Friday, October 27, 2006

Goat Friday


Why is ‘Clover’ trying to hide . . . ?

101 Uses for a Goat: #73

It was reported in the Sudan Tribune in February that “a man was caught having an intimate relation with a goat ... [and] was ordered to pay the goat’s dowry and take the animal as his wife.”

I certainly don’t want to dwell on the unfortunate details of this story, but it’s interesting to note that the order for the offender to pay the dowry and wed the poor animal was adjudicated by “some elders”. I’d be interested to know whether this judgement was based on a precedent, or whether perhaps it will become a precedent.

Such stories as this about men in ‘backward’ places ‘having an intimate relation’ with livestock, of whatever species, seem to crop up from time to time. In the last year or so, I recall hearing of at least one incident each in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While I’m sure this sort of thing also occurs in so-called modern democracies, it’s perhaps worth pondering how traditional practices, such as the requirement for dowries, and other impediments to matrimony, may tend to ‘force’ unattached men of limited means into seeking gratification by such desperate measures.

Oh, and just incidentally, how appropriate that the Google ads accompanying the above article are often about singles, dating, marriage and relationship advice! Adsense and sensibility...

(Via Richard Tonkin)

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Poor Clover...
Sorry Jacob , just gotta say it.
Some men are bastards!!

Not you of course darl.

27/10/06 9:12 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

Err, I've heard stories about baby lambs Jacob ... and that's from local lads ...

*Shudders*

Gives a whole new meaning to rolling over in the Clover though.

*Arrhhhh*

Sorry, really, very sorry, it just slipped out ...

27/10/06 11:29 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

Okay, now I'm miffed.

How do you get your links to open in a new window? I've never been able to find where to change settings on blogger to get mine to do that.

Helpful hint?

27/10/06 11:39 PM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

Kathy, I'd never ever dispute the proposition that some men are absolute bastards. Some women are bitches too, but their destructive potential arguably doesn't seem to even remotely approach that of bastards/men. I think history generally supports this view.

28/10/06 12:45 AM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

Oh Caz, n-o-o-o-o-o-o!!! Not another word, please, about those stories of baby lambs. Just doesn't bear thinking about! (I confess to being rather squeamish about such icky stuff.)

Links opening in new windows is achieved at in the 'Edit Html' thingy. You have your anchor tag, e.g.,

{a href="http://www.blah.com/"}

To get the link to open in a new browser use:

{a href="http://www.blah.com/" target="_blank"}

The only caveat is that users don't have a choice about whether it opens in new browser. Some users might be pissed off about said lack of choice.

28/10/06 12:47 AM  
Blogger Caz said...

Hmm, thought that would be the case Jacob. Only problem is in identifying which tag thingy to add the "blank" to so that links within posts open in a new window. That is, finding the generic hyperlink HTML. That could take me weeks of experimentation / accidents.

I tend to prefer a new window, because I don't necessarily want to interupt reading something. I'll often open links, but not get back to reading them for a while; just have lots of tabs lined up & browse through them during the day when I get a few minutes.

29/10/06 9:55 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

Oooooo, should I tell you about the news report I read this weekend, about the guy arrested for having sex with a dead dog?

Nooooo?

Turned out the dog belonged to his girlfriend, and had been hit by a car or something. Was dead for several days in open street, when people reported, err, that something was, um, going on ....

Ya gotta wonder.

29/10/06 9:58 PM  
Blogger Jacob A. Stam said...

No-o-o-o... um, oh well, if the pooch was already dead, then I guess no harm done really ... except to the witnesses.

But yes, ya gotta wonder! Then again, the less one dwells on such things, the better...

I mean, maybe he only went with the girlfriend because he really fancied the dog...?

But let's not go there. Ugh!

- - -

Yeah, I usually prefer a new window myself, which can be done anyway by right-clicking the link and selecting "Open in new window" (Internet Explorer). But sometimes I get careless...

The option to open the target in a new window should be (but isn't) available when you use the Link button in the 'Compose' thingy. Some blog engines even let you specify hint-text that appears when the user moves the mouse over the hyperlink.

Sure, working in the raw html can be a bit daunting... but I've been writing html for about ten years on and off, so I'm kind of used to it.

It's helpful to remember that you can always preview the post and try out the links before you publish the post.

29/10/06 10:40 PM  
Blogger Caz said...

Now that's a good tip, I didn't realise that I could right click for new window, very handy.

Yep, I figured the guy was just using the girlfriend to get to the dog.

30/10/06 2:19 PM  

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