Bosses Ban Decorations

Almost three-quarters of British businesses are reported to have banned Christmas decorations in case they offend people of different religions. The trend is blamed on an increase in political correctness, as companies go out of their way not to offend minorities. Employment law firm Peninsula said it had surveyed more than 2,000 employers and found many were "succumbing" to political correctness.

About 70% of bosses questioned said they would not allow Christmas trees or decorations to be displayed in offices over the festive season. A spokesman said: "The workplace is now the latest in an increasing number of places affected by the wave of political correctness being imposed on festive traditions. "To ease fears of offending other faiths and excluding minorities, firms are increasingly banning Christmas decorations and traditions from the workplace."

Source



LEGAL ATTACK ON CHRISTIAN MORALITY

A former Covenant Christian Academy student who was expelled for kissing another girl filed suit Friday against the school. Jessica Bradley, who now resides in Pennsylvania, was expelled in April 2005 for kissing one Covenant student at an off-campus sleepover and having a relationship with another female student. She and her father, Ron, are suing the school for $1 million, alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract.

Principal Emmaline McKinnon disciplined Bradley for allegedly violating the school's code of conduct by having "an inappropriate relationship with another student," according to the discipline record. Bradley denied that her actions violated school rules.

Covenant's student handbook says any behavior "either on campus or away which indicates that a student has disregard for the spirit of the school standards would be sufficient reason to ask for him/her to withdraw from Covenant Christian Academy." David Clark, the Lawrenceville attorney representing the family, criticized the code of conduct for being unclear as to what constitutes inappropriate sexual behavior. "It's too vague and it's unfair to the students because they don't know what they can do to get themselves expelled," Clark said.

According to the claim, four days after the sleepover, school officials pulled Bradley out of class. After more than two hours of questioning her and four other students about her sexual relationships, McKinnon expelled Bradley. Bradley's family is suing the school for breach of contract because the school failed to educate her for the rest of the school year, despite her father paying $4,625 in annual tuition and fees. McKinnon had told Ron Bradley that his daughter could complete her year from home. She enrolled in Grayson High School for the last 18 days of the school year, where her GPA slipped from a 3.5 to a 3.0, according to court documents.

Bradley is also suing for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. These counts allege that Covenant officials pried into her sex life, spread word about it by questioning other students and led to rumors circulating around the school.

A similar lawsuit filed in Southern California involves a lesbian student at a public high school who was suspended for hugging her girlfriend on campus. Since this case involves a Christian high school, different standards apply. "There are no constitutional issues about civil rights because this school is not publicly funded," Clark said.

The lawsuit seeks a tuition refund for Bradley's family, and "not less than" $1 million in general damages. They are also requesting an injunction to prohibit Covenant from applying its discipline policy regarding "sexual immorality" to other students.

Source. See La Shawn for a good comment.



FEMINISM TAKES ANOTHER DIVE



Recent empowerment pop has been informed by the tomboyish rage of Pink and Avril Lavigne, the tough life experiences of Mary J Blige and the self-righteous soul of Alicia Keys. Today, though, it means only one thing: Don’t Cha, by the Pussycat Dolls.

This four-minute, hip-hop-influenced pop song has saturated the airwaves since spring, and was No 1 for almost all of September. With the refrain, “Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?/ Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?”, the listener untutored in Pussycat Doll ideology might look at the barely clad Dolls doing their raunchy dance routine and think Don’t Cha is about a woman telling a man: “I know you fancy me more than you do your girlfriend. Who wouldn’t prefer me to a boring, clingy girlfriend? I ’d happily share you with her, but she wouldn’t like it.”

One singularly, aggressively, unsisterly, catchy pop song. Right? Wrong, according to the founder of the Dolls, the choreographer Robin Antin: Don’t Cha is not the gorgeous, glossy Pussycat Dolls sneering at the lumpen female proletariat. “It is an anthem for all confident girls,” she says. “I want to help women really accept themselves. I will never give up on putting my message out there for girls and for women.”

And the message is? “Inside every woman is a Pussycat Doll, which makes you feel sexy and empowered. You wake up every day and put on a little bit of gloss, mascara, a little blush, and look cute. It’s about looking after your body, being healthy, eating the best, drinking a lot of water and taking care of your hair. It’s about using the Pussycat Doll mentality in your everyday life and being inspired by the best a woman can be. It’s a religion.”

More here



I put up a few posts on Tongue Tied over the weekend that people reading here might be interested in.