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News Round-Up
Sunday, December 14th, 2008 01:47 pmWe have just had the year's biggest full moon, which I didn't notice because the sky over Ankara was so cloudy. However, I have now found out that there is no evidence that the full moon makes people crazy so that's one less thing to worry about.
I never thought I would live to see this headline: "Women's Institute releases sex tips video." Baking tips, jam-making tips, tips on how to get rid of jam stains, even, in these days of "women's lib", DIY tips, but not sex tips. Please. I'm all in favour of sex in theory, and I don't mind a few tips, but I do not want to get them from the Women's Institute any more than I would want to get them from the Church of England or my mother. Some things should stay the way they were. On the other hand, the same video also contains advice on how to knit an iPod holder. Now that is what "moving with the times" should mean!
[It has occurred to me that my non-British readers may not know what the WI is. If you know Desperate Housewives, think of an organisation made up in equal parts of Bree Van der Kamps and Mrs McCluskeys.]
Speaking of sex and the British, it looks like "No sex please, we're British" is as anachronistic as, um, a knitted iPod holder. A recent survey indicates that the British are the most likely of the major industrialised nations to engage in casual sex. The Finns are actually the most likely overall, but they're not regarded as a major industrialised nation. Looking for my adopted country, Turkey (which somewhat to my surprise is counted as a major industrialised nation), I found that it came a respectable eighth, which either means the current "Islam Lite" government is wasting its time or they only interviewed people from the fleshpots of Istanbul.
On a more serious note (and a bad pun), musicians are speaking out against the use of music as torture. The fellow who wrote the music for Barney the Dinosaur was justifiably upset that his songs were used to break down prisoners in Guantanamo; on the other hand, according to one former inmate, the thing that had people literally banging their heads against walls in agony was Eminem, and there's nothing we can do about that: it's torture whether it's played in Guantanamo or anywhere else.
Finally, another piece of patent absurdity: a Russian businessman has filed a patent on an emoticon. All I can say to that is :-þ
I never thought I would live to see this headline: "Women's Institute releases sex tips video." Baking tips, jam-making tips, tips on how to get rid of jam stains, even, in these days of "women's lib", DIY tips, but not sex tips. Please. I'm all in favour of sex in theory, and I don't mind a few tips, but I do not want to get them from the Women's Institute any more than I would want to get them from the Church of England or my mother. Some things should stay the way they were. On the other hand, the same video also contains advice on how to knit an iPod holder. Now that is what "moving with the times" should mean!
[It has occurred to me that my non-British readers may not know what the WI is. If you know Desperate Housewives, think of an organisation made up in equal parts of Bree Van der Kamps and Mrs McCluskeys.]
Speaking of sex and the British, it looks like "No sex please, we're British" is as anachronistic as, um, a knitted iPod holder. A recent survey indicates that the British are the most likely of the major industrialised nations to engage in casual sex. The Finns are actually the most likely overall, but they're not regarded as a major industrialised nation. Looking for my adopted country, Turkey (which somewhat to my surprise is counted as a major industrialised nation), I found that it came a respectable eighth, which either means the current "Islam Lite" government is wasting its time or they only interviewed people from the fleshpots of Istanbul.
On a more serious note (and a bad pun), musicians are speaking out against the use of music as torture. The fellow who wrote the music for Barney the Dinosaur was justifiably upset that his songs were used to break down prisoners in Guantanamo; on the other hand, according to one former inmate, the thing that had people literally banging their heads against walls in agony was Eminem, and there's nothing we can do about that: it's torture whether it's played in Guantanamo or anywhere else.
Finally, another piece of patent absurdity: a Russian businessman has filed a patent on an emoticon. All I can say to that is :-þ
