Sex Starved

In Afghanistan, if your wife refuses to have sex, you can starve her. That’s now the law. The original bill obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days, minimum, or they could be forced to have sex. This law is the watered-down version. Women's groups say the new wording still violates the principle of equality that is enshrined in the country’s constitution. Reviewing the rights enshrined in the constitution it looks like a man has the right to withhold food from his wife if she refuses to have sex; a man gets to decide whether a woman can work; and men - fathers and grandfathers - have exclusive custody of children. Apparently, women are allowed to do as they are told.

Beer Strengthens Bones

There have been so many stories about booze and health lately. It’s good, it’s bad, we’re not sure. Now, Spanish researchers say women who drink moderate amounts of beer may be strengthening their bones. The one cautionary note here is that the plant hormones, not the alcohol, maybe be what strengthens bones. It’s good news really. You can drink the beer or eat some barley.

Hurricane Bill Could Be Messy

The Atlantic hurricane season got off to slow start this year but now three storms are out of the gate. Claudette hit the US Gulf coast with winds of 48 mph (80 kph). Tropical storm Ana is moving in but is not expected to do much more than cause heavy rains. Bill, on the other hand, could be a whopper by the time it hits the US Gulf coast on Friday. Forecasters say it could be a Category 3 hurricane with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph). We know that anything called Bill can be brilliant but it can also be messy.

Street Theatre to Fear

Spooks in Washington are using street theatre to hone their take-down skills. Usually, they work with actors but sometimes people stumble into scenes and get a taste of Washington’s dark side. The FBI, CIA, Capitol Police, Secret Service and US Marshals Service stage the dramas in and around the city in parks, hotels, parking lots, old folks homes, transit stations. The actors use many tactics, including suicide bomb skits to make the threats seem real. People who do get caught up in these street plays say they do seem real. If you get caught in something in Washington, believe it is real and act accordingly. I’m staying in my cab . . . hands up, mouth shut.