So the economy sucks. Graduating with a university degree no longer means you’re a catch when it comes to job hunting, meaning more grads are moving in with their parents. Moving in with your parents and not having money means you’re taking longer to settle into relationships and therefore get married. For a lot of people this will also mean you’re taking longer to have kids, if at all. And everyone seems to be holding this against women.

A study done by Australian researchers shows women who do not have children are at a greater risk for poor health than mothers. Some women with pre-existing health conditions that would discourage them from having children were included in this survey, therefore increasing the number of childless women with poor health. However, overall, women who have not popped out children may have trouble with social functioning and mental health as a result of societal pressures to have children. I’m sure you could relate if you sat next to your old aunt at Thanksgiving that measures accomplishments by the presence of a ring on your finger and a stroller in front of you.

So women in Australia are feeling the pressure when they’re not having kids. Jump continents to China and unmarried women are the ones feeling the strain. The Chinese government is telling women if they are not married by 30 they’ll be spinsters. Shen Ru, meaning “leftover women,” is being used as a derogatory phrase to describe unmarried women over 27 that are urban and career focused. Yes, future grads you too can be last week’s cold turkey even if you’re accomplished in other ways.

Even though there is a surplus of single men in China, they aren’t receiving any of the heat. As a result, many young women are not acting in their best personal interest out of fear they will not be able to find a partner, thus becoming undesirable as they age.

With all the leaps women have made over the last hundred years it still seems we’ve got a long way to go. One jump forward, one step back.

Americans are well known for their affection for, and addiction to, theme parks.  We have Disney Land, Disney World, Lego Land, Sea World, and a plethora of other immensely entertaining places.  What we don’t have is a theme park about sex.  Guess who else doesn’t have one?  China.

While that may sound like a no-brainer, China was recently set to open a theme park called Love Land.  It was meant to promote open sexual discussion in a society where tradition and conservatism still reign with an iron fist.  The park was to feature huge reproductions of male and female genitalia, how-to workshops and other fun activities and displays.  However, all of that was razed today after a weekend inspection by government officials deemed the park vulgar and sensational.  Well, duh, but how awesome is that?

The question is: where’s ours?  Don’t we as Americans, especially young and virile Americans, deserve a theme park dedicated to our favorite pastime?  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Mickey Mouse and friends, but I would much rather spend a hot summer day sweating it up on sex toys and whatnot than random cartoon characters (because that’s just creepy).

Just think of all the possibilities: roller coasters based on the Kama Sutra (“It’s a wild ride!”), water slides that really get you wet (tee hee), and a nightly fireworks display that heats things up.

Now that China has put its foot down and stomped out the sexy times, is an erotic theme park fated to be only a delicious pipe dream for those long summer days?  For those lucky enough to be in the general area of South Korea, the answer is no!  Love Land actually exists on Jeju Island and visitors can experience many of the same exhibitions and activities that were set to open in China: giant statues of genitalia, how-to masturbation and sex position exhibits, and lots of yummy works of erotic art.

Masturbation? Art? Penis? Sex? Hot Asian men? How much is a plane ticket to South Korea again? Oh yeah….  Well, until the day comes where I can get a flight to South Korea for less than the price of an entire semester, I’ll have to settle for the American Love Land.

As in, the Love Land that exists in all of our bedrooms and can’t be torn down. Take that, China!

Old school repubs are scared.

Everyone should share their sex stories.

Forever 21 calls Kim Kardashian fat.

Jen Garner and Ben Affleck having sex problems?

Your daily dose of Chase Crawford.

Well, I just found a video that is the ultimate in one-upmanship when it comes to hot dance moves. A group of elderly women in China decided to form a hip-hop dance troupe for fun and for exercise. The Hip-Hop Grannies rock G-Unit tees and bandanas, and a third-place finish in the national Chinese hip-hop dance competition qualifier rocketed them to fame. Since their development in 2003, the Hip-Hop Grannies have shared the joy of dance, healthy living, and social activity with many senior ladies. Not to mention they’re good at it, too!

I hope I’m just as cool when I’m 65.

(Editor’s Note: I’m not this cool now.)

Yeah, I get it, nations get together and compete to show that their differences aren’t all that big after all, blah blah blah. The truth of the matter is, sports has never brought nations together. Maybe they can put their differences aside for a few minutes for the sake of the cameras (and to try for that gold medal), but the moment they leave the venue, the world is back to the way it was.

But, hey, I do like dessert. So, to honor the Beijing Olympics in the only way I know how, I propose a making delicious Chinese dessert: deep fried watermelon. Yes, it’s fried, but, hey, at least it’s fruit!

Happy sporting!

What You’ll Need

1 10 pound watermelon

2 beaten egg whites

11 tablespoons of flour

7 tablespoons of cornstarch

3 cups of vegetable oil

How To Do It

(1) Slice the watermelon in half.

(2) Scoop the pulp out and remove all seeds.

(3) Carefully cut the pulp into the shapes of your choice. (Each one will be a serving.)

(4) Coat the shapes with flour.

(5) In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, the egg whites, and a splash of water. This is the batter.

(6) Heat the oil until it’s about 250 degrees F. Be very careful!!!

(7) Dip each watermelon piece into the batter and then carefully place each piece into the boiling oil.

(8) Let it fry until the coating of the watermelon is firm. Then turn the heat off and deep fry until the watermelon coating is a light brown color.

(9) CAREFULLY drain the watermelon.

(10) Sprinkle it with sugar, let cool, and enjoy!

[Image courtesy of www.sde.ct.gov]

[Want to be part of the liveblogging extravaganza? IM CollegeCandy27 and tell us what you think...we'll put the best comments up!]

Everyone’s been talking about Beijing’s Olympic Opening ceremony; it’s futuristic, the best we’ve ever seen, full of spectacle…blah blah blah. Not to be a dick, but how interesting can this sort of thing really be? A bunch of people marching around carrying flags, fireworks, George W…it sounds kind of like the Fourth of July, except slightly more boring, because nobody can be drunk.

Since my social calender has a big gaping hole where tonight’s plans should be, I’ve decided to sit in front of the TV (with or without my face covered in a homemade facial…I’m not telling) and liveblog through this so-called fantastic futuristic mind blowingly awesome ceremony.

Let’s see how badass China really is, shall we?

7:58pm — Matt Lauer and some guy are talking…President Bush is coming down the aisle…he looks slightly awkward.

8:00pm — holy f*ck there are a lot of drummers…in wizard garb.

8:05pm — I think my retnas just exploded from the lights.

8:08pm – [IM from Peanut37] “Wouldn’t want to be the one who effs up in that drum group”

8:13pm – Okay. I’m kinda impressed with those rising Olympic rings…

8:23pm – Dude, there is now a massive scroll in which peeps are dancing on. Plus there’s a drawing. On the massive scroll. That the dancers are doing with their bodies.

8:34pm – [IM from dimitriobsidian] “The block thing kind of looks like…those things they sell in Spencer’s. You know, the ones where you put your hand or your face or whatever body part you think would shock the public the most and it leaves an imprint? … THOSE BLOCKS ARE PEOPLE??”

8:51pm – Some guy is playing the piano, surrounded by people who are lit up and reminding me of an accidental LSD trip I took once…

9:00pm — An hour into the ceremony and I impressed but also bored. Does this make me uncultured?

9:07pm – Commercials. Wait, ER has only one more season? John Stamos is on that show now? That show is still ON?

9:12pm — [IM from pomqueen13] “On display tonight, things China has given us… including paper, fireworks, kites…. and undoubtedly some OPIUM.”

9:20pm – [IM from itisbecauseiam] “I think that china is just trying to show off how vast their population is… there’s no reason to have thousands of people in each and every performance”

9:23pm – Turkmenistan? Where the crap is that?

9:36pm — Table tennis. I forgot that that’s an Olympic sport. I need to watch. I used to have a ping pong table in my basement…the balls kept rolling into the cat litter.

9:47pm — Falling…asleep…being..lulled…by…bagpipes…

9:55pm – PRESIDENT BUSH JUST CHECKED HIS WATCH. He’s as bored as I am.

10:11pm — Okay, I’ve watched for 2 hours and 11 minutes, my computer sounds like it’s about to blow up, America hasn’t paraded through the parade of nations, I’m super hot, and watching people wave flags is not as interesting as it sounds. Thanks to everyone who sent in hilarious IMs…glad I’m not the only one in on a Friday night. Let me know when table tennis is on. NIGHT!

Still, as we get closer by leaps and bounds (only hours away!) to the Summer 2008 Olympics, I guess I am kind of excited. I’m sure I’m not as psyched as lots of die hard sports fans who will be watching the Games like a hawk. But I am looking forward to seeing that torch lit. Just…not for reasons that I think resonate with the majority of Olympics viewers.

Love Those Losers: My grandmother and I started the tradition about ten years ago of watching the Olympics and rooting for the country with the least chance of winning. I’ve always had a thing for underdogs; I don’t know if it’s because they’re so utterly pathetic (really, you should watch just to see their, “Well, I saw that coming,” expressions when they fail horrendously) or because of how awesome it is when the team no one thought would even place gets the gold. Either way, I’ll be keeping a semi-close eye on the teams that the rest of the viewers and participants could care less about. (But I won’t be making any bets. I always lose those.)

Summer Olympics are HOT: I know you know it. Gawker knows it. We know it. This summer there is a delicious smorgasbord across several of the sports, and I do not just mean the competitive spirit. Two of my favorites are USA softball girl Jennie Finch and Australian diving boy Matthew Mitcham. Too bad I’m pretty certain Finch is straight and I know for certain that Mitcham is gay, so I’ve got no chance with either of them. Still, I can gawk and unfairly root for them.

Ride ‘Em, Cowboys (and cowgirls): Okay, so there’s no western equestrian events at the Olympics; it’s all just eventing (don’t worry if you have no idea what I just said). But I have to say, I’m kind of a sucker for the Equestrian events. I love horses. I love dressage (even though it’s hard as hell; let me tell you, I would have never thought that riding a horse around would be SO hard). I’ve had the fever ever since my girl got me into horses, and I don’t want an antidote. What? You don’t understand? Watch Anky Van Grusen from the WEG 2006 Freestyle Final. Even if you know nothing about horses aside from the fact that they are big and they eat as much as they crap, you’ll see just how awesome this is. It will change your LIFE.

Okay, That’s Enough: As excited (which, all things considered, isn’t that much) as I am about the Olympics, really, I’m getting a little tired of hearing about them. The news nowadays is either that they just found out Obama won’t pledge allegiance or, oh no, China’s polluted! Really, I’m sick of it. Yes, China has just as many, if not more, problems than good ol’ USA, and hopefully the Olympics being there will jar it into bettering itself. Yes, people have every right to be upset about the Tibet’s suppression. But can’t we just let the Olympics do what they are going to do and then figure out how to fix this afterwards?

The point I’m making, ladies and gents, is this: love them or hate them, excited, angered, or indifferent, the Olympics are here.

It’s the news with Kandy Korrespondent!

Yesterday saw a climactic end to the democratic presidential race. Superdelegates rushed to throw their support behind Obama which in addition to his victory in Montana placed him solidly past the requisite delegate count with 2,152. He claimed the nomination in his victory speech to supporters in Minnesota.

Although Clinton failed to concede the nomination, a growing number of moves by her campaign seem to indicate that she is preparing to withdraw from the contest. Most notably, on Tuesday she reportedly told supporters that she would be open to being Obama’s running mate.

In Other News:

Senator Kennedy is recovering well following brain surgery on Monday to remove a malignant brain tumor. He is expected to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatment in the near future. His cancer diagnosis has rekindled talk of the so-called “Kennedy Curse”. Senator Kennedy’s two brothers JFK and RFK were both assassinated while his oldest brother died during a covert mission in WWII. Curse believers point to additional other tragedies through the years ranging from drug overdoses to plane crashes to cancer (of which Senator Kennedy is simply the latest).

On Monday a Texas judged ordered that the 460 children seized during the April raid on a polygamist sect must be returned to their parents. The judge ruled that the children were not immediate danger despite numerous reports of underage marriage. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a splinter faction of the Mormon church, believes that polygamy brings glorification in heaven.

Internationally:

At least eight are dead and 30 injured following a suicide car bomb attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan on Monday. Danish embassies became targets for terrorist threats following the infamous Muhammad cartoon debacle in September 2005.

The Myanmar military government is forcing cyclone refugees to return to their devastated villages. According to unconfirmed reports, government run camps are being closed down and several schools are preparing to reopen. Aid groups say that sending children back to school will increase the spreading of disease.

China has published a list of dos and don’ts for visitors to the Beijing Olympics in August. Regulations include: Do not bring any printed materials critical of China. Do not plan on holding any rallies or demonstrations in China. Also included is a ban on bringing into China, “Anything detrimental to China’s politics, economy, culture or moral standards, including printed material, film negatives, photos, records, movies, tape recordings, videotapes, optical discs and other items.” While the International Olympic Committee does have a rule forbidding all demonstrations and propaganda near Olympic sites, venues, or areas, China is perilously close to impinging upon the games commitment to free speech.

And Now for Something Completely Different…

Sunday marked the last day alcoholic beverages were to be allowed on the London Underground and Londoners decided to commemorate the day in style… well at least that was the intention. The festivities quickly degenerated into an all out brawl. Six stations had to be closed and several damaged trains were withdrawn from service. The police arrested 17 people while six assaults were reported against underground rail staff and police.

That’s the news! See you tomorrow

It’s time for the news with Kandy Korrespondent!

For those of you who may have thought this year’s presidential race couldn’t get any crazier: Meet Mr. Bob Barr! Former Republican congressman, Bob Barr said on Monday that he would run for President as part of the libertarian ticket. He was part of the Republican Revolution in 1995 and gained notoriety for his role in the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton. He left the Republican party in 2004 and became a Libertarian in 2005 as a result of his growing disillusionment with the civil liberties-eroding Patriot Act. His entrance into the race as a third party candidate may siphon off extreme right-wingers from the McCain platform.

Also on Monday, President Bush told the BBC that the US has plans to strengthen Lebanon’s army to enable it to disarm Hezbollah. At least 60 have died in clashes around Beirut this past week.

In this writer’s opinion, it seems clear that Bush and his advisers see aiding the side of the Lebanese army in their fight against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in geopolitical terms. It’s a way to assert continued US “control” within the Middle East, and yet another opportunity to shove some dirt into the eye of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. What is not clear, however, is whether the administration fully understands the ramifications of such a move.

Lebanon is teetering on the brink of civil war. Turning the country into a tiny microcosm of Iran-US tension is sure to only harm the situation. Furthermore, with the US military and resources already embroiled in Afghanistan and Iraq, becoming mired in yet another endless conflict is not what anyone needs.

In other news:

The death toll from Monday’s 7.8 magnitude quake in China has reached at least 10,000. Meanwhile in Myanmar, at least 32,000 are dead with thousands more missing and injured. Check out the BBC for how you can help.

Chances are either you or someone you know are in the midst of selling your house thanks to the country’s current economic woes. Meet Shawn Forgaard, a 37-year-old software company project manager who made the fatal mistake of investing his earnings in real estate. Between 2004 and 2006 he invested in 10 homes, including his primary residence in Santa Cruz, CA.

His story is synonymous with thousands of other real estate speculators who counted on rising real estate values (allowing them to refinance at a better rate) to pay off their mortgages. When the bottom fell out of the market, Forgaard initially thought he had enough equity to ride the storm. Five months ago, however, it became apparent that he didn’t. He and his wife are preparing to sell their homes, declare bankruptcy and move to a cheaper place in Northern California.

With the economy in a seemingly endless death spiral, stories like the Forgaards are becoming all too common. In California, 47,171 homes were foreclosed during the first three months of 2008—a fourfold increase from the same time last year. Home prices have dropped by 18 percent, according to Yale economist Robert Shiller’s calculations, and he expects them to drop a total of 30 percent before the market levels out.

Check out my previous posts, A Girl’s Guide to Recessions I and II, for more info about the current economic crisis.

That’s the News! See you tomorrow.

The US Military carried out an Air-strike on the central Somali town of Dusamareb on Wednesday Night killing al-Qaeda’s ‘top-commander in Somalia’. According to US officials Al-Shabab leader, Aden Hashi Ayro was inside the house leveled by the strike along with at least one of his top commanders.

A doctor at Dusamareb Hospital told the BBC that he was treating eight civilians, both women and children, for burns and shrapnel wounds. One of these women has since died.

According to the BBC, Al-Shabab, is a military wing of the Somali Sharia courts movement aka the Union of Islamic Courts. They were in power within Somalia until 2006 when they were overthrown by Ethiopian troops. Since then, the group has led the guerilla fight against the new Ethiopian-backed Somali government.

Over this past weekend, the two sides of the conflict engaged in heavy fighting, killing at least 81, and wounding 119 within the Somali capital of Mogadisu. According to Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of Elman Human Rights,

“The casualties … were caused by Ethiopians using heavy artillery and tank shells in residential areas of the war-torn capital.”

This attack is fifth known US strike against so-called operatives inside of Somalia. Past attacks have drawn heat from the international community, warning that the US is involving itself in a bloody internal civil war. These strikes have killed “terrorists” and civilians.

For more information on Somalia, check out my article on the Somalian civil war (ongoing since 1991) and my other article on pirates in Somalia.

In Other News:

In reaction to the latest scandal, the Chinese government is investigating thousands of factories suspected child slave labor. According to a Hong Kong newspaper, 167 children have already been “rescued” from their lives as slave laborers. It is not clear what the government plans to do with these children. If they are simply returned to their villages they are at high risk for once again being forced into similar situations.

18 US veterans commit suicide every day according to Arturo Gonzalez, a lawyer representing veterans’ groups who are lobbying the US government to provide better mental health care. Gonzalez, arguing his case before federal court Judge Samuel Conti, cited studies that found veterans committing suicide between three and 7.5 times more than the national average.

On a lighter note:

Good news for all of you future entrepreneurs! According to the New York Times, Universities across the country now offer classes to help fulfill your dreams, derailing past convention wisdom that “such skills cannot be learned in class”. More than 2,000 colleges and universities offer at least a class if not an entire course of study in entrepreneurship. In 1985, only 253 institutions offered such courses.

Albert Hofmann, the Scientist who accidentally discovered LSD, has died at the age of 102. During a laboratory experiment in 1943, a small quantity of a drug he was working on—the now infamous — lysergic acid diethylamide—fell onto his hand whereupon he began to experience,

“a not unpleasant intoxication-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination […] I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of color”.

He was wont to refer to LSD as “my problem child”.

See you tomorrow!