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Who's Your Daddy?or Mama? Super-Tuesday Prognostications
2008-02-05 18:43:00
California?Obama [Note: Tumerica was wrong. Hillary whooped up in our fine, sunny state.] (Sorry! I predict only for my team. Repugs will have to name their own. Probably McCain taking them all, but who cares?) Hillary will win in some regions, but overall, ObamaIllinois?Obama [Tumerica was right.] (Big surprise that Obama would capture his own state)New York?Hillary [Tumerica was right.] (Ditto for Hillary. I know, she's from Arkansas. Where you are a senator counts.)Arizona?Hillary [Tumerica was right.] (Not sure about this, actually. Arizona is hard to predict.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Con gratulation to Hillary for a fine showing on the breakthrough states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California. Obama won more quantity of states but Hillary won more quality states, e.g., highly populated, significant states. In any event, with the delegate score at 540 for Clinton and 539 for Obama, this sporting event is fun to watch.
More About: Daddy , Super , Mama , Tuesday , Super Tuesday

U.S. Presidential Election 2008: Name Your Dynamic Duo for the Democratic T
2008-02-01 00:42:00
Match-up What Ifs . . .Clinton?Edwards (Good, right, works for me. Two super-smart Southerners.)Clinton?Obama (Don't think this is gonna happen, no-how?a Scorpio and a Leo serving together? Sheesh! One stings; the other bites.)Clinton?Kerry (Don't mind if I do. Always was fond of Kerry.)Clinton?Bloomberg (Actually, I could see this happening and it might be just what the doctor ordered. New York, New York . . .)Obama?Kerry (I hear it through the grapevine that this is actually under consideration. I like it.)Obama?Edwards (Obama would do well to pick Edwards)Obama?Bloomberg (Don't think so, but ambition can make strange bedfellows) And as a surprise, how about Al "Nobel Peace Prize" Gore in the mix? Hard to imagine, but weirder things have happened. I picture Gore as being more as head of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Secretary of the Interior, although, truth be told, he?d do better for the world to be on an international rat...
More About: Presidential , Democratic , Presidential Election 2008 , Election , Progressive Politics

935 Baldfaced Lies Led the U.S. to an Iraqattack and Iraquagmire
2008-01-23 17:11:00
No one is surprised, least of all me, but why is this announcement not a huge, whopping call to impeachment? ?President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.?
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How about a Clinton?Edwards Ticket?
2008-01-22 20:15:00
Don't know how you feel, but the Obama and Clinton slugfest has left me cold. And with a tinny taste in my mouth for a candidate I formerly respected. As Obama fights meaner, my heart closes tighter against him. Making fun of Hillary in front of a live audience? Poor form and amateurish.And yeah, I've been known to spout off a word or two about why Hillary has resoundingly kept silent on the Iraq occupation, which still pisses me off, but when the vote went down on whether to attack Iraq back in 2003, Obama was nowhere to be seen (not even a state senator at that point). When Obama taunts Hillary because she voted for the Iraqattack, he comes across as a hypocrite. At least Edwards had the courageous conviction to say, "Yes, I voted for it, I was wrong, and I am sorry."Now word on the streets is that Hillary and Edwards met in private for 20 minutes just after the debates last night. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is a Clinton?Edwards ticket. This speculation makes ...
More About: Progressive Politics , Election 2008 , Ticket

As of Today, Jan. 21, 2008?One Year Left of the Monster-in-Chief
2008-01-21 17:50:00
Only 365 days left of the Evil Empire! Whoo-hoo! No more orchestrated synthetic terror events (9/11 and anthrax attacks). No more excuses for the illegal war against Iraq (the successor will have to suck it up and do something about the Iraquagmire). No more hideously mangled English. No more monster puppet-master Darth Vader Cheney. Hurray!
More About: Chief , Today , Progressive Politics , Left , Monster

Looks Like Hillary Clinton Captured Michigan Vote
2008-01-16 04:52:00
Hillary has taken New Hampshire, and now Michigan , so will a momentum build up that could carry her through? (Oops?she was the only Dem on the ballot?the logic of which escapes me.) Will Obama pull it off? I predict he'll carry California anyway, which seems to forge ahead with the new flava however it may taste. Could Edwards pull out ahead? Who knows at this point. Just give me a Democrat, any one will do. I'll probably vote for Hillary but I'm not sure?I've got the paper ballot now, awaiting my vote (permanent absentee status is the only way to go!). I like all three of the top Democratic candidates. Sure is more fun than following Republican scandals and the abysmal state of the Earth right now?plagues and rumors of plagues. Just a brief bit of hope is all I ask.
More About: Hillary Clinton , Vote , Progressive Politics , Clinton

Bush as Sacrificial Goat to Greater Neo-con Push in Middle East?
2008-01-09 18:38:00
What if, just entertain a what if . . . Bush 's weeklong trip to the Middle East , is not actually a "peace-keeping mission," but a sacrificial mission? If Bush happened to be assassinated during this trip--the sudden violent demise of an American icon would serve much the same purpose as the demolition of the World Trade Center towers. With the rallying cries of "slay the evildoers," and "more power to the U.S. government," a full-on police state and martial law might be enforced with nary a whimper. With National Security Presidential Directive / NSPD 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive / HSPD-20, in place since May 9, 2007, the acting president, who would then be Cheney, would [deep shudder] take over all powers and assume a dictatorship mantle. This in response to the “national catastrophe” the assassination would represent. (NSPD 51 gives sweeping powers to the Executive Branch in the event of a national catastrophe, powers overwhelmingly beyond the scope of the...
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Bhutto Falls by the Pat Tillman Effect: You'll Wonder Where Your Hero Went
2008-01-01 17:19:00
Pakistan?s Pervez Musharraf had plans to fix the upcoming election. Bhutto was scheduled to reveal this choice morsel of evil truth when she got assassinated. Bhutto had been due to meet U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., to hand over a report charging that the military Inter-Services Intelligence agency was planning to fix the polls in the favor of President Pervez Musharraf. The same thing happened to Pat Tillman : he planned to meet with anti-war activist and brilliant mind, Noam Chomsky, to reveal the real dirty insider's scoop on the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. Then, Tillman was assassinated. This "Pat Tillman Effect " happens in places like, oh, Russia, all the time. Remember the death-by-polonium spy poisoning? Probably only made the news because it was a novel way of accomplishing the task.Makes me wonder, what John F. Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe were fixin' to do when they were removed from the realm of the living? I don't like the wa...
More About: Hero , Falls

Top 25 Media Neglected Stories of 2007: Project Censored Lays It out Straig
2007-12-31 01:25:00
From Project Censored, which annually documents the top 25 censored or underreported news stories, and sponsors a Media Accountability Conference each year at Sonoma State University, comes this new list of censored stories for 2007 (titled, Censored 2008).Which one pisses you off the most?No Habeas Corpus for ?Any Person?Bush Moves Toward Martial LawAFRICOM: US Military Control of Africa?s ResourcesFrenzy of Increasingly Destructive Trade Agreements Human Traffic Builds US Embassy in IraqOperation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) RaidsBehind Blackwater Inc.KIA: The US Neoliberal Invasion of IndiaPrivatization of America?s InfrastructureVulture Funds Threaten Poor Nations? Debt Relief The Scam of ?Reconstruction? in AfghanistanAnother Massacre in Haiti by UN TroopsImmigrant Roundups to Gain Cheap Labor for US Corporate GiantsImpunity for US War CriminalsToxic Exposure Can Be Transmitted to Future Generations on a ?Second Genetic Code?No Hard Evidence Connecting ...
More About: Stories , Lays

Benazir Bhutto: We Loved You and Will Miss You
2007-12-27 17:23:00
When I read the headline, I shouted "No, no, no" at the computer. Why of all people? Why my beloved Benazir Bhutto ? Why? What an unusual, and brave, and lovely woman. How strong. How determined. It's just wrong and I am angry and sad.Benazir Bhutto , apparently killed today in a suicide bombing attack.
More About: Miss , Miss You

C'mom, Car-makers, Make Me Want an Alternative Energy Car
2007-12-19 16:06:00
One way to make alternative energy automobiles is the hard way?from the ground up. Pay for the bold exploration of uncharted energy territory, the research, the extreme engineering, the crash-testing, the production. Whew. And if you have a few bucks left, after all those millions of dollars (and all those years along the way)?before even selling a single car?spend it on marketing said car. Hey, it's alternative energy?lots of folks will want your car anyway, right?Or, here's another idea. Take a regular, gasoline-powered car that's already designed, approved, beloved by many, and on the streets. Remove the engine from that car and?because you specialize in battery power?insert your state-of-the-art electric-propulsion engine into that car's shell. Voila! You have an instant hybrid Mini Cooper, Chrysler Crossfire, PT Cruiser, Smart Car?or what-have-you?that's ready to roll, for little money per mile and little wasted expense on the research. This is exactly what Hybrid Technolo...
More About: Energy , Alternative , Alternative Energy , Make , Makers

Mall Rampage Killer Leaves eight Dead, Another Kills Four in Colorado Churc
2007-12-06 19:17:00
Why isn't the sudden rampage killing of eight innocent people and one guilty gunman in Nebraska a bigger deal? Or what about the four murdered by a gunman in Colorado over the weekend? Why aren't more questions asked, more resources devoted to the study of domestic terrorism by the criminally insane? Are U.S citizens not admitting to the partial responsibility for these incidents? I'm still thinking about the Cho Seung-Hui shooting incidents that happened only this past April (April 16?my best friend's birthday?how can I forget?) at Virginia Tech. Columbine, and other such rampage killings come to mind. The Virginia Tech shootings left me so baffled and disturbed, I had to write about them and study the phenomenon of random, premeditated murders. Who does them? Is it mostly Americans or does it happen as often elsewhere? I know I can never begin to understand why, but here's an enlightening chart I put together about who/what/where . . .Mass murders perpetrated by rampage kill...
More About: Killer , Dead , Mall , Rampage

Middle Eastern Countries: Barbaric or Civilized?
2007-11-29 18:13:00
My dear girlfriend wrote me, angry about a woman in Saudi Arabia who has been sentenced to an extreme punishment after having been gang-raped. Yes?the victim of a horrible crime was herself punished for the ?crime? of being alone with a man just prior to the gang-rape (the case is currently under review). Hello?!? Of course it's these sorts of insane outcomes (such as ?honor killings?) that give Middle Eastern countries a barbaric reputation in the West.But first of all, there are many countries that make up the Middle East, each with different styles of government, with different levels of women's rights, and with varying flavors of secularity versus religiosity in control. Is it fair for well-educated, even well-meaning Westerners to lump these 19 countries (subject to debate?is Turkey a Middle Eastern country? Egypt? Algeria?) together.Ever since September 11, 2001, I've been exposing myself to more information about Middle Eastern cultures and governments?bit by bit, because...
More About: Women , Issues , World Politics , World Cultures

How Would You Like Your Next Car to Run on Air?
2007-11-15 16:55:00
Compressed air. That's what fuels this teensy mini at left, as well as the larger "taxi" pictured below. And zero emissions?no stinky tailpipes on this futuristic car. Plus, it goes for only about $12,700. What's the catch? Well, there are two: "The Air Car," as it's called, will be available only in India at first; and the car parts are held together with glue. Sounds like a sticky deal, but hey, the technology is worth looking into.Designed by a Formula One race car engineer, The Air Car uses forced air to propel its pistons (instead of internal combustion, which uses a mixture of gasoline and oxygen to make the mini-explosions that propel pistons). Yes, compressing air does require energy. But how much energy? And how does the energy usage compare to an internal combustion car?The car manufacturer, Moteur Developpment International (MDI), a Belgian firm, claims the cost to fill the air-fuel tank will be about $2.00 to $2.50. Yes, less than the cost of one gallon's worth of ga...
More About: Science , Nature , Alternative Energy , Like You

From Eight Limbs to Four: A Toddler's Transformation Brings Many Blessings
2007-11-13 01:06:00
Petite, two-year-old, gorgeous toddler, Lakshmi Tatma looks like other children from the waist up. Okay, maybe she's a little cuter than is fair, but blessings sometimes come in odd packages. Lakshmi, as you may have heard, was born with parts of a parasitic twin attached to her pelvis. Born into a Hindu culture that worships the many-limbed deity, Vishnu, it seems natural that local villagers would wonder if she were the reincarnation of the true goddess.Although it might have been tempting for the Tatma family to revel in the goddess status of their little girl, the bad news was that her chances of living beyond adolescence in her condition were slim.When I first heard about the story, I hoped her parents would not choose the route of glory but would put their girl first. And blessedly, they did. Even a wealthy family, however, could not have afforded the extensive surgeries that doctors said would be necessary to transform Lakshmi from an eight-limbed child into a four-limbed on...
More About: Blessings , World Cultures , Limbs , Transformation , Tran

Musharraf: Three Steps ahead of Bush in the Dictatorship Race
2007-11-06 16:06:00
Which country described below is the United States and which is Pakistan? Mystery Country 1 Protesters clubbed; 3500 imprisonedThe president assumed power in a coup The Constitution was suspended and martial law is in effectRe-election of the president was only questionably legalIs considered to have become a police stateExtremists are making increasingly more powerful attacks Mystery Country 2 2400 protesters imprisoned in 2004 in one protest alone, manhandled, pepper-sprayed, and shot with rubber bulletsThe president assumed power in a much-disputed election, fraught with hanging chads, supporters storming the election returns recount, Supreme Court intervention, and admitted e-voting fraud, under-counted ballots, and other voting fraudHas been chipping away at the ?it?s just another G*^ D$%&# piece of paper? Constitution with the Patriot Act, the destruction of Habeas Corpus (illegal detentions without ...
More About: Bush , World Politics , Race , Musharraf , Progressive Politics

What Do Parents Teach Kids to Call Their Genitalia?
2007-11-04 23:45:00
It's such a dilemma--we have to refer to you-know-what sometimes with little ones, what with potty training, and accidents, and the reality of living in our bodies and explaining it all--as though we have some kinda monopoly on truth just because we are parents.Anyway, I made the decision to use a cute made-up word because I didn't want my little girl referring to her privates in public and causing embarrassment to everyone but her. So I remembered a joke where female genitals were referred to as a "twinkie," and I just liked it, so stuck with it. Our Jaclyn says, Mama, I forgot to wipe my twinkie, or Dah-dah, I fell and bumped my twinkie. And no one is the wiser. Someday she'll snigger when she can read and sees the actual cream-filled golden snack-cakes by the same name. But a sweet word is a good word, I thought. Now we have the word "vajayjay," and while I don't love this word particularly, it does have a nice va-va-voom factor, and at LEAST it's a positive word. English-sp...
More About: Personal , Kids , Parents , Call , Parent

Women in Art: 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art
2007-11-04 22:09:00
Music: Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G
More About: Women , Female , Years , Western , Portraits

Pat Tillman 1976?2004: The Death of War Dreams Rap
2007-11-01 22:05:00
Chorus No safety for the safetyNo solace for the saneNo justice for the heroJust an end to his game. Fragged by a sniper From the very same team That?s not how you play the game, ?The death of war dreams.? We saw September 11 If you believed your eyes, We took it all in The gut-wrenching surprise. But you took it on As your own war to fight Enlisted to help out, And make the wrong right. ?Hmm,? said the leaders, ?Hmm,? said The Man, Smells like a winner For our propaganda plan? ?NFL Safety Quits Season To Fight Terror War? Trained you up, shipped you out Moved you to a distant shore. [Chorus] Sent you to Iraq And then Afghanistan Out on patrol Where only Army Rangers can. Don?t know what you saw. Can?t see with your eyes Your diary disappeared And your voice And your soul. First it was a hero?s death By hostile enemy fire But wait, no, that?s not right Oh, yeah, it was friendly fire? It happened at night Where no one could s...
More About: Dreams , Poetry , Anti-War , Death , Progressive Politics

Who Will You Be for Halloween?
2007-10-29 17:06:00
And if you can't dress up for Halloween , what would you really like to be?[Pics: Me as Spider-Mama and little Jaclyn as Bat-Girl?I made both costumes!]
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2007 SoCal Fire Disaster the New Katrina?
2007-10-26 01:23:00
Disaster response efforts hampered by lack of federal fundingDisaster response efforts hampered by lack of coordination across agenciesDisaster response efforts hampered by lack of National Guard troops who are over-stretched by their presence in the Middle East. Said Sen. Jim Webb, himself a decorated war verteran, "Extended troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan compromise the long-term ability of states to respond adequately to natural disasters of this magnitude . . . "One million or more US citizens displaced due to the disaster?1 million southern California residents displaced from their homes, mostly in San Diego county in the SoCal fires, 25 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since Hurricane Katrina Both the Hurricane Katrina disaster rescue disaster and the 2007 SoCal fires disaster are blazing examples of fallout from political decisions higher up the chain.
More About: Disaster , Fire , Progressive Politics , Aster

Southern California Fires?How Is Ventura County?
2007-10-24 21:18:00
We WERE affected by the fires here in Ventura, California ?in a small way. Sunday was the worst?and creepiest. We awoke from our 3PM family nap to a sky that was as dark as dusk?the air completely full to saturation with ash. The sun, which you could barely see, was a frightening crimson. It was apocalyptic. The air was so smoky, I put a towel at the bottom of the front door to seal it, closed all the windows, and turned on the air cleaner full-blast! We even made our dog, Kiko, sleep inside because the outside air might have choked her!The next day was a bit better, but you wouldn't have wanted to be outside for longer than a few minutes. Yesterday, the air was good enough for me to run, though I didn't go far for fear that it would get to me. Many schools were closed and the ones that weren't were not allowing the kids to play outside (our little Jaclyn played inside at her preschool). Today looks almost normal with a mere smoky haze in the distance.We were lucky to be a good 20...
More About: Personal , County , Fires , Southern

We Want YOU to Give Us Your Phone Records?Way Before 9/11
2007-10-17 17:28:00
It's February, 2001. The National Security Agency (NSA, for Nothing's too Secretive or Above our reach) gets its request to QWest turned down?a request to hand over telephone calling records of ordinary US citizens without cause. Without permission. Without a shred of constitutionality. QWest's reward? Retaliation, naturally. They find themselves blacklisted from potential outsourcing contracts that would have made them big money. All of this came out this week (October 2007) during court proceedings against a high-level executive for QWest (Joseph Nacchio).But wait, the ?before-9/11 call record scandal? also came out back in June of 2007, when court papers were filed in New York Federal Court against the NSA, George Bush, AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth in a Breach of Privacy Case that alleges the violation of Telecommunications Act of 1934 and the US ("It's just a g*#^!$% piece of paper") Constitution.What's the NSA's excuse? The NSA says on its Web site that in June 20...
More About: Phone , Give , Records , Cord

Congratulations, Mr. Gore
2007-10-12 18:04:00
Congratulations on your Nobel Peace Price, Mr. Gore . You deserve this?and so much more! Thank you for your selfless dedication to broadcasting an important and none-too-happy message that must be told. Man-made climate change is endangering life on this planet. Man-made climate change for the better must replace it.On a personal note, my husband was in San Francisco last weekend for the annual American Society for Landscape Architects (ASLA) conference and the keynote speaker for the end of the conference was scheduled to be Al Gore. Sadly, Mr. Gore could not make it due to a death in his family. Rats! Would have been cool to have his autograph. Winning the prize will be a huge blessing to the movement. Said Gore upon his acceptance of the prize: "I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize . . . We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
More About: Science , Global Warming , Nature , Congratulations

The Mom Song: Is This the Truth or What?!?
2007-10-09 20:08:00
The Mom Song Oh, I know this is going around the Internet. I know. I write all-original articles and I never post jokes or retell stuff that somebody else did. BUT THIS IS SO GREAT. Yeah, it's funny. But for some reason the real, honest, truthfulness of it made me cry. Am I the only Mama-idiot who cried when she heard this?Also, how did she remember all that? And perform it so convincingly? She must be a mom.
More About: Truth , Ruth , The Truth

10 Million US Children Insured for One Year = 40 Days in Iraq
2007-10-07 23:11:00
Nancy Pelosi giving what-for to Fox News anchor regarding the Bush veto of SCHIP. How much does it cost, anyway?
More About: Children , Iraq , Days , Million , Year

Mr. "'I mean, people have access to health care in America?they can just go
2007-10-03 22:08:00
Ranking on the all-time least sympathy for the common person list, among the likes of Marie Antoinette ("Let them eat brioche") and his own mother (about hurricane Katrina relief "Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality . . . this is working very well for them"), President Bush made no effort to air-brush his true feelings when he said, "I mean, people have access to health care in America ?they can just go to the emergency room." This in regard to the new barriers his administration has thrown up to deter uninsured/underinsured children from getting the health insurance they need. The State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) worked before and was authorized by the federal government as recently as a year ago. SCHIP pays for insurance for children whose families are not qualified for Medicaid, do not have private insurance, and cannot afford to purchase private insurance. A push for the expansion of SCHIP now has the feds stepping in and mucking up the waters for ...
More About: Medical , People , Health Care

Blade-runner Car Coming to a Street Near You in 2008: Aptera for Sale Now
2007-10-01 20:01:00
Check this gorgie three-wheeler that comes in either all-electric or plug-in electric diesel hybrid designs. The spiffy, space-age Aptera boasts a 230 miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency (no need to complain that the prototype promised 330 MPG--trust me, be grateful for a week's worth of commute costing you about $3.00), assuming you chose the hybrid. Electric gets you 130 miles per charge up and costs $26.9K. Hybrid gets you much farther than a standard-fuel car and costs $29.6K, promises Aptera Motors, Inc, formerly Accelerated Composites. You can pay $500 to reserve yours now, or visit Aptera's freaky-cool website. (Forgive them the typo on the Home page?they need someone like me working for them?in exchange for, naturally, a car. I think the Aptera's delicious in every dimension and if you buy one, please call me up and take me for a ride around the block in it.)
More About: Science , Nature , For Sale , Sale , Runner

Nine Protestors Shot and Killed while Shouting, "Give Us Freedom"?Tiananmen
2007-09-28 04:48:00
When I read about the tens of thousands of peaceful protesters in Burma (no fair that the military junta overthrew a sovereign government, rules by force, and insists on calling the country "Maynmar"), I was afraid of bloodshed. Any government that did what they did would stop at nothing less. Protesters, many of whom are monks, shouted, "Give us freedom."Today, the government opened up their automatic rifles and fired into the crowd, killing nine and injuring others. The protest began August 19 in response to a much-loathed price hike. But when the Buddhist monks join in, the sheer numbers and the media coverage, must have severly threatened the junta.One of those killed today was a Japanese journalist and protests from their Asian neighbor have been mighty.The US has imposed additional economic sanctions and we bugged China to lay down the law with the country too. If anyone can have Burma's ear, it's the Chinese.Sadly, there's likely to be further violence at the hands of the ...
More About: Freedom , World Politics , Shot , Killed

Gender Dynamics: Are Women Being Held to Lower Standards?
2007-09-26 01:06:00
My esteemed and brilliant girlfriend, who is, by the way, quite analytical and logical in her predominant style of thinking, asked me what I thought about a piece by one of her writer girlfriends that addresses some issues of gender dynamics. To read the post--brace yourself--in a right-wing site called "Family Security Matters"--check here. I could not help but write a rejoinder. (There was nowhere on Family Security to comment, so I'm countering here.) What do you think?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Oh, Pamela Meister's post is reasonably balanced, all right, reasonably balanced right-wing pabulum. I take special exception to this paragraph: ?Men and women are different, both physically and temperamentally. While there are many exceptions to every rule, men tend generally to be stronger, more logical and analytical. They also tend to be more focused on goals and problem solving. They are also more combative and territorial. Women tend to be physically weaker, and often rely on their intuit...
More About: Standards , Dynamics , Issues , Gender