KEY POINTS:
A British Conservative MP is blaming the breakdown of the family unit on a "Bridget Jones generation" of well-educated young women who cannot find a suitable husband. David Willetts said that, for the first time, more women than men were getting degrees and therefore many struggled to find
a similarly educated partner. He also suggested fewer men were given the opportunity to "bring home the bacon" (because the educated other-halves could earn more). All this without mentioning the fact that British women still earn 17 per cent less for full-time work than men. (Source: The Guardian)
* * *
Playboy magazine is offering a new way to lose your shirt on Wall Street. The adult entertainment magazine, long famous for its photo spreads of nude women, is launching a search for models to pose for its upcoming feature, "Women of Wall Street", planned for the February 2009 edition. "When the news gets bad, then maybe that's a chance to make people smile by coming up with something that puts a different twist on it," said Gary Cole, Playboy's photo editor. The magazine is seeking current and former employees of the financial world, and is especially interested in those with more senior job experience.
* * *
Obviously, not everybody knows what a DOB means," declares Fifi, incredulously. "My 15-year-old home-stay student from Korea got on the bus from the city on Monday evening and showed his student ID card to the driver, but to his surprise he was told that his student ID has expired since 1993. He tried to explain that the date in the ID card is his Date Of Birth (DOB), not an expiry date, and it has his current photo on it. The driver didn't want to accept that explanation and asked him to pay full adult fare. If he was 15 years old when the ID was made and the photo was taken, and the card has expired since 1993, that means he is 30 years old now. The driver should have asked him the secret on how to stay young for the past 15 years."
* * *
Anglicans looking for lost souls: The BBC reports that the Birmingham Cathedral plans to open a series of wine bars, as one of the "alternative ways" of engaging non-churchgoers.
* * *
Camryn says yesterday's backwards sign is the right way around: "It's a common sign in California that has the objective of preventing child abductors from lurking around playgrounds."
* * *
Today's Webpick: The most incredible 80s dancing I have ever seen. Watch it here. Scroll down.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.