Faith schools in the UK have been in the news lately, with a new bill introduced that will allow them to teach sex education in the way that reflects their religious views. The irony, of course, is that while Schools Secretary Ed Balls said that the bill aimed to promote equality, encourage acceptance of diversity and emphasise the importance of rights and responsibilities etc, it could potentially do the exact opposite. In particular, Catholic schools will be able to teach students that the use of condoms and premarital sex are morally wrong, while preaching the “benefits” of abstinence – a policy supported by the Pope during his last visit to Africa. Both Muslim and Catholic schools will also be able to teach students that homosexuality is a heinous sin, despite the government’s line that homosexuality is natural – a line largely supported by the British public, according to polls.
While teenage pregnancy and inadequate sexual education are major problems in the UK, concessions to faith schools about the teaching of sexual education is a serious problem, especially concerning the issue of homosexuality – given the UK’s comparatively liberal stance on gay rights. Meanwhile, the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales have proudly announced that it was their lobbying that won them the most recent concessions, following the granting of the right to discriminate on grounds of parental employment and admissions policies over the past decade or so.
The government has issued a blustering response , replying to criticism from Accord that “all schools would have to teach SRE “in line with the principles outlined in the bill including promoting equality and encouraging acceptance of diversity – which contradicts their own bill, given Islam expressly forbids homosexuality and Catholicism the use of contraceptives. In particular, Ed Balls stated that faith schools had to make clear that their views were not the only ones, and that “the bottom line was that all young people must by law receive accurate and balanced information so that they could make informed, positive choices”. But how can teaching about the moral turpitude of homosexuality and the use of condoms be considered accurate and balanced? This entire affair reminds me of the Board of Education in the State of Alabama, where state school teachers are made to grant equal weight to the “theory” of creationism as they do evolution, while biology textbooks must carry a disclaimer to the same effect.
Mind you, what I do find quite amusing about this new bill is, as Sandi Toksvig pointed out on the news quiz, that while religious homophobes may find it far easier to exercise their views, secular homophobes have been left in the cold. Surely that’s also a form of discrimination. Oh dear.
“Crossing Hennessy,” the first film starring Chinese actress Tang Wei since she was reportedly blacklisted by officials in China following her graphic sex scenes in “Lust Caution,” has been selected as the opening night film for the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival on March 21.
Associated Press
“Crossing Hennessy,” a romantic comedy, is unlikely to receive the kind of controversy that “Lust Caution” generated. Tang’s co-star is actor-singer Jacky Cheung, one of Hong Kong’s most-popular entertainers. As the movie went into production last year, Tang seemed ready to take on different roles.
And it now appears that Chinese authorities are softening their view of Tang, who won critical praise for her role in director Ang Lee’s controversial espionage drama. This week, Hong Kong-based Edko Films, which is distributing “Crossing Hennessy,” said the movie received approval from mainland censors. Lorna Tee, general manager of Hong Kong-based Irresistible Films, which produced “Crossing Hennessy,” said: “We don’t know the release date for China, but it will be soon.”
In “Lust Caution,” Tang played a young student who helps set up an assassination plot against a treasonous Chinese official during the war-time Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Tang’s sexually explicit scenes with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai drew a huge amount of attention in China and elsewhere when it was released in 2007. The movie’s more graphic sex scenes were edited for its distribution in China, although it was assumed that many movie fans in the country found access to unedited pirated DVDs.
[picture: Tang Wei is poised for her return to the big screen]
Media reports at the time said that China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television slapped a ban on broadcasts featuring Tang because of the movie’s supposedly unpatriotic elements.
Ivy Ho, the writer-director of “Crossing Hennessy,” told The Wall Street Journal Thursday that the movie was made primarily for the Hong Kong market, but “of course we want to see it play everywhere.” Ho said the movie will open for general release in Hong Kong on April 1, and “Shortly after that, it will be shown in a dozen major cities in China.” She is making preparations for a promotional tour of China.
I recently came across the colorful and clever photography of Agnes Kunz Vigil. Sexual connotations captured through everyday mediums such as food. Check it out!
I can tell by the conversations I’m having this morning that today is going to be an interesting day…
Qlike and I were talking about sex this morning, specifically, the option of saying “no”. He told me that one thing he learned in his 20’s, being a man that didn’t think with his sex drive (unlike most of his contemporaries) if he turned down his then-girlfriend for sex, she would become very angry. I’ve heard of that before, and it made me wonder what the deal was. Is that normal? I don’t sleep with men, and in my f/f relationships it has yet to be an issue.
Shane says it’s a lovers thing, not just a m/f thing. It’s not woman per say, but when a couple has sex is determined by the partner with the lesser sex drive, because they’re the one saying “no”. We all know that “no means no” and that’s the end of the story. She offers up the point that a person is permitted to be angry about “no” if the other partner is using it as a weapon in order to get something they want (gifts, dinners, favours, etc). Qlike says that he doesn’t even get mad when sex is attempted to be used as a weapon, because that’s what one’s overactive imagination is for.
And what about partnering with someone who has a sex drive that’s not as high as yours? It’s not like that comes up on a first date. And the first little bit of a relationship generally is ruled by copious amounts of sex…so once you settle in with someone, and you realize they only like sex once a week (or less) and you like it once a day, what’s a person to do? Does that work? That must lead to a lot of frustration. I knew a couple, who had fairly steady sex, then it began to dwindle because he was stressed out at work. She dealt with this, was understanding. Frustrated, but understanding. Then, she found out that he was taking care of his needs without her and she was pissed (note: he wasn’t cheating). It brought an end to their several year relationship. Should she have continued to be more understanding? I don’t know. I think there’s only so much a person can do.
Should a person who doesn’t want sex cave to the needs of their partner?
I’m just wondering where this idea that women get to be in charge? Is it because it’s an empowering thing? Is it because it’s “our body” and we decide? And if so, why is it that so many women get upset when men don’t want to have sex? If it’s their body, should the same rules not apply? I’ve got a few girlfriends who get upset if their man says “no” to sex, and then in turn deny him the next time he’s in the mood. That hardly seems right.
Personally, I don’t think anyone should be upset or angry (unless there’s an underlying continued issue – talk it out). And no one should be “in charge” of sex. If you both want to have sex, great. If one of you doesn’t, then don’t. I really don’t like the idea of someone sleeping with me because I want it and they don’t. I think that would make me feel worse than just being turned down.
“According to a Men’s Health survey on a guy and his money, 40% of men would allow another man to sleep with their girlfriend or wife for money.” This just in…40% of men are douchebags. (I wish I could say that on the air!) I wonder how many of those men would admit that to their girlfriend or wife? I think that number would change. I wonder how many women would let someone sleep with their spouse for money?
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
I believe it was April of 2005, I was sitting at Starbucks on Mill Ave. listening to music and journaling when suddenly I had the brilliant idea that I wanted to get tattooed. So, I called my good friend Bobby Hess, asked him to meet me at SB and away we went. Rather than researching a shop or going somewhere that had a good reputation, I disregarded both of those and went to the shop that was walking distance. On the way to Living Canvas Tattoo, Bobby asked what I was going to get and I told him, “222″.
There it is… In all of its glory. The guy who did this tattoo had just moved here from somewhere else and had been tattooing for like six years. My guess is that six years really meant six months… He used a single liner, probably a 5 round to do the entire tattoo! The middle “2″ felt like nothing I had ever felt before, I was unaware that there are so many nerves in that part of your wrist. Getting this tattoo was more than just getting a tattoo that night, it was my dedication to expressing myself through the art!
Why this? Well, it is my pursuit. Sexual sin has been my down fall way before I would have classified my actions as sin. Although the verse that inspires this is pretty intense it is so beautiful because it commands that you do not fight the fight of lust and sexual sin as a loner. Flee & Pursue! Flee youthful passion & Pursue righteousness, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Associated Press
There it is… In all of its glory. The guy who did this tattoo had just moved here from somewhere else and had been tattooing for like six years. My guess is that six years really meant six months… He used a single liner, probably a 5 round to do the entire tattoo! The middle “2″ felt like nothing I had ever felt before, I was unaware that there are so many nerves in that part of your wrist. Getting this tattoo was more than just getting a tattoo that night, it was my dedication to expressing myself through the art!