An Uncommon Scold

Women Deemed "Sluts" for Raising Condom Use Erotically

Seeded on Tue Feb 9, 2010 10:14 AM EST (AlterNet.org)

It often seems as if no matter what sexual choices women make, the slut label is never far behind. Wear the wrong outfit? Slut. Sleep with someone too soon? Slut.

health, women, condoms, erotic, slut, sexual-slurs

For Students at Risk, Early College Proves a Draw

Seeded on Mon Feb 8, 2010 11:19 PM EST (The New York Times)

Until recently, most programs like this were aimed at affluent, overachieving students — a way to keep them challenged and give them a head start on college work. But the goal is quite different at SandHoke, which enrolls only students whose parents do not have college degrees.

education, north-carolina, college-degrees, at-risk-students, sandhills-community-college

Angel Intervention? Man found in earthquake rubble claims person in white coat brought him water

Seeded on Mon Feb 8, 2010 5:53 PM EST (CNN)

Doctors: Haitian may have survived 4 weeks in rubble A man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti's capital may have been trapped since the January 12 quake that leveled much of the city, doctors reported Monday.

haiti, earthquake, world-news, angel, rubble, trapped-victim

Uproar in Brazil as girl, 7, is chosen as samba queen for Rio carnival

Seeded on Mon Feb 8, 2010 5:05 PM EST (the Mail online)

A row has broken out in Brazil over plans to make a seven-year-old girl the 'queen' of a samba school in this year's Rio de Janeiro carnival. The role of 'drum corps queen' is normally given to a barely-clad model or soap opera star.

entertainment, brazil, carnival, rio, rio-de-janeiro, samba, soap-star, seven-year-old-girl, drum-corps-quee

New Zealand student sells virginity for £20,000 on the web

Seeded on Sun Feb 7, 2010 10:43 PM EST (the Mail online)

A teenage New Zealand student has accepted a stranger's offer of £20,000 after putting her virginity up for auction on the web` The 19-year-old woman, calling herself Unigirl, says on a website that she was fully aware of the possible consequences of having sex with a stranger.

odd-news, germany, new-zealand, prostitution, northern-ireland, virginity

Armed robbers disguised in burkhas carry out £4,000 raid

Seeded on Sun Feb 7, 2010 10:38 PM EST (the Mail online)

Armed robbers disguised in burkhas escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.

women, paris, robbery, ban, islam, world-news, burka

Dave Barry: You Take The Horse; I'll Gladly Take The Dog

Seeded on Sun Feb 7, 2010 5:56 PM EST (The Seattle Times)

RECENTLY a woman I know named Michelle came into the newspaper office with a big ugly wound on her upper arm. Realizing that she might be self-conscious about it, I said: "Michelle, what's that big ugly wound on your upper arm?" Sensitivity is the cornerstone of journalism.

entertainment, women, humor, horse, dave-barry, hopalong-dork

Lessons From the History of Childbirth

Seeded on Sat Feb 6, 2010 10:27 PM EST (The New York Times)

I started finding these ancient birth manuals and some more recent ones, but still from the turn of the century. It spiraled from there. It was fascinating and so much fun. The ancient ones were like reading soft porn.

doctors, health, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, midwives, midwife, doulas, soft-porn, medical-profession

Football Upsets Increase Domestic Violence, Study Finds

Seeded on Sat Feb 6, 2010 5:53 PM EST (The New York Times)

The study, by the economists David Card at Berkeley and Gordon B. Dahl at the University of California-San Diego, looked at police reports of family violence on Sundays during the professional football season. (An earlier, free version of the study is here.)

sports, football, holidays, domestic-violence

Pregnant Immigrant Deported By Man Posing As Federal Marshall

Seeded on Sat Feb 6, 2010 3:35 PM EST ()

A local news station is reporting that a man posing as a federal officer abducted a pregnant immigrant, Cherrie Bell Hibbard, in California last month, took her through airport security, and put her on a plane back to the Philippines.

us-news, impersonating-a-police-officer, immigration-rights, federal-marshall

Is It Wrong To Name Rape Victims In The Congo?

Seeded on Sat Feb 6, 2010 3:24 PM EST ()

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has invited his readers to weigh in whether he should have named a nine-year-old Congolese rape victim who was also featured in a video.

us-news, rape, congo, child-rape, epidemic-of-violence-against-women

Man kills son, self, blames ex-girlfriend in letter left behind

Seeded on Fri Feb 5, 2010 3:51 PM EST ()

Everyone kept saying give it time. Keep going to court, keep doing what your doing. No body got it. Not even Katie. I didn't want to fight Katie. I didn't want shared custody of Wyatt. I wanted my family back. What good is having Wyatt full time, or 50/50 without Katie.

us-news, murder, suicide, domestic-violence, domestic-abuse, family-annihilation, punishment-for-wife

120

The Second Sex at the Super Bowl

Seeded on Fri Feb 5, 2010 11:47 AM EST (The Nation)

The commercials that air during the game seem to actively compete for the Most Jaw-Droppingly Offensive Ad Award, and they feature only two kinds of women: one the one hand, sexually available and easily manipulated hotties in various states of undress, (as in this ad, in which m …

entertainment, sex, women, wtf

The government has your baby's DNA

Seeded on Fri Feb 5, 2010 8:16 AM EST (CNN)

Now, states mandate that newborns be tested for anywhere between 28 and 54 different conditions, and the DNA samples are stored in state labs for anywhere from three months to indefinitely, depending on the state.

health, dna, genetic-disease, government-dna-database

Are We Over Porn Stars?

Seeded on Thu Feb 4, 2010 1:38 PM EST (AlterNet.org)

My lover purrs, low and breathy. He is spent—eyes closed and flat on his back, arms limp, legs slack, rotated outward just slightly. His abdomen rises and falls hypnotically. In yoga, they call this "corpse pose"—or savasana.

entertainment, sex, porn, orgasm, amateur-porn

Oh, Hay: Horsing Around Is So Fashionable

Seeded on Thu Feb 4, 2010 11:48 AM EST ()

It's official: Horses are hot. But not in the down-home country way. Only in the "I-have-acres-of-land-and-a-stable-of stable-boys" way. And sort of in the circus way. Maybe.

entertainment, horses, wtf, vogue, fashion-high-heeled-sandals

VIDEO: Daily Show Samantha Bee goes camo to report on the discrimination of men in America!

Seeded on Thu Feb 4, 2010 10:37 AM EST ()

The profound silliness of men being discriminated in the country aside...

entertainment, humor, satire, discrimination, wtf, daily-show, john-stewart, samantha-bee

Christian groups oppose child prostitution bill

Seeded on Tue Feb 2, 2010 3:49 PM EST ()

Unterman says the bill does not decriminalize prostitution but aims to make people aware that young children are not responsible for sexual acts and need rehabilitation and therapy, not jail time.

us-news, christian-opposition, sex-abuse-victims, child-prostition

233

Sex Workers in New Orleans Are Being Labeled Sex Offenders

Seeded on Tue Feb 2, 2010 2:04 PM EST (AlterNet.org)

The law, which dates back to 1805, declares it a crime against nature to engage in "unnatural copulation" -- a term New Orleans cops and the district attorney's office have interpreted to mean anal or oral sex.

us-news, new-orleans, prostitution, sex-offender, oral-sex, anal-sex

Latest Big Names in Human Trafficking Fight: Liu, Streep & Jolie

Seeded on Tue Feb 2, 2010 1:16 PM EST (humantrafficking.change.org)

Seeded by Michael Patrick Rooney (Clipped by Loretta Kemsley)

In Hollywood's resurgence as an agent of good, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Lucy Liu bring big-time exposure to an issue that has often been tackled by small, independent productions. Article by Angela Longerbeam at humantrafficking.change.org

entertainment, movie, hollywood, angelina-jolie, exploitation, meryl-streep, sex-trafficking, lucy-liu, activism-and-advocacy, human-traffciking

Why do people vote against their own interests?

Seeded on Tue Feb 2, 2010 11:47 AM EST (BBC News)

"It's like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy."

politics, united-states, economics, poverty, aristocracy, election-politicians

Sleep Challenge 2010: Getting Horizontal on the Way to Gender Parity

Seeded on Mon Feb 1, 2010 6:14 PM EST (The Huffington Post)

I stressed the need to change a corporate culture that continues to equate workaholism with success -- and often leads to talented women jettisoning their careers in order to have a healthier, more well-rounded life.

health, success, sleep-deprivation, arianna-huffington, gender-parity, power-structure

Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad May Be Based On Falsehood

Seeded on Mon Feb 1, 2010 5:28 PM EST (The Huffington Post)

Because abortion under any circumstance has been illegal in the Philippines since 1930 and is punishable by a six-year prison term, Allred says she finds it hard to believe that doctors would have recommended the procedure.

health, super-bowl, christian, tim-tebow, heisman-trophy-winner, anti-abortion-ad

State gave known sex offender medical license

Seeded on Mon Feb 1, 2010 5:24 PM EST ()

The state of Tennessee gave a medical license to a known violent sex offender because state law doesn't necessarily prohibit a sex offender from practicing medicine.

health, tennessee, doctor, sex-offender, medical-license, david-livingston

The Magnetism of Candlemas

Seeded on Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:32 PM EST ()

Mary, called Magdalene, is healed of demons and her story of the year's liturgical season begins. She feels herself as virginal and receptive to the magnetism of the sun, which we know in human symbolism as Jesus. The Earth receives her mate.

religion, jesus, mary-magdalene, initiation, yeshua, candlemas, sacred-union

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Comments & Feedback

A richly feminine column worthy of thorough attention. Many thanks for the invite :-)

— ntq

Thanks so much for the friends invite. I'm honored. I suspect we have quite a bit in common. Looking forward to seeing more of you around the vine.

— Sydney - 5

thanks for your articles, seeds and comments. we certainly don't agree line for line, but the goals appear to be the same. thanks for accepting the friends request. i look forward to reading more from you in the future. maddad

— maddad

I find your arguments in my latest seed very profound and insightful, thanks for the enrichment!

— Rees Sloan

Dear Loretta,

Thank you for your kindness and empathy...it really does help. Sometimes my psychosis translates into very passionate writing and I probably go over the deep end on occassion. Nevetheless, it is the warm people like you who bring the psychologically traumatized veterans back to some semblance of sanity. You provide us with hope as we walk through this world in the fog that we can never completely shed. But, with hope comes a tingling of pleasure and comfort. Again, thank you so much.

Blessings...

--Patrick

— Afghanistan Veteran

Balance, I think this is what drew me to your posts. No, I can't explain it, but it is the word that comes to mind whenever I see a post from you. Thank you for "balancing" here on "De Vine"...
*smiles*
~Sara

— Sara G.