“Outdated” whistling banned by building firm By Laura Clout, 03/04/2008
A building firm has banned workers from wolf-whistling, for fear the “outdated” tradition will scare away female househunters.
George Wimpey in Bristol issued a directive to staff at all seven of its sites in the region that the practice would no longer be tolerated, for fear of intimidating “savvy and sophisticated” female buyers.
The ban, which could be extended nationwide, will apply from 9am this morning.
Sales and Marketing Director Richard Goad said: “In the 21st century the wolf whistle is out of place. Our buyers know what they want and the general feeling is that women won’t stand for being whistled at by builders.
“Similarly, men report finding it insulting when their loved ones are whistled and it causes unnecessary tension on what should be an enjoyable search for a new home.
“The builders I’ve spoken to on all of the sites are happy enough with the ban. As far as they are concerned, if it encourages more women to visit our developments, then they think it can only be a good thing.”
A spokeswoman said no punishment had been devised, as the company did not expect any builders to breach the ban.
The move comes ahead of the launch of the city’s Meridian housing development, at the Aztec Hotel on Saturday.
The company has previously told workers not to take off their shirts on site, to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
I have a conflict: I am in the ACLU family and subscribe to its ideals. It is in that spirit that I offer this.
Our generation countenanced the illegal imprisonment of hundreds of people on the Cuban island known as Guantanamo Bay. I know some will blame terrible reign of George W. Bush and his minions for the dark times we live in but this historical event is our shame alone to bear.
Setting up this American Gulag was an assault on the character of our nation. We looked for the nearest mall when Bush said “go shop,” instead of questioning what he was up to. So he came up with new ways to take away more of our rights.
But, perhaps more than that, Bush’s biggest crime was devaluing what America means. We, as a people, a society and a culture, were complicit in that. The American Civil Liberties Union offers us a road back to reclaiming our virtues as a nation.
Losing the Narrative By Glenn Loury – March 31, 2008
To my mind, commentary about Obama’s ‘race’ speech in the press has been superficial and overtly, unreflectively partisan. (It was a fine speech, to be sure; don’t get me wrong. This guy is not only a brilliant politician, he’s a genuine intellectual. He has integrity. And, he’s brave, to boot.) Yet, as editorial writers rush to call it “the greatest speech on race since King’s 1963 oration…,” I can’t help but notice how they blithely overlook LBJ’s 1965 commencement speech at Howard University which, to my mind and by any serious historical standard, was easily a more important and historic statement. Johnson’s speech was, after all, a statement which had and still has consequences, in terms of major institutional reforms embodied in our nation’s laws and practices, affecting the lives of many millions of people over the span of two generations. (But, then, the Obama enthusiasts have successfully implanted the idea that it is somehow ‘racially insensitive to recall that LBJ’s skills, vision, courage and compassion were absolutely indispensable in bringing about the progress we all take for granted today…)
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The 200-mph supercar, basically a Porsche Motorsport version of the 911 Turbo, is all the scarier for its effortless ways.
RUMBLE SEAT
2008 Porsche GT2: Brute almighty By Dan Neil, April 2, 2008
You may recall from your psychology classes the name Harry Harlow, a controversial researcher known for his wire monkey-surrogate mother experiments. One group of baby rhesus monkeys was taken away from its mothers and given a maternal figure made of terry cloth; another group was given a figure made of just bare wire. These experiments demonstrated the famous Harry-Harlow-was-a-toolbag principle.
In Porsche’s laboratory, the relatively luxe 911 Turbo (what with its padded seats and all) is the terry-cloth monkey and the new GT2 — stripped utterly to its essentials, inhospitable, a harsh mockery of the comforts of the automobile — is the wire monkey. To love the GT2 is to embrace its malign indifference to your well-being. To cuddle one is to feel the cold bite of steel against your cheek. Mommy, why won’t you hold me?
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LJ, that would be my wife, says Bill Clinton is trying, at least subconsciously, to sabotage Hillary. I believe the opposite, that he just really, really wants her to win so he could burnish his legacy.
He’s never forgiven Al Gore for throwing away a gold-plated opportunity (if you don’t count the fact that Gore won and the Supremes took the presidency from him) to become president.
But incidents like this, of which there have been too many this primary and caucus season, lend credence to LJ’s position.
The Democratic National Committee do an about-face and ratify the fraudulent Florida primary, in which case, Michigan’s even more fraudulent primary results would also be accepted. Need I remember anyone that Sen. Clinton, (D-NY), won both those states.
Howard Dean and Florida’s elected officials are trying to figure out a way to do this now.
And the next presidential primary and caucus seasons will be even more chaotic. I mean, Michigan were supposed to follow party rules. They thumbed their collective noses at those rules and there’s no consequence.
Analysts: iPhone shortage is 3G precursor by Stevie Smith – Apr 3 2008
Prior indicators would suggest the network enhanced 3G iPhone is on track for a retail arrival some time during the coming summer, but a growing shortage of the original, slower EDGE model have led to a rush of speculation regarding that scheduled release.
More pointedly, the ongoing depletion of iPhone stocks across the United States has prompted a wave of rumour suggesting that the enhanced 3G model could take retail stores by storm as early as next week.
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Stop watches? Are they kidding? I didn’t even know they have a journal like this.
Sex Therapists: a Few Minutes Is Best By MEGAN K. SCOTT
NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe men had it right all along: It doesn’t take long to satisfy a woman in bed. A survey of sex therapists concluded the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was 3 to 13 minutes. The findings, to be published in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, strike at the notion that endurance is the key to a great sex life.
If that sounds like good news to you, don’t cheer too loudly. The time does not count foreplay, and the therapists did rate sexual intercourse that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes as “too short.”
Researcher Eric Corty said he hoped to ease the minds of those who believe that “more of something good is better, and if you really want to satisfy your partner, you should last forever.”