Thursday morning roundup and ramble-rant

Is your chocolate cruelty-free?

Why is Virgina's Attorney General wasting my money?

North Korea has upscale restaurants across Asia.

The Economist on Newt Gingrich's food-stamp-president rhetoric. Also, an update from Gail Collins.

This is a tough one. I don't defend bad hosts, but if people don't want to host, they shouldn't have to. And I agree that showers are kind-of awful. Carolyn's analysis is spot-on.

Guys, here's what not to do on a first date. Oh, and don't be this guy.

This women-secretly-only-want-a-husband shit makes my blood boil. It’s harmful as well as offensive, in that it perpetuates limiting beliefs that keep women from achieving optimal happiness. The main limiting belief is the false dichotomy between independence and happiness in a relationship. It’s not that women merely can be “independent” and complete and still be in a relationship; have to be. Not having your own life only drags you down as a couple. And having a partner enhances all the wonderful things already in your life; it doesn’t detract from them or obviate the need for them.

And then women become afraid to admit that there's room for a relationship in their lives. The Cafe mom says it well. Why is there this idea that admitting you want to be in a relationship somehow makes you needy or desperate, or in any way detracts from your feminism. Why? How? Instead of my arguing that it doesn’t, you try to explain to me how it would. There’s a difference between “wanting to be married for the sake of it” and wanting to share your already fabulous life with the right person. What century do we live in? Mind you, that’s Britain, but why does being open to marriage send a signal that women are “only” interested in “marriage and babies”? A year or so ago, a friend of mine sent out an e-mail to everyone she knew, essentially saying “I’m single and I’m looking. Send any single guys you respect my way.” We all thought it was awesome. It was anything but needy or desperate. It was a strong woman taking control of her life. You reach out to find a better job; why not reach out to find a better partner?