News

After an invasion of German nudists, voters in the Swiss Alps have banned hiking in the buff.

The tiny canton (state) of Appenzell Inner Rhodes held a show-of-hands vote on the "disgraceful" practice at their open-air assembly. The majority decided to impose a fine of about $176 on people found hiking around their mountains sans pantaloons. Considering this conservative canon only gave women the vote in 1990, it's not surprising that naked hikers make them blush.

Would you vote to ban nude hikers, or should they have the right to go au natural in nature?

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• The Senate is expected to confirm Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services today, so she can quickly start her response to swine flu. — AP
• Since the outbreak of swine flu, the WHO and the CDC have been trying to balance the need to provide information about the deadly disease without causing panic. — New York Times
• Fox has declined to air President Obama's primetime news conference Wednesday, instead sticking with the regularly scheduled show Lie to Me. — AP
• A photo op intended to capture images of an Air Force One plane with a majestic Statue of Liberty set off a panic yesterday in NYC. — AP
• A cult leader being held on the French India Ocean island of Reunion for child sex charges escaped from the jail in a helicopter. — AFP
• While his fiancée is still by his side, the wedding for accused "Craigslist Killer" Phillip Markoff has been called off. — People

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Feeling too lazy to go to the gym? You might jump on a treadmill or lift a few weights in solidarity with women in Saudi Arabia who face the shutdown of all women-only gyms.

Saudi women already face extreme limitations on their freedoms under Wahhabi Islam: they are not allowed to drive, vote, or run for public office; they must be covered in the presence of unfamiliar men; and they're required to have a male guardian.

And now, because the government has agreed to license fitness clubs for men only — categorizing women's gyms as unlicensed and illegal — they have nowhere to exercise without the scrutinizing eyes of men.

In protest, Saudi women recently launched a campaign called "Let Her Get Fat" which protested the decision to close down all-female fitness clubs that are not under the supervision of a government hospital or clinic.

Even entrepreneurs are frustrated. Interested in hearing why? Then read more

Emerging details from the case of the accused Craigslist Killer reveal that "clean cut" Phillip Markoff was likely living a life unrecognizable to his close friends and family.

This morning a man came forward on the Today Show to recount how Markoff petitioned him for sexual activities on Craigslist's Casual Encounters. The man said:

I posted an ad on Craigslist under "male for t," which stands for "males for transsexuals." That's where he found me.

This may be just the tip of the iceberg. Markoff reportedly told his family: "There's more coming out . . . Forget about me and move to California." If you were in the shoes of Markoff's family, what would you do?

To see video of the man who may have been targeted by Markoff, read more

• LG and Heidi Klum have teamed up to show off the versatile Rumor2 cell phone, which comes with a personalized back plate. Klum helped to create five of the back plate designs. — Chip Chick
• There's another Google baby on board! Google cofounder Larry Page and his wife Lucy Southworth are expecting. — Valleywag
• These huge concrete computer mice statues were spotted on a beach in Xiamen, China. — Engadget
• If your Kindle 2's text display has been ticking you off because it's too light, here's a way to make it darker for an improved reading experience. — CrunchGear
• Feeling overwhelmed by all of the emails you still need to reply to? A stress-reduction expert suggests taking five-minute meditation breaks and doing breathing exercises. — Switched

Buddhists march in the streets of Seoul, South Korea yesterday to prepare for Buddha's 2,553 birthday. The streets glowed with lotus lanterns, symbolizing Buddha's enlightenment.

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Sure, being able to access Facebook and YouTube at work may make you a happier employee, but are e-breaks getting out of hand?

That's what a recent report on employee application use is saying.

The report warns employers that their employees "will take whatever steps are necessary to use whichever applications they want." Uh, you mean like Spreadtweet? Sorry, employers!

I think you need e-breaks throughout the day to be able to have some "me time" at work and make you more content, but obviously you shouldn't be taking so many e-breaks that it affects your productivity. Being a former bored cubicle-dweller, though, I can attest: spending too much time on the Internet is not necessarily you, it's probably your job.

Photo courtesy of CBS

• The European Union has advised citizens to postpone nonessential travel to the US and Mexico, a warning the US has called unwarranted. — New York Times
• President Obama says the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and other parts of the world shows that science is essential for America's security, health, and economy. — Boston Globe
• Fans, friends, and costars are remembering Golden Girls actress Bea Arthur, who passed away this weekend. — BuzzSugar
• Simon Cowell is not convinced Susan Boyle will win Britain's Got Talent. — MSNBC
• Victims of Bernie Madoff would like to be repaid taxes they paid on nonexistent earnings. — LA Times

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Last week San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced his candidacy for CA governor with a tweet heard round the state. But he's not the only candidate with technological savvy. Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Internet giant eBay, announced her bid back in February. Whitman, a Republican, wants to become the first woman to run the golden state. She was a national co-chair of John McCain's campaign, but her work experience lies in the private sector.

I chatted with the chair of Meg's Women's Coalition, Jillian Manis, to find out how Meg plans to appeal to women for votes. From our conversation, I got the sense that Meg sees herself as a different breed of Republican than, say, a certain female governor from Alaska.

While she's fiscally conservative, Meg is pro-choice and has a bit of a tangled stance on gay marriage — she voted for Prop. 8 because she personally feels marriage should be between a man and a woman, but she claims to respect everyone's position. In other words, she doesn't want to make opposition to same-sex marriage a crucial plank in her platform. Here's a recap of my conversation with Jillian.

• Why will Meg appeal to women?
  First of all, I don't think women vote for a gender. I really don't think they vote for a party for the most part, either. I think they vote for the person. And I think that Meg is a person that represents a leadership perspective that is both domestic and global, which will be extremely helpful right now as this world is flat and we do need to create relationships with other states and countries to move our state forward. (By working at eBay) she understands what interdependence is, what community building is.
• Positions on female reproductive rights, especially abortion, typically separate the two parties. How does Meg explain her pro-choice position, since it's unlikely for a Republican candidate?
  I think Meg has always preached inclusion. I think she very much respects people's choices. . . She's not going to force her own personal choices on others. That's not about working together that's about driving each other apart. I would say I'm socially moderate and fiscally conservative, but that has been redefined here in California and definitely in the Republican party. We are definitely more progressive and more inclusive than the rest of the country vis-a-vis our party. I know Sarah Palin doesn't represent me.
• So Meg is pro-choice because she doesn't want to force her own choices on others. How was her Pro Proposition 8 stance consistence with her stance on abortion?

To see Jillian's response to this question, and for more on Meg's thoughts on gay marriage, read more