Culture on Shine

Giving Thanks Around the World

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The turning of leaves and crispness in the air signal that autumn is officially upon us. With the advent of fall comes many holidays and opportunities to celebrate that for which we are thankful--our families, the food on our table, and our general well-being. Thanksgiving is a holiday as American as the apple pie sometimes served during it (for those who aren't big fans of the pumpkin variety), but did you know that it's not a holiday exclusive to the United States? We didn't either. Well, ok, we had a suspicion; we did some research and are here to share with you how people give thanks around the world.

Forget Dinner: A Dating Website Just For Quickies

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Forget Dinner is a website that caters to people in sexless marriages. The casual dating site is particularly popular in the UK and boasts the tag line: "Forget dinner and go straight to bed!" Subtle! While many people use online dating (and dating in general) just to get laid, Forget Dinner removes any confusion.

Stay Beautiful and Unique

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Countries of the world, America wants to be friends with you, but we don't want you to throw away all of your beautiful traditions. Arab ladies, keep your beautiful traditional dress. Its respectful and it lets us know you are a unique person from a beautiful culture. We enjoy…

Love It or Leave It? Disney-Inspired Engagement Rings

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Some girls never let go of their wish to be princesses, and thanks to designer Kristie Kelly, they don't have to. The Kirstie Kelly for Disney by Mouwad collection, shown at Bridal Week in New York, features six engagement rings and wedding bands that pay homage to Disney's leading princesses.

What does Whoopi Goldberg think was the best hoax of all time?

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With all of the news surrounding the Heene family we asked our wOw women: From the Hitler Diaries to Balloon Boy, what are the greatest hoaxes you remember?

Oklahoma Prepares to Put Abortion Details Online

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Starting Nov. 1, any woman who has an abortion in Oklahoma will have to fill out an extensive questionnaire that will subsequently be posted online. Supporters of the law say that the information will help healthcare officials reduce the number of abortions. They also reason that the answers must be posted online so academic researchers can access the data.

As you can imagine, the logic behind these assumed advantages, along with the entire premise of posting extensive information about individual abortions online, is flawed for various reasons. Here are a few:

Censored: Books Banned For Sexual Content

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It's Banned Books Week and time to honor some of the most reviled books in America. While book-banning may sound like a throwback to Victorian times, censoring books continues to flourish in 21st-century schools. What's most surprising is a book can be removed from a curriculum, reading list, or school library with the complaint of just one parent. Violence, racial themes, and the occult are commonly cited reasons, but an even more popular one is sexual content. Check out these nine books that have been removed from schools in the last two years, and tell us if you think there's ever a good reason to ban a book.

Mad Men: Why Is Vacation Sex So Good?

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Last night on Mad Men, dapper Don Draper has to go to Rome on business, and seemingly on a whim, Betty asks if she can accompany him.

Once they're in Rome, something happens to Betty. She glams it up, flirts with Don, and their stultifying marriage seems to get an erotic adrenaline shot to the heart. It's as if they get to meet each other for the first time all over again. In fact, in one sequence, Betty waits for Don at an outdoor cafe, and when he sees that a couple Italian men are trying to pick her up, he pretends to horn in on their pickup. He sits down, begins chatting with her, and the Italian men, disgusted, leave.

Why the Homeless American Girl Doll Is A Fraud

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by Jodie T. Allen Editor’s note: Jodie T. Allen, former managing and business editor at USNews and Washington editor of Slate magazine, worked at the Washington Post for many years, including as the editor of the Outlook section. She began her career at the Post as a writer on…

Going Through Domino Withdrawal Like Us? A New Online Magazine Fills The Void!

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What do you get "with a little help from your friends" and an overwhelming motivation to recreate the traditional magazine into a vast online, interactive…