Behold the contraceptive gel.

There’s an online movement to send this guy to the Oprah Winfrey show, and I support it (costs nothing – you can also buy one of his albums like I just did).

Possessed of an unflagging spirit that’s remarkable under any circumstances, Justin copes with a rare genetic joint condition called Larsen Syndrome, that keeps him wheelchair bound. “Sometimes people find it hard to understand why I would be so positive,” he explains. “I was born into my situation, I don’t know any different, and I feel very fortunate for my family and all the support that I have. I know my physical situation is a bit of an attention grabber, but as an artist and performer, it is my job to hold the audience’s attention, and let the music speak for itself.”

You can also use this application to make your own music video honouring your own hero(es).

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwoUM8ETFfk]

There’s a court case in B.C. about the right of offspring created with the use of anonymous egg or sperm donors to know who their biological parents are. It’s quite obvious, from the offspring’s point of view, that one has the right to know who one’s parents are. But unfortunately, those “parents” weren’t having children, they were creating commodities – without thinking that perhaps, one day, the “commodities” in question might ask for something completely normal and human. Embarrassing, what.

For what it’s worth, I am entirely on the side of the kids.

That’s the sort of thing they should be up in arms about, right?

LONDON — A leading Muslim cleric has sparked controversy in Britain by claiming that it is impossible for men to rape their wives.

Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed, who is president of the Islamic Sharia Council, told a website that “sex is part of marriage” and suggested that husbands who commit such acts should not be prosecuted.

“Clearly there cannot be any rape within the marriage,” he told The Samosa website. “Maybe aggression, maybe indecent activity… Because when they got married, the understanding was that sexual intercourse was part of the marriage, so there cannot be anything against sex in marriage. Of course, if it happened without her desire, that is no good, that is not desirable.”

I think I’m a type 3, too.

For the last seven years, Tuttle has been teaching women how to “capture” their beauty with her course, “Dressing Your Truth.” “Most women do not know how truly beautiful they are,” she writes in her book of the same name. The problem for most women, she believes, is that they don’t know what “type” they are and are therefore “misunderstood.”

Women who take her course start by examining their personalities, then their facial features. Tuttle believes there are four types of women. Sarah Palin, for instance, she sees as a Type 1. Type 1 women typically “talk readily and easily to people” and “like to keep things light and fun.” Yet, “in an effort to be taken more seriously, and not to look so cute and youthful,” Type 1s tend to dress in black, their biggest fashion mistake, writes Tuttle.

[…]

A Type 2 woman is “diplomatic, empathetic, meticulous, preferring to observe rather than participate in larger social settings.” Julia Roberts is a classic Type 2. The most common fashion mistake of a Type 2 is the tendency to wear bright clothes to counter a subdued nature, says Tuttle, “making her complexion look pasty,” so she seems “weak and shy.”

A Type 3 woman is “swift, fiery, intense, practical and abrupt.” This kind of woman “may have been told as a child, ‘Relax! You’re too demanding.’ ” Jean Price believes Laureen Harper is a Type 3. “She’s got that rich dynamic energy, and whoever is advising her, they’ve got her in tailored, structured Type 4 clothing, including the black, and that really dramatically ages her. She should be wearing browns and rich autumn colours. And her hairstyle! They’ve even got it too soft! She needs it to be cut edgy and uneven with more height to it.”

Type 4 women are “private, disciplined, influential, and uncompromising. You move forward with crystal clear focused determination while maintaining quiet confidence.” Elizabeth Taylor is a classic Type 4—the only type of woman who can wear black. A Type 4’s biggest fashion mistake is wearing soft, flowing clothes. It makes them look frumpy.

__________________

Update: I consulted with the authorities (aka hubby) and apparently I am a 3/4 hybrid. Or, as he puts it, “You have the best qualities of each”. So. In order to feel pretty with what you’ve got, you have to marry the right guy. Simple!

_______________________

Andrea adds: Put me down as types 1, 2, 3 and 4. I talk easily to people, I’m empathetic, I’m intense, I’m disciplined and just a teensy bit uncompromising (only on the things that count). On the positive side, this makes it very easy for me to dress in anything at all. On the negative side, I may have a personality disorder. Stay tuned.

Man rescues baby left to die in dumpster. Later told it was his son. Someone ought to make a movie out of that one.

You’d never have thunk.

Not that I needed another one… but this is kind of interesting:

A study claims sex hormones in the contraceptive Pill bring out the green-eyed monster, making a woman more possessive and more likely to fret about her husband or boyfriend’s fidelity.

Those taking brands with the highest levels of oestrogen may even find their hormone-driven suspicions place their relationship in jeopardy, researchers warned.

Also: I will always choose Sean Connery over the latest cutesy-poo girlie star.

Some folks are trying to organize an electronic debate on abortion, here. It’s in French, but I don’t know whether the organizers would agree to have an English component if asked.

Excuse the sarcasm, but this is a bit much: