They say you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. If every revolution is mired in human rights abuses, then Egypt was no exception.
After a protest in Tahrir Square shortly after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, many women protesters were arrested and subjected to so-called "virginity tests" during their detainment. The military doctor, Ahmed Adel, was recently cleared due to contradictions in witness statements.
One of the women violated for protesting, Samira Ibrahim, said she would continue to fight until justice was served.
Ms. Ibrahim and other women were reportedly forced by the Egyptian army to endure a five-minute-long "virginity test" by a male doctor.
Although the army initially denied the allegations, Amnesty International reported that a senior general later anonymously admitted that the tests had happened.
Ms. Ibrahim claimed witnesses had "changed their story at the last minute," either out of fear or possible coercion. In any case, let's pray that these women have the courage to come forward to right the wrongs done to them in their quest for change.
Got a meat lover in your family? Fred Flintstone, drop the brontosaurus drumstick and perk up your ears: vegetarians are not only healthier, they're happier, too. So says new research published in Nutrition Journal.
Diets heavy in meat and fish contain higher levels of the fatty omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA). Even though we keep hearing that omegas are good for us, it's more the 3s than the 6s. Today's meat is five times higher than the grass-fed meat that our ancestors ate. And research has shown that high levels of AA can cause "mood-disturbing brain changes."
Omega-3s not only combat the negative effects of the 6s, they boost brain power, mood, and should be consumed over the 6s in a 4:1 ratio. Even so, fish eaters weren't better off than their leaf-eating peers, particularly in the mood department.
The small study compared the diets of 39 meat-eaters, who were assigned to to one of three diets: one ate meat, fish or poultry daily while another ate fish 3-4 times weekly but no meat, and the third was strictly vegetarian. After two weeks, mood scores remained static for the omnivores while the vegetarians reported "significantly better moods and less stress."
Experts advise eating chia or hemp seeds, cauliflower and purslane to incorporate those all-important omega-3s.
Are you a veggie? Did you notice an improvement in your mood or stress levels when you gave up the carne?
Aha! So motherhood is a tough act even for Madonna the Magnificent, who admitted that even she sometimes drops the occasional ball. Ever since the queen of pop split from director Guy Ritchie four years ago, the 53-year-old workaholic professed that "it's hard work having four kids and doing all the work I do."
Just like any modern working mom, Madge struggles to balance working and parenting her kiddos: Lourdes, 15, Rocco, 12, David, six, and Mercy, five.
"Sometimes I cope with it very well, sometimes it's a struggle," says the multi-millionaire songstress.
A struggle that translates to some of the songs on her forthcoming album, MDNA, whose track I Don't Give A is about the life of a single mother.
"It's a challenge juggling everything—multi-tasking is my middle name. I try to express that."
Far cry from the days when she sang about her saucy erotic life. These days Madge has gone all domestic and divorcey on us, rapping about the "life of an ex-wife," having "no time," "doing ten things at once," "custody" and "pre-nups."
She also hints in a bonus track, that she shoulders a lot of the blame for her split with Ritchie in a track called "I F***** Up": "I blamed you when things didn't go my way. I could have just kept my big mouth shut."
The 'I err, therefore I'm human' Madge will be a welcome change to many fans, who have grown with her over the years. I much prefer this side of her to the uppity primadonna or the Super Bowl's strutting-around-in-impossible-heels version.
"And I hope I inspire women and give them strength to deal with life no matter what comes their way." But for now, Madge's primary job is protecting her kids—namely her eldest, Lola—from all the execs already sniffing around for movie and record deals. (Lola sang back-up on one of the new tracks.)
Are you a Madge fan? You don't have long to wait. MDNA comes out on March 26.
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