- Female soldiers and rape: War within for military women – “The Pentagon’s latest figures show that nearly 3,000 women were sexually assaulted in fiscal year 2008, up 9% from the year before; among women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number rose 25%. When you look at the entire universe of female veterans, close to a third say they were victims of rape or assault while they were serving — twice the rate in the civilian population.”
- Six subtle ways the news media disguises bullshit as fact – From Steve.
- Tampon makers can’t use the V-word – “An advertising campaign for tampons is rejected by US television networks for daring to include the word vagina.”
- Pregnant male pipefish abort babies from unattractive females -“A  recent study showed that pregnant pipefishes can also become vampiric cannibals, absorbing some of their brood for nutrition if their own food supplies are running low.”
From the military rape article:
I don’t think they know what “proactive” means. Rape kits and improved reporting systems are good, but that’s not proactive.
If I were the raping kind, I’m not sure my first choice would be someone armed with an assault rifle.
You know, I think redefining rape of a fellow soldier as a treasonous act when in a combat (in that you are assaulting a member of the military) would be a good start.
Mark Hall – GOOD IDEA!!!!!!!!!
@Mark Hall: You know, I think redefining rape of a fellow soldier as a treasonous act when in a combat (in that you are assaulting a member of the military) would be a good…
Is the military still in favor of water-boarding? I’m just thinking out loud here.
@Mark Hall: That would be a completely reasonable solution. Therefore, don’t hold your breath.
I am not surprised at the banning of the V-word in ads. What could be worse than using the correct word for a body part? Euuuughh. I believe there is legislation in the works (ABOUT TIME) to ban the use of the word ‘hair’ in advertising, as it is ‘icky’ and evokes images of groins. Also banned are ‘do’ (too scatological) and ‘coiffure’ (too foreign). These banned words should be replaced by any of the following approved words and phrases:
topper
strandies
stylette
head feature
natur-o-hat
cupcake frosting
Vagina = too racey for prime time eh?
Actually I know people who get freaked out when tampon commercials come on… all guys… and they don’t seem to mind the Viagra commercials….
Adverts for anything to do with bodily functions annoy the hell out of me.
I don’t know if you get it in the US, but over here we get adverts showing how much blue liquid pantyliners can hold – I don’t claim to be any sort of expert on female anatomy, but if any sort of blue liquid was coming out of a woman, I think a visit to the doctor would be advisable.
My real pet peeve though is toilet roll adverts that say that the tissues are as soft as kittens or puppies. Who cares? I’m not going to wipe myself with a kitten. Come to think of it – how do they know they’re as soft as a kitten…?
The little instruction booklets in my mothers box of Tampons were my first introduction to the realities of female anatomy – up till then all I knew was that girls didn’t have penises.
Really? Kotex is trying to ” hoping to break down the stigmas and embarrassment surrounding feminine care products”? Of all brands? I am not a fan of the way Kotex has previously advertised its products. I feel like they shame and villify the menstrual cycle to a ridiculous point, and reinforce the prudish and conservative attitudes toward it that they assume all American women hold. I think they’re even the ones who invented that silent wrapper for pads, so you can quietly unwrap your pad in secrecy, because heaven forbid other people know your disgusting secret…
From the Marketing Daily article:
“Kotex admits that it has been among the advertisers that have been perpetuating this cultural stigma by emphasizing that the best menstrual period is one that is ignored. Kotex will position itself differently going forward to stand for ‘truth, transparency and progressive vagina care.’ ”
Still not convinced, since that last sentence could really mean anything. So while I believe the word “vagina” should absolutely be uttered frequently in advertisements for products that are inserted into the vagina, I don’t trust Kotex with the job of doing it respectfully. I don’t trust that their idea of “breaking down embarrassment” or “standing for progressive vagina care” by using the word “vagina” wouldn’t instead make references to how smelly, messy and inconvenient they are.
Also, I love that bit of pipefish news! I always like seeing examples of non-nuclear families among animals. Nature is so rad.
@davew: According to Marc Thiessen, waterboarding is highly illegal and a violation of the Geneva Convention if used against our soldiers, and the fact it has been in the past including in the first Gulf War is just one more reason to have invaded Iraq a second time.
Note that Marc Thiessen fully supports waterboarding captured enemy combatants.
Yes, the cognitive dissonance hurts.
VAGINA!
(did I scare anyone?)
@Amy: Yep, you made me want to crawl back into my mother’s womb.
@Amy: Eek!
@ LtStorm – The stupid, it burns!
Well, I guess there are other words that can be used… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMCVyp9TFrg