Sunday morning roundup

The ANC continues to disappoint and is losing support fast. The featured photo, also here, is striking.

Women in China face institutional as well as cultural barriers to advancement.

Is being gay in Pakistan in some ways easier than being straight and unmarried?

The reason is that while the notion of homosexuality may be taboo, homosocial, and even homosexual, behavior is common enough. Pakistani society is sharply segregated on gender lines, with taboos about extramarital sex that make it almost harder to conduct a secret heterosexual romance than a homosexual one. Displays of affection between men in public, like hugging and holding hands, are common. “A guy can be with a guy anytime, anywhere, and no one will raise an eyebrow,” the journalist said. 

And then there's this:

For many in his and previous generations, he said, same-sex attraction was not necessarily an issue because it did not involve questions of identity. Many Pakistani men who have sex with men do not think of themselves as gay. Some do it regularly, when they need a break from their wives, they say, and some for money.

Mexican cartels are bringing meth to a city near you. If they haven't already.

Germany welcomes India's engineers.

In anticipation of Tuesday, but even more so, January, calls for centrism. But what is center?

The world is safer than any politician is willing to admit.

Had Sandy hit the DC region harder, it would have been BAD. So how does any region prioritize and prepare?

How do we know if we can identify as Jews?

Not that you were wondering, but this is how I'm marinating my tempeh this week (see tempting tempeh wrap, just past half-way down).