Mothers, Tall Girls and Women's Rights

So it's Mother's Day and a few items are worth mentioning. The first is the election of Iran to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.  I know, you're thinking that Iran still has one foot still in the 8th century.  And you would be right.  However, they also have a few women elected to office which is rare for any Muslim country.  In fact they have a number of non-Muslamic rules that make it seem progressive.  Like Iraq under Hussein, Iran pushes education for all and has some positive notions. But still, any country that is ruled by a religious figure (of any denomination) is not a serious canditate to represent women at the UN.  Imagine the Vatican in a similar position.  Sure there's a strong push for equality, but ultimately it's a male dominated religion. So how does Iran get the ok to be part of the UN Status of Women?  Would you believe that it is with the help of Canada and the US?  Neither country made any objections.  Huh?  Well, they gave Iran a pass because it agreed to remove itself from the Human Rights Council. So ultimately, they chose to appease Iran by letting it on a slightly less important council.  I hate politics. CNSNews.com (Apr 30, 2010) - Silence From U.S. and Its Allies Allowed Iran to Get Seat on U.N. Women’s Rights Body The United States and 12 other Western democracies kept silent this week as Iran was nominated for membership of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), thus enabling Iran to get the seat. In the four-year period beginning in 2011, Iran will help set U.N. policy on gender equality and the advancement of women. ... Read the full story here... The second article is from the (Muslim) country of Somalia where the local tribesmen discuss the value of tall girls vs short girls.  The value of their daughters comes down to how many head of cattle they are worth.  Just a reminder of how far we have to go in certain parts of the world. Los Angeles Times (May 4, 2010) - Tall girls, more cattle ... "Tall girls fetch more cattle because their daughters will quickly grow and can be married off to fetch even more cattle," said the chief, shooing a stubborn fly. "A tall girl can command 60 to 100 cattle from a suitor. A short girl may get 20 head, and, sometimes, short girls overstay their welcome in the father's home and end up fetching only five cattle. By then, a tall girl has already borne five children." ... "Things get competitive for a tall girl," said the chief. "Once she reaches 12 years of age, men come to the father and promise many cattle. Of course, a suitor with no cattle will never marry. Our laws forbid that. He is single for life. If he sleeps with someone's daughter or gets her pregnant, he'll be killed." What do tall women think about marriage and cattle? The chief bit his lip, bafflement drifting across his face. "Women have no say," he said. ... Read the full story here... Bil An Outraged Dad

Worse Than PETA

You've got to go pretty far to be nuttier than PETA. Dr Brett Mills at East Anglia University has come out and said that all those animal life documentaries do not take into consideration the right to privacy of the animals. That's right. Maybe the animals don't WANT to appear on TV. I guess he's including the family dog and goldfish in there. He hasn't gone so far as to suggest a lawyer to represent the animals, but maybe that's next on the agenda. East Anglia. That name sounds familiar. Oh yes, that's the university that's connected to the ClimateGate emails. And already a number of the professors have had their studies and comments debunked, bringing global warming into doubt. I think it's time to have a serious look at anything coming out of this university. And for the record, PETA has officially said that photographing animals is okay with them Telegraph, UK (Apr 29, 2010) - Wildlife documentaries invade animal privacy rights, claims leading academic Dr Brett Mills believes programmes such as the BBC's Nature's Great Events, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, are "unethical" for capturing animals' most intimate secrets on camera without their consent. The senior lecturer at the University of East Anglia said it was wrong for broadcasters to treat all creatures as "fair game" and to fail to consider their right to privacy before recording. Animals just like humans have a basic right not to have their most intimate moments – such as mating, giving birth and dying – broadcast to an audience of millions, he said. ... Read the full story here... Bil An Outraged Dad