• Welfare workers report that girls in gangs are often raped by the male members of the gang as part of initiation, but many of them accept this as routine. "The girls think they are going to be protected by the gang if they have sex with one person but then they find there are more boys there," said Teresa Pointing, chief executive of In-volve, a charity that works with teen girls. • According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Sasha and Malia Obama have not been vaccinated for swine flu. The vaccine is currently unavailable to the twogirls because they are not at high risk. • Doctor Patrick O'Brian recalls being shocked at the state of pregnant women in Uganda, a country that apparently has some of the worst maternal care in the world. In efforts to address this issue, he started a program with the University College Hospital in London that works to distribute medicine to women in need and offer pre and post-natal care to mothers. • Researchers have found that breast reduction surgery may have unexpected benefits. Through testing the removed tissue, doctors may be able to better identify patients at risk for breast cancer. Another upside to breast reduction? Decreased back pain and increased range of movement. • According to a new study, well-educated older women who live alone report a lower emotional well-being than breast cancer patients who live with a partner. •  A little girl from Brooklyn has made the news for a heartbreaking letter she wrote to Sasha and Malia Obama. Bianca's mother was shot several years ago by an abusive boyfriend, and the 6-year-old and her father are still struggling. In her letter, she begged for help for her family, and readers of the Daily News have been quick to respond. • Researchers have found that sperm itself - and not just the fluid it travels in - may transmit HIV to healthy cells. Doctors previously suspected that sperm could transmit the virus, but they were unable to prove this until recently. • A revealing new poll from the UK shows that 90% of expecting mothers are denied the choice as to where they will give birth. The vast majority of women in Britain are not offered the option to give birth at home or at a birthing center attended by a midwife. • The Daily Beast on sexism in nonprofits: "Charity is not allowed to use the same tools as business because society subconsciously regards it as female, and discriminates against it the same way it has historically discriminated against women." Read the rest of their interesting take on charity here. • Good news: The Saudi king has decided not to flog a female journalist charged with participation in a television show in which a man spoke publicly about his sex life. • Among women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, breast cancer is diagnosed six years earlier than in previous generations. Doctors don't know if women are screened better today, or if hormonal and environmental factors are giving women cancer earlier. • Jury selection will begin today in the trial of the first 12 male members of the polygamist sect whose Yearning For Zion ranch was raided last year. Flora Jessop, who escaped the compound 15 years ago, said she's happy to see the men go on trial but, "What I'm upset the most about, I think, is the fact that none of the women have been indicted, as well. ... I think that the women were nothing but pimps on that compound and giving their daughters over to these perverts knowing what was going to happen to them." • A study by the National Center for Voice and Speech found that female teachers used their voices about 10 percent more than males when teaching and 7 percent more when not teaching. Female teachers speak louder than male teachers at work. All teachers spend more time talking than most professionals and are at a greater risk for hurting their voices. • Debbie Davis, 29, of Sunderland, England has been named Britain's top Avon saleswoman. She started selling the cosmetics when she was laid off five years ago and now she's making $408,000 a year. • 14-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker says she will wait until the school year is over to begin her attempt to become the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She had planned to head out in August but was stopped by authorities who said she was too young. The court is expected to rule on her case by Friday. • Elizabeth Edwards told a local news station that John Edwards said of their relationship, "Perhaps [it's] not the great love story that we hoped, but maybe a great love story nonetheless." Well, most great love stories don't involve the man possibly fathering a child with another woman. • After more than 120 years, the Beloit's girls reformatory school in Kansas closed for good in August. Before 1983 the institution often housed girls who hadn't committed criminal offenses, but were considered "incorrigible," "immoral," or had suffered abuse at home. Under some administrations, girls were punished with huge doses of vomit- and diarrhea-inducing castor oil, humiliated with forced hair clipping, or even sterilized. • After a "concerned citizen" in Yulee, Florida tipped the police that the Girls Gone Wild bus was in town, police organized an undercover investigation and arrested seven women who complied with the organizers' request that they "show their breasts so they could be photographed/filmed or so they could have their breasts spray painted. The women were charged with indecent exposure along with the bar's owner and two Girls Gone Wild employees, who were each charged with illegally operating a sexually oriented business. •

The first entry, entitled Christie Hefner on the Difference Between Playboy and Porn, Hefner doesn't talk so much about why Playboy isn't porn, but about how it is a lifestyle. She says:

I think what Playboy aspired to from the beginning was to represent the good life, and part of that was the attraction between men and women and the romantic part of life.

See, while it's true that mutual attraction is important, there isn't a lot of mutuality about wanking to pictures of naked women that will likely never sleep with you.

Hefner also talks about why it's important to make sure your branding is coming across the way you want it to.

So I think the lesson is to actually understand what you believe your brand mission is and then to be true to that in terms of how the consumers see it. And that's a combination of your own standards and some regular research into whether the consumers are perceiving your brand the way you want them to.

Do you think Hefner's looked into what the Playboy brand is selling folks these days? I don't know how "sexy" union suits connote the good life, but then, perhaps I'm jaded.

In Christie Hefner on Playboy's Next Online Play, she talks about re-launching Playboy's online presence based on all these new and exciting things like social networking, widgets, personalization and video content. She says "I think the days of the walled garden approach are in the past." Actually, they were in the past a couple of years ago, but it did kind of made us pity her tech people, who have likely been pushing for these changes for years.

It was, however, in the segment Christie Hefner on Management vs. Leadership when she talks about her father, that we became just a little concerned about how far removed from reality Hefner might be:

I think more than anything else he has been instrumental in developing just a sense of perspective and balance. So, as hard-driving as he is — and I think that there are no entrepreneurs that are successful who are not hard-driving — and I think he would admit he gave up basically having and raising a family to make Playboy the success that it is. At the same time, I think he has the right kind of perspective on life as to what the truly important things are, and that's probably the best lesson that you can give, particularly to your children.

Umm, let me get this straight. Christie Hefner has been running the company for 20 years while her father slept with countless women on her payroll who are much younger than her (something he undoubtedly did instead of raising her, his daughter, when she was a youngster), reportedly kicking his 18-year-old son out of the house so he didn't have to share his female roommates, and doing goodness knows what about the other 2 children he has with his wife (they're not divorced) who he separated from in 1999, but he knows what's important in life and communicates that to his kids? Good to know someone out there has some perspective.

Christie Hefner On The Difference Between Playboy And Porn [Big Think]
Christie Hefner On Playboy's Next Online Play [Big Think]
Christie Hefner On Management vs. Leadership [Big Think]

Related: Naked Ambition [Radar]

Earlier: The Playboy Store: An Assault On Good Taste

• The Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission in Australia is working on creating an official "intersex" gender for people who don't define themselves as "female" or "male." • A new study has found that women who suffer from severe stress six months before they conceive can increase the risk of having a premature baby. • Three egg donor agencies in Illinois are offering the nation's first guarantee for would-be parents that they can receive a discount if their egg donor changes her mind. • A Massachusetts man is appealing a $100 ticket he got while driving in the breakdown lane as he was taking his in-labor wife to the hospital. • Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison and Seamus Heaney supported the new Aura Estrad Prize which is given to young female writers who live in America or Mexico and write in Spanish. • A recent study of United States Latinas shows that those with more European ancestry have an increased risk of breast cancer. • Lillian Allen, a 100-year-old African American woman and community activist, is excited for Obama's inauguration, where her grandson who serves in the Secret Service will protect the new President. • A "morbidly obese" dog named Jiffy survived being frozen to the sidewalk overnight in Wisconsin thanks to his layers of chub. Jiffy's owner was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of animal neglect. • Glasvegas's tiny female drummer Caroline McKay was voted the 10th Coolest Person in Rock by NME magazine. • SANS offers cheap, printable patterns for crafty men and women who want to make or alter their own clothes. • A 19-year-old lass from Florida was arrested on misdemeanor assault and battery charges on Sunday when she popped off on a store employee for calling her the c-word. •

[Image via Mantra Films, Inc.]

• A loyal dog stood by her owner's side for 6 weeks after her owner had committed suicide in the Colorado plains. • Sandy Allen, one of the world's tallest women (7'7") died today at the age of 53. • Obvious studies alert: A new study has found that the more intimacy decreases in a relationship, the higher relational uncertainty (or lack of confidence in a relationship) increases. • Religious authorities in Nepal have begun a search for a new young girl to be the "living goddess" of Kumari, a virgin goddess. The young girl will serve until she starts menstruating, after which she will be forced to retire. • A study analyzing a Weakest Link-type game show in the Netherlands found that contestants would often favor attractive players over more intelligent players. • A survey from Olay (surprise) has found that women begin to worry about looking older when they hit the age of 28. • Last year Australian men spent $44.2 million on male cosmetics. That's a lot of guyliner! • According to a study of young people in 10 different countries (including the United States, Australia, China, and Japan) young men and women are divided about issues of sharing housework and a woman's right to choose, although the Chinese people surveyed were the most in favor of letting a woman choose to have an abortion. Not really a surprise there. • Oh raspberries: The National Zoo's female Giant Panda, Mei Xiang, is not pregnant after her second consecutive artificial insemination. No baby pandas this year! • A new study finds that "beer goggles" are real! • This little kitty really wants to bring you some flowers. •

[All Images via Bauer-Griffin.]

• Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and all of their kids have hit the French Riviera. They're staying in a villa owned by Microsoft's Paul Allen that has breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. A source says: "They love France and will now be here until after the babies are born and Angie is looking at Marseille hospitals as a potential place to give birth." [E!]
  
• These rumors about Mariah Carey marrying Nick Cannon will not die. Could they possibly be true??? [People]
  
• Gossip Girl gossip: Girl-on-girl action is on its way! [Perez Hilton]
  
• Plus! Lisa Loeb will make a cameo on Gossip Girl, playing a socialite. Hee! [LA Times]
  
• Paula Abdul spaced out or went cuckoo or something on American Idol. You can watch it here. [EW]

• Gwyneth Paltrow has broken her toes 30 times. She says: "I don't know what's wrong with me. Say there's a coffee table that's been there eight years. One day I'll just not know it's there and bash into it and break my toe." Is her macrobiotic diet giving her brittle bones or something? [Mirror]
• Gwyneth was also seen visiting a back specialist. And yet! She wears high-ass heels on the red carpet. [Daily Mail]
• Another story about Charlie Sheen and hookers, yawn. Although: His silk robe with"C. MaSheen'" embroidered over the pocket? Nice touch. [Page Six]
• Britney's brother Bryan Spears is dating actress Ivana Milicevic. You've seen her, she's been on TV and in a bunch of movies. [Page Six]
• Britney was seen walking around a spa in just her towel? Not sure why this is news. [The Sun]
• Newly sober Kirsten Dunst has been taking her All Good Things costar, Ryan Gosling, with her to 12-step meetings. But are they more than just costars? [Page Six]
• Dina Lohan: Seen "dancing, drinking and playing with her hair extensions." [Page Six]
• A judge has dismissed Ron Burkle's lawsuit against Italian businessman Raffaello Follieri, aka Anne Hathaway's boyfriend. [Rush & Molloy]
• Blind item! "What notoriously stingy actress buys books at her neighborhood Barnes & Noble downtown, only to try to exchange the dog-eared copies days later for cash?" [Rush & Molloy]
• Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff have not, repeat, NOT broken up. You may now return to your regularly scheduled apathy. [People]
• My Name Is Earl star Jason Lee is expecting a baby with girlfriend Cenren Alkac. Lee has a 4-year-old son, Pilot Inspektor, with his ex. So what kind of name will this kid get? [People]
• The title of the season finale of The Office is called "Goodbye, Toby." Plus: Spinoff rumors! [E!]
• Rapper T.I.: Has a new single, is hot. [ONTD]
• Diddy is hosting a $4 million "mega-party" to celebrate getting his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. David Beckham is helping him. Diddy will have 10 private jets; five different custom-made Sean Jean outfits, including a tux, a smoking jacket, and a top hat and tails; $400,000 worth of booze; and goodie bags with his own damn perfume in them. [Mirror]
• A former UCLA Medical Center hospital worker has been indicted in Federal charges for the theft of medical records of celebs like Farrah Fawcett, Maria Shriver and 60 others. She accepted $4,600 from "an unnamed national media outlet" for the info. [Reuters]
• Is Amy Winehouse leaving her record label? [The Sun]
• There is video proof that Ashley Dupre agreed to be filmed for Girls Gone Wild. [Yahoo News]
• Is Ashlee Simpson returning to reality TV? [MSNBC]
• Grammy-winning singer Mya was scheduled to being performances in Chicago on Broadway, but she's broken her foot! Sucks. [Playbill]
• "We pray for Brody. Honestly, Brody was such a good friend to me. He hooked Heidi and I up, and I think that everything will work out eventually. I wish that Brody and I were still best friends, I pray every day that everything works out between us." — Spencer Pratt. [People]
• Uma Thurman's parents testified in court yesterday regarding her stalker case. Uma's mom said she believed the stalker, Jack Jordan, "was someone who would benefit from medical attention." [AP]
• Vanilla Ice is off the hook for domestic battery charges because his wife recanted her original statement. [Yahoo News]
• Simon Cowell pays no attention to smoking bans. "He lights up where he likes - and pays the fine if he has to," says a source. [The Sun]
• Edie Falco battled breast cancer in 2003 but never told any of her Sopranos costars. [Page Six]
• SO MANY blind items from Michael Musto! "What hyper-quirky stage actor (who's also known for movies and TV) does lots of coke and has sex in club bathrooms when the boyfriend's at home? What fashion-magazine editor—no, not the obvious one—still has no idea how to use the Internet? (She has to have e-mails read aloud to her and then dictates the reply.) What current anchor is said to have been lesbian lovers with that unhinged late anchor, according to ancient legend? Which female rocker best known from the '70s and '80s recently got so plowed she blew chunks all over a nightclub? Which star who went from Hollywood hotshot to joke to rebounding talent has an impressively large member to go with his award? What longtime r&b singer was spotted in Harlem, where she told a fan who accosted her: 'If you ain't the crack man, don't come near me!'? Which legendary actor's bisexual father is murmured to have died of AIDS, not of "cancer," as the family officially reported? Which scandal-ridden ex-TV personality would have gotten a gay record deal, but he wouldn't come out of the closet? Shouldn't someone say, 'Who do you think you are?' Which star who denies being gay used to give so-so head and has a penis that's even less than four and a half inches? What famous grandson is so delightfully kinky he recently lodged M&Ms up his butt, turning his hole into a veritable McFlurry of sexual delight? (Alas, they melted before they could be of any use.) About which talk-show host's supposed girlfriend was Rosie O'Donnell heard to say: 'Look at her nails! She could never be a lesbian with those nails!'?" [Village Voice]

This kind of abuse of power, of course, is nothing new. (We saw something similar earlier this year when immigration official Isaac Baichu who asked a Colombian woman for oral sex in exchange for her green card.) And for now, Burgess is out on $50,000 bail, although, if he's convicted of all the charges he currently faces, he will get a sentence of 467 years in prison. Hey: Maybe he and douchenozzle Joe Francis can share a cell!

Prison Sex-Slave Operation Alleged [AP via CBS News]
Custer Co. Sheriff Resigns In Sex Scandal [The Oklahoman]

Earlier: Immigration Official Makes Colombian Woman Do Oral For Green Card
Dear Florida Governor Charlie Crist, If You Can't Charge Joe Francis With Hate Speech, Here's An Idea

Do you know how open to interpretation "obscenity" is to that task force? Anything remotely sexual as far as nudity goes, could be considered obscene without a clear definition, because obscenity is so fucking subjective. Joe's violations have to do with "Project Safe Childhood," which looks to protect children from being the subjects of pornography. And while it's come to light that he has featured girls under the age of 18 on his DVDs, it was more because the girls lied to be on camera, and not because he's some kiddie porn producer.

A lot of people (me) hold the opinion that going after porno in the name of protecting children is only the first step to an eventual free for all attack of the porn industry as a whole based solely on content and what some suit considers "obscene."

"Obscenity laws give the government far reaching powers to fuck with all of us," says McKai. "So it's no laughing matter."

The real issue here is that people like Joe and Max Hardcore are super high profile and super wealthy. The government is way more interested in that than the fact that a couple of girls have some regrets about what they did when they were on spring break, only because their little brother saw them on an infomercial in the middle of the night. George Bush and his ilk are not Captains Save a Ho. It's always about money.

*Eon's new movie The Doll Underground was released today.

Here's where Wurtzel's self-absorption is most evident, but also where she makes her strongest argument. As one of the "third wavers" of feminism who included Katie Roiphe and Susan Faludi, Wurtzel says that she and her sisters promoted "Do Me" Feminism. "I appeared topless on the cover of one of my books, a decision I stand by still," she writes. "But I don't think the idea that you could own your own orgasm was ever intended to teach college coeds that it is a good idea to spend spring break in a shower with your roommate in a motel room in Daytona Beach having a lesbian encounter for the cameras of Girls Gone Wild. That's not feminism!"

As Dodai pointed out earlier this week, Wurtzel is right: those spring breakers are not embracing feminist principles when they lose their shirts. I am not of Elizabeth Wurtzel's generation — I am of the generation that Hugh Schwyzer praises for such "optimistic" feminists as Feministing's Jessica Valenti and Amanda Marcotte — but I agree with Wurtzel that things were better in the halcyon days of the 90s.

Take the Real World as a cultural barometer. When the show debuted in 1992, there were three women on the show, Julie, Becky and Heather. Each one had career aspirations: Julie wanted to be a dancer and took classes constantly; Becky was a musician who played at clubs in the city; Heather was a rapper. The women went on dates and had both relationships and hookups, but they were not getting wasted and competing with one another for male attention. None of the three were conventionally beautiful. Flash forward to Season 19 in Sydney, Australia. Besides the young Iranian woman, Parisa, who is derided about her looks by the other female cast members, the other ladies are interchangeable bleached blondes with fake tits or empty-headed brunettes with long, flowing hair. Kelly Ann got on the show because in her audition video she stripped down to her undies, on which she had written, "Make it Hott: Pick Me!" Shauvon left the show to get back with her boyfriend, whom she had originally broken up with because he was making her choose between him and her career.

Again, the question is: what's happened in the intervening 16 years? Is it the pornification of culture because of the internet? Did we become inured to the idea of women as objects because of the Starr report? Can we blame Britney for this one? Can't we have sexual freedom without flashing a camera?

Bitter Ashes Of Burned Brassieres [Los Angeles Times]

It's Not All About Wurtzel [Los Angeles Times]

Ashley Dupre In Girls Gone Wild Video [New York Post]

Related: Some Young Women Maybe Be Confusing Confidence With Carnality

The Real World: Female Empowerment Is A Stranger To The Seven Roommates

[Image via Oh! My God! I Miss You]