From Yanar Mohammed, a glimpse of how badly gender relations in Iraq have deteriorated since the war began:
Iraqi society was shocked with an unprecedented issue of a woman stepping forward, voluntarily, and explaining that she was sexually assaulted by Iraqi security forces. Instead of pursuing an investigation into this assault allegation, or empowering the victim with moral support, opposing Islamist-sectarian factions competed to exploit the matter politically, preparing the ground for bloody sectarian conflict. They symbolized Sabrine’s rape as an assault against the whole "Sunni religious group."
Meanwhile, the heads of Shia Islamist political parties — who are the top officials in the American-approved government — immediately scorned and disbelieved the victim, instead rewarding the accused rapists. Moreover, Iraqi government heads indulged in raising moral suspicions about the victim’s reputation.
This entire matter has revealed a misogynist tendency in Iraq as most spokesmen started to scorn and discredit the victim, wishing that no woman should ever dare to speak out the details of her sexual humiliation. Worse yet, a few of these male-chauvinist reporters declared that they preferred that she end her life or live a lifetime of pain and misery without even thinking of punishment for her rapists.
It’s the Australian Chickenhawk, and so far only three specimens, all male, have been discovered:
Poor Dubya, he’s been having such a rough week. First he gets spanked in Germany by Ms. Liberty, and now this:
Millions of people the world over will now realize a cherished dream: to give a big, fat kick in the ass to King George Bush. In New York, an English artist offers this cathartic service. See the brilliant photo.
British artist Mark McGowan went out this Thursday in the streets of New York dressed as US president George W. Bush, inviting people to kick him in the backside to “ease some of their frustrations”.
A couple of weeks ago, I featured Caetano Veloso, performing his great “Tropicalia”. This week, it’s his old friend (and sometime brother-in-law)’s turn:
Gilberto Gil, Brazilian rocker turned minister of culture, rockin’ out here in the garb of the “Sons of Gandhi”, his longtime favorite samba school in his hometown of Salvador, the capital of Bahia.
…see how soon the troops come back!
Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of UK troops from Iraq.
Mr Blair is set to make a statement about the 7,000 British troops serving in Iraq at the Commons.
The BBC’s James Landale said 1,500 troops were expected to return home in months, rising to 3,000 by Christmas.
Hanky, Panky–nothing like a Bush Spanky!
Seen at the Rose Monday parade in the famed carnival city of Mainz, Germany.
And this time, it’s Guyana giving a multinational firm the boot.
Severn Trent is exiting Guyana after the government said it was failing to meet its targets for the supply of water to the South American country.
Severn International’s contract was due to end at the start of 2008 but is being terminated nearly one year early.
[...]
Harry Nawbatt, Guyana’s water minister, said this was due to the firm’s failure to meet targets, such as increasing the amount of money raised from water bills.
“This is not a science. We’re not making porcelain. We’re not out cutting two-by-fours. It’s kind of crazy stuff just to sit in a room and click away at a–in my case, if you’ll forgive me, a Mac–for eight or nine hours. It is a very unnatural thing to do. And there’s no one there to tell you whether what you’re doing is right or wrong. It’s a very scary thing, to spend a year or so doing that. And the real fear is that you’ll look back and say, ‘Gee I’ve wasted a year doing nothing.’ So in the midst of that loneliness to have another writer say ‘You know, you did all right,’ is a great thing.”
–Lee Stringer (with Kurt Vonnegut), Like Shaking Hands With God: A Conversation About Writing
