hey, the south africa is in the news unrelated to miss teen s. carolina

...but it's not really a good thing...via wonkette:

Because there are hardly any pressing problems left in South Africa with which its government must deal, two weeks ago President Thabo Mbeki (on the left) signed into law a bill that makes it a criminal offense for teenagers under 16 to “kiss, touch or rub up against each other in public.” They probably did this in some sort of half-assed effort to stop the spread of AIDS in South Africa, since they don’t really want to get into things like comprehensive sex education and massive condom distribution programs and whatever, not that Mbeki believes that HIV causes AIDS anyway. This was, in fact, also the rule at my high school, and I was warned for holding my boyfriend’s hand under the lunch table and then given detention for whispering in his ear and it definitely didn’t stop me from having sex, so take that lunchladies and stupid government leaders! What did keep me from getting pregnant/diseased from said sexing, though, was the extremely comprehensive sex ed classes that were required by the State of New York and taught without embarrassment by our teacher. But, hey, a new law criminalizing teenage PDA is sooo much better.

Once again: abstinence only education doesn't teach you how to not have sex, it teaches you how to not have safe sex. also, i hope they don't have crowded buses or subways in cape town...otherwise you could commit about 10 crimes on your way to work by unwillingly rubbing up against some random guy with the strange hat...

south africa's rape trap

ok...i give law and order: svu three weeks until they do a story about this where elliot tries to decode if he would want his dautgher to wear one:

Anti-rape campaigners in South Africa are outraged about a new invention intended to catch rapists.
The device, designed for a woman to insert, attaches itself to a rapist and has to be surgically removed.

Its inventor says this will help in the prosecution of the rapist. Critics say the invention represents a return to the days of the chastity belt.

Some 1.5 million rapes occur in South Africa each year - one of the highest rates in the world.

"This is a medieval instrument, based on male-hating notions and fundamentally misunderstands the nature of rape and violence against women in this society," said Charlene Smith, one of South Africa's most prominent campaigners against rape.

"It is vengeful, horrible, and disgusting. The woman who invented this needs help."

'Something must be done'

The inventor of the device, Sonette Ehlers insisted she did not hate men.

"Something needs to be done, and women are crying out for me to go ahead," she told the BBC's World Today programme.

Ms Ehlers has patented the tampon-sized device, and expects it to go on sale next month.

Lisa Vetten, of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) said it was "a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape by wearing these devices".

Ms Ehlers's critics argue that it would be better to educate men not to rape in the first place, rather than just to catch them after the deed.

But the inventor insisted: "I'm not an educator - I will go for those they can't educate.