Style, culture, sex, kids

Around town and on the internet.

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It makes you want to be a fur coat wearing detective with a shouty boss. Culture \| YOUTUBE	4' wooden cat anyone? Culture \| MORE LIKE THIS in magless
A street look 'not highly sexualised'? Culture \| FASHIONISING.COM	I saw a double rainbow, but I wasn't as.... Culture \|
Stewert Lee and Bo Burnham Culture \| THE FINANCIAL TIMES Stewert Lee writes in the FT, ‘Oddly, Burnham’s Guardian piece had the headline “The 20-year-old could be his generation’s Stewart Lee”. I am a comedian but the comparison struck me as unfair to the boy, especially as it didn’t relate to any desire h...	Women aren't funny Culture \| GUARDIAN Zoe Williams likes Bridesmaids: how a chick flick won over a feminist. ‘I don't care that Bridesmaids features bridesmaids, nor that it is ultimately uncritical of the American nuptial hyper-consumption.’
APRIL MARCH; I LIKE THIS Culture \| YOU TUBE	Twitter decisions that outed Anthony Weiner Culture \| WIRED
Strauss-Kahn's pals bid to pay off woman's kin Culture \| NEW YORK POST 'Friends of alleged hotel sex fiend Dominique Strauss-Kahn secretly contacted the accusing maid's impoverished family, offering them money to make the case go away since they can't reach her in protective custody, The NYPost has learned.'	Why is an anti-abortion group advising the government on sexual health? Families \| NEW STATESMAN 'Life, a group which is opposed to abortion in all circumstances and promotes an abstinence-based approach to sex education, has been appointed to a government advisory group on sexual health. The forum excludes the British Pregnancy Health Service (BP...
Solving the Mystery of Female Ejaculation The Sexes \| Psychology Today Pamela Madsen; ‘Some folks called the liquid that a woman ejaculates during sex "Amrita". There are some folks who believe it to be urine. I have seen Amrita and frankly it does not look or smell like urine. It is something very different.’	The actor/director Simon Pegg describes his initiation into the Twitterverse. Culture \| NEW STATESMAN
Hugh Grant taps the pap Culture \| NEW STATESMAN This is funny; ‘After a chance meeting with a former News of the World executive who told him his phone had been hacked, Hugh Grant couldn’t resist going back to him – with a hidden tape recorder – to find out if there was more to the story . . .’	Aintree Ladies Day attracts Janet Street Porter’s wrath Culture \| DAILY MAIL 'Without being too brutal — given a big occasion, Northern women have absolutely no sense of style.' Personally, I think these women know exactly what they're doing and why shouldn't they wear what they want? Why conform to being 'tasteful' and 'stylis...
Russell Brand attempts to explain why he diSagrees with Dawkins Culture \| NEW STATESMAN I'm glad Jemima Khan asked me to contribute to this issue of the New Statesman as it (at last) gives me the opportunity to prove the existence of God. You may think me unqualified for a task that has baffled the finest theologians… since the dawn of ti...	Ayn Rand ruined my childhood Culture \| SALON
Melanie Phillips thinks we must jail ALL drug dealers Culture \| THE DAILY MAIL Last week, the Sentencing Council proposed that some criminals convicted of supplying the most dangerous illegal drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, should escape jail and be given community service orders instead.	Sixteen reasons why I object to this dangerous cover-up Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT
Black Swan body double. Shocker? Culture \| STUFF.CO.NZ	Louis Vuitton sues artist Nadia Plesner -again Culture \| EYETEETH
Apps for babies. Culture \| WSJ MICHAEL HSU writes, 'Like any new parent, I started with high-minded ideals: I'd only feed my children organic food. They'd be in bed by a reasonable hour every night. And the iPhone would be strictly off limits.'	America's first cannabis college- will they make it to lectures? Culture \| TIME
Pictured: one sea turtle's worth of plastic Life \| WIRED Pictured at Wired: one sea turtle's worth of plasticJoining the Laysan albatross as icons of ocean plastic pollution are sea turtles, which consume bellyfuls of debris while swimming through Earth's five great ocean rubbish patches.	Another episode of Midsomer madness Culture \| SP!KED The hysteria following Brian True-May’s remarks reveals not just another example of ‘PC-gone-mad’, but rather a more insidious attempt at social engineering, based on a profound contempt for the Middle Englanders who watch the show.
Thailand's Got Talent Culture \| POPBITCH	Farewell then, Liz. You knew your beauty was a fuel worth burning Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT Blimey, Julie Birchill likes someone; 'You knew your beauty was a fuel worth burning. Taylor was fascinating for being far less interested in leaving a good-looking corpse than in wringing every drop of the juice from every inch of the ride.'
The Richard Madeley Appreciation Society Culture \| richardmadeley.blogspot.com ‘And doing a lousy job of it,’ I complained. ‘You’ve not updated it once in all the time I’ve been away filming my new series celebrating some of North Africa’s most popular and long-serving leaders.’	Stolen Girlfriend’s Club Coming To A Supermarket Near You? Style \| GRAZIA
'I HATE the concept of comfort!': Christian Louboutin Style \| THE DAILY MAIL	The work-dad balance Culture \| PROSPECT New fathers will be entitled to take up to six months’ paternity leave. A 2009 survey found that nearly half of fathers don’t even take the two weeks’ paid leave every new dad has been entitled to since 2003. So how many will actually take it?

Come earthquake, tsunami or nuclear meltdown, there's always a celebrity to help Culture \| THE GUARDIAN	Even girlie Jihadists like nothing more than looking good Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT Not content with launching an English-language magazine that debuted with a feature called "How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom", al Qa'ida's media wing has followed up with a magazine for women, mixing beauty tips with lessons in jihad.
Vuitton and Burberry take tumble Culture \| EVENING STANDARD	This is what a tsunami looks like at ground level Culture \| THE ATLANTIC Having spent the whole weekend gripped by the unfolding destruction in Japan, we came across this 6 minute video at The Daily Dish that shows, in the most graphic way, the force and oddly slow nature of the tsunami in Japan as it overruns a town.
The bad mother complex Why are so many working mothers haunted by constant guilt Families \| BOSTON GLOBE Here I was, with pajamas and laptop, working in the family-friendly universe of quarterly magazines. And here was my firstborn, peeking in to entertain me with his shiny curls and a seminar on print production. I didn’t feel entertained or balanced.	Singers who perform for autocratic regimes for considerable amounts of money Culture \| DAILY TELEGRAGH
Chinese parents don't like Barbie, won't buy Barbie because she is too sexy Culture \| SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE	Do Parents Who Serve Teens Beer and Wine at Home Raise Responsible Drinkers? Families \| WALL STREET JOURNAL Should parents teach their teens how to drink responsibly? But some parents do quietly allow their teens to have wine or beer at home occasionally, figuring that kids who drink in moderation with their family may be less likely to binge on their own.
Leaving your children because you never wanted to be a mother. Families \| SALON	Parents Rationalize the Economic Cost of Children by Exaggerating Parental Joy Families \| SCIENCE NEWSLINE Any parent can tell you that raising a child is emotionally draining. Despite tales of professional sacrifice, financial hardship, and declines in marital satisfaction, parents continue to insist that children are an essential source of happiness.
Sex Toy Demonstrating Professor Is Sorry You’re So Mad Culture \| JEZEBEL	Has the rise of women turned men into boys? The Sexes \| FORBES There is a new stage of life, what I call ‘preadulthood,’ that has been created by changes in the economy and the culture. This new stage has created all sorts of problems between the sexes. This is because women are further along than the men.
Dating Site Is the New Hotspot for Libyan Protest Culture \| WIRED.COM	I'm fed up of celebrities going on about their non-existent wobbly bits The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Jennifer Aniston recently said her bottom was too big, and Cheryl Cole once said that her bottom was too small. Uma Thurman can't stand her big feet. Angelina Jolie has moaned that her lips "take over my face". Do these women think it's endearing?
Does the internet make you smarter, happier and more productive Culture \| LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS The brain is not ‘a blob of clay pounded into shape by experience.’ Its wiring may change a bit when we learn a new fact or skill, but its basic cognitive architecture remains the same. There is no evidence that using the internet can remodel’ it.	Bleedin' kids today. Huge sense of entitlement and no respect for others Families \| THE TIMES “The British used to produce generations of tough, independent children. My mother, brought up during the war, walked alone to her nursery school in Cambridge alone at the age of three and looked after herself while her mother worked for the WVS.”
We guess that means Galliano won't be doing Kate's wedding dress now Culture \| BBC.COM	If we lose our privacy, do we sacrifice a fundamental part of our humanity? Culture \| WIRED.CO.UK As Katie Roiphe has observed, "Facebook is the novel we are all writing." We are becoming WikiLeakers of our own lives. There has been a massive increase in "self-produced" legibility driven by our need to broadcast our uniqueness to the world.
Moral Combat: Why do liberals play computer games like conservatives? Culture \| THE AMERICAN PROSPECT To what extent the choices we make in game play are evidence of and serve to reinforce our real values and characteristics is still up for debate, but a study in 2008 found that violent games increased aggression in kids with had hostile tendencies.	New York Fashion Week's Mean Girls Culture \| DAILY BEAST
Winter is not the time to fret about your lady garden Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT If you ask me, Rachel Johnson's article in this month's Vogue on "tidying up" her "lady garden" and having her first Brazilian bikini wax was a shocker even if you only thought, as I did: What? In February? Seriously? On top of everything else.	Mean Girls web of popularity achieved by bullying Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES Research in The American Sociological Review suggests the road to high school popularity can be treacherous, and that students near the top of the social hierarchy are often both perpetrators and victims of aggressive behavior involving their peers.
Facebook and Love: Why Women Are Attracted to Guys Who Play Hard to Get The Sexes \| TIME MAGAZINE	Would you want your partner to leave you recuperating while he went back to worK Families \| POLITICS DAILY Is Mark Kelly selfish, ego-driven, does he care more about his career than he does his wife? How can he even think of abandoning her in her fragile state? Or is he going back to work, like thousands of others have to with sick or injured partners.
To bush or not to bush, that is the question The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN Pubic hair elimination. It's a small but itchy area of contention. Last month's Elle and this month's Vogue have long pieces by Avril Mair and Rachel Johnson , combing through the various strands of argument for and against total pubic purging	Oh Lord, no! Carrie's coming back. Prequel. Culture \| JEZEBEL
Is Daniel Mendelsohn a 'Mad Men' denier? Culture \| NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS	The Oscar Curse (or, Why It Stinks to Be a Successful Woman) The Sexes \| NEW YORK TIMES
Coming to a young adult near you: “emerging adulthood.” Culture \| NEW ATLANTIS The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain untethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, forestalling adult life.	Freakonomics, Wikinomics and now Spousonimics. The original idea award goes to.. The Sexes \| NEWSWEEK To prove a point after a nasty argument—kitchen cabinets were again left open, words were exchanged—my husband sketched a graph plotting the recent state of our marriage. His point was that we were having more bad days than good days... ...

Take a paternity test for peace of mind so you can move on with your life Families \| LONDON EVENING STANDARD A kit, Assuredna, for testing paternity will go on sale in Boots. Mandy Hartley, technical manager at manufacturer Anglia DNA, said: "Assuredna provides families with peace of mind so they can move on with their lives.” Literally or figuratively?	Tiger mums are a response to a society that won't push kids to succeed Culture \| SP!KED Many discussions of parenting today tend to blame parents for ‘hyper involvement’ in their kids’ lives, without recognising that their behaviour is a response to a situation where the formal/informal socialisation of children often no longer happens. ...
Even if you have a puffy face, you can still have great abs Families \| NEW YORKER My perturbed, puffy face sets you up for a blubbery gut. But then you see these abs, stacked like bricks, clearly delineated, and you have to ask, “Does he work out for two or three hours a day, or does he just work out all day?” My secret i...	Rich helicopter parents and the law of diminishing returns Families \| WALL STREET JOURNAL Children from wealthy households get all the advantages that money can buy, from music lessons to SAT tutors. Although parents might fret over the details of such these details are mostly insignificant, subject to the law of diminishing returns.
Why music sometimes make you weep, sometimes makes you dance Culture \| WIRED The pupils in our eyes dilate, our pulse and blood pressure rise, the electrical conductance of our skin is lowered, and the cerebellum, associated with bodily movement, becomes strangely active. Blood is even re-directed to the muscles in our legs.	Etsy eventually takes down Congratulations you got Raped card The Sexes \| JEZEBEL
Tiger Mum is a wimp sheltering her kids from things that will help them achieve Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES Sometime early last week, a large slice of educated America decided Amy Chua is a menace to society. Chua, as you probably know, is a Yale professor who has written a bracing critique of what she considers weak, cuddling American parenting style. ...	Women of science, do you know your place? Culture \| EXQUISITE LIFE Why are there so few women in science? Or to be precise, why are there so few women in the physical sciences, and so few at the top of any field? While it is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, backward attitudes toward female scientists remain.
Taking the heart out of the toilet roll and traditional family values Culture \| WASHINGTON POST	Seems harsh, but eighteen is old enough to face the music Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Children grow up and, as the adults our teenagers are constantly telling us they have become, there comes a point when they have to bear the adult consequences of their actions. But when are they old enough to face the consequences of their actions?
Why I'd rather my daughter marry a rich man than have a brilliant career Culture \| DAILY MAIL	Boots truely patronises all women with their 'girlie economics' TV advert Culture \| MAGLESS
We're finding new ways to flaunt our status. Are you virtuous, are you hip? Culture \| THE ECONOMIST Today everyone has a washing machine, so we increasingly seek to advertise our hipness or virtue instead. Rather than buy from predictable Euro fashion houses, we trawl the world for exotic designs from Brazilian favelas or South African townships.	Would digitally simulated child pornograghy prevent child abuse? Culture \| SALON A controversial study published earlier this month in the Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests that the availability of child pornography can prevent child sex abuse. Fighting child abuse with child abuse? Surely that sounds like an oxymoron.
"If I'd had him first, I would never have had more kids" Families \| NEW YORK TIMES Research studies have found that when it comes to personality traits such as extroversion or conscientiousness, siblings are similar only twenty percent of the time, which is only the slightest bit higher than a comparison to a random stranger.	Are high-earning women killing their low-earning husbands? The Sexes \| JEZEBEL
Is rise of the breadwinner wives really bad for marriage? Families \| DAILY BEAST As more wives out-earn their husbands and outshine them at the office, many couples secretly struggle with reversed gender roles—sometimes leading to adultery or even health issues. Danielle Friedman explores America’s new marriage crisis myth.	Six Magless sprogs and two spouses all snow-bound. No productivity forcast. Families \| GERALDINE AND FAYE
Six Magless sprogs off school with snow. Lower productivity than normal forcast Families \| GERALDINE AND FAYE	Girls taught to say No: Sexual consent lessons will help stop rape in later life The Sexes \| THE DAILY MAIL “Girls will be given school classes in saying no to sex, under plans published yesterday. Ministers hope the classes in ‘sexual consent’ will help to reduce rape and violence against women and young girls.” Where to start with how crass this is?
Calling Cheryl Cole a chav because the girl from a council estate made good Culture \| THE TIMES (£) Chav didn’t always feel like such a nasty word. In the past I’ve used it. But over time it became charged with aggression and is now the acceptable middle-class abuse for those poorer and less educated and with a different taste in leisurewear.	April 29th means a 4-day Spring holiday - fantastic! Families \| MAGLESS
Car thief yells at parent. Anybody thinks he can tell you you're doing it badly Families \| SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE A young mom goes fishing at the beach with her 2-yr-old son and boyfriend. The couple decides it's too cold for the toddler so the mom sticks him in the car, turns on the heater, and heads back to the beach. A homeless man walks by and steals car.	Do you help with their homework? No better than a prisoner's choice Families \| DOUBLE XX Hyper-parenting is easy to mock, but I see again and again that it's less an individual choice than a prisoner's dilemma. The external circumstances are unlikely to change, but if he's going to do, something has to. Should that something be me?
I'm a Celebrity is vital public service exposing 'holier-than-thou' hypocrites Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT Rather surprised ourselves this week as we used to find Julie Burchill a bit annoying. However, we are publically loving her now. Everybody from The Daily Mail to The Mirror loathes Gillian McKeith. Burchill does it better and writes better copy.	Over-educated hobby-jobber Kate to wed over-educated hobby-squaddy William Culture \| MAGLESS
Little known fact: less than 10% of women in the Netherlands work full-time The Sexes \| SLATE	Recommendation letters can cost women jobs The Sexes \| FORBES A Rice University research team found that letter writers included more doubt raisers when recommending women, using phrases such as “She might make an excellent leader” versus what they used for male candidates, “He is already an established leader. ...
Boys' baby names: gender neutral trend, from Cullen to Cameron Culture \| DAILY BEAST I confess that when I named my son, I chose Thomas because it sounded like an engineer. Rejecting the top names of the past century, more parents are choosing gender-neutral boys' names. Does the new trend reflect a different ideal of masculinity?	MindWare's facial will make Jill a very clever girl Culture \| THE FRISKY

Attachment parenting and environmental correctness imprison women Culture \| WALL STREET JOURNAL You know that we have endured an orgy of motherphilia for at least the last two decades. Movie stars proudly display their baby bumps, and the shiny magazines at the checkout counter never tire of describing the joys of celebrity parenthood. ...	Menopause and the BBC - how Aunty is getting in a sweat Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT When it comes to older women in the public eye, it seems only two types are successful: those who do a passable imitation of youth and therefore don't count as old, like Madonna, and those who are honourable exceptions to the rule, like Maggie Smith. ...
Men do not actually want you to pick up their socks and pants. Sure they don't. The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN	When are children old enough to leave home alone? Families \| THE DAILY TELEGRAGH “Where are mummy and daddy?” “Mummy’s upstairs, and daddy’s gone to the chemist.” The problem with this was that my sister had just spoken to me on the phone, and knew I was on a train. Seconds later, my husband arrived on his bicycle, shame-faced.
What is your female leadership style? A lifestyle quiz for the ambitious. Life \| BIG THINK You're heading up a task force to re-evaluate U.S. military plans along the Afghan-Pakistan border, and you've got to make an urgent decision about whether to recommend more diplomacy or military action. How do you make the call? Do you:	Pushy parents ruin kids lives; non-pushy parents ruin kids lives. Families \| PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE/GUARDIAN
GQ comes clean on the cougar myth. Dream on. The Sexes \| GQ MAGAZINE Jane Moore writes, "Cougar" - with all its predatory connotations of stalking, desiring and eating whole - joined the lexicon of anti-female terms about three years ago, being used to describe women of over 40 who, shock horror, date younger men."	"Women hate sex" Is Fry a mysogynist or is science on his side? Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT
Will a Hollywood movie romanticise these rapes? Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT Angelina Jolie is to make a film which will allegedly tell of the love between a Serb rapist and his Muslim victim. The Hollywood star is to begin shooting her first project as a director and scriptwriter, as yet untitled, in Sarajevo next month.	Does this Calvin Klein ad promote rape? Australia thinks so Culture \| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
WANTING THE BEST FOR YOUR KIDS MAY BE BAD FOR THEM Families \| NEW YORK TIMES The homework wars erupted in fourth grade – a 20-minute assignment stretched on for 3 hours, punctuated by cries of “I hate writing!” While I tried to explain long division, he stormed out . He stayed out till dark, digging holes and watching birds.	Keith Richards and drugs, who'd have guessed. Not Disney Culture \| DRUDGE REPORT
Long-Term Couples Know Less About Each Other’s Preferences Than Do Newer Ones The Sexes \| SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Couples who have been together for decades know less about their partners than those who have been together only a year or two, a study has found. The results, which surprised the authors, give new meaning to the phrase ''love is blind''.	The Apprentice is not just bad TV, it's bad for women Culture \| THE GUARDIAN This is the UK's most-watched business programme. How are we going to advance the cause of women in the workplace if the female participants descend into a catfight when things don't go their way? All that is doing is reinforcing stereotypes.
Is Miley Cyrus too sexy and therefore a bad role model for your tween? Culture \| BLOGHER I can't stand her music, and I've never been a fan of any of the Cyrus clan for myriad reasons. I was aghast at her behavior when she was 16. However, she's not 16 anymore, not a child. She's a month from being old enough to vote and serve her country....	Hey Dad. What does 'ejaculate' mean? Culture \| THE NEW YORKER It was in the kitchen. I was reading the newspaper. A small, bookish boy sat by my side.“Hey,” he said.“Hmm?” “Do you need a conundrum for oral sex?” I put down my newspaper and sighed. And then, carrying on an ancient and honorable family tradition, I...
Chilean wife's boycott shows not everyone needs their 15 minutes Culture \| THE DAILY TELEGRAGH “I am happy because he made it, it's a miracle of God. But I'm not going to see the rescue. He asked me to, but it turns out that he also asked the other lady, and I am a decent woman. Things are clear: it's her or me. I won't even watch it on TV.”	At home, my husband is the boss The Sexes \| THE TIMES
Mompetition - new Olympic sport (video) Families \| MOMPETITION/YOU TUBE	Womenomics or how they overtook men The Sexes \| FOREIGN POLICY September 2010: Worldwide, an estimated 70 percent of women now regularly work outside the home and in many places are the majority of university graduates. These gains are paying off for developing countries' GDPs, but not always for women themselves,...
Banksy's Simpsons video up and down and up again at You Tube (video) Culture \| TECHCRUNCH/FOX/YOU TUBE In case you haven’t been reading Twitter at all in the past day or so, last night “Banksy” was both the sixth search term on Google Trends and the number six trending topic on Twitter (where it remains to this morning), all because of the elusive stre...	Disney fairytales irritate (or thrill) because no guilt, no loose ends formula Culture \| SMARTSET
Why we should feel sad about the demise of the picture book Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES In the US, picture books are becoming so unpopular these days that store employees are used to placing new copies on the shelves, watching them languish and then returning them to the publisher. Apparently, pushy parents, who are keen to get their ch...	Lagarde says libido influences women's business decisions (video) The Sexes \| ABC NEWS
Thin women earn more than fat ones; fat men earn more than thin ones The Sexes \| WALL STREET JOURNAL A study of 24,000 German and American residents found that employers seem to treat women exactly the way the fashion industry does – by rewarding very thin women with higher pay, while penalizing average-weight women with smaller salary checks.	There is an army of would-be mumpreneurs out there Families \| THE DAILY MAIL One in eight working mothers who have a full-time office job are desperate to quit because it is damaging their family life, research reveals today. The report warns that Britain’s growing army of working mothers are plotting a '9-to-5 rebellion'.
Moe Tucker goes from Velvet Underground to tea partier (video) Culture \| WALB.com/YOU TUBE At a recent tea party protest, Tucker said “I’m furious about the way we’re being led towards socialism. I’m furious about the incredible waste of money when things that we really need and are important get dropped because there’s no money left.”	Why I fake orgasm... amongst other things The Sexes \| THE DAILY BEAST An survey published this week in the Journal of Sexual Medicine points to a discrepancy in the number of men who believe their partner orgasmed during their last sexual encounter and the number of women confirming that they did, in fact, climax.
Have we lost our sense of shame? If so, does it matter? Culture \| THE TIMES A squeamish Nicola Pearson writes, “At a party a 20-something girl was giving the assembled company full-on details about her impending boob job – including invitations to prod and squeeze, and how her boyfriend felt about it sexually”.	Why I don't look as hot even tho' she's old enough to be my big sister Style \| JEZEBEL

Do you panic about the male in crisis or cheer on the New Macho? The Sexes \| NEWSWEEK	Tut, tut. Prospect of a co-habiting Prime Minister moves closer Culture \| THE TIMES Carol Midgley isn't “bovvered” but she heard someone actually argue that Ed's ringlessness symbolises a “lack of focus” and a “questionable commitment” which “bodes ill” for a party leader. What about married John Major's 4-year leg over with Edwina.
I’m A Crap Mag Slag Culture \| SABOTAGE TIMES	Naive chutney dreams of a generation too tired to talk Culture \| THE TIMES A generation ago the average age of a chief executive was 59. Today it is 48. Ed Miliband, the new leader of the Labour Party, is 40. At this age, excessive work often collides with young children, as well as anxiety over money and ageing parent.
We overcontrolling parents only have ourselves to blame Culture \| THE NEW REPUBLIC Playmates must be summoned via telephone or text. Drop-off and pick-up times must be coordinated. Parents must be pressed into service as chaperones or chauffeurs or coaches...they are much less fun for children and an outright chore for grown-ups.	Why are family films so sexist and sexy? Families \| NEWSWEEK A recent study analysed 122 family-rated films including 50 top-grossing ones, between 2006 and 2009 and found that only 29.2 percent of characters were female. And one in four female characters was depicted in “sexy, tight, or alluring attire”.
Flagrently flouting the French hijab ban Culture \| THE FRISKY	Is this Britain's smuggest mum? Or is she just fame hungry? Culture \| THE TIMES
Science has proven female sexual satisfaction is all in the head The Sexes \| JEZEBEL Researchers found that tasks including "talking to doctors about sex, being encouraged to have more sex and spend more time in the bedroom, and also writing down their feelings about sex” improved arousal levels for women who self-reported low drive.	Will 'chunking' help my son learn French? Families \| NEW YORK MAGAZINE The study of language acquisition and instruction has increasingly focused on “chunking”: how children learn language not so much on a word-by-word basis but in larger “lexical chunks” or meaningful strings of words that are committed to memory.
Why we're living in a young woman's world Culture \| THE INDEPENDENT Girls outstrip boys in maths and literacy at 7. They do it again at GCSE, again at A-level, and again at uni. Almost half of all female school-leavers go on to higher education, compared with 37 per cent of men. When they graduate, most find jobs. ...	Some myths about prostitution busted Culture \| WASHINGTON POST Selling sex is an old business -- most say the oldest. But as the recent controversy about US-based Craigslist proves, it's also one of the fastest changing. And as a result, most people's perceptions of the sex trade are wildly out of date. ...
Childhood wrapped in cotton wool is no preparation for adult life Families \| THE DAILY TELEGRAGH One of the most powerful arguments against this degree of caution is that it leaves children unable to assess risk and that, in turn, leads to reckless behaviour. According to Dr Amanda Gummer a completely safe childhood is actually more dangerous.	How has rape-speak as metaphor become commonplace Culture \| The Guardian Boxer David Haye is far from alone in his casual use of the word 'rape'. In all walks of life, rape jokes and rape analogies are becoming commonplace. Kira Cochrane asks why rape is funny?
Magless are back from holiday! Culture \| Geraldine and Faye	If you're told it looks like you're having a girl, be insulted Culture \| L.A. TIMES I'm in my 9th month of pregnancy with my 2nd child, and since this pregnancy became obvious to the world three months ago, I have been confronted at every turn with inappropriate comments about my size, the projected sex of my baby and my appearance.
Parenting & childbirth: painful in the moment, magical with hindsight Families \| NEW YORK MAGAZINE	Equal rights for women? Pew survey of 22 nations says: Yes, but ... The Sexes \| NEW YORK TIMES People around the world say they support equal rights for men and women, but many still believe men should get preference to good jobs, higher education or in some cases the right to work outside the home, according to a new survey of 22 nations.
Not satisfied with being the nanny, the state wants a veto on parenting decision Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH In this age of air-bagged, mollycoddled, infantilised over-regulation it can make my spirits soar to discover that out there in the maquis of modern Britain there is still some fighter putting up resistance against the encroachments of the state.	Wonder Woman in slacks is not a feminist win #sexism Culture \| JEZEBEL
The cure for teens putting it about? Self-respect The Sexes \| F BOMB Teen feminist blog, F Bomb, on teen sexting, sex and self-publishing: “Self Respect is a dying art. This thought was solidified when I heard the latest gossip in my school of the sex video going around of a fellow female student with two other guys.” ...	Women delay motherhood to pursue urban myth of guy who wants to settle down The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Older women desperate to have a baby are portrayed in the media as fusspots with unreasonably high expectations who won't settle for Mr. OK You'll Do. But think about all the man-children, those twenty- and thirty-somethings who refuse to grow up?
Young son not destined for moral scrapheap for hating team sports! Families \| THE INDEPENDENT	7 yr olds can't go 'topless'. Any wonder breasts are hyper-sexualised Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH My 7yr old daughters and 9yr old son love swimming. Their preferred attire is swimming trunks. Imagine my husband's shock when he was told that the girls were inappropriately dressed and they had to cover their top half or leave the local pool!
Psychologists claim 'best friends' are bad for kids PART 2 Families \| WASHINGTON EXAMINER Childhood and growing up is learning how to feel pain. Helicopter parenting is bad enough, but when that attitude gets institutionalized we’re in for trouble. Now the expert class is warning that close friendships might damage children’s psyches.	Number of childless women in their 40's risen sharply since '70's Families \| WASHINGTON POST 1 in 5 American women in her early 40s is childless, according to a report that shows a striking increase in women who don't have biological children. The trend was much less common in the 1970s, when 1 in 10 women did not have children by 40 to 44.
D'you know anyone who spends £350 more preening for hols than it cost The Sexes \| DAILY MAIL When the cost of clothes and treatments are combined, women spend an average £855 - £350 more than the trip itself. According to fashion experts, women are so pleased to have picked up a bargain trip they feel they can splash out on their wardrobe. ...	The descent of women and the end of dignified wit Culture \| MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE Whatever you think of "Sex and the City 2", one thing is clear: we've come an awful long way, baby, from the dignified wit of the heroines in classic screwball comedies. Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story or Irene Dunne in Together Again?
Are kids today growing up too quick? Or too slow? Culture \| JEZEBEL	Bruce's Rear of the Year Award allegedly nukes all claims for equality The Sexes \| THE INDEPENDENT Women see no particular contradiction between the fact that one middle-aged female BBC presenter can have her bottom photographed, discussed and awarded a national prize while another is accusing the BBC of paying undue regard to the way she looks.

Good parents nark about bad parents who buy heels for kids. Ban them Families \| DAILY MAIL	Gender fluidity. Are men still from Mars? The Sexes \| HUFFINGTON POST The shifts created by our economic emancipation, the most monumental may be its impact on men -- their values, expectations, and definition of manhood. Men are where women were 20 years ago. Then women were adding career; today, men are adding care.
Confused? Ah, you must be a mother then Families \| THE TIMES Joy and guilt take hold before the morning sickness, and intensify with the birth. And how that guilt is fed, by science and pseudo-science, by the marketers and the media, by advertisers and publishers. Maternal guilt is now a profitable industry.	Mother tracks down kids on Facebook and destroys their lives Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Florida police arrested the father and charged him with kidnapping and violating child custody orders. Florida's Department of Children and Families, which now cares for the children, stated that there was no immediate prospect of a family reunion.
On feeling sorry for David Laws and our therapy-culture Culture \| SUNDAY TIMES Therapy-speak and sentimental song lyrics have a lot to answer for: in the real world there is more than one way of “being true to yourself”. The out people in gold lame hot pants aren’t better than the closeted people in suits looking on forlornly.	Should Cameron and Clegg work flexi-time? Families \| DAILY MAIL
M.I.A.'s phoney agitprop pop - UPDATED Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE	50 questions to cheer you up if you heard Oliver James on Women's Hour Culture \| FORKPARTY.COM Behold! 50 of the dumbest questions mankind has dared to ask taken from the comedy gold-mine that is Yahoo Answers. It’s a scary thought that these people have internet access (most of the questions are sex and pregnancy related).
Forget Good Housekeeping, get good-wife-blogging Culture \| JEZEBEL The perfect wife wakes in the middle of the night to toss the covers back onto her husband because she wants him to stay warm. She doesn't sit up and wonder why she had to marry someone that thrashes about and snores so loudly” TarynCoxTheWife.com.	Google Tells Sites for ‘Cougars’ to Go Prowl Elsewhere The Sexes \| NEW YORK TIMES IF you’re a woman who would like to date younger men, you can find lots of articles about these relationships by doing a Google search. But Google has recently deemed ‘cougar’ dating sites are “nonfamily safe,” while ‘sugar’ daddy sites are safe.
Is posh Melissa Jacobs just the same as the average WAG? Culture \| THE TIMES Are girls who kiss’n’tell or, in Melissa Jacobs case, speak’n’tell, any different from girls who marry men for social standing? All want the lifestyle offered by association with them. Or is Jacobs a new low in which friend is turned over for money?	On marginal differences study claims day-care kids are more impulsive bigger ris Families \| L.A. TIMES The largest and longest-running study of US child-care by the Early Child Care Research Network generates plenty of infuriating conclusions about the effects on kids of early care outside the family – this time about later risky behaviour as teens.
Not all bad. Half of marrieds don’t divorce, don’t have less sex The Sexes \| SALON	Does the cult of self-esteem harden our kids to social inequality? Culture \| TRUE/SLANT Gen Y doesn’t consider gender, race, culture, class or sexual orientation to be automatic barriers to achievement. However, they also don’t recognize privilege assuming those not on a path to self-determination don’t work hard or want it enough.
Could his failure to recycle lead you to the divorce courts? The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN A new survey of 2,005 British adults suggests that "over 60% of British households argue over wasting energy". Leaving lights on caused 40% of energy arguments, followed by electronic appliances left on standby, 28% and heating left on too high, 27%.	How to rescue the soulmate in your mate after babies Families \| THE INDEPENDENT Four particular bad habits emerge: scoring points, returning a perceived criticism with our own; thinking the worst, assuming an underlying negative in partner's action; opting out, disengaging from a discussion or argument; and finally putting down.
Putting past behind you is a dream. Welcome irony-free ever present Culture \| INDEPENDENT The idea of "in the past" is the past. Impossible to put aside childish things because Google knows where they are; and even if you take them down, the Wayback Machine will cache them for all time. That's that for the past. Want to know the future? ...	Playboy to launch 'safe for work' site for guys who only read articles Culture \| CNN
Why are Aussie yoof so keen to sell their virginity? Culture \| NEWS.COM.AU In a new low in reality-TV, the debauched deal is the brainchild of a Melbourne film-maker who plans to turn it into a documentary. Justin Sisely has spent more than a year recruiting male and female virgins willing to auction themselves on camera.	Has feminism given way to lactation rights and the playground? Families \| NEW YORK OBSERVER The feminist battleground, with slogans, marches, and campaigns for reproductive rights, has given way to the playground and the fight for lactation rights, stroller rights, charter schools, birthing techniques, nutritional value of bagged lunches.
Does pink really stink? Or are we telling girls that boys are better Families \| BITCH MAGAZINE	Faith schools are familiar idea, but faith sex shops? Culture \| THE GUARDIAN El Asira has shown there's obviously a gap in the market for this kind of thing – marital aids for couples of faith. Indeed, this is something that Christians have been aware of for some time now; hence a proliferation of online Christian sex shops.
Want more women in culture and politics? Reject notion we're different Culture \| THE GUARDIAN Where are the women? Over the last few days, we have heard a number of voices wondering where they have all gone. Yesterday morning on the Today programme, Anne McElvoy wondered why it is so hard to imagine another woman becoming prime minister.	Is it OK to do sexy nude shots if in the name of a good cause? Culture \| DAILY CALLER Celebrities and the not so celebrated, increasingly these days pose nude for good (as opposed to bad) causes whether it be autism, cancer, animals rights, the WI. But, we also get pretty upset about bras for kids, racy pop lyrics. Any connection?
Restoring your virginity, for him and for yourself The Sexes \| JEZEBEL There are plenty of pearls of wisdom at "www.revirgination.net," which specializes in the increasingly popular procedure of "hymenoplasty." Another: "You wouldn't want your boyfriend/future husband feel ashamed because your hymen no longer existed."	Why do women still earn less than men. And its not due to babies The Sexes \| TIME MAGAZINE But the question remains: Why has it taken so long? Nearly half a century after it became illegal to pay women less on the basis of sex, why do American women earn less than men? The answer depends on whom you ask, and so does the gap’s size.
Should a child's views be heard in the family courts? Life \| DAILY TELEGRAGH It sounds mad to take a young child’s view into account. “I am violently opposed to it,” says Lady Meyer, whose two sons were abducted by her husband in 1994; a trauma which caused her to start the charity Parents and Abducted Children Together.	Can we be too healthy and live too long? Life \| L.A. TIMES
Suspicious society has left teachers open to false abuse allegations Culture \| FRANK FUREDI There is something deeply disturbing about the predictable manner with which a childish and malicious accusation can destroy a reputation, career and life. Liverpool Crown Court found teacher Hannah McIntyre innocent of sexual activity with a child.	Pasta with sardines, prosciutto and freshly ground black people Life \| BBC

Trenchant, hectoring parenting gurus should be naughty-stepped Families \| THE GUARDIAN Nobody enjoys hearing their baby cry. Often, they try a routine as a last resort, because the baby cries all the time, or they need some sleep, or they have more than one and a different child is crying. Sometimes they try a routine once in desperation...	So who fakes orgasm? People in love The Sexes \| JEZEBEL Younger men and women close to age 30 are less likely to fake, educated people are more likely, men and women fake less if they think their partner can tell (not surprising), and that they fake more when they're in love (a little more surprising). ...
Ignore Lady GaGa, celibacy can be hazardous to health Life \| GAWKER Celibacy is a fantasy, too. Yes, it will keep everyone safe from STDs, unwanted pregnancy, and (possibly) heartbreak, but it's solitary shelter will just cause more messiness later on. Just when are these people going to learn the important lessons.	Is the Paedo Pound a storm in an AA-cup? Families \| SP!KED
Disney bans fairies, woman told to dress like a grown-up Style \| DAILY MAIL When Natasha Narula treated daughter Drew to a holiday at Disneyland Paris, she thought it would be fun to dress up as princesses for the day. She bought a wedding dress from Oxfam and kitted 8-year-old Drew out in a bridesmaid dress and a tiara.	Paper Dolls: literature's best dressed Culture \| MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE I’m not talking about novelists, who don’t leave the house enough to need an extensive wardrobe, but their characters. Literature has its sartorially lazy but others understand that they are not just the set designer, but also the costume department. ...
Average age of 41, marathons are for us post-young, pre-old types Life \| BOSTON GLOBE	Another 'study' to show that working from home makes me a crap mum Families \| USA TODAY Our lives were supposed to be more flexible and family-friendly thanks to the technology. But in this age of BlackBerrys and recession pressures and working from home after hours and on weekends, family time may not be working out the way we thought.
Should a single mum be able to give away baby if the dad wants it? Families \| WASHINGTON POST Baby Emma was born in Northern Virginia in 2009 to young, unwed parents. He wanted to keep the baby. The mother said they would make a decision together, but she cut him off just before delivering the baby and has agreed to place Emma for adoption.	Are you really less happy today than your grandmother was in the 60's? Life \| THE TIMES Love, honour and duty used to be far more important than happiness. Adults didn’t strive to be happy, authors weren’t interested in the contented, parents didn’t try to make their children laugh. Happiness was a luxury, but now it’s a necessity.
How to encourage a girl to watch what she eats and to accept her body Families \| NEW YORK TIMES Doing right by our kids means doing right by their health — body and soul. Yet even as awareness about the family diet has spread across the country (especially among the middle class and the affluent), so, it seems, have youngsters’ waistlines.	Mumzilla gives new meaning to mother-in-law jokes Families \| NEW YORK POST Hell hath no fury like a mom scorned. A Manhattan monster-in-law was so convinced her son's fiancée was a no-good gold digger that she did everything she could to break the couple up, even harassing her ailing father in Ohio and getting her fired.
Parents forcing 9 year-olds to have leg waxes Families \| SUNDAY TELEGRAGH At what age would you let your daughter get her legs waxed? What have you seen for sale that made you squirm about the sexualisation of children? Or do you think that there is nothing wrong with black leather dominatrix boots on a ten-year-old?	A woman without a man is NOT like a fish without a pond The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN While the coverage of Bullock's marital problems has been lurid in the extreme, I was struck by one almost throwaway line in a gossip magazine. Bullock, the piece opined, had married in her early 40s after "a string of unsuccessful relationships".
Is the Anti-Primark campaign another anti-working class campaign Families \| THE GUARDIAN	Children don't make you happy; friends do Life \| DAILY MAIL
Taking his name will make you poorer The Sexes \| NEW YORK TIMES Women who choose to adopt their husbands’ surnames may be penalized in the job market, a new study from the Netherlands suggests. Even when name-changers and maiden-name-keepers are demographically identical, they still may be judged differently.	Did you know consenting teens under 16 could face 5 years in prison The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN The effect of the law is that if two fifteen-year-olds engage in consensual sexual activity and each knows that the other one is under sixteen, they will both be guilty of a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
'All Daddy wanted was a blow job' Families \| THE GUARDIAN	Ever wonder why some people have more friends and more money Life \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Dr. Catherine Hakim claims “erotic capital” can have as big an impact on your career as your educational qualifications or background – particularly in the private sector and service industries. Those possessing it can expect to earn 10-15% more.
How To Talk To Someone You Really Can't Stand Life \| FORBES Behave as though you are handling a poisonous snake," says Dr. Richard Pomerance, a Boston psychotherapist who has counseled executives at Harvard, CISCO and American Express on handling thorny personalities. "Survival is the most important goal." ...	Miss GB to allow single mums and divorcees Culture \| MAIL ON SUNDAY Organiser Liz Fuller, a former winner, said ‘Beauty pageants were stuck in the past. They were run by men and their rules were to fulfil the male fantasy that beautiful young girls had to be virginal. I want to make it relevant to today’s society.
Did you hear the story about women shopping away 8 years of their life? The Sexes \| SALON "Many men seem to think women only shop when they are buying clothes for themselves, but they quite often shop for the entire family and that can be incredibly hard work." The average woman spends 94 hours and 55 minutes at the supermarket each year.	Acting the role of betrayed wife, she divorced him despite his pleas The Sexes \| SUNDAY TIMES Just as falling in love is the justification for starting a marriage, one person falling out of love and desiring someone else can become a justification for ending it. This is a short-sighted view of the worth and value of long-term relationships.
Too much Hitler and the Henrys Culture \| FINANCIAL TIMES	Why is the public sector morally superior to the private sector? Culture \| DOUBLE X When did a job as a bureaucrat become “public service”? There’s a pernicious notion that there’s something morally superior working in the public sector as opposed to the private sector—you know, the jobs that pay the salaries of “public servants”.
In the era of Terry and Cole, is it possible to be a classy cheat? Culture \| SALON	Blood, spit and tears as the punk provocateur dies Culture \| THE GUARDIAN
Silver Stylistas - iconic vintage and thrift style Style \| DAILY TELEGRAGH	Is the new Doctor Who too sexy for kids? Culture \| MUMSROCK

Nuclear arms race lessons for parents who over-invest in their kids Families \| SLATE Researcher’s from UC-San Diego attribute the rise in time spent on child care to the increased competition for space in a "good" college, which they blame for escalating college admission requirements and the time spent on college-prep activities.	Week 4: Could the Sandra Bullock split get any dirtier? Culture \| PEOPLE Sandra Bullock has broken her silence during her marriage crisis, denying Internet reports there's a sex tape with her and Jesse James. "There is no sex tape," she says in a statement to People. "There never has been one and there never will be one". ...
Working mum agrees nurseries are evil Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH	Unlike a starter home, a starter wife is for life The Sexes \| SUNDAY TIMES “Ex-wife wins £215,000 . . . 25 years (underscored) after her divorce.” The implication is that the best-before date on your ex-wife status expires long before the quarter-century mark especially if your former spouse has moved on to another wife.
Get your sapphic porn out of our playground Culture \| THE TIMES	Homogenised beauty is going global Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES Playing on conventions of commercial photography, Zed Nelson has explored the reach of the global beauty industry in “Love Me,” an artful catalog of operations and other bodily transformations, some almost medieval, in 17 countries on 5 continents.
Girls giving up dolls at even younger ages Life \| JEZEBEL Recent sales figures show a steady decline in doll sales by almost twenty percent since 2005, and girls are abandoning dolls at an even earlier age. This is clearly distressing news for doll manufacturers. But should anyone else actually be upset?	Rape video game hits the web Culture \| SALON
Vanity Fair rides the Tiger Woods gravy train Culture \| VANITY FAIR	Beautiful girls are bitchy, ugly girls are nice. Culture \| FEMINISTING The idea that pretty girls are rotting from within is nothing new - we've seen it in The Devil Wears Prada and Mean Girls - and the idea that beauty fades, while kindness and intelligence are forever, is a moral of more stories than I care to count.
Kylie takes temp job Culture \| MARIE CLAIRE Since Dannii announced her pregnancy at the beginning of the year, rumours have been flying over whether she'll return to take up her position as judge and mentor. It looks as though an agreement has been reached. Kylie may provide maternity cover. ...	Women not tough enough for top job. The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH You have to very feel comfortable with a long stint of live broadcasting and with getting up hideously early, several times a week. Ceri Thomas went on to imply that the skills you need to succeed and thickness of hide are not self-evident in women.
Does Motherhood's failure signal the end of the yummy mummy? Culture \| THE GUARDIAN	Do female suicide bombers face a glass ceiling? The Sexes \| SLATE Several Islamist terror groups have used female operatives in recent years, including al-Qaida in Iraq, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, but you rarely see women in management roles in terrorist groups. Is there a glass ceiling? ...
Hit Girl may Kick Ass, but women aren't violent, are they? The Sexes \| THE INDEPENDENT	Faux french and farmers' markets are getting on my wick! Life \| THE TIMES I am so fed up with these French markets that are popping up all over the place, piggy-backing on the bourgeois urban mirage that is the farmers’ market industry and purporting to sell artisanal charcuterie and cheeses, imported oils, herbs, salami.
What 21 yr-old hasn't done something stupid? Life \| HUFFINGTON POST	Pneumatic boobs' deflationary trend Life \| SALON The age of enormous, fake breasts is over. At least, according to the London Times, which reports today that, thanks to the fashion pioneering of Victoria Beckham and a recent embrace of natural curves, the days of the boob boom are finally over.
Trending sex-fetish: pedal pumping The Sexes \| DAILY BEAST The foot is slender, sleek, unmistakably female, and about size 8, partially enclosed in a six-inch, sequinned white-satin stiletto sandal. It repeatedly and fruitlessly depresses the pedal as the woman revs the ignition and coaxes "Come on. Start."	Is there really a divorce generation? The Sexes \| THE DAILY MAIL Most begin their married lives in a spirit of faith and optimism, only to crash and burn in the divorce courts a few years later, a trend reflected by high-profile short-lived marriages of celebrities such as Cheryl Cole, Jordan and Peaches Geldof.
CNN's new anchor called Michelle Obama a 'marxist harpy' Culture \| WONKETTE Is CNN coming over all FOX? Erick Erickson, CNN’s new anchor apologised yesterday for his description of Michelle Obama as a “Marxist Harpy,” during a post about Barack Obama “shagging hookers.” What is CNN doing hiring this man as a commentator?	So Ricky Martin is gay Life \| THE ATLANTIC So Ricky Martin is gay. I know--sit down. You may want to have a glass of water, and possibly a valium. Who could have guessed it? Well, not me, I suppose. Pre-coming out, Ricky Martin occupied about one minute of total time in my consciousness.
Which rules will the little blighters ignore? Families \| SCIENCE DAILY Researchers looked at the beliefs of 60 4- to 7-year-olds about how role-play characters would act and feel when a parent forbade them from engaging in desired activities. The parent's rules intruded on either child's personal or moral domain.	Can a 43 yr-old man do combats? Style \| THE TIMES The jaw is set, the stride purposeful, the gaze steely: David Cameron went to Milton Keynes on Saturday, and he was very much on the attack, right down to his attire. For David made his most overt fashion statement yet in favour of the military look.
Hello Kitty wine. Really. Culture \| L.A. WEKKLY	It's not a bribe, it's a reward Families \| SLATE many parents reasonably object that giving a child a reward amounts to bribing him. He's just doing it for the reward, they say. They want him to behave for other, better reasons: because he should, because it's his responsibility, because they say.
Bickering mothers Families \| THE OBSERVER Mothers are each other's nemeses, bickering among ourselves about our particular style. Parenthood has become a fractured and fractious scene. Working mothers can't stand stay-at-home mothers; older ones think their younger ones are overindulgent.	Week 2: Is Sandra the new Jen? Culture \| TUE/SLANT
What's so great about the family Families \| THE INDEPENDENT Sam Cam is going to have a baby. This is slightly annoying if, like me, you are fed up with the current trend of fetishising family life among politicians. We've already been treated to phoney details about the mess David makes in the kitchen. As if.	Women sticking it to each other Culture \| JEZEBEL Jezebel’s Irin writes, “A reminder even contemplating how women would run Wall Street remains a pipe dream: A discrimination lawsuit has been filed against Goldman Sachs by a mother of two. But did she choose her fate? The reactions are instructive”.

$1m per episode over the top Culture \| LA Times	Chubby cherub may just be fat Families \| THE NEW YORK TIMES More and more evidence points to pivotal events very early in life, during the toddler years, infancy and even before birth, in the womb, that can set young children on an obesity trajectory that is hard to alter by the time they’re in kindergarten.
Mancession's stay at home dads Culture \| NPR When Dave Cavey, his wife and their 2 daughters moved back from Abu Dhabi last summer, he could not find a job. After two months of paying more than $2,000 in child care while he attempted to find a job, he decided to pull the kids out and stay home. ...	Single women stigma over thirty Culture \| THE FRISKY In a new study, researchers talked to a whopping 32 never-married women over 30 and discovered that some of them feel a social stigma because of their single status. For example, they may feel unwanted pressure at weddings during the bouquet toss. ...
Is Sandra going to blindside Jesse The Sexes \| NEW YORK POST Jesse James could be out of the picture very soon as Sandra Bullock is reportedly looking to hire a divorce lawyer. "I think it's unlikely that Sandra will take Jesse back," a friend told Fox News. "This is going to be a lot for her to overcome."	Leader's wives bad for politics Culture \| SP!KED Emily Hill says that politics has come to a pretty point when the leader having a nice wife is touted as a ‘secret weapon’ in the election battle. John Major may have tried to wheel out Norma but at least no one took it seriously, least of all Norma.
My name is Jesse and I'm a girl Families \| NEWSWEEK	Mumpreneurs at No.10 Life \| THE EXPRESS
Girls who read delay sex The Sexes \| JEZEBEL In a survey conducted partly by non-profit Girls Inc., researchers took a look at the sexual behaviour and attitudes of teenage girls — and maybe we can quit fretting over the "Pregnancy Pact" and Gossip Girl. Girls seem to be savvy and thoughtful.	Mrs O. on the Simpsons. Sort of. Culture \| HUFFINGTON POST
The stepmother experience Families \| GUARDIAN You only have to dip into Disney’s archive, take a glimpse at Cinderella's evil stepfamily, catch a few frames of Snow White's stepmum to realise that stepmothers get a poor rap. “The idea of the wicked stepmother still affects people's perception”.	Marriage makes you fat The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH In a study Greek researchers found that married couples are more likely to become fat as they “let themselves go”. While married men are three times as likely to suffer obesity, married women are twice as likely to have weight problems, it found. ...
Why she should go to the ball Culture \| THE GUARDIAN Lesbian teen Constance McMillen is fighting for the right to attend her high school prom with her girlfriend, in a tuxedo. Hadley Freeman looks at why the prom is such an important event for American teenagers and why everyone should be able to go.	How Jesse James is bad for you Culture \| TIMES If Katie Price can split, recover, find new love and remarry in little over 6 months, why, my clients wonder, can’t they? Where once celebrity failings were a harmless diversion from real life, they've started to distort our sense of what is normal.
How to be paid more Life \| FORBES The wage gap between women and men has been a persistent fact of life in the U.S.. We conducted a recent study that found ways women might be able to increase their pay by better managing their relationships with their bosses, peers and subordinates.	My happy childless marriage Culture \| DAILY BEAST As someone who has been married longer than I attended university, but has failed to produce children, or more accurately, grandchildren, of either the great or regular variety, I find myself frequently on the receiving end of childbearing wisdom.
Does green equal mean? Culture \| GUARDIAN When eople feel they have been morally virtuous by saving the planet through their purchases of organic baby food, it leads to the licensing of selfish and morally questionable behaviour, otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics". ...	Is motherhood an oppression Families \| TIMES
Jordan to do kids make-up Culture \| MARIE-CLAIRE NEWS She already has a string of books, a line of equestrian clothing, a signature perfume and haircare products to her name, but now Katie Price, inspired by her daughter Princess, reportedly wants to try her hand at a range of children's make-up. ...	Oscar's 8 out of 12 curse rate Culture \| L.A. TIMES
The misery-lit women writers Culture \| DAILY TELEGRAGH “There’s not been much wit and not much joy; there’s a lot of grimness out there… There are a lot of books about Asian sisters[...], a lot of books that start with a rape. Pleasure seems to have become a rather neglected element in publishing.	Bugaboo is so last decade Style \| NEW YORK TIMES
Celine and Chanel Style \| NEW YORK TIMES Phoebe Philo at Celine has done it again. Just take a look at this glossy funnel-neck coat. As Booth Moore comments, ‘These were clothes designed by a woman to answer a woman’s needs.’ Karl at Chanel was highlighting global warming, with fur.	Feminism favours men Culture \| PROSPECT Feminism seems to be fashionable. Women are even becoming activists once more. The movement worked wonders, according to Jim Pollard, only not for women. Until a mother stops being the main carer of children and the home, can there be true equality?
Affairs are good Culture \| GUARDIAN	The myth of racist kids Culture \| SP!KED Teachers are obliged, under Race Relations laws, to record the number of racist incidents in schools. This has resulted in the reporting of an estimated 250,000 such incidents, and race relations officials claim this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Is casual sex bad for girls? Families \| SALON Kate Harding wonders, “Is "hook-up culture" a demeaning, destructive thing for girls and young women that would best be remedied by a return to traditional values? Or is it no big deal, the new normal, just something you're too old to understand?”	Milan Fashion Week- getting real Style \| L.A. TIMES Prada had larger sized models (really?) Designers seem to be moving away from clothes that go in and out within a season and more shows were being streamed live on the internet. Good business in hard times or is feel good fashion a passing trend?
Kings and queens with no clothes Culture \| TIMES Cynicism we once reserved for serial adulterers and gold-diggers has coloured the way we look at all relationships, and admit it, when blameless Prince William marries waity Katie, it will be an occasion for some joy but more gloomy predictions.	Prada's new sexy Style \| YOU TUBE

Are kids more sexualised now? The Sexes \| GUARDIAN Innocence has a meaning: not sexually aware. So it is worrying that there is a widespread perception that a combination of sharp marketing, explicit lyrics and music videos, together with a general coarsening of culture, are sexualising young people. ...	NME Awards; Muse and Kasabian Culture \| GUARDIAN
Should you take his name? The Sexes \| GUARDIAN	Are you raising a loser hipster? Families \| DETAILS “If you are a parent, you wish for your child every advantage and opportunity. From the ergonomic high chair to that all-important first sushi experience and beyond, life should be as golden for your little one as it is for, say, Pax Jolie-Pitt.”
Courtney Love's Pringle Style \| TELEGRAPH ‘Courtney Love, the feisty, blonde rock’n’roller,…There she sat, as prim and sweet as a meadow-flower, in the front row at Pringle, last night, wearing a Pringle, grey cashmere sweater, and a grey/black plaid kilt!’ Hilary Alexander.	Age preferences by sex The Sexes \| OK CUPID A 45yr-old woman shouldn't in theory have a harder time finding a date than a 20yr-old, because the female-to-male ratios are equal. Yet, we all know that 45yr-olds do have a harder time, because the male fixation on youth distorts the dating pool.
Helping or doing the homework? Families \| SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Most education experts will tell you that it is best to be engaged in your kids' homework but not actually do the work for them. Of course, you have to help your kids carve out the time to get the work done and maybe nudge them with little reminders. ...	Redefining marriage material The Sexes \| SALON The hedonic marriage, in which people pair up based on similar preferences for balancing work, fun, and family, thrives when households have the resources to enjoy their lives. Not surprisingly then, marital happiness is much higher among graduates.
On loathing working class girls Culture \| SP!KED	Not loathing middle class girls Culture \| DAILY MAIL ‘I fought for my right to have a career. So why does my Oxford graduate daughter want a rich man to look after her?’ Asks Louise Chunn. Today's generation is returning to the traditional values and looking to men to be the breadwinners.
Politics and LFW Style \| GUARDIAN ‘The front rows of London fashion week are being overrun by politicians,’ write Jess Cartner-Morley and Simon Chilvers. Labour and the Conservatives battle for the hearts and minds of the fashion industry, putting a pre-election spin on the season.	McQueen on McQueen Culture \| V MAGAZINE Tim Blanks, ‘McQueen has weathered his ups and downs in passionate public…Sometimes he plays the bad boy…At other times, his vulnerability is almost heartbreaking. Everything is right on the surface.’ An interview with Lee Alexander McQueen.
Lee McQueen is dead Style \| L.A.TIMES	Seduction gurus, living dolls The Sexes \| WEEKLY STANDARD If you think men who peacock look ridiculous and unmanly, click onto the photo-website Hot Chicks With Douchebags, where spectacular-looking babes hang on the pecs of preening rednecks and “Jersey Shore”-style guidos sporting chest-baring shirts. ...
Middle-aged divorce Culture \| THE DAILY MAIL Linda Kelsey asks, ‘Can women ever really get over it? And how likely are they to find lasting love second time around?’ And also notes, ‘Contrary to popular belief, if finding new love is an issue, it's not necessarily the priority.’	Vanity Fair critic death threats Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES A fairly routine post about a chronic shortcoming of the magazine industry got people into feelings — big time. As of this morning, there were over 18,000 comments ...that bring to mind a very different, more sinister era in American race relation.
Punishing smokers Culture \| GUARDIAN ‘Andy Burnham has set himself the almighty challenge of halving the number of smokers,’ writes Charlotte Gore. ‘Despite the government's efforts, people keep smoking – so what does our eagerness to make them suffer say about us?’	Gen Y not teens most narcissitic Culture \| WASHINGTON POST
Putting the kids second Families \| THE OBSERVER Devoted parents don’t produce happy children, says a new book that has become a bestseller in America. Adults who want the best for their children should spend less time trying to be the perfect parent and more time striving to be the perfect spouse.	New for NY fashion week Style \| INDEPENDENT Marc Jacobs is a New York regular, of course, but the designer has announced that he will be livestreaming his show (February 15 at 8pm local time) on his website. The Olsen twins stage their first presentation for the row. What else is new for NY?
Does Family Guy hate women? Culture \| FEMINISTING I had stopped watching Family Guy a while ago because it felt like there was some sort of "joke" about rape or violence against women in every episode. But recently I thought I would give the show another shot, because I used to find it hilarious.	Is it OK to call kids chubby? Families \| FORBES “I cringed when I read President Barack Obama referred to his daughter Malia as "chubby." How did she feel to realize that the most important man in her life found fault with her appearance and then told the whole world about it?” asks Sandy Maple.
Who'd be a WAG? Culture \| TIMES	Enter through the gift shop Culture \| GUARDIAN
Ladies' night at Grammy's Culture \| INDEPENDENT Guy Adams reports on the 52nd Grammy awards where Beyonce collected more trophies in one evening than any female performer the event’s history, winning six. Taylor Swift, the 20-year-old Country-pop singer, won Album of the Year for Fearless.	New work by J D Salinger? Culture \| WALL STREET JOURNAL 'Perhaps the most reluctant celebrity in the history of American letters, J.D. Salinger leaves behind some of its most-read stories, 'writes Stephen Miller and considers the renewed interest in Salinger’s work that his death is certain to generate.
Valour in vanity - not giving up Culture \| GUARDIAN	Four Lions at Sundance Culture \| INDEPENDENT ‘The Comedian Chris Morris made his name on radio and television by courting controversy, and his incendiary humour is paraffin-fuelled in his directorial feature film debut about a terrorist cell situated in Sheffield.’ Kaleem Aftab comments.
Marry Him, he's alright The Sexes \| NEWSWEEK	Courtship, mating and marriage Culture \| THE NATION A new book explores the nature of love and asks whether love is endangered after an embattled twentieth century that brought us Freud, feminism, pheromones and friends with benefits. Love in the twenty-first century is freer, easier yet discredited.

It's official says insider! Style \| TMZ	The irrationality of the watch Culture \| WIRED
Is 45 too old to be a new mum? Families \| HUFFINGTON POST Like quite a few people I know, I had my first child in my late thirties - 39 to be exact. My maternal grandmother had a child at 39, too, but that girl was her eighth baby and her last....1 in 12 first babies these days is born to a mom 35 or over.	Is parenting better with booze Families \| TIMES Jennifer Howze writes, ‘The most conspicuous accessory for hip parenting these days isn't a flash £1000 pushchair or platinum label clothing, but the ubiquitous glass of wine. During my maternity leave, cracking open a bottle around 4pm was so easy.'
Sanity whilst working at home Culture \| JEZEBEL Yahoo’s Shine presents a column stating the sad realities of working from home, promising "hysterical yet truthful tips to help you stay sane”. However, Latoya Paterson disagrees with some of these and puts forward her own ideas.	Same-sex parents effective shock Families \| USA TODAY ‘Children of same-sex couples appear to do as well as those with parents of both sexes, suggests an international research review that challenges the belief that children need male and female parents for healthy adjustment.’ Sharon Jayson reports.
Why are older mums creepy? Families \| INDEPENDENT	Are cougars deranged predators? The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Tiger Woods beds 18 women and is treated for a sex addiction. Northern Ireland's first lady, Iris Robinson, beds a 19-yr-old and is treated with 'acute psychiatric care'. Women's sexuality is seen as dangerous here as much as it is in Afghanistan.
Men actually need marriage more The Sexes \| NEW YORK TIMES A US survey finds that men now are increasingly likely to marry wives with more education and income than they have. “In recent decades, with the rise of well-paid working wives, the economic gains of marriage have been a greater benefit for men."	Peppa Pig in seatbelt shock! Culture \| TELEGRAPH Urmee Khan writes, ‘Peppa Pig is a cartoon aimed at children aged 2 and up which follows the life of 5 year old Peppa and her friends. In some episodes, Peppa and her brother George are seen sitting in the back seat of a car without belts.’ OMG
Is privacy like virginity? Culture \| HUFFINGTON POST Michael Wolff argues that Facebook stands at a nexus of conflicting rights - the right to protect your privacy and the right to give it up. Fear, shame, anonymity versus openness, pride, ambition. Discreet, modest, careful versus infinite vulgarity.	Gay marriage in court Culture \| THE ECONOMIST Pitting both a male and female gay couple against the state of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a federal review begins on whether Proposition 8, a Californian voter initiative of 2008 that outlawed gay marriage in the state, is constitutional.
Life after skinnies Style \| INDEPENDENT ‘Perhaps it's time for a rethink,’ says Carola Long. ‘After all, skinnies were the silhouette of the Noughties. Once we had collectively parted with bootcuts, we embraced the lean leg, which became progressively narrower as the decade progressed.’	Casual sex and your daughter The Sexes \| JEZEBEL
The Susan Greenfield Saga The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Melanie McDonagh observes that “she’s presided over a disastrous, £22m redevelopment, upgrading the Mayfair buildings with an upmarket bar and restaurant... to raise revenue and popularise the institution. The result was to leave it with £3m debts”	Superwomen humour failure? The Sexes \| THE GUARDIAN After Mumsnetter outrage at the AOA campaign, Kia Abdullah asks if ambitious, successful and talented women are suffering from an ever-diminishing sense of humour, and an unrelenting need to prove that they are equal, if not superior to, their men.
Who'd want to be a U.S. mommy? The Sexes \| FORBES For the first time in history--women will outnumber men in the % of jobs held in the U.S.... Yet despite the economic and social gains they've made, recent studies found that American women report being less happy now than in previous generations.	US conservatives hate Avatar Culture \| L.A.TIMES Patrick Goldstein comments on Avatar, ‘The sci-fi epic is already the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time, having earned more than $1 billion around the globe. But who hates the movie? America's prickly cadre of political conservatives.’
Magless have gone sledging again Families \| GERALDINE AND FAYE	35 things teens won't tell you Families \| NEW YORK POST “You are not your child’s friend or best friend. Nor should you aspire to be. Also, a family should not be a democracy. It sometimes is more like a medieval fiefdom (without the filth) with serfs (the teens being the serfs without the work ethic).”
Fashion trends for 2010 Style \| L.A. TIMES	Stop whingeing about the snow Families \| TIMES It's snowing! Alert the gritters, stock up on tinned sausages and knit more gloves, but whatever you do, don't complain about school closures even if the snow is coming down like big fat marshmallows, says Carol Midgley, in her Alpha Mummy snow blog.
The real gender divide: adultery The Sexes \| DAILY BEAST Rebecca Dana asks why modern sex scandals centered around prominent women have a chaste feel? At the height of her stardom, Ingrid Bergman left her husband for Roberto Rossellini. Princess Diana was recorded talking dirty to her pal James Gilbey.	Rare Grace Coddington interview Style \| THE TIMES
There is no such thing as... Families \| BALTIMORE SUN Editor's note: The following op-ed article is for grown-ups only. Children are warned that if they read it, they will not receive any gifts from Santa Claus this year! In such an event, it should be noted that we are not liable. You have been warned.	Gaga good for corsets Culture \| THE STYLELIST
Kids are working harder for less Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Could the average pupil of today do long division, or speak French, or write an English paragraph, or explain the Great Reform Bill, or find Valparaiso on a map, or operate the laws of thermo-dynamics better than his or her equivalent 50 years ago?	The wrong present The Sexes \| WALL STREET JOURNAL
Martin leaves Maison Margiela Style \| L.A.TIMES Suzy Menkes reports on the avant-garde Belgian designer; ‘Martin Margiela has quietly left the fashion house he built — and he will not be replaced at the company, which has been majority owned by the Italian group Diesel since 2002.’	Fake Friends Culture \| THE CHRONICLE

Gender studies for infants Families \| GUARDIAN	Knox; the power of projection Culture \| PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Christopher Lane writes, ‘As commentators have pointed out, we seem to have watched not only two Amanda Knoxes on trial, but two different portraits….’ To her friends she is the least violent person they’ve met, to the Italian media; a she-devil.
Equality and motherhood Families \| CITY JOURNAL Nursing her infant is holding Hanna Rosin back from the work she enjoys, despite her plan for an egalitarian marriage. “We were raised to expect that co-parenting was an attainable goal,” yet breast-feeding ties her, not her husband, to their baby.	Christmas clothes' allure Style \| THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Male identifies new female tribe The Sexes \| NEW YORK OBSERVER Spencer Morgan writes that much has been made of the so-called cougar, the older dame, early 40s on up, who has developed a taste for the younger man-beast. “A cougar would fuck and then leave and not feel bad.” The younger cheetah stays the night.	Why care about Tiger Woods? The Sexes \| THE ROOT It’s too early to know what really happened the night Tiger Woods crashed his car into a tree and a fire hydrant. But, if it turns out to be a case of domestic violence, does Tiger have a duty to come clean and let the authorities deal with it?
Suri Cruise, role model Families \| DAILY MAIL	The cupcake fantasy Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES
Are you too ugly to date? The Sexes \| THE TIMES	The tash is back Style \| INDEPENDENT
A history of navel-gazing Culture \| WASHINGTON POST “The sheer volume of memoirs is unprecedented; the way the books were trailed by an unceasing stream of contention, doubt, hype, and accusations is distressing. Yet every single one of the books...had a historical precedent. How did we come to this?”	Burqa Barbie Style \| DAILY MAIL
15 things Liz Jones won't like The Sexes \| THE FRISKY “Is it possible to be a feminist while wearing false eyelashes?” Liz Jones, self-defined “old-school feminist” asks while admonishing a feminist TV newscaster for wearing “more makeup than a drag queen” during a recent news report. Uh, yeah, it is!	Moving back in with parents Life \| THE GUARDIAN After the freedom of university and living with her boyfriend, Lucy Tobin is back at her parents' house. But, she asks. ‘How do you have a grown-up relationship – including a sex life – when Mum and Dad are around? And how do they feel about it?’
Palin's stylist speaks out Style \| NEW YORK TIMES	Leap of faith on Precious Culture \| WALL STREET JOURNAL
Fancy translating War and Peace? Culture \| WALL STREET JOURNAL Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg interviews Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, husband-and-wife, who have translated books by such writers as Dostoevsky and Chekhov. A translation of Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina," was an Oprah's Book Club pick.	The SUV-buggy sanctomummies Families \| SALON.COM
Lego is back this Christmas Culture \| INDEPENDENT	Is home alone at 8 too young? Families \| GUARDIAN A few months ago, I left my 8-year-old alone for 10 minutes while I nipped to the shops to get some milk – OK, wine. I asked her to come. She was watching TV and the prospect of getting shoes on and missing her show on Nickelodeon was too much.
Are women not as competitive? The Sexes \| SLATE.COM It's a classic stereotype: Men aggressively compete; women collaborate and nurture. Yet researchers have found that it isn't universal—in at least one society, women have stronger competitive drives than men. It appears warriors are made, not born.	Cougars go Twilight crazy Culture \| JEZEBEL
Kids' fashion; for adults really Style \| TELEGRAPH As Jemima Lewis states, ‘Children don't get excited about grey cashmere, or retro Eighties references. They never have and they never will. Their sartorial needs are simple: Spiderman costumes for boys; nylon ballgowns for girls.’	Revenge of the snood Style \| WSJ Rachel Dodes; ‘The trend that emerged on the 2009 runways of Missoni (knitted) and Burberry (plaid) also made an appearance in the commercial collections of Donna Karan and Yves Saint Laurent. A cross between a scarf and a hood that.'
Burberry does social networking Style \| NEW YORK TIMES ‘Burberry’s social networking site, artofthetrench.com, encourages people to share their own trench coat stories. It is the latest step to build on the brand’s British heritage and trademark plaid with a more modern twist,’ writes Julia Werdigier.	Women in sensible shoes Style \| TIMES Gemma Soames says, ‘The trend at September’s shows was the return of the sensible shoe. Following seasons of “vagina-high” boots and bondage-style strappies, the message is: forget higher, strappier, fiercer; think lower, flatter, comfier.’
Forties style, for grown ups Style \| TELEGRAPH Sarah Mower tells of forties fever. Variants turned up at Lanvin, Dries Van Noten and Hermès-covering all the possibilities, from tailored, tweedy or houndstooth suits and coats to glamorous evening gowns Rita Hayworth would not have sniffed at. ...	Fashion victim of recession Style \| INDEPENDENT Harriet Walker writes, ‘Luella Bartley, a designer integral to the recent rejuvenation of British fashion, has become a surprise victim of the recession. Her eponymous label has been forced out of business after one of its main suppliers closed.'
She said it was rape The Sexes \| DAILY TELEGRAGH “What happened on the trip wasn't quite rape but I wasn't exactly willing either. He was my boss and he was very drunk and forceful. I tried to push him away without upsetting him, but he was strong and I didn't fight him.” Should she tell the truth?	Corduroy is good, again. Style \| GUARDIAN As Dan Roberts writes, ‘Ever since Wes Anderson dressed Mr Fox up in a natty double-breasted cord number and gave him George Clooney's voice, the buzz is as audible as fingernails raked across the trouser leg. You too can look good in corduroy’.

A curse on all your buggies Families \| TIMES “For the past eight years, I’ve been using a “fingertip amputation and laceration hazard”, not just for one, but for all four. Every day I’ve strapped them into these dangerous contraptions and bounced them down the stairs.” writes Alice Thompson.	Charlie and Lola not too violent Families \| GUARDIAN A study from Lincoln University (86 of 114 universities) claims children imitate dangerous TV behaviours, that there is a correlation between TV viewing and injury rates and finally, that TV viewing can affect children's perceptions of risk".
Risk free alcohol Culture \| THE SUN A substance said to give the feeling of alcohol without the health risks is being developed by Professor David Nutt. The solution is added to liquid. It is claimed anyone using it will get the alcohol high without the hangover or deadly liver damage.	Hirsute abyss of God's little oven Culture \| AMERICAN PROSPECT Parker's polemic on permissiveness and libertinism, contains the following euphemisms for vagina: "inner sanctum," "familiars," "you know what," "very private parlor," "sacred vessel," "vestal vestibule," and "hirsute abyss of God's little oven."
The men who stare at goats Culture \| WIRED Although ‘suffering from a formula that could spell utter cinematic failure: Secret military program; intrepid journalist unearths big story; totally crazy protagonist’, as Angela Watercutter notes, the combination makes sense.	Off-duty-dancer-look Style \| GUARDIAN As Jess Cartner-Morley says, ‘The traditional tracksuit bottom with gathered waist and cuffed ankle was the guilty secret of our Sunday wardrobes until it was dispatched a decade ago with the arrival of Juicy Couture velour’.
Return of the conical bra Style \| TELEGRAPH As Ben Leach notes, ‘Sales of the 1950s pointy bra made famous by Hollywood legends Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are on the up. Enjoying a renaissance prompted by the latest from fashion designers like Louise Goldin and Jean Paul Gaultier.’	Pink for boys, blue for girls Culture \| TRUE/SLANT Infant’s Department wrote in 1918 ‘the generally accepted rule is pink for boy and blue for girl.... pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for a boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.’
Male shocked by lady bush! The Sexes \| JEZEBEL Who’d have thought that going back on the dating game after 13 years of marriage would be such a cultural shock. Apparently, lack of a brazilian and a fake bake tan is a dealbreaker for twenty-something males raised on a diet of free internet porn.	Bad porn sex The Sexes \| SALON.COM Much has been written on how internet porn affects women -- the pressure to be bush-free, the silicone, the tan. But most young men think you can learn to make love to a woman from watching porn. Mary Williams thinks it makes for really bad sex.
Binning TV won't make Jr. a genius Families \| TRUE/SLANT Karen Dukkes knows it’s winter when she starts fretting that her eldest son spends way too many hours playing Runescape, giving her a headache, and her youngest watches too much iCarly, making him so sassy that she wants to give him a Nickelectomy.	Marge Simpson in Playboy Culture \| FEMINISTING.COM The revelation that Marge Simpson would grace the November cover of Playboy was not surprising. Playboy has always shown women as cartoonish and two-dimensional: the only difference from a typical cover is that Marge has blue hair and eight fingers.
How to be a good wife. More sex The Sexes \| TIMES ““Looking after the kids. Working. You just push [sex] to one side for some later date,” says my friend the near-divorcée. The point that everyone seemed to agree on is that just getting down to having it is what really counts”, writes Shane Watson.	Kids dead scared of carbon monster Culture \| THE AUSTRALIAN How is this for a memorable bedtime story? If you do not reduce your carbon footprint, then puppies will drown and bunny rabbits will die. And a terrifying, jagged-toothed monster with crazy hooked hands will descend from the clouds to eat you up.
Modesty in the age of arrogance Life \| TIME Do virtues, like viruses, have their seasons of contagion? Do some virtues, such as newly fashionable thrift, go dormant for generations? If so, Nancy Gibbs is hoping for a sudden outbreak of modesty, a virtue whose time, she feels, has surely come.	Cambridge students in bikinis Culture \| TELEGRAGH Hannah Betts pities “that the brightest and best can also be so bovinely dim. Witness Heidi, one of the site’s young lovelies, opining: “I’d like to see myself as someone with brainpower and boobs, a pairing which Cambridge culture strives to deny.”
All on-line daters are liars The Sexes \| INDEPENDENT “From picking a profile photo to listing your favourite bands, dating has taken the performative nature of identity to a level that borders on the absurd, where few of us can say that the information we post has not undergone some kind of edit."	Offensive Halloween costumes? Culture \| INVENTOR SPOT Jill Harness says, ‘They say Halloween is the day where you get to see people bring their inner desires to life, so what does it say about a man with another man's body coming from his butt?’ Does your costume does reflect your inner self?
Hair in the black community Culture \| LA TIMES In Chris Rock's new documentary "Good Hair," which opened Friday, he sets out to explore the complexities of living with black hair. As Alene Dawson comments, ‘Hair is nothing if not a powerful subject for African Americans.’	What's wrong with black Barbie? Culture \| SALON.com Since the release of Grace, Kara and Trichelle, everyone has an opinion on whether they are a step forward, fall short of accurately representing real black women or simply continue to perpetuate the same unrealistic beauty ideals as the original.
Shouting, the new spanking Families \| NEW YORK TIMES Hilary Stout writes that 90% of the time Jackie Klein is one of those uber calm parents with her development books and pitch-perfect calm maternal tones. The rest of the time she admits “I have become totally frustrated and lost control of myself.	What I wore to my divorce Life \| DOUBLE X I thought of choosing a reliable favorite, but I didn’t want to put any bad juju on it. Or did I want to wear something new? Should I hit Zara and buy something that looks good but is disposable—or was that too much of a metaphor for our marriage?
Things I swore I would never say Families \| THE TIMES Reading Things I Say All the Time ("sit down, you haven't finished eating" and "there are two types of vegetable on your plate. pick one and eat it") reminded me of all those things my mother said to me that I vowed I would never subject my kids too.	Sex, Housework and the Alphas The Sexes \| WALL STREET JOURNAL The more-housework-equals-more-sex link for wives, documented in a study of 6,877 married couples published in the Journal of Family Issues, is a surprise. Scrubbing the floor is no aphrodisiac, and seeing your spouse doing it usually isn't either but ...
Rise of the cautionary matron The Sexes \| NEW YORK OBSERVER Single 40-somethings warn about being too career-oriented and forgetting to factor in kids; married women warn us that marriage is a union in which sex and fidelity are optional; and divorced women warn us to keep our weight down, our breasts up.	Scrounging adult children Families \| HUFFINGTON POST “The Child Who Never Grew Up. They mooch off their parents well into "adulthood." They frequently need to "borrow" money, with no intention of paying it back. They always have car problems, relationship problems, "bad luck" or other sob stories."
Is Edward Erin really just a cad? The Sexes \| TIMES “I’m totally in awe of him,” said one of Melanie Reid’s more honest male colleagues yesterday. Status, wealth, prestige, looks, lifestyle: Erin had it all. He existed, it would appear, as the ultimate star in a movie entirely of his own directing.	Where the wild things are Culture \| WIRED Co-scripting the film with David Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), Spike Jonze (dir. Being John Malkovich) has conjured an organic-feeling fantasy world reliant on puppetry and costumes rather than CGI. Hugh Hart comments.
Emasculating boys Culture \| HUMAN EVENTS "Ever since men wore animal skins and war paint, society took it for granted that boys did not become men spontaneously.... Boys have to be taught to become responsible ... a duty which included teaching them to use tools like... hammers and knives."	Mrs., Ms. or Miss. Who cares? Culture \| TIME Nancy Gibbs is Ms. Gibbs at work and out in the world; at her daughters' school, she is Mrs. May; to people who've known her since she was 2, Miss Nancy. Some friends use husband's names, but their e-mail addresses are maiden names. Does it matter?

An Education- they even smoke! Culture \| V MAGAZINE Director Lone Scherfig speaks TO LA Collins about the actors and environs of her new film, An Education,"Yeah, I love that they smoke in this film. They don’t behave well and they say unsettling things that people would actually say."	Read the report, don't panic. Families \| GUARDIAN Authoritative bodies including the Department of Health and a leading charity say we must go against our instincts to bring our babies in bed with us, because we are risking their lives. Or has the science been misinterpreted, asks Sarah Boseley. ...
School age could be even earlier! Families \| THE OBSERVER "Kids after a certain age are simply better off immersed in the social whirl and organised activity of school...which is why school holidays are so stressful, begun with all the best "finger-painting cum bonding" intentions; ending in frayed nerves”.	Day after the night before Culture \| LETTERS OF NOTE Getting drunk at a dinner party and embarrassing yourself is certainly nothing new. As far back as the 9th Century, the 'Dunhuang Bureau of Etiquette' insisted officials use a letter template (856 AD) when sending apologies to offended dinner hosts.
Fashion-speak Style \| GUARDIAN When designers start talking about their collections, members of the press often wish they had a gobbledegook translator as they nod and smile at the description of this season's 'Givenchy/Balenciaga/Whoever woman'. Rachel Holmes comments.	Women's inner imposter The Sexes \| TIMES ‘The women fidgeting at their desks, hoping for more pay and better jobs will just happen by magic, are being trounced by male colleagues who march in and demand their dues. These fakers pocket their raise, chuckling at having duped the management.'
No, I don't want a huge Toblerone Life \| DAILY TELEGRAGH ‘Tetchy and bewildered, I stumbled into WH Smith, brandished a copy of The Daily Telegraph and held out a pound coin. "Would you like a Jumbo Toblerone with that?" Hmm… would I like 4.5 kilos of chocolate at 05.30 in the morning?’ asks Celia Walden.	What tweenies think about Families \| WASHINGTON POST Tweens' are not bad Disney stereotypes. “They care about health care. They care about the environment. However, tabloid coverage of tweens has become very in fashion. They're often portrayed as entitled, vapid and self-absorbed.” says Jesse Weiner.
Pack that in, you little sod! Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH ‘Where once an apple-scrumping urchin would have been cuffed around the ear by a passer-by and sent on his way, today he would have the cuffer banged up for assault quicker than you can say, "I know my rights."’ But has this hayday really passed?	Making-out, wearing Spanx The Sexes \| SALON “On Saturday afternoon, I bought a darling bra-and-panty set, the kind with sweet, swirly black lace and pale-pink bows.... But that's not what I was wearing on Friday night. On Friday night, I was wearing Spanx” confesses Sarah Hepola at Salon.
Fat, chip-eating, jealous mummies Style \| TELEGRAPH A popular German magazine banning thin models from its pages in favour of "real women", caused Largerfeld to repond that those who criticised models for looking bony or anorexic were fat " chip-eating", jealous mummies, The Telegraph reports.	Women and cooking Culture \| FINANCIAL TIMES Wrangham claims that cooking accounts for our small guts, our big brains, and the sexual division of labour prevalent in nearly all societies; in effect, the beginnings of human economy as well as our particular pair-bonding and culture itself.
Mum's my best friend Families \| FORBES Mothers who try to be best friends with their teenage children end up leaving them motherless at a time when they need a mother most. So says some experts who believe that best-friend moms now account for 30 per cent to 40 per cent of all mothers.	FBArticle with thumbnail Culture \| Add your article intro text in here uefuwyge iug iuh iluh liu. Add your article intro text in here. Add your article intro text in here. Add your article intro text in here. This section will be cut off after a while. Add your article intro text in her...
Friending old flames The Sexes \| WALL STREET JOURNAL Thanks to social-networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, our old lovers are essentially popping up in our own homes. It's like having a secret stash of ice cream in the freezer. Even if it's a little stale, it can be hard to resist.	Uniqlo interactive runway Style \| DIGITALBUZZBLOG Uniqlo have launched the Tokyo 2009 Collection with an interactive runway. You have control to choose the models that walk with an outfit of your choosing, then you can single out each piece for more information and prices. Digitalbuzzblog notes. ...
Lohan as Ungaro artistic adviser Style \| NY TIMES Some models appeared in loose-fitting jackets that flapped open to reveal that they wore sequin-covered pasties, in the shape of hearts, on their breasts, leaving several people in the audience aghast. And not in a good way. Eric Wilson reports.	Alarmist numbers Culture \| ABC News This month, like every other month, there is no shortage of news stories involving the possible misinterpretation of numbers. John Allen Paulos discusses three- female happiness, containing fires and satisfaction with medical insurance.
How to use a female condom The Sexes \| SPLICE TODAY “Why don’t more people use the female condom?” asks Chloe Angyal at Splice Today. “They increase women's sexual enjoyment and put the method of contraception in their hands, so why don't we educate more people about them?” Could it be queasiness?	Perils of modern parenting Families \| DAILY TELEGRAGH Parenting used to mean bringing up kids, but, as Marianne Kavanagh notes, it has all changed. “There's a whole industry out there, including TV programmes, websites, magazines, coaches, classes, institutes, academies and government guidelines.”
Burn the Bratz Culture \| TIMES ‘Explain to them that though many young women idolise Victoria Beckham and want to be as thin as her no man in the known world finds her attractive.’ Read more of Alpha Mummy’s tips on how to help our daughters reject the ‘Lolita effect’.	Why women have sex The Sexes \| NEWSWEEK Feel sorry for him, get back at partner, had a migraine, win a promotion, get money or drugs, make yourself feel good, make partner feel bad, lure a man into a relationship, keep a man so he is fulfilled, duty, get rid of him, make him jealous...
Milan Fashion Week Style \| NEW YORK TIMES Cathy Horyn notes, ‘It seemed to me that the background story — the devastation to the Italian textile and apparel-making industries, the economic stress on creativity — was the story in Milan. The runways were heavy with inertia.'	Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee Culture \| DAZED Channelling the spirit of Spinal Tap, Shane Meadows's shoe-string budget mockumentary about a talented rapper, Scor-Zay-Zee and his unstable manager, Le Donk, is set to be the surprise hit of the year. Simon Jablonski writes.
100% Design is here again Style \| WIRED Katie Scott presents 10 objects to look out for at this year’s 100% Design show in London. How about a washing basin with a live-in fish or a modern twist on the phonograph?	Victims versus sluts The Sexes \| THE SEXIST “Lying about rape does not make you a “whore.” It makes you a liar. And yet, critics have continually chosen to employ terms which shame the accuser not for lying, but for having sex in the first place.” writes Amanda Hess on the Hostra rape claim.
She's just not that into you The Sexes \| DAILY MAIL Researchers surveying 3,000 women aged between 18 and 50, found that 48 per cent preferred sex while under the influence, 75 per cent liked to drink before sex with their husband or boyfriend and 6 per cent have never had sex while sober.	Here come the boys Style \| INDEPENDENT Carola Long notes; LFW's experimental edge was in evidence at the event's first full day of menswear. Daring designs included bustles of peacock satin or stiff red ribbon by Lou Dalton, or haunting skeleton masks and body jewellery by Katie Eary. ...
Burberry returns to London Style \| INDEPENDENT Susannah Frankel notes that Burberry returning to the London catwalk after an absence of more than a decade was the icing on the cake as far as ensuring international attendance levels and celebrity appearances were more high profile than ever. ...	A girlie girl is okay Families \| JEZEBEL “[She] may be in to dresses and princesses and lip gloss and jewels, but she's into a million other things as well...balance is really the key, and any kid who loves lip gloss, her books, and her cleats is going to be just fine.”blogs hortense.

Dangerous myth of romantic love The Sexes \| TIMES Antonia Senior: “Women have been freed from the notion of divorce-less marriages and liberated from economic dependence on men. But we have swapped a restrictive cage for collective madness: an emphasis on romantic love at the expense of all else.”	Fashion Fringe winners Style \| WSJ Paul Sonne writes, ‘Marked by unconventional cuts and an abundance of bare skin, the designs of Jenny Holmes and Dimitris Theocharidis took the prize at this year’s Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden, a London fashion week contest for young designers.' ...
Fit for the front row Style \| INDEPENDENT Less groomed than New York, without Milan's glitz or Parisian polish, London has a tougher style that is influenced by street trends. Harriet Walker asks a few of the London Fashion Week audience what they wear to watch.	LFW Timeline Style \| GUARDIAN London fashion week is on the up after a few difficult years. Becky Barnicoat charts the history of the event from John Galliano's explosion on to the fashion scene in the 1980s to the new wave of British talent today.
Praise: bad; peer pressure: good Families \| SALON.COM "[Parents who get more truth] are the ones who set a few rules and enforce them consistently, and when they hear a good argument for bending them they occasionally give in. When a parent knows how to negotiate and compromise, kids learn how to..."	Fashion and Politics Style \| TIMES As a fashion journalist you wait years for the chance to lob a probing, incisive question at a politician, then suddenly, you find you can’t move for MPs. Why are politicians so interested in London Fashion Week? Asks Lisa Armstrong.
TAVI Style \| GUARDIAN The true star of New York Fashion Week, which closed last Thursday, was Tavi Gevinson, a diminutive 13 year old fashion blogger from the suburbs of Chicago, with the fashion world at her feet. Writes Eva Wiseman.	Size 14's cause catwalk row Style \| GUARDIAN Alice Fisher reports how a designer's decision to use size 12 and 14 models at London Fashion Week yesterday caused a behind-the-scenes row that ended in his stylist walking out. Mark Fast, used three models of a size larger than the catwalk is used to...
LFW Who's who Style \| TIMES Lisa Armstrong presents; ‘A celebration of the best of London Fashion Week: those who stayed the course and those who are charting a new one. We salute your dedication, imagination and, yes, your bloody mindedness.'	London Fashion Week for entertainment Style \| INDEPENDENT Magnificent. Irrelevant. Spectacular. Inferior. Throughout its 25-year history London Fashion Week, has been called many things – when entertaining is the only word necessary, says Susannah Frankel.
Male/female happiness dilemma The Sexes \| HUFFINGTON POST Analysis by Professors Richard Easterlin and Anke Plagnol of U.S. General Social Survey data since 1972 has proven that women start off happy and become unhappier; whereas men start off unhappy and get happier, writes Marcus Buckingham at HuffPo;	Is Williams different to Federer? The Sexes \| THE NATION Dave Zirin writes that Serena Williams, in a moment of rage cursed out a judge and shocked the world, headlining every sports and news program from ESPN to MSNBC. Meanwhile, Roger Federer hurled expletives at a judge and the media barely yawned.
NY Fashion Week; whimsical Style \| NEW YORK TIMES Suzy Menkes notes that the Marc Jacobs show was a ‘lyrical vision of a sweet summer’ and that the spirit of today’s American fashion appears to be escapism. But do the after-show parties galore defy the reality of poor sales at retail?	Can the Sep Issue save fashion? Style \| TELEGRAPH Philip Sherwell comments: Little could Vogue’s editor or award-winning director RJ Cutler have guessed that what was being captured for posterity was a high point in fashion and publishing before the two sectors were pummelled by the crash of 2008. ...
The end of the album? Culture \| NEW YORK TIMES Eric Pfanner writes: When Thom Yorke announced that Radiohead are to stop making full length records and turn its attention to singles, it sounded like an epitaph for the album, the broken backbone of the record industry’s longtime business model. ...	Sarkozy and short-man syndrome The Sexes \| GUARDIAN Nicolas Sarkozy gave a televised speech earlier this week flanked by Faurecia workers, very few of whom were taller than him. But, you might well be asking, why did Sarko bother to try to conceal the truth about his height? Stuart Jeffries considers. ...
NY fashion week history Style \| GUARDIAN What links New York fashion week and the Nazis? When did Calvin Klein become famous for his pants? When was NY fashion week cancelled? Becky Barnicoat answers these questions and more in the Guardian’s interactive timeline.	Are women better lawmakers? The Sexes \| POLITICO.COM According to preliminary findings from Stanford University and the University of Chicago, women in Congress, introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for the district than their male counterparts writes Erika Lovely. ...
Arming boys to the teeth Families \| SALON.COM Mark Benjamin’s kids adhere to all the usual gender stereotypes: “The boy was born with combat in his blood. His older sister, in contrast, might as well have been born with a Little Mermaid tattoo on her ass. Hers were deeply feminine fantasies."	Texting whilst driving Culture \| GUARDIAN It was made for a few thousand pounds, stars unpaid student actors and was designed to warn youngsters in a corner of south Wales about the perils of texting while driving. Then it went viral. Steven Morris details.
Take off your veil Culture \| COMMENTARY MAGAZINE Daniel Johnson reviews Christopher Caldwell’s latest book, “Words like ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ mean little when an insecure, malleable, relativistic culture meets a culture that is anchored, confident, and strengthened by common doctrines.”	Life after the Great Recession Families \| THE ATLANTIC Looking back at the Depression, Benjamin Schwarz notes that much of the upper-middle class never had time to recover all the ground they lost, a fact that bestowed on a generation an attenuated and seemingly premature sense of life’s doors closing. ...
Unfriend the Facebook parents Families \| WSJ Elizabeth Berstein notes; David Rivera recently had someone "unfriend" him on Facebook: His own child. In the era of helicopter parenting, more and more parents and kids are meeting up, and clashing, on Facebook and other social-networking sites.	Manolos no more Culture \| MARIE CLAIRE The backlash begins. As filming for the sequel kicks off in New York, Blahnik has revealed that he's more than a little bored of being linked to the franchise, 'If people talk to me about Sex and the City I get sick.' MC staff.
Michael Moore is back Culture \| BBC And this time its capitalism. Agitator supreme Michael Moore is back with a new target - and this time he wants the world to rebel against it. In his sights is the American banking system and the people who run it. Writes Keily Oakes.	Pimp your desk and keep your job Life \| FORBES "You spend more time in your cubicle than you do at home, notes Kelley Moore, author of Cube Chic: Take Your Office Space from Drab to Fab. If you design your space in a creative way that inspires you, it will inspire you to be more productive."
Mysogynistic, post-modern rom-coms Culture \| THE OBSERVER At what point did cool, postmodern rom-coms start peddling the male point of view? When did the “refreshing new twist” become casual misogyny? asks Barbara Ellen. One is barely into (500)Days before a female is being "jokily" referred to as bitch”.	Why do women try to dress badly Style \| INTELLIGENT LIFE “When I see drably dressed women wearing cardigans like ironed porridge, or wrinkled, beige, calf-length skirts, I wonder what was going through their minds when they picked the clothes off the rail in a shop and tried them on.“ writes Linda Grant.
Junk anti-consumerism Culture \| SP!KED Daniel Ben-Ami writes, “Neal Lawson’s All Consuming – yet another book that bashes the consumerist society – sums up the flimsy intellectualism and elitist disdain for the masses that courses through the veins of today’s anti-shopping lobby”.	Just Gaga or really interesting? Culture \| JEZEBEL Dodai writes, “She wears preposterous ensembles and says ridiculous things. But seriously? We need Lady Gaga. The Lady will perform on September 13 at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, and she's planning something big.”

A feminist who loves her baby Families \| DOUBLE XX Katie Roiphe writes, "In the six weeks since my baby was born, I seem to have lost all worldly ambition. I can think about September, when I am supposed to go back to work, only with dread. I have a class to teach. I have to start writing again".	What if the kids get religion? Families \| Danny Postel THE HUMANIST: "Daddy, why did Jesus invent butterflies if they die after two weeks?" I just about hit the panic button when my six year-old son Theo put this question to me not long ago. His mother, a Christian, had taught him that Jesus was God.
Does God hate women? Culture \| Johann Hari NEW STATESMAN: After all the arguments for subordinating women have been shown to be self-serving lies, what are misogynists left with? They have only one feeble argument that is still deferred to and shown undeserving respect across the world.	Is 34 the new 14? Culture \| Caitlin Kelly TRUE/SLANT: I just saw “Away We Go”, a new film by Sam Mendes about a hipster couple, both 34, who wander about trying to decide where to settle down and raise baby. Why on earth would this woman want to raise a child with this guy? He’s a child.
What doesn't kill you Families \| Nigel Farndale TELEGRAGH: Friends who send their children to a north London primary school have managed to make me gasp. They told me their children were not allowed to call the races on sports day "races". There were no prizes and, more importantly, no losers.	$10 wedding dress Style \| Corinne THREADBANGER: For everyone out there who has either spent thousands on a wedding dress or those who are about to, have a look at this video. It really is incredible what you can do with 6 t-shirts and a sewing machine.
Unique Clothing Style \| Carola Long INDEPENDENT: She'd set out to make a consumer stand against globalisation, four hours later, she found herself at the till. The purchase was mass-made, and yet not cliched; inexpensive without looking cheap. Such is the appeal of Uniqlo.	Style by Michael Jackson Style \| Hilary Alexander TELEGRAPH: From the single white glove to the ultra-embellished military jackets, Michael jackson was a one-man band for fashion extremes. Launching his solo career set him on a path for over-the-top rock-and-roll style.
Beth Ditto designs Style \| Ruth La Ferla NEW YORK TIMES: BETH DITTO was livid. Topshop had approached Ms. Ditto, a favourite mascot of the fashion world, to perform at its flagship store in London. But Ms. Ditto, who is usually so happy to get her body out there, was having none of it.	My Life in a G-string Culture \| Katie Roiphe DOUBLE X: Our heroine is the last person we would imagine as a stripper. She is sensitive, well-educated, from a warm and supportive family. On the other hand, the moment she was up on stage, stripping felt totally natural.
Are fathers being devalued? Families \| Leah Ward Sears CNN: I believe the US and a host of Western democracies are engaged in an unintended campaign to diminish the importance of marriage and fatherhood. By not doing all we can to stem the rising rate of divorce, we isolate fathers from their children.	All hail, the pushy mum Families \| Rachel Johnson TIMES ONLINE: Whenever I see Judy Murray sitting ringside in a tidy T-shirt, next to Caramel Kim, the heart sinks, very slightly. The über-tennis-mum. Just seeing her makes me want to lie down in a darkened room.
Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism Culture \| Ellie Levenson THE INDEPENDENT: Feminism for the Noughties seeks to reclaim individuality and choice. It doesn't prescribe a set of belief other than that men and women should be given equal opportunities and equal choices.	Boomerang kids are doing fine Families \| Stephanie Peatling STUFF.co.nz: Twenty-seven percent of 20 to 34yr olds are living at home in Sydney and Melbourne and those who do leave are likely to move back for another stint, research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.
Let them speak Families \| Staff FORBES: If you want to help children develop language and speech skills, UCLA researchers say, interaction is what counts. The effect of a conversation between a child and an adult is about six times as great as the effect of adult speech input alone, ...	Balls to paying private tuition Families \| Alice Thomson THE TIMES: Pushy middle-class parents are getting a huge advantage, so why not give everyone private tutorials? Graduates need jobs, children are leaving school illiterate. It will cost only £468 million and they need only 100,000 more tutors.
We're all conspiracy theorists Culture \| Frank Furedi SPIKED: Conspiratorial thinking is about attributing the problems and misfortunes faced by individuals to intentional malevolent behaviour. Unexpected and unanticipated events are often blamed on irresponsible behaviour.	To stand or not to stand by him The Sexes \| Caroline Howard FORBES.COM: When Ruth Madoff finally broke her silence this afternoon, moments after her husband of nearly 50 years, was sentenced to 150 years in prison, talk turned to whether or not their marriage was history.
Panic: Bride may not be virgin Life \| Kayleen Schaefer NEWSWEEK: When a girl left her parents' house to be married, she was making an enormous transition. The wedding celebration was to help her negotiate the change. Now very often there is no functional difference between marriage and living together.	World's first gender-free child The Sexes \| Hanna Roisin DOUBLE X: In Sweden, a couple has decided to raise their 2-year-old with no gender. The kid has one, but they won’t tell anyone what it is. The kid’s name is Pop. To raise a child thus requires a vigilance that will lead to obsession with gender.
What really happens to love Families \| Ross Douthat NY TIMES: It’s been a good month for romance in America. The nation’s most famous reality-TV dad threw over his marriage for a fling with a 23-year-old and two prominent conservative politicians torpedoed their careers with confessions of adultery.	Positively, happily, child-free Families \| Polly Vernon GUARDIAN: The European birth rate is in decline. 40% of UK graduates aged 35 are childless and at least 30% will stay that way permanently. Much of this childlessness is involuntary. But some of it is intentional.
Back off lady, it's my baby Culture \| Judith Warner NEW YORK TIMES: Why do people often permit themselves to dump, verbally, emotionally, with a surgically precise ability to wound viscerally, on mothers? Why do they so easily dare to give expression to their disdain, disapproval, smug superiority.	The new taste in male beauty Life \| Irina Aleksander THE NEW YORK OBSERVER: Those wide-set eyes, that narrow nose that flares up at the tip just so, those childish puffy cheeks and that not-too-rugged jaw line, topped with carefully placed strands of layered hair.
Too old for irony at 50? Style \| Cathy Horyn NEW YORK TIMES: FIRST go the knees, then irony. Sometime around 50, women start to let go of certain ideas about themselves and fashion. Up till then if you are reasonably fit, attractive or daring, it doesn’t matter.	Greener businesswomen Culture \| Anna Shepard TIMESONLINE: For most ethical businesses, be it an online retailer selling organic goods, a Fairtrade chocolate company or a renewable energy supplier, there is a high chance that it will have been founded by a woman.
Nature deficit disorder Families \| Julia Llewelyn Smith Telegraph: A new book says that children today need to get outside more and that parents should let them play without being watched over. Are today's generation the first to be raised without "meaningful contact with the natural world"?	Career: doctor or trophy wife Culture \| Johanna Piazza DAILY BEAST: The shelf life for the typical trophy wife—the time it takes her to increase her monetary and social standing for the rest of her days—is typically 2 or 3 years. Less than the time it takes for doctors to finish their medical training.
Perez Hilton in gay scrap The Sexes \| Elizabeth Snead LA TIMES: "These are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community. For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is incredibly dangerous.” says GLAAD’s director. ...	Missoni; a fashion powerhouse Style \| Harriet Walker INDEPENDENT: Passion, pasta and pullovers. Italians may be renowned for their fiery temperaments, but they’re also a nation of knitters, and one of their most recognisable fashion brands is celebrating 50 years in the business with a new exhibition.

Posso and Costume Department Style \| Maya Singer STYLE FILE: As anyone heading to Glastonbury ought to know, packing for a music festival is no joke. You’ve got to take your rain gear, your sleep gear, and of course, you shouldn’t forget your one-off collaboration on a collection of swimwear.	Jacket and knickers Style \| Kira Cochrane GUARDIAN: This month's French Vogue has hit upon a terrifying trend: a world where women jump out of bed, button their jackets, slip on a pair of pants and stride out to work. The magazine offers pages of jackets paired with different knickers.
Should we wear a uniform? Style \| Sanjida O'Connell INDEPENDENT MINDS: To be fashionably ethical what we need to do is to buy fewer clothes. Yeah right. I bet even the people we know who are not interested in clothes have more than they need. I am and I most certainly do.	Dating is easy The Sexes \| Caitlin Moran TIMESONLINE: Even though the sum total of my experience as a single woman on the “dating scene” comes down to one four-hour meal in Camden, it has not prevented me from being some manner of boorish back-seat driver on the subject.
Top tips for aspiring dictators Culture \| Paul Collier FOREIGN POLICY: Why is democracy failing even as elections proliferate? A thought experiment sheds new light on why aging autocrats remain so hard to dislodge. As an old autocrat having to retain power in a “democracy”, what options do I face?	Social ills of broken families Families \| Deborah Orr INDEPENDENT: Mr Justice Coleridge wants a change of attitude that would attach a "stigma" to those who "destroy" family life and said that a National Commission should be established to devise solutions for the epidemic of broken homes.
Man's fertility time bomb The Sexes \| Zoe Williams GUARDIAN: The debate about when it's best to have children needs to be degendered, and treated like any other forward planning issue. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is back telling women not to postpone motherhood.	Back to black Style \| Susannah Frankel INDEPENDENT: Comme des Garcons felt it necessary to do something in response to the negativity engendered by the recession and to counter the feelings of things being blocked and so… new label entitled BLACK.
Let's call the whole thing off The Sexes \| Sandra Tsing Loh THE ATLANTIC: I am a 47-year-old woman whose commitment to monogamy, at the very end, came unglued. Sadly, and to my horror, I am divorcing. This was a 20-year partnership. My husband is a good man.	The little latex device Life \| Staff WALLPAPER: Though you’re likely to find them in most bedside drawers, wallets or back pockets, condoms are a tricky product to advertise. The little latex device is still controversial to many in its existence, and hence also promotion.
Jimmy Choos at H&M Style \| Hilary Alexander TELEGRAPH: H&M has signed a deal with shoe and handbag brand Jimmy Choo. The latest venture comes hot on the heels of H&M’s cheap-chic, sell-out collections by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, and Britain’s Matthew Williamson.	I can't choose to opt-out Culture \| Ann Friedman AMERICAN PROSPECT: To hear the media tell the tale, the central problem facing working women today is the question of whether they should leave their professional careers to raise children. It's time we focus on the majority of women workers.
Michelle receives fashion award Style \| Mail Foreign Service MAILONLINE: Michelle Obama is the First Lady of fashion - and she has the award to prove it. She received the honour gong last night over top industry favourites at The Council of Fashion Designers of America's annual awards.	David in his pants again Style \| Staff TELEGRAPH: David Beckham attends the unveiling of a huge poster of himself wearing only a pair of Armani underpants. Greeted by cheers and screams from hundreds of onlookers, he stood outside Selfridges, modestly dressed in a suit (never mind).
Size-zero row goes on Style \| Alice Fisher GUARDIAN: Designers have defended themselves against accusations that they force excessively skinny models on to the pages of fashion magazines by supplying clothes for photoshoots that are too small for normal women.	Women and Science Culture \| Matt Ford ARS TECHNICA: A study commissioned by Congress takes a snapshot of how women are faring in academic careers. In 2005, 38% of doctorates in science and engineering went to women, but only 6 to 29 percent of associate and full professors were women.
GapKids and Stella McCartney Style \| Olivia Bergin TELEGRAPH: Stella McCartney is to design childrenswear for the first time, in a new collection for GapKids and babyGap. ‘I believe that this one-off collaboration will be a great way for customers to be able to participate in the Stella McCartney brand...	Phoebe Philo takes Celine Style \| Editor FASHIONUNITED.com: Phoebe Philo showed her debut collection for Celine with the the Resort and Cruise line. Departing from the whispy and girly Chloe days, she focused on more utilitarian, even classic designs. “I wanted to sort things out,” Philo told...
Are two parents better than one Families \| Mary E Williams SALON: Marital breakups are rarely easy, but for couples with children, they often come with the added nagging fear that you're forever ruining your kids' lives. But a new study confirms that sticking together for the sake of the kids can backfire.	Child blessed versus childfree Culture \| Lauren Young BUSINESS WEEK: What is the wage penalty for working mothers when compared to childfree women? Apparently it is a big one. The pay gap between mothers and the childfree is actually bigger than the pay gap between women and men, according to a study.
Cats and dogs changed history Life \| Maureen Callaghan NEW YORK POST: Science has begun to answer how it is that cats and dogs came to be our most prized companion animals - discovering how the domestication of cats and dogs actively helped change the course of human history.	Childless women lose out on jobs Culture \| Jillian Whiting COURIERMAIL.com.au: A recent British study has suggested some women unwittingly sabotage their careers by not having babies. Bosses were found to often regard childless women as cold and emotionally deficient. Can’t win, can we?
Manscaping The Sexes \| Chris Ayres TIMESONLINE: For the next several minutes I steadfastly refused to believe that any self-respecting member of the hairier sex — no matter how metrosexualised — would engage in such nether-region shenanigans.	Not a crime - but not harmless Families \| Editor IDAHO STATESMAN: It serves no purpose to stigmatize sexting teenagers by adding them to a sex-offender registry. Adding a new, potentially growing list of teens would ... do nothing to help parents and youth groups identify sexual predators.
90% of mums have to work Culture \| Amy Benfer SALON: The relentless focus on professional women’s “choice” in work has fed the myth that working is more of an optional exercise in self-actualization than what the vast majority of adults do to feed and shelter themselves and their families.	Penis breaking dance moves The Sexes \| Staff STRAIT TIMES: A popular and erotic dance, known as “daggering”, faces restriction by the Jamaican Government after being blamed for a spate of broken penises. The steps generally include extreme gyrating, heavy pelvis-thrusting and daredevil leaps.
If he can make time for a night out... Families \| Jan Hoffman NEW YORK TIMES: 16 years and counting, middle-aged, two girls in the windstorm of year-end school activities, twice daily dog walks, live-in mother-in-law, both work long hours. Recipe for a drive-by relationship.	Playboy gets even more rude The Sexes \| Bonnie Erbe U.S. NEWS: In a Playboy article, now removed, Guy Cimbala named ten conservative female media commentators whom the author said men would like to, er, have sex with but whom they also hated at the same time, or something nonsensical like that.
Should 50 yr olds still enjoy sex The Sexes \| Barbara Kantrowitz NEWSWEEK: Can you have hot sex forever? No problem. Just stick to a careful diet, regular Pilates and the miracles of modern medicine. But is it reasonable for women over 50 to expect the same level of sexual satisfaction and drive as a 25 year-old? ...	Why don't women do science? Culture \| Carlos Lozado WASHINGTON POST: It's not unusual to see women in powerful jobs: Three of the last four secretaries of state have been women. Yet in the science, technology, engineering and math labor force, XX still trails XY. Why?

Backlash against over-parenters Families \| Amy Benfer SALON: "Overly enmeshed parents? Get-them-into-Harvard-or-bust parents? My own mom never breast-fed-me-so-I-am-never-going-to-let-my-kid-out-of-my-sight parents?" My name for them? People-who-read-too-many-Lisa-Belkin-articles-on-parenting.	Man says we are just depressed The Sexes \| Ross Douthat NEW YORK TIMES: In the 1960s, American women reported themselves happier, on average, than did men. Today, that gap has reversed. Male happiness has inched up, and female happiness has dropped. In postfeminist America, men are happier than women.
Free range is good for kids Families \| Lisa Cohen DAILY NEWS: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children looked at 2,500 attempted abductions in the US over the past four years, to understand why they failed. In most cases, the child fought back, ran, screamed or otherwise resisted.	Things that could've killed me Families \| Robin Hemley WSJ: Friends and acquaintances remark that the world is more dangerous now for kids than "when we were growing up." Cut to images of happy kids frolicking through fields of sunflowers. Not in my childhood. The world has never been safe for kids.
Class cartoon on murder Families \| Huff Post HUFFINGTON POST: A mother says she's horrified by a cartoon video - posted on You Tube - that showed several ways to kill her sixth grade daughter. The cartoon was made off school grounds by some of her daughter's classmates, girls aged 11 and 12.	Why sex sells The Sexes \| M.J.Stephey TIME: Forget greed or market forces, individuals work hard mostly because they want to show off to others, not for the good of the group. According to Geoffrey Miller, this tendency holds true in both organic evolution and human economics.
Your Summer Nocation Life \| Linton Weeks NPR: First there was the shorter vacation, then the staycation. Now comes the latest sign that the recession is changing American lives — the nocation. Brooke Woolfson has, for the past few years, combined her work and vacation - a workation...	Virginity for sale The Sexes \| Tracy Clark-Flory SALON.com: After coming across news of Natalie Dylan's highly publicized purity sell-off, 18-year-old Alina Percea of Romania decided to go the same route so that she could pay her way through college. She also hoped that it might yield a "nice man... ...
Getting back on the ladder Culture \| Tara Weiss FORBES.com: It's a familiar challenge these days, say career coaches. Women who thought they would have a few more years to spend at home with their kids are scrambling to find jobs. Career coaches say they've noticed a definite jump in the past six ...	Tag-Team Families Families \| Sue Shellenbarger WALL STREET JOURNAL: In a shift that is speeding a change in marital roles, the complex dance of the dual-earner couple is escalating to new extremes. Forced by the recession to cut costs while snapping up every opportunity to work...
Sibling love Families \| Interview with Joan McFadden THE TIMES: I had sex with my brother but I don't feel guilty. A woman slept with her sibling for years and has good memories. Not many people understand their relationship, she says.	Drugs tests on the rise at work Culture \| Sam Leith THE GUARDIAN: Your boss announces a handful of voluntary redundancies. You don't apply. You like your job. Then he announces that there's to be a compulsory medical for all remaining staff, including a drug test.
Love is in the air The Sexes \| Katie Scott (Ed) WIRED.co.uk: Air New Zealand has launched Matchmaking Flight to bring lonely travellers together. After all, what better way to get to know The One than sharing a 13-hour flight on your first date?	A pretty pink finger for girls The Sexes \| NPR NPR: The Snickers bar has a new sibling, and it's a girl. She's sexual, uninhibited — and only 85 calories. The "Fling" is the first new chocolate bar Mars has introduced in more than 20 years. Wrapped in a shiny pink and sliver package...
Daughters make you liberal Families \| Andrew J Oswald FIVETHIRTYEIGHT: In remarkable research, the sociologist Rebecca Warner and the economist Ebonya Washington have shown that the gender of a person's children seems to influence the attitudes and actions of the parent.	Free Range Kids Families \| Deborah Roberts ABC: Nine-year-old Izzy Skenazy was fearless when he asked his parents if he could ride the New York City subway alone. Armed with a subway map, $20 and a metro card, they sent him off on his way. Izzy's mother said the whole thing took about 45 minu...
O sister, where art thou? Families \| Katie Agnew TELEGRAPH.co.uk: Naturally, Katie Agnew had her first daughter’s room painted pink. 'Shall we use the same colour in the baby’s room?’ she suggested to her husband, John. 'What if it’s a boy?’ he asked for the millionth time. 'It’s a girl.'	Are you incompatible? The Sexes \| Monica Hesse WASHINGTON POST: The relationship did not end because of Elizabeth Fishkin's boyfriend's text aversion. On the other hand, it didn't exactly help. Like the time when they were supposed to meet for dinner. She texted him to say she was waiting at the r...
No sex please, I'm thin The Sexes \| Yvonne Fulbright FOX NEWS: Not having enough sex? Maybe your weight is to blame … and I’m not talking about being overweight. Want to bring sexy back? Start by taking on the “thin is in” campaign we’ve been subjected to for decades. those obsessed with being super ...	Bring me my cataplana The Sexes \| Christopher Hirst MOREINTELLIGENTLIFE: Put a man in a kitchen, and there will be gadgets. Christopher Hirst became obsessed with the need to acquire a cataplana. A companion predicted, “You’ll only use it once.” To prove her wrong, he made amêijoas na cataplana. It ha...
A lower cost recession divorce The Sexes \| Marilyn Stowe TELEGRAPH.co.uk: Divorce is always turbulent, and often fraught with unexpected complications, but an economic recession may make a bad situation worse. If you are about to divorce or are considering it, choices made now will have a significant impact ...	UK childhood not so bad? Families \| Cassandra Jardine TELEGRAPH: Challenging the gloom-mongers by pointing out the advantages - from free museums to football - of growing up in Britain..
Court hear strip search case Families \| David Savage LA TIMES: The Supreme Court gave a skeptical hearing Tuesday to lawyers for a girl who was strip-searched in school when she was 13 on suspicion that she had extra-strength ibuprofen in her underwear.	Lice may be good for kids Families \| Maggie Fox REUTERS: Research on mice shows that those carrying the most lice had calmer immune systems than uninfested rodents.
Children excluded from car Families \| Carrie Melago NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A prominent Park Avenue lawyer was arrested after getting so angry at her young daughters that she kicked them out of her car - and drove off.	Idle parenting is good Families \| Tom Hodgkinson SLATE MAGAZINE: There can be no more absurd invention of modern industrial society than the family day out. All week you have been stressed out at work, as you have tried to conform to someone else's idea of who you should be. You are tired, grumpy, a...
Kids who hate Earth Day dogma Families \| Emily Bazelon SLATE MAGAZINE: A Slate colleague has a daughter who is searching for what you might call the Eco-Grinch—a creature with a lopsided grin who will collect all the recycling bins and "Ban Styrofoam!" signs and drive them off a cliff.	UK Worst for Children? Families \| GUARDIAN GUARDIAN.co.uk: Unemployed families, poor environments and the low numbers in education are blamed for the UK's ranking of 24th out of 29 European countries.
Young today less narcissistic Families \| Sharon Jayson USA TODAY: In their new book, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, psychologist Jean Twenge of San Diego State University and co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia say research shows more young people today have...	Felony charges for sexting kids Families \| Dionne Searcey WALL STREET JOURNAL: The practice of teens taking naked photos of themselves and sending them to friends via cellphones, called "sexting," has alarmed parents, school officials and prosecutors nationwide.

Confessions of a bailout wife The Sexes \| Anonymous PORTFOLIO: Forget the opera. Cancel dinner at Bouley. How life has changed since my CEO husband went on the government dole.	Is it adultery on Second Life? The Sexes \| Mitch Wagner INFORMATION WEEK: Is cybersex adultery? That's a question faced by a U.K. couple, who divorced after she caught him having cybersex with another woman in Second Life.
The Russians are coming The Sexes \| Rachel Johnson THE SUNDAY TIMES: Now the leggy, gorgeous missiles have locked onto the big time: our rock stars, celebs and super-rich.	War zone in the sitting room Families \| Fiona Gibson iVILLAGE: Bumps, scratches and bruises. Screams, crashes and yelps. This is not a police no-go area. It’s Fiona Gibson’s living room.
Kid strip searched for ibuprofen Families \| CNN CNN: The case of a 13-year-old Arizona girl strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain-reliever will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this week.	Men hit worse in US job losses Culture \| Sarah O'Connor FINANCIAL TIMES: The US recession has opened up the biggest gap between male and female unemployment rates since records began in 1948, as men bear the brunt of the economy’s contraction.
Breast-feeding Part 2 Families \| M.Connolly and D.Sullivan SALON.com: Hanna Rosin's recent Atlantic Monthly article, "The Case Against Breast Feeding," created quite the controversy by questioning the health benefits of breast milk as well as the prevailing wisdom that Breast is Best. Broadsheet asked the ed...	Is breast-feeding over-rated? Families \| Hanna Rosin THE ATLANTIC: One afternoon at the playground last summer, shortly after the birth of my third child, I made the mistake of idly musing about breast-feeding to a group of new mothers I’d just met.

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