The crocodile festival is a unique festival in Karachi, Pakistan. It is a festival held by the ethnic group called Sheedis. It is believed that Sheedis came as slaves from Africa. The festival is held at a shrine in Manghopir, a dry and humid part of Karachi, which dates back to the thirteenth century.
People feed crocodiles and dance and sing. However, it is the dangling part of the festival that makes this stand out. A father will take his baby son and dangle it above the jaws of a crocodile. This is done to find blessings for the child.
During this festival the people will also make pledges to the shrine. These pledges are given to the crocodiles. The pledges consist of fresh goat meat. When the crocodiles accept the meat it will be seen as a sign of luck. They believe that the crocodiles will not attack because they are disciples of the saint known as Khwaja Hasan.
On November 17th, the Paycheck Fairness Act went to the Senate for vote. The bill would have provided "improvement and modifications" to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. President Obama called it a common sense bill. Nonetheless, it failed to pass due to an overwhelming surge of Republican opposition. Democrats voted 56:1 in favor, while Republicans went 1:40 against it.
So what have women lost as a result of this vote? As Jezebel reports, the Act would have "required employers to provide a business justification for paying men and women differently for the same work and make it easier for employees to obtain salary data and ask about salaries without retaliation." A lack of transparency is a key reason why many women remain underpaid. Currently, a woman makes 77 cents to each dollar a man earns.
What do Senate Republicans and one Democrat have against a woman knowing what her co-worker earns? Some argued that the Act would kill jobs, and that a woman's lower pay is a result of her choices in balancing family life with work.
Others argued that it would have opened up the work place for unnecessary lawsuits. But as the Washington Post points out, the Act would have simply "clarified vague language in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and applied well-established legal standards that are in place for other types of pay discrimination."
To mourn the death of the Paycheck Fairness Act, check out our homage to some of the more ridiculous laws regarding women on the books. Hopefully, some will soon be repealed. Let's just not send them to Congress to do so.
01. In Maryland, a woman cannot go through her husband's pockets while he is sleeping. Not even if she really wants a piece of gum.
02. In Vermont, a woman must obtain written permission from her husband if she wishes to wear false teeth. Because women really lead with their teeth in wanton, uncontrolled sexuality.
03. In Tucson, Arizona, women are not allowed to wear pants. No word on the stance on booty shorts or thongs.
04. In Carrizozo, New Mexico, it is illegal for a woman to appear unshaven in public. Rejoice, razor industry, rejoice!
05. In Dyersburg, Tennessee, it is illegal for a woman to call a man on a date. I don't want to live in a world where equal-opportunity drunk dialing isn't free to all.
06. In Carmel, New York, women may not wear high heels within the city limits. They are obviously just protecting their citizens, as this move effectively disqualifies the city from ever letting a "Sex and the City" sequel to be shot in their town. Good move, Carmel!
07. In Michigan, a woman isn't allowed to cut her hair without her husband's permission. But what if her husband cuts it for her?
If you have money to burn, this $164,000 gold-plated barbecue-grill made by BeefEater Barbecues should be at the the top of your spending list. Sure, this hand-made Signature Series 6 Burner SL400 looks good has some nice built-in features like a wok burner, warming rack and roasting hood, but will it make your steaks taste better? Probably enough, and the creators of the grill themselves say they made it for people "want to make a statement with their barbecue and have the money to burnâ".
"Why would anyone want to make a statement with their barbecue?", you ask? Maybe because they just got bored of gold phones, gold-plated cars, have eaten enough gold-plated food and need something new to attract attention.
The one-of-a-kind barbecues is covered with 24 carat gold, except for the actual grilling surface, and was created for the 2008 Sydney Home Show, for an estimated $60,000. Now, the price has gone up to $164,000.
