Beyond Babedom

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Archive for July, 2009

Weighing In On Taking One for the Team

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, I don’t see how the treatment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor can’t bug you, at least a little. Here is a woman who has spent 17 years on the bench – many more than any of the current Supreme Court justices – and yet she is being treated like some rank novice, questioned about why some lawyers who faced her have complained about her tough questioning and calling it a “lack of judicial temperament.”

Does anyone else see some barely veiled misogyny here? (more…)

Tags: bias, Equal pay, justice, supreme court
Posted in My Pet Peeves | No Comments »

The “No Curves” Zone: Love is a Battlefield

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

The hoopla surrounding the death of Michael Jackson overwhelmed a number of other stories that raise the issue of how love and commitment is defined in today’s world. There were the revelations of Nevada Senator John Ensign’s affair with a campaign aide, and his alleged violation of state and federal laws by placing the woman, her husband and their son on his Senate payroll while the affair was in full swing. Next came South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s affair with a woman in Argentina, his extraordinary press conference, the publishing of personal and intimate letters between the two, and revelations of other affairs that have put Sanford (like Ensign, an early favorite for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination) out on a ledge. Now we have the strange case of Steve McNair, the former professional football player, who was shot by his 20-year old lover in what police are calling a murder-suicide.

Setting aside the political impact of Ensign’s and Sanford’s behavior, and the damage to McNair’s image as a football “hero,” one has to ask: Why would these successful men, who have lived their lives in the public eye and worked hard to cultivate a positive image, act so recklessly? (more…)

Posted in No Curves Zone, Relationships | 8 Comments »

Insanity

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

How often has this happened to you? Your phone rings at 11 PM, 3 AM or 6 AM (whatever constitutes the middle of the night for you) and it’s your friend, in the middle of a crisis. No, not an emergency, like a car accident – – a crisis, like her boyfriend just broke up with her. Or maybe she just realized he’s probably been cheating on her. And she wants your advice.

Not. (more…)