Slipped through the cracks
Stories we missed this week: McCain's anti-feminism, only girls being born in northern Greenland, and game heroines in metal thongs.

by Logan Scherer

For women, McCain makes all the wrong moves: Kate Sheppard's scathing analysis of McCain's anti-feminist politics isn't just revealing -- it's scary, including McCain's desire to reverse Roe v. Wade and his ignorance about pay equity. It's not that McCain doesn't want change. It's just that, for him, change is going back to the good old days when he was a fighter pilot dating an exotic dancer named "Flame of Florida."

They'll ask, but don't tell: It's a crime to be gay in Iraq, where homosexuals are subjected to horrific treatment. Armed Islamic groups and militias frequently target gay men and women who live under a constant fear: coming out is a death sentence. Two gay men speak about the brutal abuse they endured after being kidnapped. "I would rather commit suicide than allow my family to find out I am gay," said one.

Today, in totally bizarre news: Scientists are trying to explain reports from the U.S. Air Force base in Thule, Greenland, where only girls are being born. They believe organic chemicals like pesticides that enter the food chain through the blubber of marine animals and then spread to the human bloodstream are to blame. And it's not just northern Greenland that's seeing this baffling trend. According to recent studies, the gender ratio is unbalanced in other areas with indigenous people who depend heavily on marine animals for food.

Stripping down to the virtual essentials: Video game ladies need underwear, too; it just isn't always so functional. The Top 10 Most Ridiculous Undergarments Worn by Women in Video Games have been announced. A metal thong may have won, but surely it won't be long before Victoria's Secret rolls out its own gravity-defying tube top.

Putting the change in your changing room: It's about time dressing rooms stepped into the 21st century. Bloomingdale's New York is one of the first American stores to experiment with new fitting-room technology, which includes an interactive mirror and webcam, a touch screen that allows shoppers to invite friends, and a site that suggests recommendations. Privacy is so last year: You'll never have to be alone in the dressing room again.