• Childfreedom - SABRE2th Tigress: Book 'em, Dano. - Today

    National Annoy Your Co-Workers With Your Offspring Day

    It’s the most underwhelming office holiday of the year: it started out being a feminist holiday to encourage daughters to dream of careers. Now it’s devolved into an excuse to bring your kid to work instead of dropping him/her off at school or daycare. Most years, the kids are kept busy with activities. Some years, the designated wranglers drop the ball and the l’il dollinks wander around on their own or in packs. This year seems to be in the latter vein – a couple of boys have been mooching around on the work floor looking bored and have had…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Hot Off The Presses

    You Are My Witnesses: Thugs Attack Mothers Union Meeting

    Ruth Gledhill – Times Online – WBLG: Zimbabwe: The devil came late today. Ruth Bakare, wife of the interim bishop of Harare, was the main speaker at a Mother’s Union meeting at an Anglican church in Zimbabwe. Over 3200 women had arrived for the day’s activities and Mrs. Bakare was partway through her talk, which included commentary on a text from Isaiah, “You are my witnesses.” The Mother’s Union is one of those Anglican bodies that evokes images of ladies drinking tea and enjoying a nice day out with educational speakers and fun activities. Not a rout with bully boys…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Hot Off The Presses - Politics, Schmolitics

    Please Don’t Send Lawyers, Guns and Money

    Rift Over Zimbabwe Unity Plan – New York Times But on Wednesday, The Herald, the state-run newspaper often used as a mouthpiece for Mr. Mugabe and the ruling party, described the country’s political dynamics as “so distorted that holding a free and fair election runoff in the immediate term is literally impossible.” Swiftly disavowing that position, Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told the BBC on Wednesday that the editorial had not been sanctioned by the government, and that the ruling party, ZANU-PF, was still gearing up for a runoff. Hey, here’s a handy definition of electioneering, ZANU-PF style:  Gearing up…

  • Hot Off The Presses - Mini-Posts - Politics, Schmolitics

    Rezko and…Rove???

    GOP heavyweights reportedly tried to oust Fitzgerald — chicagotribune.com In a bombshell disclosure before testimony began this morning in the Antoin “Tony” Rezko trial, a federal prosecutor said a former Rezko confidant was prepared to say that another friend of Rezko was attempting to pull strings with White House political director Karl Rove to fire U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and kill his investigation into Rezko.

  • Hot Off The Presses

    Zimbabwe: More Details Emerging

    The Times – Bob’s Mad Scramble For Weapons The Sunday Times has established that this week’s Chinese shipment of arms turned away from Durban harbour on Friday was just one of several botched attempts by the embattled Mugabe regime to buy arms this year. One well-placed Zimbabwean defence industry official told the Sunday Times: “In the first three working days after the election, there were queues of people outside (arms procurement) offices — police, the presidential bodyguard unit, army, the CIO. There’s lots of stuff happening today… it’s amazing, frankly, how many people all over the world are mobilizing to…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Hot Off The Presses

    Zimbabwe: An Yue Jiang Lost, Stolen, or Strayed?

    The An Yue Jiang, the Chinese ship that’s supposed to be carrying tons of arms for Zimbabwe left Durban for port or ports unknown; some thought it was headed for nearby Mozambique, but the Mozambicans pulled an Amy Winehouse and denied it access (after first denying it was headed their way, hmm). Now it’s thought to be headed to Angola (there’s a lovely thought, how much of the cargo will actually stay in whatever port eventually accepts it?). The BBC News site has some smuggled video footage (they are banned from officially reporting from within Zimbabwe, but get around it).…