Peace for whom?

Congo President calls military rapes "Unforgiveable" after watching CNN report: Rape, Brutality ignored to aid Congo Peace.

 

"Locals say soldiers from one ethnic group are systematically raping and mutilating women from another group, with the intention, they say of destroying their child-bearing capabilities. Kabila was quick to acknowledge that more than 300 former soldiers have been convicted and jailed for sexual crimes, but admitted that is not enough. "We clearly need to do more for our citizens," he said. "But just imagine for a moment a country as large as all of Western Europe with few roads and little infrastructure. It's a difficult terrain to police and Congo doesn't have an effective policing system. But after the election, all this will change. If elected, I will make this one of my first priorities."

 

"Peace"... what a crock of shit. Apparently it's only "Peace" if men in uniforms are not running around brutally attacking *each other*.

 

Monkey See, Monkey Do

The Monkey has become fascinated with any and all utensils, tools, or gadgets that we adults use. The remote, our cell phones, the regular phone... he refuses to be pacified with any dead units or cheap plastic facsimiles thereof even if they play ringtones or announce numbers/letters pressed in an annoyingly chipper voice. And he can tell which one we're actually using at the moment, too.

On the positive side, he's a demon with the broom and lawn rake. And per his father (who was working on the deck one day), "pounds a pretty good nail, too". Oy. So now all I need to do is teach him to push 9-1-1 , recite our address and the phrase "Daddy's fallen and he can't get up".

He brings me my towels after my shower. He brushes his teeth. Tries to brush his hair, and mimics me when I put mousse in mine. He is absolutely obsessed with drinking out of a cup/glass - either direct from the lip or sucking through a straw; and using forks/spoons. It's such a fine line between "yay! you're using a spoon!" and "You already ate your breakfast. Leave mine alone!." But he's so happy pushing around little orts of food while muttering "dis dis dis" to himself....

Sometimes it's scary what he picks up on. I've already had to tell Curt to quit groping me in front of the child... I worry we'll be in a check-out line someday and he'll reach up and tweak Mommy's nipple. Yeah, try explaining *that* to Child Protective Services!

As it is we won't be getting to meet my adorable nephew next month. Something about some super secret security detail blah blah blah.... Fucking terrorists. Maybe in September. IF he doesn't have to respond to any hurricanes. At this rate he won't get to meet HIS nephew until he graduates from college. Instead this month we're focusing on getting Curt's pottery studio up and running. We've got the kilns and wheel hooked up and ready to go. Plenty of elbow room cleared out in the garage/shed. I forced him to go buy clay & supplies yesterday, so now there's really nothing to stop him except a demanding toddler. We've already got a few people very interested in taking classes... this might happen yet!

we eat feet

In honor of Mother's Day I've been drafting a huge Monkey Update, but then can't get any time to sit down and edit it into a coherent single post.  So I'm giving up and will just post snippets as I think of them.

 

Last night, the Monkey ate my toes!!  It's only fair, I devour his toes all the time.  Now that I'm fighting a prolongued case of Athlete's Foot, however I may have to put a stop to our mutual feasting.  Such a shame.

Friday Baby Blogging

AidanMay06
Originally uploaded by MsMustangsally.

The Monkey's cousin Aidan filling in as I haven't downloaded any recent pics of Duncan in awhile. Looks like we may, just MAY finally get to meet the little tyke in person next month! Cross your fingers!

Reply from Metpar Corp - RE: No Standing Room

Dear Ms. Sally,

 

    First and foremost, please be assured "we feel your pain".  In all seriousness, you are not alone in your concerns about bathroom stall sizes and door swings.  Although it is not an "industry standard" to swing stall doors into the stall, it has become common practice.  As a manufacturer, we certainly do not impose any such requirement.  All of our doors for any stall can swing either inward or out.  More often than not, when an architect is involved in 'designing' the overall bathroom, they usually dictate how the doors will swing for easthetic reasons [emph mine].  And since an architect or general contractor may be processing building permits and the Certificate of Occupancy along with the local building department,  it will be their final decision how a room is designed (hopefully in cooperation with the building owner).

 

You bring up some valid issues and some intersting scenarios to consider.  Although we may not be able to alter layouts that are already designed by the architect, we will certainly keep your comments in mind on jobs where we do have some "artistic license" to design it how we feel is best.  Thank you very much for taking the time to write to us.

 

Respectfully,

METPAR CORP

 

So it is the f*ing architects and general contractors that are the problem.  The majority of which use a urinal 90% of the time they ever personally use the facilities.  This, people is why we drastically need more women going into these fields (though apparently getting them to stay in the field is the bigger problem).

Petty, Whiny, Trivial Compaints...

Letter I just sent to some random manufacturer of public bathrooom stalls:

 

I've had a long standing beef with public bathroom stall manufacturers, and you happened to be the first one I found online (hazards of good search engine placement)  WHY, oh why do the doors on the "regular" (non-handicapped) stalls ALWAYS open inwards?  Is this by design or default? Do your customers have the option to install the doors either way or do you specifically instruct them to install them this way? Is this an industry-wide standard or building code issue?

 

I ask because like the majority of Americans, I am a bit on the obese side.   As such, when opening the door after using your facility, there is precious little clearance between the edge of the door and the toilet itself to stand while opening the door.  I basically have to straddle the toilet seat (not pleasant, safe or hygienic) in order to open the door to exit.  If I happen to be wearing a skirt or a long coat/shirt/sweater (and God forbid I have any sashes or drawstrings hanging down) the threat of the bottom of said item getting dunked is considerable.

 

And even if I were not on the obese side, I have a small child who many times must join me in the stall.  Opening the door with BOTH of us standing there is impossible.  Or when I'm out shopping and have many large packages.

 

For any of these reasons, I use the handicapped stall whenever possible instead of the regular stalls.  And feel slightly guilty doing so.  So I am launching a minor grassroots effort to lobby folks like you (or whoever actually decides which side of the door to put the hinges on) to design the doors on ALL stalls to open outwards.  If it's a sutiation where you're afraid someone emerging from the regular stalls will open the door into the path of someone else walking by, I understand.  But people are just as likely to exit into the path of someone from a stall that opens inwards as outwards (I've noticed).  And in most facilities (office buildings, for instance), there simply isn't that high volume of traffic to make this a concern.  In a sports stadium or airport I could understand that... but in those facilities the bathrooms are generally large enough to allow deeper stalls anyway.

 

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to vent my frustration. If you can clear up this mystery for me I will be eternally grateful, and able to turn my mind to less trivial matters.  Like how to cure poverty & famine around the world.

 

Sincerely, Mustang Sally

 

We're #32!! We're #32!!!

Hey, wouldyalookat that! Eastern European countries are tying with the U.S. in infant mortality rates! They must be really coming along there, eh? Oh, wait...we're #32?? There's only ONE other "industrialized" country WORSE than us? Latvia??? Nevermind...

Snips: "The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, but its newborn rate is higher than any of those countries," said the annual State of the World's Mothers report."

"The report...found higher newborn death rates among U.S. minorities and disadvantaged groups. For African-Americans, the mortality rate is nearly double that of the United States as a whole, with 9.3 deaths per 1,000 births."

Then buried waaaay down in the article, this: "Tinker said some nations ranked high in part because they offer free health services for pregnant women and babies, while the United States suffers from disparities in access to health care."

You'd think given this kind of information, the self described Pro-life nuts would be all over pushing for universal healthcare. Or at the very least free healthcare for pregnant moms and babies. But no. Can't do that! Why that would just ENCOURAGE those sluts to keep having sex and getting themselves* knocked up to begin with! It would be like giving them a license to be promiscuous. On the tax payer's bill!

*Because you know in Wingnut world reproduction is asexual... only the women are to blame.

Very cool: Morocco names 50 women official state Muslim preachers in experiment to promote moderate islam.

 

Snip: The pioneer group of morchidat, who finished a yearlong course in Islamic law, philosophy and the history of religions in early April, was trained to give basic religious instructions in mosques and provide support in prisons, hospitals and schools. Their salary is about $500 a month.

Applicants for the course must have a bachelor's degree and be under 45. Male applicants must know the Quran by heart, while female applicants should know at least half of it.

Although it is a first for Morocco — which like many other Muslim countries has shunned the rise of women to senior religious positions — Egypt and Iran have seen an increase in female scholars of Islam.