"Dark Red Flower"

Nadia Anjuman
(1980-2005)

Nadia Anjuman, age 25, died Sunday, Nov. 6, in Herat, Afghanistan. It appears she was beaten to death. Her husband, who confessed to striking her on Friday, has been apprehended, as has her mother.

Anjuman published her first book of poems this year, a collection entitled “Gul-e-dodi, which means dark red flower.” Her work was especially popular among women in Afghanistan and Iran.

A piece in the Middle East Times reports, “Under the fundamentalist Taliban regime of 1996-2001 women were denied the right to education and could not even leave their homes without a male member of the family.

“Women have been given more freedom since the Taliban were toppled in a US-led campaign in late 2001. But rights groups say that (women) are still mistreated by men, including through sexual and domestic violence.”

United Nations spokesman Adrian Edwards called Anjuman’s death, “tragic and a great loss to Afghanistan.” He added that “violence against women remains dramatic in Afghanistan—in its intensity and its pervasiveness.”

A tribute from someone who knew her.

Anjuman leaves behind her Dark Red Flower and a six-month-old daughter.

Understanding Women 101

From the Female Lexicon, a few definitions that may be useful to men...

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"

GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.

LOUD SIGH!
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint.
Just say you're welcome.

WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!

Don't Bring the Family Jewels to a Robbery

God, I love stories like this!

Two thieves who tried to rob two elderly women in the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda, thinking they were easy prey, got more than they bargained for when the elder of the two victims, aged 93, valiantly defended herself, a press report said on Wednesday.

Read on...

Mighty Mama Rebuttal

Mighty Mama had some angry comments about "the glorification" of people whose lifestyle and life choices don't reflect a value for education. She somehow turns it into a racial issue by telling us that she expects to be called "a racist white bitch", but she is quick to point out that she considers her African American husband to be "her equal". We are so relieved. Perhaps she will later explain how he escaped the tentacles of the music industry.

While I somewhat agree with her premise, that there is more focus and importance placed on success in the sports and entertainment fields than there is on success in other fields, I was annoyed that she targeted Fantasia as an example. I have no idea what her education or family situation were like, and I doubt that Mighty Mama does either. Nevertheless, she suggests that Fantasia is a great example of a young, poorly-educated girl with ignorant parents. Young women don't set out to hook up with wife/girlfriend-beaters. The fact that Mighty Mama doesn't "feel bad" for women in that situation ticks me off. If they had grown up in a more nurturing environment, where different goals were stressed, they probably would have led more productive (no pun intended) lives.

I also didn't appreciate the fact that she failed to recognize that music, in fact the Arts in general, can be an important and worthwhile career choice. It's a little late to tell Fantasia to "close her legs". She's already a single mother--a single mother who chose not to stay with an abusive man and to try to make it on her own; a single mother who realized that she had singing talent and decided to pursue it, instead of living out her days on welfare. Out of 100,000 people who tried out for Season 3 of American Idol, she made it to number one. It would have been a tragedy to deprive the world of her talent.

Also, she says Fantasia is a stripper's name. If she had bothered to practice what she preaches about getting an education, she would have known that fantasia is a charming musical term.

angryblackbitch "ponders the topic with deep introspection and a furrowed brow", and adds her two cents, which is worth a helluva lot more than my two cents.