Oregon, My Oregon

Ann Althouse kindly links to The Lady Godiva of Portland.

And then? Naked Athena appeared and the little boys didn’t know what to do. pic.twitter.com/Elo69SsV0t

— Donovan “It was the blurst of times” Farley 💻🐒 (@DonovanFarley) July 18, 2020

compares her with the FEMEN crowd:

ADDED: Consider the protest group FEMEN — which I've blogged about before. Its website says:

In the beginning, there was the body, feeling of the woman’s body, feeling of joy because it is so light and free. Then there was injustice, so sharp that you feel it with your body, it immobilizes the body, hinders its movements, and then you find yourself your body’s hostage. And so you turn your body against this injustice, mobilizing every body’s cell to struggle against the patriarchy and humiliation. You tell the world: Our God is a Woman!
Our Mission is Protest!
Our Weapon are bare breasts!
. . .

Browse through over 4,000 photographs of FEMEN activists at Getty Images.

You won't end racism, war and poverty if you don't go naked!

Meanwhile another woman (well, sort of) from Portland  Calls For “Abolition Of The United States”, Silence From Mainstream Media (Karen Townsend at Hot Air).

The protests that began with Black Lives Matter in Portland, Oregon have turned into Antifa riots. There is nothing peaceful about them, only destruction and chaos. This is the plan. Saturday one organizer clearly stated the goal – the abolition of the United States as we know it. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

A woman named Lilith Sinclair who describes herself as “an Afro-Indigenous non-binary local organizer” in Portland spoke to demonstrators and announced the mission. Her little rant first became known to me on Twitter from the account of a Blaze TV show host and from Andy Ngo’s account. I’m not the only one who noticed it. Interestingly enough, there was no noticeable reaction from any mainstream media Twitter accounts over something that was clearly a call for treason from Sinclair. While Jazz noted the lack of media attention, I noticed the member of the clergy standing behind Sinclair who was nodding in agreement with her.

Clergy behind speaker applauds. *smh* https://t.co/i7bW82O2yD

— Karen Townsend (@penguinponders) July 18, 2020

Also highlighted at Pirate's Cove in Naked Woman Challenges Portland Police Or Something.

Meanwhile, the Democrats worry that reluctance to tear down statues of Confederate leaders to stand is treasonous.

Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

At this point, it might not be a bad idea to let Portland declare itself autonomous, and cut off it's food, water and electricity for a while. As long as they take a thin strip of land down the center of the Willamette Valley, to encompass Salen, Corvallis and Eugene with them.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Kate Upton To The Edge Of Madness up and running.

They Can Stick My Carbon Footprint Up Their Yas, Yas, Yas

The annual migration of the climate hypocrites. Nearly 1,500 private jets to land at climate change-focused Davos summit

Despite global warming being one of the major issues discussed at Davos every year, some 1,500 private jets are expected this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to an estimate from Air Charter Service, up from 1,300 last year. “We have had bookings from as far as our operations in Hong Kong, India and the US,” Andy Christie, private jets director at ACS, said in a statement. “No other event has the same global appeal.”

“There appears to be a trend towards larger aircraft, with expensive heavy jets the aircraft of choice,” Christie said. “This is at least in part due to some of the long distances traveled, but also possibly due to business rivals not wanting to be seen to be outdone by one another.” Over the past five years, most private jets have come from or are going to Germany, France, the UK, the US, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, he added.

PrivateFly.com, a private jet service, expects between 1,200 and 1,500 private jets in and out of local airports around Davos, double the average daily volume of flight traffic to the area. “The primary airport used by private jet customers flying to Davos is Zurich Airport. This is 91 miles away, or 1 hour 45 minutes by road. So some visitors will also charter a helicopter for a faster transfer time,” the company said.
. . .
Air travel comes with a hefty carbon footprint, generating greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Davos attendees will have an opportunity to discuss that issue in depth, with “Safeguarding Our Planet” the title of one of the panel sessions scheduled for Tuesday. “The World Economic Forum Climate Initiative provides a global platform to help raise ambition and accelerate climate action,” according to the WEF. “Public- and private-sector collaboration is essential to create a marketplace that will enable dramatic reductions in emissions and build resilience.”

In an interview with Prince William, 36, who is second in line to the British throne, the 92-year-old naturalist Sir David Attenborough told attendees at the forum on Tuesday, “There is more power in this room than any gathering anywhere. The people here need to do something about the natural world.”

In a separate speech on Monday, Attenborough said, “The Garden of Eden is no more.” He added, “What we do in the next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.”

You know what might fix it? A good topless protest, like the one Femen held in Davos in 2013:

Those were the good old days. Alas, they seem to have lost interest in Davos for 2019 in favor of Donald Trump, abortion and Spanish "fascists."

Femen Protests Trump the Only Way They Know How

With bare breasts. Topless protester ‘easily breached tight security’ to chase Trump motorcade

Topless #FEMEN protester almost throws herself at #Trump’s motorcade in #Paris https://t.co/7IVnlPbmxC pic.twitter.com/ViSxYGUawE

— RT (@RT_com) November 11, 2018

#FEMEN faces #TRUMP car on the Champs Elysées in Paris to denounce this gangster party, faking to celebrate peace and end of WW1. #FEMEN believes that restoring world peace with those who are responsible for the ongoing wars is hypocritical. pic.twitter.com/9LfHNM3uJf

— FEMEN (@Femen_France) November 11, 2018

More protesters exhibited themselves at the Arc de Triomphe Topless protesters held in bid to 'welcome' Trump to Paris

Trump's motorcade briefly paused due to the breach of security before continuing on to the Arc de Triomphe where around 70 world leaders had gathered to mark the centenary of the Armistice.

Three Femen protesters had already demonstrated at the Arc De Triomphe on Saturday morning to denounce the presence of "war criminals" among the guests at the ceremony.

The three were also arrested.

Sous l'Arc de Triomphe, Femen dénoncent la venue de “criminels de guerre “ #Trump #Putin #Erdogan #Netanyahu #MohammanBinSalmane .. qu’ Ils sont venus fêter la paix à Paris alors qu'ils prônent la guerre #11Novembre pic.twitter.com/Tl50nNwLND

— inna shevchenko (@femeninna) November 10, 2018

As I often say is response to Femen's protests, whatever Trump is doing, he should stay the course. Keep the protests alive!

Wombat-socho is back in the saddle again, with Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Pepper Potts.

A Sad Loss for Femen

From Ann Althouse: "Oksana Shachko, one of the founders of the Femen feminist protest movement, has been found dead in her Paris apartment, the group has said."

"The 31-year-old Ukrainian was found on Monday with a suicide note next to her body, according to Femen activists," The Guardian reports.

Operating under the slogan “I came, I stripped, I won”, Femen quickly drew attention around the world with its bare-breasted demonstrations against sexism. Their protests also challenged authoritarianism and racism, with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, a particular target, along with France’s far-right Front National party....
In 2011, Femen said Shachko was among three members “kidnapped” by security agents and forced to strip naked in a forest after staging a topless protest mocking the Belarussian president, Alexander Lukashenko. The agents poured oil over the three women, threatened to set them on fire, and cut off their hair, Femen said. Shachko was abducted again by unknown assailants during a visit by Putin to Ukraine, according to the group....

I love to make fun of Femen (and post pictures of the their protests), but this is sad. Femen has hit a wide variety of targets, including Vladamir Putin, Donald Trump, the Pope, Heidi Klum,  the pro-Russian Ukrainian government, Davos, Turkey, and sexism in Islam to name just a few. One average, their targets were mock worthy, and if they failed to make a difference, they didn't fail to make an impression.

If the Mirror is to be believed, she was depressed and had a history of prior suicide attempts, so perhaps we needn't leap to the conclusion that Vlad Putin or The Donald, or any of her other targets, arranged to have her offed.

Oksana Shachko, 31, who had been suffering from depression for some time, was found in the French capital city of Paris.

It was reportedly her third suicide attempt.

She was credited with starting the topless protests against the sexual exploitation of women which made FEMEN notorious around the world.

It probably didn't help that she was a bat-shit crazy feminist too. Crazy people are dangerous, to themselves and others.

Some highlights from her career, the way she wanted to be seen:

Femen Takes on the Coz

 Nicolle Rochelle

Former ‘Cosby Show’ actress protests topless at Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial

A topless protester who charged at Bill Cosby as he arrived at his sexual-assault retrial Monday morning has been identified as Nicolle Rochelle, a 39-year-old actress who appeared in four episodes of “The Cosby Show.”

The Associated Press reports that Rochelle jumped over a barricade outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in suburban Philadelphia and got within a few feet of the comedian, 80, who has been charged with drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. Rochelle, a resident of Little Falls, N.J., was obstructed by sheriff’s deputies and charged with disorderly conduct.

Rochelle belongs to Femen, an international feminist group whose name she had written on her torso in paint alongside the phrases “Women’s Lives Matter” and “Cosby Rapis[t]” and the names of more than 50 Cosby accusers. Femen leader Inna Shevchenko told the AP that Rochelle was defending the alleged victims and called her protest the group’s “contribution to the global revolt launched by #MeToo.”

Rochelle, credited as Nicole Leach, played a friend of Rudy’s on “The Cosby Show.” She also starred in children’s programs “Shining Time Station,” “The Baby-Sitters Club” and “Clarissa Explains It All” in the 1990s. Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt commended the deputies for intercepting Rochelle and told the AP, “You never know who’s going to want to make a name for themselves.”

I'm sure a good time was had by all.

A week late and twice as big due to tax season, Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Not Your Normal Graduation Picture" ready for business.

Femen, Vatican Repeat Babynapping Ritual

Via Wombat-socho's "In The Mailbox: 12.26.17" Legal Insurrection brings us Topless Feminist Steals Baby Jesus From Vatican Nativity Scene AGAIN

An activist for FEMEN, a misguided Ukranian feminist outfit, the protester was tackled and covered by Vatican police before she could run off with baby Jesus. Reuters reports:

A topless activist from the feminist group Femen tried to snatch the statue of the baby Jesus from the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square on Monday but was stopped by police as she grabbed it.
A Reuters photographer said the woman jumped over guard rails and rushed onto the larger-than-life Nativity scene shouting “God is woman”. She had the same slogan painted on her bare back.

Curious that a Ukrainian woman protesting in the Vatican, surrounded by Italy has her slogan written in English, isn't it? Almost like the Vatican is not the intended target.

A Vatican gendarme stopped her from taking the statue and she was detained. The incident happened about two hours before Pope Francis delivered his Christmas message to some 50,000 people in the square.
The group’s website identified her as Alisa Vinogradova and called her a “sextremist”. It says the goal of the group, which was founded in Ukraine, is “complete victory over patriarchy”.

FEMEN activists consider their breasts the ultimate protest weapon and their goal is simple: complete victory over the patriarchy, according to their website . . .

However, this is not the first year Femen has attempted the baby snatch:

Anyway, FEMEN tried the same stunt back in 2014 with similar results, though better photos. . .

If I was the Vatican cops, I'd have a roomful of baby dolls to bring out one after another if necessary. I'll bet they can have more dolls than Femen can sneak women into the the crowd.

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Monday: Linda Ronstadt" and "FMJRA 2.0: I Can’t Let Go" ready at The Other McCain.

Femen Piles On Polansky

Hoping to get some mileage from the ongoing Hollywood controversy, the bare-chested babes of Femen have decided to pay attention to that fugitive from the US convicted of sodomizing a 13 year old actress: Women activists stage topless protest at Roman Polanski event as new rape allegations reported

Around 80 protesters outside the Cinémathèque Française, which is showcasing Polanski’s films next month, banged on windows and carried placards with slogans such as, ‘If rape is an art, give Polanski all the (French movie award) Cesars’.

A few members of the Femen group exposed their breasts and shouted ‘no honours for rapists’ in the presence of Polanski before security pushed them outside.

 These are political tits. They don't count.

Polanski, who had entered the building through a back entrance, was set to present his new movie ‘Based on a True Story’ at the event.

Earlier this month, Swiss prosecutors said former German actress and model Renate Langer had told authorities that Polanski raped her at his mountain chalet in 1972 when she was 15 years old. Langer is one of four women who have publicly accused Polanski, 84, of sexually assaulting them when they were teenagers.

In the past, I have said that I am for whatever FEMEN is against, just to keep their protests going, but supporting Polanski might be a bit too far.

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Whatever Happened To…" up and running.

Topless Terrorists Take on Trump

Two Femen Protestors took off their shirts and protested Donald Trump at a polling station in Manhattan.

Voters who were at a certain Manhattan polling place this morning reported nothing unusual about their experience.

The lines moved along quickly, the volunteers were helpful and friendly, and the naked women were yelling loud enough for everyone to hear.

Wait, what?

Video that surfaced from this morning's voting at 233 E. 56th street shows two women, naked from the waist up, angrily shouting anti-Trump slogans—at the same polling station Trump will be voting at later today.

Protest inside polling station where Trump votes. Two women arrested. #Election2016 #vote pic.twitter.com/YxXKb8NwMD

— Sharon Clott Kanter (@sharonclott) November 8, 2016

The two birthday-suit clad activists, who represent feminist political group Femen, were shouting “Out of our polls Trump, out of our polls Trump!”
. . .
The protest didn't last more than a minute before police escorted the two out of the building.

But one of the protesters got the last word by shouting somewhat nonsensically:

“Trump! Get out of your b*lls!”

So, do you think the Justice Dept will charge and try them for voter intimidation? Read this article on voter intimidation by the Washington Post:  A guide to voter intimidation and how to report it, largely aimed at possible voter intimidation by Republicans:

Shouting and abusive language is also considered intimidation, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Monday: Happy Fun Victory Week" up and running at The Other McCain.

A Harbinger of Spring . . .

Like the Swallows Returning to San Juan Capistrano,  the bats returning to the guano laden Carlsbad Caverns from their Mexican winter vacation, or Bill DeBlasio dropping and killing the groundhog on Groundhog Day:

1,700 Private Jets Fly to Davos to Discuss Global Warming

A squadron of 1,700 private jets are rumbling into Davos, Switzerland, this week to discuss global warming and other issues as the annual World Economic Forum gets underway.

The influx of private jets is so great, the Swiss Armed Forces has been forced to open up a military air base for the first time ever to absorb all the super rich flying their private jets into the event, reports Newsweek.

“Decision-makers meeting in Davos must focus on ways to reduce climate risk while building more efficient, cleaner, and lower-carbon economies,” former Mexican president Felipe Calderon told USA Today.

You could try phoning it in. I even hear they have picture phones these days, if you need to see the people you're talking with.

Davos, which has become a playground of sorts for the global elite, is expected to feature at least 40 heads of state and 2,500 top business executives.

Former Vice President-turned-carbon billionaire Al Gore and rapper Pharrell Williams will be there as well; each plans to discuss global warming and recycling respectively.

Another big theme of the mega-rich confab will be combating “income inequality” and how the world’s rich can pay their fair share to reduce the gap between top earners and the lower class. Admission price for Davos: roughly $40,000 a ticket.

Ah yes, that time of the year the ultra wealthy "leaders" of the world get together to enjoy the luxury of a posh Swiss ski resort, burning tons of jet fuel to arrive, and then propose policies to prevent the rest of us from enjoying the full benefits of civilization.

No word yet on whether the topless ladies of Femen will grace the proceedings the way they did in 2012 and 2013. We can always hope.

Topless FEMENist Busted Swiping Baby Jesus From Pope

Merry Christmas, Femen style:

Vatican arrests Femen activist who bared breasts in St Peter's Square

The Vatican said on Friday it had arrested a member of women's rights group Femen who on Christmas Day bared her breasts and grabbed a statue of the baby Jesus from a nativity scene in front of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

Femen's website says the woman was protesting as part of its anti-clerical "Massacre of the Innocents" campaign contesting religions' "maniacal desire to control women's fertility".

But at least membership in the Catholic Church is voluntary. Don't like it? Don't join.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Ukrainian citizen Iana Aleksandrovna Azhdanova was being detained before questioning by a Vatican judge.

He said she was accused of vilification of religion, obscene acts in public, and theft. He said her action "offended the religious feelings of many people".

 Goo is what?

A Vatican policeman stopped Azhdanova, who had "God is woman" written on her chest, and covered her with his cape. She staged her protest shortly after Pope Francis had finished reading his Christmas greeting to the crowd.

Oh, "God is woman." Scrawl more clearly next time.  Well, that explains irrational numbers.

Femen activists have staged protests at the Vatican before, the latest last month, and have been let go. But Lombardi said the Vatican had decided to be firm this time and arrest Azhdanova because her action was "particularly grave".

Lombardi said the group had "intentionally, repeatedly and gravely violated the right of the faithful to see their legitimate religious convictions respected".

I notice, again, that the  writing on her chest is in English, and not her native Ukrainian, or Italian, the native language of the site where the protest is taking place. It's almost like she intends it to be noticed by someone else.

Well, the Vatican is technically a separate country, so I suppose now that she's broken some of their laws by running around half naked, and trying to steal Baby Jesus they can treat her with about as much respect as she's shown them. I'm sure they have an old dank dungeon somewhere in the complex left over from the middle ages where they can hold her while they sort this out. It's still probably better than being arrested by Putin.

You can see the whole of the public portion of this affair here, in ultra-low definition, and in Italian.

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year!" ready.

Femen Protests Pope, Putin and ISIS

I've been neglecting one of my important self-imposed duties, following the many half naked protests of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen, whose topless protests have led to blurred out news photos, and silly captions all across Europe.  Even though I've been delinquent, they have been busy girls protesting a diverse group of targets over the last couple of months.  I came across this article of the girls protesting the Pope (a frequent target of their ire, for some reason I don't pretend to fathom:

Femen swings tits with the Pope (translated badly from Dutch by Google)

Let's hear from him again. The angry girls naked bosom of Femen This time they left the Boobs out in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The ladies thus demonstrated against the Pope's visit to the European Parliament. They find that the Roman Catholic leader there does not belong.

The young topless women wore wooden crosses, they held their ass. They had the text "The pope is not a politician" on their body include written. The police ended the protest after a short time.
Pope Francis brings on 25 November a visit to Strasbourg, where he will address MEPs.

Do they think that "The Pope is not a politician" is an insult?  It seems like high praise to me. Not true, since the Popes nearly perfect politics as we know it.

That must have been cold blood

Back in September in Kiev, the girls celebrated the Valdimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and the  Russian Orthodox Church's "support" thereof with a "Bucket of Blood" challenge

Leave it to the boo-call esters of Femen over to any hype to bend in a topless protest variant. This time they took the Ice Bucket Challenge and changed in the Blood Bucket Challenge. The unsavory scene took place in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev.

It was according Femen protest against the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.The stuff in the bucket would symbolize the blood of the Ukrainian population. The action was done to a monastery, because the organization also campaigned against the Russian Orthodox Church, because it supports the policies of Putin.

Ok, so it does take a little guts to protest Putin in Ukraine, which I'm sure is crawling with his spies, taking names and faces, as well as paramilitary thugs, who might actually take offense and do something violent, you know, like invade.

Then in October, the girls took the "Bucket of Blood" challenge to Milan, Italy:

I hope that blood is warm. . .

The advocates of women's rights, FEMEN, have once again struck in a very playful way, some say sinister way. This time there was a 'bloody' action on the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, where the tenth Euro-Asian meeting is scheduled.

Obviously protest the girls of FEMEN against Russian President Putin.

Putin in turn is expected to have an important conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Poroshenko.

Apparently the girls fear ISIS even more than they fear Putin, because their protests against the Islamic State they carried out in Paris in September featured the usual bared breasts, but covered faces:

Could after the US, a coalition of five Arab countries and now Netherlands originally Ukrainian movement FEMEN not stay behind. Three activist of the feminist club gathered today for the Ark de Triumph in Paris to protest with bare breasts against the atrocities of IS in Syria and Iraq.

And finally, back in June, at the G87 meeting in Brussels, the girls protested Putin and well, it's not clear what else by sucking on dildos.

You missed today the necessary portion raunchy, rancid, bah, viesss, attention seeking and ladies? Fortunately there are protesters Femen. At the G7 summit in Brussels two activists decided topless with a dildo in the mouth to demonstrate against the present world countries. The piece enjoyment rubber was taken between the jaws to " G7 sucks Putin to images from. " 

My usual reaction to Femen's protests are to be for whatever it is they're against, just to keep the protests alive.  But in this case I think they're protests against Putin and ISIS are right on target. Udderly useless, but on target. As for the Pope, I don't have an issue. If you're not Catholic, what's your interest in their beliefs?  G78? Meh. I'm sure they do some good and some bad, like most government boondoggles.

Wombat-socho chose to hold Rule Five Sunday on Monday this week.

Can Femen Voodoo Put Putin in His Place?

Topless feminist stabs wax Putin in France

A topless member of the radical protest group Femen used a metal chisel to stab and bash in the face of Putin's statue in a famed Paris wax museum on Thursday.

The activist, who had 'Kill Putin' written on her bare chest, reportedly screamed "Putin is a dictator" while destroying the figure at the Grevin Wax Museum, French daily Le Parisien reported.

Police arrested the activist shortly after the attack, which happened near statues of US President Barack Obama and recently abdicated Spanish King Juan Carlos, both of which escaped without a scratch.

Putin is to arrive in France on Thursday to attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day events, which have attracted scores of world leaders to France. Putin arrives under the cloud of the confrontation between western powers and Russia over the annexation of Crimea.

My usual position on the follies of Femen is to support whatever they oppose, to help keep the protest going.  However, in the case of Putin and the Ukraine, I'm in the position of being able to have my cake and eat it too, support Femen against Putin, because it cannot possibly have the slightest effect on Putin's course of action. In fact, external symbolic opposition to Putin feeds his ego and stature in Russia, as well as the historical feeling of inadequacy of the Russians which fuels their distaste for the rest of the West. I'm sure Putin is sitting back and having a nice laugh at the girls.

And, in any event, it can't be said it will do much less than Obama's policies so far.

Wombat-socho has the Mother of All Rule 5 posts: "Rule 5 Sunday: The Fremont Street Experience" up at The Other McCain, despite the distraction of Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas!

FEMEN Fights for Ukraine - From Paris

You know it had to happen, FEMEN, the Ukrainian "sextremist" group, who find an excuse to take off their blouses and display their uh, brains to the world for almost almost every excuse, including, Barbie, Vladimir Putin,  Islamic anti-feminism, fashion, the Pope, Silvio Berlusconi, and Davos, would have something to say about the Ukrainian/Crimean crisis. I suppose protesting Putin's invasion of Crimea would be way too last year, so instead, they're protesting Yulia Tymoshenko, the former  Prime Minister who was jailed on "corruption" charges by the recently deposed Viktor Yanukovitch, and who is expected to run again.  They chose the relative safety of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower for their visuals:

Activists from the radical feminist group Femen have staged a topless demonstration against Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko in Paris.

Three "sextremists" - as Femen calls its members - took off their tops at the Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower in the French capital.

The women exposed the slogan "Ukraine is not Free", "Putin's new Puppet" and "Yanukovich = Tymoshenko" emblazoned across their naked chests. The three activist sported Tymoshenko's trademark blond hair braids tied to form a slipknot.

I have to say, the staging is impeccable.  The stormy looking sky, the Eiffel Tower, the uh, brains.

In a November interview with IBTimes UK, Femen leader and Ukrainian native Inna Shevchenko criticised Tymoshenko saying it was not enough for a woman to hold a role of power to be described as a feminist.

"I would never say she was a great example of a woman in power," Shevchenko said.
Tymoshenko served as Ukrainian prime minister twice, briefly in 2005 and then again from 2007 to 2010.

Yulia Tymoshenko

As I recall, she was no favorite of Putin, and there is a lot of value in that.

The 52-year-old was released from jail last week, in the wake of the revolution that toppled her political rival, fugitive president Viktor Yanukovich.

She is now expected to run for president but remains a divisive figure amid Ukrainian revolutionaries, as many perceive her as an exponent of the corruption-ridden old political establishment.

Interestingly, but not necessarily inconsistently, in the past FEMEN has protested the jailing of Yulia Tymoshenko.  It's not inconsistent to oppose someone being jailed on what were probably overblown charges of corruption (Ukraine and corruption go together like a hammer and sickle), and be opposed to having her become the next Prime Minister. But it does suggest that their choices for causes to protest is opportunistic.  But as I've said before, "Whatever they're for, I'm against. Keep the protest alive!"

Prior to her political career, Tymoshenko was a successful but controversial businesswoman in the gas industry, becoming by some estimates one of the richest people in the country. In 2005 she placed third in the Forbes Magazine's list of the world's most powerful women.

Tymoshenko strives for Ukraine's integration into the European Union and strongly opposes the membership of Ukraine in the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

Say what you want about Yulia Tymoshenko, at least she keeps her blouse on.

Wombat-socho is back on track this week at The Other McCain with "Rule 5 Sunday: Take It Like A Man."

Catwalk Princess Tweaks Topless Boob

Model Hollie-May Saker furious after topless protesters ‘ruin’ Paris Fashion Week show

The biggest shock of Paris’s spring-summer 2014 fashion shows came on the otherwise calm and gentle Nina Ricci catwalk, when two topless activists from protest group Femen crashed the podium.

Grabbing a startled model making her way down the catwalk, they screamed “fashion fascism,” with words decrying the sexualization of the modeling industry written in make-up. One had “Fashion dictaterror” scrawled on her naked torso, the other “Model don’t go to brothel.”

One British model, Liverpool-born Hollie-May Saker, was caught in the middle, with the protesters brushing against her lamé-and-lace skirt.

I struggled for 2-3 whole minutes to find the foreign, uncensored version on Youtube (NSFW boobs):

Saker, 18, told the Liverpool Echo that she heard screaming as she walked down the catwalk.

“The next thing I just see half-naked women with black marker pen scrawled across their bare chests and that’s when she came at me….As she grabbed my arm she lifted my skirt exposing me – I pulled my arm back with such force that I landed a punch square on her nose,” Saker told the Echo.

However, the video seems to show that at best she managed to twist the topless twits arm a bit in passing. 

I'm a bit conflicted about FEMEN.  In the past they have, on rare occasions, actually demonstrated people and groups that deserve ridicule.  I'm thinking of Putin, Islam and the Davos gathering.  However, they've also demonstrated some completely blameless causes as well (Barbie,  Heidi Klum and the new Pope), and questionable issues like Silvio Berlusconi.  As I've said before, whatever they're for, I'm against (and vice versa). Keep the protests alive!

As for Hollie-May Saker, she is kind of a skinny, anemic looking girl at best, and looks better off that catwalk than on:

Putin Trades in Babushka for Babe

Vlad Putin, who has been in the new lately, for being targeted by the bared breasts of Femen, has apparently traded in his somewhat stout and dowdy wife, Lyudmila, for 2000 and 2004 Olympics athlete, Alina Kabayeva.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his 29-year marriage to his his wife, Lyudmila, was over - after removing his wedding band as they watched the ballet together.

The 60-year-old and his 55-year-old wife broke the news of the end of the 29-year marriage in an obviously staged TV interview after a night at the ballet.

Babushka or baboushka or babooshka (from Russian: ба́бушка; IPA: [ˈbabʊʂkə], meaning "grandmother" or "old woman") may refer to:

An Anglicised term for a woman's headscarf tied below the chin, originally worn by Russian elderly women, but now Europe-wide...

Before the ballet at the Kremlin Palace, Putin was pictured wearing his wedding ring, but he must have removed it during the performance because he was not wearing it by the time he left and was interviewed.

Asked on Rossiya-24 television about longstanding rumours that the Putins no longer lived together, the 60-year-old Putin said: 'That is true.'

That seems kind of tacky, but maybe it plays better in Russia than it does here.  Russians, at least those known by the Washington Post (a suspect lot for sure) reacted with a yawn.

Lyudmila Putin said it had been a 'our common decision. And our marriage is over due to the fact that we barely see each other.'

Asked whether they were divorced, Lyudmila said it was a 'civilised divorce'.

But neither clarified whether they were legally divorced and Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he did not know.

But, of course, a politician with the carefully calculated appearance of virility has no intention of doing without.

The obviously staged interview made no mention of Alina Kabayeva, a 30-year-old former gymnast who is rumoured to have been Putin's mistress for years.

Miss Kabayeva, who is alleged to have given birth to Putin's lovechild, is now a politician after retiring from a glittering career in gymnastics in which she represented her country at the Olympics twice.

Rumours about Putin's alleged affair with Miss Kabayeva first surfaced five years ago when a Russian newspaper owned by the oligarch Alexander Lebedev reported that Putin wanted to marry his gymnast mistress.

A rhythmic, contortionist athlete would seem to be an appropriate match.

Putin angrily denied the story, and the newspaper was closed down shortly afterwards, which many attributed to Putin's rage. Further stories later emerged claiming that Miss Kabayeva had had a baby by the president, but both sides denied them.

Mr and Mrs Putin had last been seen in public together at Putin's inauguration to his third presidential term on May 7, 2012.

A year seems a suitable length of time.  How long before Putin brings Alina out of the closet?

Married just a few weeks short of 30 years, the Putins announced the decision on state television after attending a ballet performance Thursday evening in the Kremlin.

Russian leaders, unlike their counterparts in the West, generally keep their personal lives well out of public view. Mikhail Gorbachev's wife Raisa raised many Russians' hackles by her visibility, flair for fashionable dress and forthright comments.

But Putin also has made a point of supporting traditional social values and appearing at holiday masses of the Orthodox Church.

I'm sure the Church will find some way to accommodate him; trying to thwart Henry VIII didn't work out so well for the Catholic Church.

The church permits divorce under some circumstances; it is not clear if the Putins sought pastoral advice or permission before the split.

The pair, who married in 1983 and have two daughters, recently attracted attention after they were never seen in public together.

When you control a country the size and power of Russia, even as diminished as it is now after Ronald Reagan and GHW Bush, there's certainly no need to put up with an old and ugly wife.

It's Good to be the King!



Linked in "Sorta Blogless Sunday and Pinup" at Pirate's Cove. Thanks, Teach! Wombat-Socho's world famous (not that that's a high bar these days) weekly Rule 5 post "Rule 5 Sunday: Father's Day" came in on time this week at The Other McCain.

Tunisian Femen(ists) Treatened with Jail Time

As I said before, it's one thing to screw with the soft Western democracies, it's another altogether to challenge the Islamic militant governments on their own ground with bare breasts:

Three members of a radical Ukrainian feminist group have been expelled from Tunisia on suspicion of planning a topless protest in front of the court where their colleagues were being tried on charges of public indecency, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

The statement on the Ukrainian ministry's Facebook page said information had led to one individual being taken to the country's main airport on Tuesday, while a Belarusian was stopped there the same day. Another Ukrainian was turned back on Wednesday at the airport.

The United States should throw back a few Muslim thought to be engaged in extremist activities as a response.

Three fellow activists from the group, Femen, are on trial for public indecency after demonstrating topless in front of Tunisia's Palace of Justice. They were calling for the release of a Tunisian member of the group.

The trial began on Wednesday with lawyers representing several Islamist groups petitioning to delay the trial so they could join as plaintiffs. The judge adjourned the session and said he would make his decision on 12 June.

From another article, I understand that the possible sentence if convicted is up to year in whatever paradise jail is in Tunisia.

The activists, Pauline Hillier and Marguerite Stern from France, and Josephine Markmann from Germany, appeared topless on 29 May in the group's first semi-nude protest in the Middle East.

They have been charged with public indecency and being a threat to public order.

Wombat-Socho's Rule 5 Sunday at the Other McCain came on Monday this week.   

Femen Haunts Heidi

Topless Femen Protesters Attack Heidi Klum During Finale of Germany’s Next Top Model 

Topless members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen have gatecrashed the finale of Germany's Next Top Model, a television show hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

Shortly before Klum announced Lovelyn Enebechi as the winner, two topless women rushed the stage with the words "Heidi Horror Picture Show" written across their chests. However, security guards quickly removed the women from stage and the show continued.

Look at me, dammit

Funny how Ukrainian girls in Germany write the protest sign on their chests in English.

"I have just been seeing boobies in front of me. Too bad it happened at this special moment!" Klum told the crowd.

The organisation, founded in 2008, has attracted global attention with its signature topless protests, fighting for women's rights. The group took to Facebook to reveal the reason for their act.

"I'm shocked, shocked to be arrested!"

"FEMEN disrupted the live broadcast of Germany's most popular casting-show Germany's Next Top Model," the note read, "The programme format is pimp-show where world-famous supermodel Heidi Klum plays the role of 'mom' and forms a bevy of underage girls to fashion-fools. The unauthorised appearance of FEMEN sekstremists at the epicenter of the show broadcasted live made the organisers and participants in the state of torpor."

You call those boobs?  Now these are boobs!

"FEMEN sekstremists managed to make their accusations in the face of fashion-fascist ideologist of the show Heidi Klum in front of 15000th stadium and the millions of TV viewers audience. FEMEN regards the fashion industry as an element of pimp business and has consistently opposed the commercialisation of the female body. Every year the fashion business millstones grind hundreds of thousands of girls, promoting the brilliance and richness of modelling career, forcing women to false ideals, provoking a real disease. Fooled by fashion propoganda, failed by fashion models, women regularly join the ranks of sex workers, and psychiatric patients. Stop the fashion business! Stop Prostitution! The true mission of a woman is a revolution!" it added.

No, the true mission of a woman is to do whatever she wants to help support herself (like Heidi needs to anymore) and her family, whether it's to work in the home, model fashions for women to flatter themselves with, or the fish for crab in the Bering Sea, if they can hack the job.

Just the other day, I was giving Femen props for having the courage to go after the true misogyny in the Isamic countries, and then they have to go and do something stupid like this.  As I've said before, what they're against I'm for; keep the protest alive!

Hat tip to the American Power blog. Wombat-Socho's Rule 5 Sunday at the Other McCain came on Monday this week. 

Femen Beards the Lion in His Den

Femen activists stage first Arab world stunt

Three young women from the women’s rights group Femen were detained as they staged a topless protest in the Tunisian capital of Tunis – their first public stunt in the Arab world. The spectacle culminated in scuffles outside the capital’s main courthouse, as the group’s one German and two French female members stood by the railings shouting the slogan “Free Amina,” in reference to the young Tunisian woman who was earlier arrested and is hours away from being tried for protesting the policies of hardline Islamists.

Wearing only skimpy denim shorts, their bodies bearing the inscriptions “Brest Feed Revolution” and “Femen Extremist”, the ladies were quickly snatched up by authorities and taken inside the courthouse, as journalists stood by, observing the scene.

Um, why are they writing the protests signs on the their bodies and banners in English?  I doubt that it's widely spoken in Tunisia.

Tunisia, being a socially conservative country, saw a number of witnesses, including lawyers, try to cover up the young women and attack some of the journalists, claiming they were giving the activists a platform for their antics. Once inside the building, the lawyers followed the police and the women, singing the country’s national anthem and shouting “Get out!” – the words often heard during Tunisia’s own Arab Spring of January 2011.

Six of the journalists (among them one from Reuters and another from France’s Canal+) were also detained, but let go after giving statements about the event.

I have to say, this is really one of the bravest protest that the FEMEN crowd have been involved in.  It's pretty safe to protest the Pope in Italy, Vlad Putin or even Barbie in Germany, my hero Silvio Berlusconi in Italy,  the morons of Davos in Switzerland, or even the Islamic misogynists in Paris.  However, on their home turf the Islamists can pretty nasty; witness the women involved in street protests in Egypt who were routinely subjected to "virginity checks" by authorities, when not outright raped.

Although I only agree with Femen's choice of target a fraction of the time, I think this one is one of their more worthy efforts.  I hope they get out of this with their "lady parts" as intact as before they started.

Wombat-Socho's Rule 5 Sunday at the Other McCain came on Monday this week. 

FEMEN Goes After the BIG Issues

After having dealt with Vladimir Putin, two different Popes, the problem of the anti-female aspects of Islam, the yahoos at Davos, and my hero Silvio Berlusconi,  FEMEN has decided to set the power of the female boob (take that anyway you want) against the real enemy, Barbie (yep, the doll).

Barbie, the world's most famous blonde, has a new home in the German capital. Offering an “interactive experience” for visitors, the life-size pink mansion is hard to miss stretching over 2,500 square metres nestled between eastern Berlin's communist-era tower blocks.

For €22, visitors can peruse Barbie's walk-in wardrobes, learn how to be a model, do their make up and have their photos taken. Almost the entire place is pink – a colour that has sparked a heated debate about gender stereotyping among critics.

So bringing boobs to bear on the problems of dolls with excessively big boobs?  I guess I don't quite understand, not that I don't appreciate the gesture.

Among some of the few guests on Thursday afternoon was a trio of six-year-old girls. Sitting on pink garden chairs outside, covered in glitter from the “make-up” room, they were clearly very excited about being able to go in Barbie's house.

“They saw the posters around the city and wanted to come,” said Anja, mother to one of the girls. “It was too expensive but if the kids like it, that's OK.”

After they left, members of the controversial topless feminist protest group Femen arrived wielding a burning cross with a Barbie doll strapped to it. "Life in plastic is not fantastic," adorned the woman's naked torso.

Uh oh, looks like a stern talking to is coming

Tell that to Grace Slick, the original plastic fantastic lover.

Though its opening had been keenly awaited by some of the city's younger residents, the house has garnered massive criticism from German feminists, anti-capitalists, and even average members of the public – some of whom were present in Barbie outfits.

Over 100 more were expected to attend a protest later in the day organised by a youth socialist group Linksjugend, which is also behind the “Occupy Barbie Dreamhouse” campaign gaining attention online.

“We are here because sexism is being used for capitalist gains,” 25-year-old Linksjugend member going by the name Steini said. Standing across the street, they were told to leave Barbie's grounds. “We aren't actually going to occupy the house, but we plan on demonstrating peacefully,” he said.

The group was not, he explained, against children having fun, but was opposed to them allegedly being manipulated for financial gain. Behind him, a young girl came out with her grandparents toting a bag with two new dolls in it.

Not one of your better efforts, girls.  There's only one of y'alls, and while she's attractive enough, we could use a little more variety; some redheads and brunettes.  It's also a bit of a let down after hitting such targets as Putin, the Pope, Islam, Berlusconi, and Davos.


Linked at The Classic Liberal's Rule 5 compendium "Alice in Chains: Stone." Also linked at Wombat-Sochos Memorial Day "Rule 5 Monday."