Katayama heard about the woman in question from a man who was her waiter that night:

The woman called her companion Peter or Stan. She ordered an appetizer for herself and a halibut dish for Peter/Stan. She was probably a tourist; she wanted to take pictures with Peter/Stan as the sun was setting, and while she was waiting for her food, she asked Joel if he could recommend any memorabilia from the gift shop so she could buy him a little something. When Joel was away, he could see her at her table talking to Peter/Stan as if he was a real person. Once or twice, she reached over to adjust him in his seat, or maybe to hold his hand. "When I walked up to the table, I felt like I was interrupting a date," Joel tells me. After about 45 minutes, the woman got up, walked to the kitchen, and told Joel that she would have to take her and Peter/Stan's dinners to go - they had a trolley car ride to catch, and she didn't want to be late.

We have so many "virtual" conversations — Facebook updates, Twitter accounts, texts and IMs. But does that mean fewer face-to-face encounters? I lived alone for about ten years — no roommates, no pets, no plants. I had friends, of course, with whom I'd make plans… But obviously a lot of my time was spent alone, especially once I started working from home. Time would pass without seeing or speaking to anyone, and it felt lonely. It took a long time to get comfortable with the idea of sitting in a restaurant alone. Sometimes I would bring a book, or a magazine, but I never considered a cardboard cutout. But would it be so bad? Kids often have imaginary friends. Are adults meant to do without? (Katayama points out that in September, NBC Miami reported on a woman who carries around a cardboard cutout of her soldier boyfriend. Does that seem less weird?) When I'm home alone, I sometimes talk back to the TV; about five months ago, Scientific American had an article about how TV can ease loneliness: "In the same way that a snack can satiate hunger in lieu of a meal, it seems that watching favorite TV shows can provide the experience of belonging without a true interpersonal interaction." But you can't take your TV out to dinner with you. (Yet.)

Men who marry video game characters, or who love their Real Dolls, get mocked. But what about the woman having dinner with a cardboard cutout? Do you have sympathy and understanding for her? Would it make a difference if the cutout depicted a soldier in Iraq? Or what if he were a character from New Moon? I guess what I'm saying is: I've been lonely. So I can't judge.

Woman Dines With Cardboard Cutout Man In San Francisco [BoingBoing]
Related: Imaginary Friends [Scientific American]

[Danboard image via HobbySearch]

About 665 million people in India — about half the population — lack access to latrines. But since a "No Toilet, No Bride" campaign started about two years ago, 1.4 million toilets have been built here in the northern state of Haryana, some with government funds, according to the state's health department.

Women's rights activists call the program a revolution as it spreads across India's vast and largely impoverished rural areas. [...]

"No loo? No 'I do,' " Vimlas said, laughing as she repeated a radio jingle.

And interestingly, this is one time when the stars have aligned to favor families who decided to buck societal pressures and raise female children.

A societal preference for boys here has become an unlikely source of power for Indian women. The abortion of female fetuses in favor of sons — an illegal but widespread practice — means there are more eligible bachelors than potential brides, allowing women and their parents to be more selective when arranging a match.

Ha! Talk about taking advantage of a horrible situation. The women then use their influence to actually stop some of the more virulent diseases that flourish in areas lacking sanitation systems as well as gender-specific problems:

The lack of sanitation is not only an inconvenience but also contributes to the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and malaria.

"Women suffer the most since there are prying eyes everywhere," said Ashok Gera, a doctor who works in a one-room clinic here. "It's humiliating, harrowing and extremely unhealthy. I see so many young women who have prolonged urinary tract infections and kidney and liver problems because they don't have a safe place to go."

Previous attempts to bring toilets to poor Indian villages have mostly failed. A 2001 project sponsored by the World Bank never took off because many people used the latrines as storage facilities or took them apart to build lean-tos, said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Center for Social Research in New Delhi, who worked on the program.

But by linking toilets to courtship, "No Toilet, No Bride" has been the most successful effort so far.

Ultimately, the region now is beginning to experience an interesting shift - with more girls going to school, and feeling empowered enough to assert their wishes to their future families, this may signal the beginning of a greater push for gender equality.

In India, New Seat of Power for Women [Washington Post]

Remember when people were all up in arms about the lyrics, "Can you pay my bills? / Can you pay my telephone bills? / Can you pay my automo' bills?" thinking that they promoted the lifestyle of a kept woman? If you pay closer attention, you'll discover that the song is really about a deadbeat who is running up debt in his girlfriend's name.

And now you ask to use my car
Drive it all day and don't fill up the tank
And you have the audacity to even come and step to me and ask to hold some money from me
Until you get your check next week…Now you been maxing out my card
Give me bad credit, buying gifts with my own ends
Haven't paid the first bill, but you instead you heading to the mall
Going on shopping sprees, perpetrating to your friends that you be ballin'.

Similarly, although the title of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" suggests that single women should be angling to land a man, in fact, the song is really about having a good time after breaking up with someone who didn't want to make a commitment but bugs out when she talks to other men. Speaking to him she says:

Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
I put gloss on my lips, a man on my hips
Hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans
Acting up, drink in my cup
I could care less what you think
I need no permission, did I mention
Don’t pay him any attention.

Another track off of I Am…Sasha Fierce, "If I Were a Boy," has Beyoncé observing that although gender is an at times unfair construct, on the plus side, the nature of being on the shit end of the gender schtick means that women often become much more socially adroit than men:

If I were a boy
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say its just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl
Someday you'll wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy

Some heavy shit, right? Back in 2005, before things got so complicated with Jigga, she was crazy in love, and wanted to shower him with affection, which she reflected upon in "Cater 2 U."

Baby I see you workin' hard
I wanna let you know I'm proud
Let you know that I admire what you do
Don't know if I need to reassure you
My life would be purposeless without you
If I want it, I got it
When I ask you, you provide it
You inspire me to be better,
You challenge me for the better
Sit back and let me pour out my love letter
Let me help you
Take off your shoes
Untie your shoestrings
Take off your cufflinks
Do ya wanna eat boo?
Let me feed you
Let me run your bathwater
Whatever you desire...I'll supply ya
Sing you a song, turn your game on
I'll brush your hair... put your du-rag on
You want a foot rub?
You want a manicure?
Baby I'm yours I wanna cater 2 U boy
Let me cater 2 you
Cause baby this is your day
Do anything for my man
Baby you blow me away
I got your slippers,
your dinner,
your dessert
And so much more
Anything you want
Let me cater 2 u
I promise ya i'll keep myself up
remain the same chick, you fell in love with
I'll keep it tight, I'll keep my figure right
I'll keep my hair fixed, keep rocking the hottest outfits
When you come home late, tap me on my shoulder I'll roll over
Baby I heard you, I'm here to serve you
If it's love you need
To give it is my joy
All I want to do is cater 2 U boy

I can totally see why that song would have some women reacting with a, "WTF?" But, as a love letter, I think it's really beautiful, and the same women who would cringe at that idea would probably think it was sweet if it were written by a man for a woman. We're quick to get pissed at ignorant assholes who assume that feminism is all about hating men. So why are we just as quick to say that wanting to dote on one is anti-feminist? There's a giant difference between wanting to do something for a man and having to do it. Wanting to be appreciative of someone you think deserves it is totally okay, regardless of what's between either of your legs.

And as far as the whole "I'll keep my figure right" thing: Look, I'm about to get married, and I'd be psyched if my fiancé said something like that to me. Besides, Beyoncé's music obviously draws on her personal experiences, and I think she's gonna keep her "figure right" no matter who she's with, so I think she's just reminding him how hot she is.

But momentary waves of euphoric love haven't kept Ms. Knowles from being grounded. In "Me, Myself, and I" from her album Dangerously In Love she intimates that, in the end, she doesn't need a man. (Last week, when she was on Oprah discussing her marriage, she said, "The most important thing is to make sure you have your own life before you're someone else's wife."):

Cuz I realized I got
Me myself and I
That's all I got in the end
That's what I found out
And it ain't no need to cry
I took a vow that from now on
I'm gonna be my own best friend

Words to live by.

Related: Oprah: Beyonce Still Won't Talk About Being Married To Jay-Z