Don't forget your beard, Mom



Saudi Arabia is the only country that bans women from driving.

   Some interesting developments this week.
   I am glad to see Winnipeg retrieving an NHL franchise as the Thrashers (the what?) will be exiting Atlanta for chillier Canadian climes.
   Makes sense. Hockey is worshiped in Canada and Atlanta is ... well, Atlanta.
   I am also happy for Curtis Granderson, who, after toiling in Detroit for six years, must feel like he landed in Candyland after joining the New York Yankees. Even though I hate the team, you have to tip the hat to Granderson and Mark Teixeira. How the 'Bankees' have lost 23 games is beyond me with the killers they have in their lineup.
   Jeff Conaway died this past week at age 60. The dude's best-known schtick was playing a talentless out of work actor on "Taxi," which pretty much mimicked his career. Cute but talentless; one hit and that's it. Consider yourself lucky, pal, most don't make it off the Strip before they're chewed up and spat out.
   Speaking of stinking actors, there is none worse on the small screen today than somebody named Thom Bierdz, who's chewing up the scenery on "The Young and the Restless." I do not care what personal tragedies he has gone through or what his snot-and-tears back-story may be, he simply cannot act and should be removed from the set ASAP (taking that tacky Eileen Davidson with him).
   But the most interesting bit of news this week is the call for Saudi men to beat their wives should the females plan to drive an automobile during a June 17 protest [better 'Save the Date' on this one].
   The Agence France-Presse reports:
   The Iqal Campaign for preventing women from driving suggests a cord be used to beat women who plan to drive. Such a preposterous notion [a woman driving] is not allowed in Saudi Arabia.
   [And these folks are purportedly our friends].
   About six thousand have responded in favor of the beat-down approach.
   According to the AFP, the Saudi 'government' yanked from existence a Facebook page, called "Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself," after more than 12,000 people indicated their support. The campaign's Twitter account also was deactivated.
    Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300 to $400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.
   Well, dudes (although their sports are nowhere as cool as ours and its pretty tough to find a drink there), if you can't find work here, head east to Saudiland if you want to get paid to drive dames from shop to shop.
   I'm not sure why people are complaining about this (except for the beat-down part).
   "Dude's gotta drive; bitch's gotta buy," as my 4-year-old daughter would observe.