August 4, 2009
But some analysts think racy pitches go too far
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 3:05 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
To sell its new sandwich, Burger King is running an advertisement depicting a woman with red lipstick, her mouth open wide, preparing for the 7-inch-long burger hovering toward her.
To sell its apparel, Calvin Klein ran ads in New York City this year showing a shirtless young woman lying on top of a shirtless young man, kissing a second shirtless young man while a third young man lies beneath them with his shirt open and jeans unbuttoned.
Companies have known for years that sex sells, but these and other recent promotions seem to suggest that they’ve kicked the suggestiveness up a notch. (more…)
From AOL News-
Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein faces 40 lashes for wearing trousers in a restaurant. Hussein said she is ready to be whipped "40,000 times" as she fights to international attention to the treatment of Sudanese women.
Aug. 3) — A Sudanese woman facing 40 lashes for wearing pants declared she was ready for thousands as she battles the country’s laws.
Lubna-Ahmed al-Hussein, a journalist with the United Nations Mission in Sudan, is on trial after being arrested July 3 along with 12 other women for wearing trousers at a restaurant in Khartoum,
Agence France-Presse reported.
(more…)
August 2, 2009
I wrote the following commentary last week after hearing about a very young girl who was a victim of a horrendous crime. I was very angry at the time and decided not to post the commentary. Violence against women hits close to home.
This week, reports of sick cultural attitudes, especially in Liberia, swept across television screens. I thought about what I wrote last week. I decided to post what I wrote; the last four paragraphs were written today:
Yesterday’s news report posted on CNN’s website about the little eight-year-old girl who was brutally sexually assaulted by four boys 9-14 years old on July 16 in Phoenix, Arizona should ignite outrage from the American people. It certainly did for me. Not only was the crime absolutely shocking but also the circumstances surrounding this case made me heartsick.
The girl and all four boys are from refugee families that have come to the United States from Liberia, a war-torn country in West Africa. According to Phoenix police four boys lured the little girl into a shed after promising her chewing gum. Then they restrained her and assaulted her. The Phoenix police called it one of the worst cases they have ever investigated. (more…)
