"Saturday night live makes fun of the shake weight commercial" WARNING: POSSIBLY NSFW!

Sam Harris is a well known "Atheist spokesman" and usually bashes religion in general. (Here's another seed with an excellent discussion about his views on Atheism vs faith: Atheist Sam Harris: Why We Should Ditch Religion).

"Foreign visitors to Stockholm's lively bar scene might be struck by the assertiveness of the nation's women - the typical Swedish female seems to have no qualms about approaching men to start a conversation or initiate a romantic encounter.

"Iran's state TV said Friday it will air new footage of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, the latest in state-orchestrated broadcasts on a case that has raised an international outcry.

"More than one in three South African men questioned in a survey admitted to rape, the latest evidence in the country of a violent culture of patriarchy.

""I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring told tens of thousands of followers on Twitter.

"The holy city is decked out in pink for Israel's first-ever race to support breast cancer awareness and research.

"Here's a handy little list to help you decipher the nuances and differences between what women and men say…and what they mean."

Iconic Beauties Many women are beautiful, but not all have achieved icon status. Some women just have "it" -- the attitude, the allure and the enchanting looks that make them unforgettable and endlessly fascinating.

"It is not exactly the year of the angry man, but it may be something close to that. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found a sharp difference in the way men and women say they are going to vote in November.

"For the first time, more women than men in the United States received doctoral degrees last year, the culmination of decades of change in the status of women at colleges nationwide.

I was very disturbed to read this story about this Sri Lanken domestic worker abused by a Saudi couple she worked for. Here is a link to more information about the abuses of foreign domestic workers in the countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, and Kuwait.

"An accomplished former U.S. prosecutor has filed a grievance accusing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of blocking his hiring to the U.N.'s top investigative post because of discrimination based on gender and nationality.

Yesterday, we learned that voters were polled on whether Barbara Boxer or Carly Fiorina has better hair. Even without the 2008 election's bombast (Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin), the past year has been rather rocky for women in politics.

"When women's rights activist Wajiha Al-Huwaidar flew out of Saudi Arabia last week for a holiday in Italy with her family, she was hoping for a brief respite from what she describes as the 'gender apartheid kingdom.' She wasn't so lucky.

"I was in the room playing with my cousin and they called us to come," Delan said. "They cut my cousin. I was very afraid. I was crying and crying. My mother is very fat; I knew if I could run she could not catch me, but she held me too strong. I could not get away.

A 19-year-old man — whose father won't hire a lawyer to defend him — has been in jail without trial for more than a year because he is gay.

"Saudi law forbids women to socialize with unrelated men or walk in public without a male guardian, other than her husband, father or brother.

"The men are young, gorgeous and up for it. No wonder Western women see a Third World holiday as the gateway to casual sex - sometimes in exchange for cash. But as a new film highlights female sex tourism, Liz Hoggard asks who really pays the price

On an attractiveness scale of 1 to 10, with 10 better, the blind men roughly averaged giving the slimmer-waisted dummy a 7, as opposed to a 6 for the wider-waisted mannequin.

A study of schoolchildren in Glasgow, Scotland, revealed some extremely disturbing findings: violence against women was perceived as justifiable if there was a "reason" behind it (anything from having an affair to being late making tea).

Unhappily unattached menfolk of America, that soul patch beneath your lower lip may be discouraging a potential soul mate from sticking around through the salad course of your first date. And the stakes are as high as the waist on those dad jeans.

Before Feminism: Wake up at 6:00 a.m., make eggs and bacon in my bathrobe, get the children dressed and off to school, make my husband's lunch and kiss him goodbye, do a load of laundry, wash the dishes, make the beds, take the chicken out to defrost, eat light lunch, shower and …

A group of experts from around the globe converged in Haifa, Israel, late last year to discuss a crucial topic at a United Nations conference: the impact of the economic crisis on women worldwide.

It often seems as if no matter what sexual choices women make, the slut label is never far behind. Wear the wrong outfit? Slut. Sleep with someone too soon? Slut.

The commercials that air during the game seem to actively compete for the Most Jaw-Droppingly Offensive Ad Award, and they feature only two kinds of women: one the one hand, sexually available and easily manipulated hotties in various states of undress, (as in this ad, in which m …

"Who doesn't support ending violence against women across the world?

New research sheds light on why women survive for decades when females in many other species die after they lose the ability to reproduce.

Historically, marriage was the surest route to financial security for women. Nowadays it's men who are increasingly getting the biggest economic boost from tying the knot, according to a new analysis of census data.

I didn't leave the porn industry because I object to porn. I left because I love it.

"The world's population is aging rapidly, with implications in numerous areas, not the least of which is that the number of male drivers over the age of 70 will double in the next 20 years, and the number of female drivers over 70 will treble.

"Women's magazines have come under fire in recent years, and for good reason.

The study, by the Gaza-based Palestinian Women's Information and Media Center, found that violence against women in Gaza has increased since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in the June 2007 coup and Israel subsequently imposed restrictions on the coastal enclave.

December 16, 2009 on BBC World News "Hunger to Learn" - ..

"While it is impossible, given their diversity, to paint one picture of women living under Islam today, it is clear that the religion has been used in most Muslim countries not to liberate but to entrench inequality.

Amnesty International has accused Tajikistan of failing to protect its women, saying nearly half are raped, beaten or abused by their families.

Protests Tehran - Nov 4th - Video of security forces attacking women

One man cast 35 votes for female relatives. Others lugged in sacks full of voting cards they said were from women. And in a village of just 250 people, 200 women supposedly voted in three hours.

I was checking out the FBI's crime numbers for my home state this morning. One that stood out was Forcible Rape. In the state of Florida in 2008 there have been 1,355 reported cases of forcible rape for that year.

"Women scientists say they want to be treated equally by their male colleagues and employers, but at the same time, special accommodations and grants would be welcome, as it is much more difficult for women to pursue their research careers without having a "wife" to back them up.

As violence against women in Pakistan continues to grow, every new incident is eerily reminiscent of an earlier event that was equally if not more shocking. Two reports from Punjab on Monday are a blot on society's collective conscience.

IN THE 19TH CENTURY, the paramount moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century, it was totalitarianism. In this century, it is the brutality inflicted on so many women and girls around the globe: sex trafficking, acid attacks, bride burnings and mass rape.

Sudanese police arrested 13 women in a raid on a cafe and flogged 10 of them in public for wearing trousers in violation of the country's strict Islamic law, one of those arrested said Monday.

Scanning page 3 of newspapers, bianet has counted 22 women who were killed by men last month.

A sharp criticism of the abuse of women..

Story Highlights - Activist says a new type of war is being fought on the bodies of women - Congo war is bloodiest since World War II, UNICEF says - Rape victims try to turn "pain into power"

I saw a review about the movie that PBS had on the sex trade that is or was going on from Russia to other countries. They were complaining about why it was put on in that manner.

During the height of the violence in Anbar province in 2006, a group of women began gathering in secret to practice their passion: handball. They played in abandoned schools despite threats from strictly religious Sunni insurgents.

A Kenyan man has sued activists who urged women to deny their partners sex for a week as a protest against the country's political impasse.

With her health options limited, one woman in this Darfur refugee camp is considering a risky alternative: a traditional healer who promises his potion of holy water, charcoal and glue, touched by verses of the Quran, can cure her uterus inflammation.

"Never have women achieved equality by somebody coming in and giving it to them. We can't bomb our way into equality."

Farah Mohamed can't forget the searing images of women protesters in the dusty streets of Kabul, surrounded by angry men with contorted faces and raised fists. "Whores!" "Dogs!" "Death to the slaves of the Christians!"

"A still-unpublished report from Denmark's National Organization of Shelters for Battered Women and Their Children (LOKK) indicates that an increasing number of young people from minority ethnic groups are seeking help as a result of family threats or violence, according to the C …

Today, the UK Independent reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has signed the new Shia Family Law, which women's groups believe will essentially legalize rape.

"It is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern conflict " (Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert, 2008, former UN Peacekeeping Operation commander in DR Congo)

"Terrorism in this part of the world usually means bombs exploding or hotels burning, as the latest horrific scenes from Mumbai attest.

What kind of an ideology causes a man to show no remorse for murdering his own daughter, but rants and raves at being served ham sandwiches while in prison? The media picked up the story quickly and asked, "Is Islam to blame?"...

"IN one of his last sermons before his death, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini warned of "three threats" to his vision of Islam: the US, the Jews and women.

Many people claim that Muslims never speak out against extremism.. Of course this is totally false. One such example is Irshad Manje-- a devout Muslim, but despite numerous death threats she is also a voice for reform in her faith.

A variety of comments...from Hillary supporters.

"A word to the men who read this blog: While I don't claim to speak for all women, I can claim to give you a woman's point of view on what John McCain choosing Sarah Palin for his vice presidential candidate means to me. And remember that I voted for Al Gore in 2000"

"There's a "man drought" on the Australian coast, and a "man dam" in the country's remote bush.

Female genital mutilation is carried out for cultural and religious reasons. Women across the world are affected by the practice which is widely recognized as a violation of human rights.