said the country was trying to "westernize" Saudi women by "reducing their rights to a question of removing veils, wearing makeup and mixing with men ... There is no doubt that this is religiously impermissible." We wonder what images the media will use to replace the ones of women. Is there a long waiting list of male models in Saudi Arabia waiting to get their big break?
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Amazing Anchorwomen
Rachel Maddow. This funny, out Rhodes Scholar is being credited with bringing young people back to TV news, possibly due to her super-close friendship with former Air America co-worker Chuck D.
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Elizabeth Vargas. Vargas won accolades for criticizing an imbalance in media coverage between missing white women and women of color. And she can learn from her mistakes: after taking heat for soft-balling president Bush, she's developed a majorly intimidating cold-eyed glare that we practice daily.
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Candy Crowley. This multitasker makes her own documentaries and served up killer coverage of the 2008 elections. Plus she's Anderson Cooper's best friend, and we kinda want to sit around and eat nachos and be bitchy with them.
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Naamua Delaney. Delaney's break-neck fast, super comprehensive online coverage of the elections kept us informed, and her outfits kept us envious.
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Campbell Brown. Her hilarious "Free Sarah" campaign (to protest the GOP's denying journalists access to Sarah Palin) smashed any lingering doubt that she deserved her own show.
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Katie Couric. Sure, she's struggled a little in her new lead anchor role, but Katie redeemed herself with her strong, unblinking (heh) election interviews.
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Gwen Ifill. Although her moderation of the 2004 VP debates were met with near-universal acclaim, controversy arose in 2008 when some worried that her forthcoming book on Obama could taint her impartiality. Gwen's response? "The proof is in the pudding." We love Gwen. And pudding.
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María Elena Salinas. Univision's lead anchor, Salinas' under-publicized but incredibly thorough interviews and opinion pieces actually inspired people to get out and vote. Oh, and she loooooves to party.
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Team Jessica Yellin/Dana Bash. Despite Yellin's weird hologrammery on election night, we're always impressed by her co-coverage of the Capitol Hill with Bash, and not just because "Bash and Yellin" sound like an awesome drunken wrestling duo.
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Christiane Amanpour. With too many awards, honors, and distinctions to count, Amanpour has no problem keeping cool while literally dodging bullets or interviewing despots... all while looking unbelievably gorgeous and wearing cool jewelry.
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Saudi women lack a variety of basic rights, including the ability to drive cars. And even Arab women who come to the U.S. find it difficult to take advantage of their relaxed rights. In Dearborn, Mich., which has the largest Arab-American population in the U.S., many worry about whether they're following the lifestyle of a good Muslim woman by going out unaccompanied by a male or listening to the radio.
There may be hope in sight. Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz earlier this month appointed the first woman to a ministerial post. And Arab females both here and in the Middle East are starting to have a say in what goes on in their culture -- on blogs. Some, like blogger Saudi Eve, are even as bold as to write about romance and religion. A whole list of others, some in English and other in Arabic, can be found here.
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October 22, 2008
Town Cookie-Off Does Soldiers Good
Residents of Hyde Park, NY saw a thriftier alternative in homemade care packages.
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October 21, 2008
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Turns out, milkshakes really make us happy.
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October 20, 2008
Facebook Incident Triggers Tragedy
Wayne Forrester was sentenced to jail for life last week for killing his wife, Emma, after she changedthe relationship status on Facebook.
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October 16, 2008
New Wedding Fad: Botox For Bridesmaids
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October 16, 2008
Report Warns That Tasmanian Devils May Go Extinct
Bad news for devil worshipers.
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October 16, 2008
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The things we do for thepets we love.
October 15, 2008
New Dad Names Daughter After McCain/Palin Campaign
An overzealous Republican dad named his daughter Sarah McCain Palin.
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October 14, 2008
School Banishes Cupcakes, Happiness
The poor, deprived children of Neenah, Wisc., have become the latest in a growing number of schools to ban any snacks.
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October 10, 2008
Woman Protects Pet Poodle from Crazed Deer
Dolphins: If you think they're the friendly epitome of all that is cute and awesome you could end up dead wrong.
Comments:
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Monday 27 April
By Orlando
Let's see if I've got this right: in just the past week and-a-half alone we've read reports of female teachers taking their teen (female) students to male strip clubs, a teen-aged mother arrested for attempting to sell her child for $10K, another mother arrested for killing her nine-year old paraplegic child - and another teacher arrested for kidnapping and raping a ten-year old boy (at a truck rest stop) and then his fifteen-year old brother ---- but the Saudi men are "sick, sick, sick?" America ... is in any position to judge other peoples?
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Monday 27 April
By elle
GEE... IT REMINDS ME OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH PUBLICATION SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THAT ACTUALLY REPLACED THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF FEMALE CABINET MEMBERS WITH IMAGES OF TWO RANDOM MALES...HMMM
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Monday 27 April
By elle
GEE... IT REMINDS ME OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH PUBLICATION SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THAT ACTUALLY REPLACED THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF FEMALE CABINET MEMBERS WITH IMAGES OF TWO RANDOM MALES...HMMM
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Monday 27 April
By Erin
I wonder when Saudi Arabia is going to come out of the 10th century. I've been to the middle east and I can say that most of the countries over there are not as stifling on the women as they are. As a matter of fact, socially Saudi Arabia is about to be left in the dust which will leave them in the dust everywhere else. They will never be a thriving member of the world community if they do not offer their women more civil liberties because not even their neighboring countries are that crazy with their policies on women. No one even puts up with the Taliban's shit anymore and they are not far from being like them. We need to find a way to not have to lean on these crazies anymore for oil. I say drill everywhere offshore over here in America because dealing with them right now is like making a deal with the devil.
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Monday 27 April
By gil
Yep This confirms what I always thought, Musslums are Big Fag's,
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Monday 27 April
By Kat
Where do these men think they came from? If it wasnt for a woman carrying thier stupid selves, they would not be here. Any government that does business with these people , such as US, should simply refuse to deal with them. They are religious fanatics that have no proof of where they go when they die. It's absurd, primitive and insane .
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Monday 27 April
By Ginger
Sue, I agree with you 100%. When they come here in the USA then they go by our laws and if they can't then they should be deported. Muslim men want to be in control of their women. They are afraid that their women will look at another man or another man will look at his woman. It is going to happen here if we keep letting these infidels come into our country. They will take over this country and then all the women here will have to bow down to all men and that when we women will have to have our guns ready and get rid of the infidels one by one. They call us infidels but they are the INFIDELS.
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Monday 27 April
By Chelsea
I find it humourous that people are attacking the entire Muslim faith for the acts of extreme radicals in the religion. You speak of eliminating them and ignore any meritable traits they may have. That is intolerant and I still believe that is why they find us so appalling. We, as a country, don't have any right to dictate what they make into laws; however, all we can do is influence them how we see fit. This does not include forcing Christianity on them or destroying them. What did that solve when Europe colonized the Americas? All it resulted in was the loss of languages and culture and spurned years of more intolerance and prejudice.
I think a lot of you are just rude and need to consider that we all have extremists everywhere! In American and in Saudi Arabia. If you want to eliminate the Muslims then why not the Christians with their extreme denominations or the Hindus who have massacred Muslims in India? Is that okay?
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Monday 27 April
By MARY
Sheesh! And after all the time and money and energy we've spent trying to bring these people up into at least the 12th century! The Saudi royals are on kissing terms with the Bush family (for three generations!!) Why do we suck up to these animals and then--Obama shakes the hand of a duly ELECTED leader like Chavez--and all hell breaks loose! Basically, all religions have had a need to instill fear and hostility toward women---read St. Thomas Aquinus-it has to do with sexuality and the physical limitations nature imposes on men re sex whereas women---no limit. Scares the beejeesus out of these lemon suckers--they have to keep tight control over women because they fear women who are free.
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Monday 27 April
By Brenda
Monday 27 April
By MariHighest RankReportPositiveNegative
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Hi Cherries,
I don't think they hate women so much as fear them. It's not much different than the way Christianity treats women (no women priests, against the rules for priests to have a physical relationship with a woman, etc.). They fear women having any sort of power, for some reason._______________
Christianity doesnt treat "their" women like that .....LOL....Catholics might, they have priests.....but Christianity doesnt. Please do your research BEFORE you post. There are ALOT of ignorant people out here reading these posts and thinking that people like YOU who write this stuff KNOW what they are talking about! LOL
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Monday 27 April
By Lauren
Mari you've got it all wrong. Priests are not allowed to marry because a married man's priorities are his wife and his children, and the requirement to be a priest is devoting your life to serving GOD.. not your children and wife. Being a woman, I used to have a problem with solely male priests just like yourself. The reason only men can become priests has to do with the Tradition of the church. I don't see it as a big deal, personally, seeing as everything else about the Catholic faith (since I know that's what you're referring to, as opposed to Christianity in general) is right. Actually, the Church treats women with more power and equality than any other religion.
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Monday 27 April
By Lynn
Sadly, too many Americans don't know enough of their own history, so why they don't undertand others isn't at all that shocking. FYI, women in America had no rights, citizenship, access to courts, the right to vote, or divorce over majority of our history, whereby, women were only "given the right to vote" a little more than 80 years ago! Everyone should study American history because a lot of it was bloody, cruel, heartless, and hostile against all "non-white male elitists". If not for Suffrage, being all the WOMEN WHO STOOD UP TO OUR GOV., and after over 68 yrs. of struggle FINALLY started to receive the gifts of freedom that have been HANDED TO YOU on a silver platter, you would be them. So stop acting like America is lily white, it's FAR FROM IT, and if we don't keep a constant guard of our freedoms and check on our gov. (see US Constitution), they can be taken away far more quickly than they were achieved, and history should be a stark reminder of this, and never be forgotten.
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Monday 27 April
By senadhd@mac.com
if you are so concern about woman in general then stop beating your own. every 10 second in usa there is one woman raped or beaten and you morons are worried for women in saudi.
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Monday 27 April
By juliembartley
My personal opinion as an American women is that we should use alternative forms of fuel and boycott the oil the Saudis are selling. As long as we continue to buy their goods it gives them the POWER to be oppressors of females. Make em poor and they will be too busy trying to make a living to worry about whether the women are on TV. I also think it will require everyone in the household working to make ends meet like here. Therefore the women will be working outside the home and next thing you know they will start to have a backbone and stand up for their own rights. Where do we have the right to try to change their lives if they don't want it to change?
I also think if they are in our country they should abide by OUR LAWS. I don't care what religion you are there are certain undisputable rights and one is you should not break the law. I hear everyday how our American citizens are arrested and prosecuted in other countries because their laws differ from ours and mistakes were made. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. You bring it over here you better be ready to follow our laws. NO killing women because they remove their coverings and NO legalized rape of children unless you want to go to prison for LIFE. How would they like having NO control over their bodies or destinies. Bad decisions have consequenses.
However starting a war to change their behaviour in their country doesn't change their mindset it just reinforces the "differences in our religion".and we become the badguys. We are not the world's police force.
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Monday 27 April
By davidradway
ALL WOMEN SHOULD BE BANNED FROM TELEVISION IN NORTH AMERICA. REMEMBER THERE IS NOT ONE WORD OF TRUTH ON TELEVISION. WHITE MALES RULE THIS PLANET AND ALWAYS WILL.
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Monday 27 April
By jc
Some people believe god knows best.I don't know nothing about muslims but at least they do what they believe is right in gods eyes.Most christians don't even believe in the bible.Most don't even have morals.
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Monday 27 April
By Fiberfab Avenger
What do you mean "No Women Priests? Physical relationships with women?" Our Episcopal Church had a woman priest for 6 years and our current priest is married with kids. Episcopalians are Christians last time I checked.
I don't think they hate women so much as fear them. It's not much different than the way Christianity treats women (no women priests, against the rules for priests to have a physical relationship with a woman, etc.). They fear women having any sort of power, for some reason.
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Monday 27 April
By jeanbean225
I think the world would be a better place without organized religion, since most of them have been derived from the interpretation of men.
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Monday 27 April
By Melody
Muslim men are trying their hardest to clamp down on Muslim women, much like American men tried to do the same to American women in the 1800's (you can't vote, you can't own property, you can't do this or that unless we men say it's okay)... and more recently the 1970's feminist movement -- both of which failed. You must understand that females are the stronger of the human genders, and will thus always triumph despite indoctrinated repression. There is no need to interfere in the Muslim culture. They are WOMEN, you see... and that fact alone assures their eventual emancipation and independence... if they want it. It won't happen overnight, of course, but give it a hundred years... the same time it took for American women to break free of men and claim their rights. IT WILL HAPPEN... and frankly, I can't wait to see small Muslim penises shrink even more!
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Monday 27 April
By Jim
Really too bad our founding fathers didn't give us freedom FROM religion. America has it's own radical religious leaders like oral roberts, pat robertson, jerry falwel, jimmy swigert, etc who would LOVE to run this country's government under their rules. Why do you think they get involved in politics? What about religious radicals bombing abortion clinics? Just a few years ago it was fair game to bomb Black churches in this country according to some of these same religions. I really feel sorry for these insecure Arab males. The only reason I come up with is "they" must really be small. Just like white guys are convinced blacks are bigger.
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