• Despite attempts by residents in Austin, Texas to get billboards depicting aborted fetuses taken down, the city government says they can't do anything about them because they aren't breaking any laws. • The manager of Image Hotel on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey claims to have fired all of his male staff after he caught them having affairs with foreign female tourists. • According to collected tax data, women "out-gave" men in gifts by $5 billion in 2005. • A Pakistani newspaper claims that there are 100 rapes occurring in Karachi per day, but, of course, that number may be higher that due to rape victims' fear and silence. • A study of hospital discharge records in California revealed a decreased number of complications as a result of a hysterectomy over the past 15 years. • A study of Lipitor, a drug prescribed to men and women to reduce the risk of a heart attack and lower cholesterol, has revealed that the drug is mismarketed towards women and makes unfounded claims about the effectiveness of the drug for them. •

1. For one, seriously, I was tired as hell when I met Bill Hemmer, but I am usually better about remembering to get at least an email address when I meet a cute guy. This was a decision I regretted when I saw him outside the media security line on Thursday and he was looking ever cuter and I was sunburned, sweaty and stuck in line.
2. Besides barely sleeping, I barely ate this week. And, while that's great for the fit of my pants — except when I'm out dancing and they start to fall off — it makes the tired thing way worse.
3. Speaking of dinner, the one time I did actually attempt to go eat some, I met these awesome women and did an interview that I am now going to publish because they deserved to get written about before. Linda Crayton, Bonita Bell, Sheila Gilmore, Stacy Cole and Antoinette Leon had no idea when they asked to share my table at dinner that they would end up doing an impromptu interview, but they were too much fun to talk to not to share! For everyone but Linda, who has attended 6 conventions, this is the first convention for all of them. Antoinette told me, "It's a beautiful thing, being here with so many different women, sharing their experiences about how they got here, got to be a delegate, were never into politics but now want to make a difference in their communities." She thinks that it's a testament to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Sheila told me, "I wanted to come because I wanted to be a part of history. I wanted set an example for my children and their children." Bonita was encouraged by her friends to attend, and Stacy just felt she had to be here. Linda, who is a rather experienced conventioneer, said that this convention is different: "This is a historic convention in so many different ways — the first woman candidate to go this far, the first African-American man as the candidate, and the first time I've seen so many young people engaged in the political process." That, at least, is what Barack Obama is hoping for in November.
4. I earlier mocked the free condoms distributed by Planned Parenthood, and I regretted forgetting to take them out every single time I opened my purse because they were so bright pink it was obvious and I feel stupid carrying condoms around especially when I had no intention of using them. But then a friend needed one, like, badly and I was all, yay Planned Parenthood!
5. Our Unconventional Conventionaire and I ended up at all the same parties on Monday night, but only she had the balls for this:
   

   The insane ratio of men to women (and the conveniently alcoholic sponsorship) had me curious about what kind of shenanigans were going down — because aren't lobbyist parties the place where that sort of stuff happens? So while down in the below-ground bathrooms, I tried to bribe the bathroom attendant into spilling the goods, but it turned out she's a cheap talker because there wasn't a whole lot to spill. "Actually, it's really quiet down here," she offered helpfully. Which was true. And so there you have it: there was no sex happening in the bathrooms of last night's lobbyist party.

6. This probably goes without saying, but I utterly, utterly regret having left my sunblock in my suitcase before waiting 3 hours in the line(s) to get into Invesco Field for the Obama speech. I'm not peeling yet, though.
7. Not finding this bottle of wine myself: Not that I drink Pinot Noirs or anything bottled in 2007 (yet), but, still.
8. I really regret that my one friend who knows Cyndi Lauper didn't introduce me.
9. This guy was there live and in the flesh, but he was either too embarrassed to meet me or realized that I was insane and avoided me.
10. Oh, and everyone who I've neglected to call, text or e-mail back this week, everyone that I missed seeing, forgot to get in touch with or seemingly avoided, I'm sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. Really. Well, maybe that one guy, but not the rest of you.

I think we've all been in a situation where you are just yourself and are hanging with a dude who seemingly likes "you." Only, the "you" he has in mind has longer hair, or bigger breasts, or is more inclined to wear pink or be demure than you are. But, you know, he knows if you just changed these small details about yourself, if you just saw it his way, you'd be perfect. And that brings us to "Dave". Dave really totally likes Jezebel, you know, but he has some gentle suggestions about how we should be less off-putting and strident — you know, be more girly. Softer! Gentler! Like a girl blog 'should' be! Gosh, I think we are totally going to take that under advisement.

I have been a reader of your blog since its inception and, don't get me wrong, I like it! It has interesting links and even the occasional zinger. However, I have noticed lately that the blog is taking a much more militant bent: angrier, screamier, irate-er. It's not exactly off-putting, but it does, well, sort of put me off. What's up with that?

I too write a (medicore-defining) blog and have noticed too that, after a while, you just sort of settle into this routine where you mention something and then kvetch about it. I say this not as a criticism, but rather an observation. If you are aware of the subtle shift in tone and celebrate it as "finding your voice," then more power to you; I will still read the blog. If not, maybe you will notice it more as you guys write and take a softer, gentler, and dare I say, more feminine voice as you post.

Regardless, good stuff, and that new chick Sadie Stein** is a pretty addition and a proud member of the tribe.

thanks,
Dave

**Sadie, by the way, isn't actually a member of the Tribe, as her mother wasn't Jewish and she's never practiced Judaism. She would like to add, "A pretty addition?' Ew! I'll assume he left a word like 'good' out between those two." She's a more generous person than I am.

Earlier: You Can Take The Girl Out Of Jezebel But You Can't Take The Jezebel Out Of The Girl

Section 1: How You Approach Life and How You Appear To Others

The following is a description of your basic stance towards life, the
way others see you, the way you come across, the face you show to the world.
In Chapter 3 you will read about the "The Inner You: Your Real Motivation",
which describes the kind of person you are at heart and where your true
priorities lie. Read this chapter and the next one and compare them - there
may be significant differences between them, in which case "the inner you"
may not shine through and others are in for some surprises when they get to
know you at a more than superficial level. This chapter describes the
costume you wear, your role in life, while Chapter 3 talks about the real
person inside the costume.

Leo Rising:

Ferociously proud and somewhat vain, you like to be impressive and to be
seen as Somebody Special. You are not timid, meek, or self-effacing, and are
rarely content being in the background or in the subordinate position. You
are a natural leader, and do not take orders from others very well. You must
have something of your own, something creative - be it a business, a
project, a home or whatever - that you can develop and manage according to
your own will and vision. Whatever you do, you do it in a unique, dramatic,
individual way. You like to put your own personal stamp on it.

You also have a very strong sense of dignity, self-respect, and personal
honor and are deeply offended if someone treats you in a humiliating or
dishonorable way. You will rarely confront the offender - you are too proud to do so - but you will lose your affection and respect for them. You dislike pettiness and hate to be snubbed or ignored.

You admire others who are strong individuals like yourself. When you befriend someone, you are tremendously loyal, sincere, and willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make that person happy. You are very giving and generous, but your gifts are never anonymous - you expect recognition and appreciation for them. You also expect the intense loyalty that you offer to your dear ones to be reciprocated. However, you often have trouble working with people who are as strong as yourself, for you do not really cooperate or share the leading role very easily. If you are not in the leading role, you aspire to be and will compete with the person who is.

You have great heart and courage, and people often look to you for strength, encouragement, and affirmation. You always have your best face forward and rarely allow others to see you hurting, disheartened, or vulnerable. You also have a very strong need for love, admiration, appreciation, and praise, although you don't like others to realize just how important it is to you.

Your outlook on life tends to be very personal and rather self-centered. Your own self-expression, self-actualization and self-realization interests you more than anything else. You feel that if you do your best where you are, the rest of the world will take care of itself.

This goes on for about 23,000 more words, but I'm going to stop and encourage you to watch this instead:

Earlier: What To Expect Of A One Year Old

Oh, and then there was that story about Jezebel.

Obviously, the nonchalant tone of that last sentence is total bullshit: I — and most of the other staffers, I believe — spent the majority of the weekend reading the Times piece, then reading it again, and again, and again, all in an effort to process how we felt about it. (And, of course, our appearances. I was horrified by vast amount of forehead on display; Tracie thought she looked like a drunk; Dodai marveled at her abundant cleavage; Jessica disdained her lack of it.) My reaction to the story was one of amusement and disappointment, feelings that did not change even on my fifth or sixth reading, although I admit they were much-amplified after I got a look at the crazy-ass commenting thread about the story that sprung up on Gawker on Saturday; all I have to say about that right now is Jesus Christ.

There were some amusing moments in the story, like writer Lauren Lipton's acknowledgment of the alcohol-soaked truce between Moe Tkacik and her sometime-critic, SinisterRouge, and the confirmation of a rumor I'd heard regarding a group of disparate, far-flung, longtime commenters and a pilgrimage they took to Dollywood earlier this year. (Also: Redbook editor Stacy Morrison's defensive-sounding intimation that only the impressionable, "fun"-loving youngsters on the lowest rungs of her magazine's editorial masthead deign to visit Jezebel. Guess she's still mad about that Faith Hill Photoshop controversy.) And despite my disagreement that a Jezebel name-check on the website for Gossip Girl has suddenly led to an influx of younger, more (ahem) immature readers — and my disbelief that the Times compared our traffic to that of iVillage, of all things — on the whole, I felt the piece was fun and more than fair to us. (One quibble: We post from 9am to 7pm, not 10am to 7pm.)

But it wasn't fair to the readers. Why? Because: Problems between editors and commenters and between commenters themselves are not specific to this blog — or any Gawker Media site for that matter — and the tensions in the comment threads are a natural side-effect of our surprisingly speedy growth. Because: At least from my somewhat ignorant vantage point, there is simply no evidence of any group of commenters referring to themselves as "cool kids" in any thing but a joking manner. And most importantly, because: Jezebel readers are funnier, more vibrant, opinionated, impassioned, whip-smart — and yes, infuriating —than the Times made them out to be. (Why the paper chose to showcase an unremarkable, mildly-tense exchange within the thread of an Angelina Jolie "Snap Judgment" instead of contributions from readers on, say, "Crappy Hour" or something equally-loaded, such as this post, is beyond me.) Basically I just wish that the commenters had taken center stage a bit more. They — you — deserved it. Because despite all the thoughtful, opinionated, unique work done by Dodai, Moe, Tracie, Jessica, Jennifer and Maria, in the comment threads on our blog you can find sidesplitting humor, impassioned disagreement, emotion-laden provocations, expert anecdotes, and a variety of voices that inspire as much, if not more, than they annoy.

In fact, I can guarantee that you will.

Not On Our Blog You Won't [NY Times]

NEW YORK, New York, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — CondéNet, the leading creator and developer of upscale lifestyle brands online, has agreed to acquire Jezebel.com (http://www.jezebel.com), a leading women's news and entertainment website founded in 2007 by New York-based Denton Media. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The deal welcomes into the CondéNet fold one of the most buzzed-about new brands in women's media. Launched in May 2007 with only three staff members, the site quickly became popular with affluent, well-educated female "tastemakers." In March 2008, a month in which the site enjoyed more than 14.5 million pageviews, Jezebel brought two prestigious Weblog Awards home from the annual South By Southwest Media conference.

"Jezebel has quickly become a go-to site for upscale, trendsetting 18-34-year old women with its promise of 'Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing.,'" said Sarah Chubb, President of CondéNet. "Of course, even the best concepts need airbrushing! We think CondéNet can introduce Jezebel readers to some of the fashion and beauty world's most aspirational brands, while leveraging the diverse national audience of CondéNet's female-targeted properties to drive more traffic to Jezebel's original content."

A unique asset of the Jezebel brand is its popular commenting function. Jezebel quickly became the most-frequently commented site in the 14-brand Gawker Media Empire and is currently developing a suite of functionalities that CondéNet will use as the basis of a sophisticated platform for social networking, user-generated content creation and grassroots marketing.

"Jezebel's vibrant and growing base of users represents a rare opportunity for CondéNet's hundreds of existing sponsors to reach passionate, trend-focused female consumers," Chubb continued. "Uniting their passion and our products, including our stable of women's magazine titles like Vogue, Glamour and Lucky, will mark the start of a fruitful relationship."

About CondéNet: CondéNet is the leading creator and developer of upscale lifestyle brands online, providing enjoyable, useful services that build upon the heritage of the world's most prestigious magazines. The company publishes online properties in the categories of fashion (STYLE.COM), men's lifestyle (MEN.STYLE.COM), food (Epicurious.com), travel (Concierge.com), and technology (WiredDigital). CondéNet is an Internet unit of Condé Nast Publications. Condé Nast Publications, a unit of Advance Publications, includes twenty-six consumer magazines and their websites, eight uniquely branded websites, the Fairchild Fashion Group, Parade, the Condé Nast Media Group, and the Shared Services Centers.

About Jezebel: Jezebel (http://www.jezebel.com) is the most talked-about new online media property targeted at women. Since its launch in May 2007, the Gawker Media weblog has established a devoted fan base of more than a million unique users, garnering more than 15 million monthly page views. It was voted one of the "World's 50 Most Powerful Blogs" by the London-based Guardian newspaper in March 2008.

Press Contacts: Denton Media: 212-655-9524 or press@jezebel.com
CondéNet: Jennifer Miller: jmiller@condenet.com

Earlier: Meet The Editors

But what about Buffy? You may ask (I definitely ask!) Hari answers:

The few strong women in Hollywood movies and TV are safely located in an unreal world: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess. The closest to an unapologetic feminist is Lisa Simpson - and she is eight years old, and a cartoon. This isn't because Hollywood is especially sexist. Hollywood largely gives us what we want - and we don't want to idolize strong, powerful women today.

Hari notes that today, a majority of college graduates are female. We have a woman running for president. We live in a time where women are in business, in government, in outer space. Why aren't they in entertainment?

Johann Hari: Where Have All The Strong Women Gone? [Independent]

I don't know what else to say. There's too much. I have to post this thing. I guess maybe the one thing I would point out is that there are schools that believe "society" is responsible for demonizing the bitch, for turning the true bitch into an endangered species, and to that I say, society is one half bitches, you bitches; we've only got ourselves (and stupidity) to blame. Yeah yeah, bitch at me all you want. I love you bitches.

Bring Back The Red-Blooded Bitch [Guardian]

Related: Dorothy Parker [Wikipedia]

And with that, welcome to Jezebel's six month anniversary. Throughout the day we'll be calling out some of our favorite and/or best posts (the two are often mutually exclusive), as well as taking a look at the community that our readers have helped create over the past half-year. This is also an opportunity for you to tell us what you love, hate, want to see, and never want to see again. We can't promise we'll agree but we will try to listen.

[Photo by Baviqua, via Flickr]

Reliable Sources: Are Journalists Degrading Bonds' Achievement?; Celebrity Addiction [CNN]

American Apparel
Herbal Color
Bad Girls Road Trip

Want to join in the love-fest? Check us out here.

Herbal Color
and
Knocked Up (which we're totally seeing this weekend!)

Want to join in the love-fest? Hit us up here.

• Private equity concern The Carlyle Group is rumored to be out of the race for control of Valentino, as the $3.5 billion needed to buy out the company is way too steep. [WWD, sub req'd]

• The NY Times "Sunday Styles" section fails to give a single word to Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel Resort 2008, but has lots to say about Pee Wee Herman. [NYT]

• Having recently announced it was going to "rock in apparel", Wal-Mart yanks its first "designer" clothing line because of weak sales. [WSJ]

• Giorgio Armani is no longer dressing England's soccer teams. Yeah, what's the point if he doesn't get to pretty-up David Beckham anymore? [Fashion, Inc.]

• Did somebody forget to tell us that it's "Designers Who Love Martha Stewart" week? Both Tom Ford and Donna Karan will be cooking up with our favorite queen of domesticity/prison bitch this week. [WWD, 1st item; sub req'd]

• So apparently there's a new blog in town, all about celebrity culture, women's magazines, and fashion. Oh wait, that would be us! [WWD, final item]