how lorn got her (feminist) groove back

Two things today that caught my attention.

First: This is no surprise, but studies show women are less at risk from breast cancer with an active lifestyle. Simple activities, such as walking or doing chores, are on the list, although chances improve the more strenuous or frequent the exercise is.

Now, the Washington Times put a lovely little spin on this. I have a mental image of a group of writers or editors reading through this article, and being fairly bored by it until they got to that little bit about housework. "Aha!" they said, grinning maniacally. "Proof that women should do the chores! It's good for them!" They choose a writer to put it to text and lean over his shoulder snickering wildly. Now, I would think (and I may be disastrously wrong) that your chances of avoiding ANY kind of cancer would be improved by physical activity no matter what your gender. I also wonder, as a housewife/husband, how much do you counter those positive effects of activity by working with bleach, tile cleaner, ammonia, detergent, and wood polish?

Both links, and a much better commentary, are available at Echidne.

Second: When I was in pep band, I LOVED playing for the women's basketball games, because it was exciting to see women tearing down stereotypes and getting physical. Not to mention the team was way better than the boys. Well, win one for the ladies of the court: Candace Parker has become the first woman to win the McDonald's High School Slam Dunk Contest. This girl sounds like an all-around player- her last and winning shot was done with her left arm covering her eyes. She's Ms Basketball of Illinois, and she'll probably never have breast cancer. [Link: Ms Musings]

I like to play basketball too, but my best move was never a slam dunk. I'd like to think it was punching Adam Harry in the nose and knocking off his glasses. Yeah, that was pretty sweet.