This truly sums it up for me.

Johann Hari in the Huffington Post

Here are a few excerpts:

"...we can already map out the four tectonic shifts rumbling beneath this election. They all began before Obama...

"...the reasons why so many of us love the US, even as we hate some of its actions. The country is capable of many crimes - but it is also open and free enough to produce the antibodies that begin to put them right.

"...for under-30s, Obama has a 47 percent lead. Not a 47 percent vote - a 47 percent lead.

"This election shows a desire by American people to move beyond the sterile stupidities of racism..." Click Here to Read More..

Oh those backward folks in Saudi Arabia ... but wait...

Interesting little story on CNN. Made me think.

This is one of those quickie generalizations I've been known to make when I only have a couple more minutes before having to get off the computer and ready for work.

But...

Is American TV REALLY all that much more progressive than Arab TV?

Don't our soap operas glorify the dysfunctional, codependent woman who would be diagnosed as "borderline personality" by any competent psychologist?

Don't prime time shows exalt the beautiful-but-dumb stereotype and winkingly excuse obnoxious, sexist behavior in men?

Don't female news anchors, politicians and corporate executives all feel the pressure to tone down their personalities and project a more "feminine" image?

Discuss.

Gotta go. Click Here to Read More..

A Real-life Wisconsin Soap Opera

If you find yourself drawn to switched-at-birth stories and the like, here's one that popped up on Google Reader.

In brief, two families in the 1950s -- the women gave birth on the same day. Apparently, a nurse left one infant unattended; another picked her up and handed her to the wrong mother. This story encompasses so many fascinating issues -- families, the mindset of the 1950s, how people rationalize, the aftermath, etc.

It's long, but worth the listen. Click Here to Read More..