Shops Closed in Iran for Giving 'Un-Islamic' Do's

State smoothes out dispute over painful procedure

(NEWSER) - New Jersey has ripped up a plan to forbid the state's salons from offering Brazilian waxes, reports the Chicago Tribune. A state panel was moving towards banning the procedure—which involves the full removal of hair “down there”—after reports of injuries, but the state's consumer affairs chief decided to focus on better training instead. More»

(NEWSER) - A Chicago salon named Ossama’s Hair Design has seen a marked uptick in business after changing its name to Obama’s, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “This is going to work for me for sure,” said Mike Elsheikh, the shop’s owner. “The name is absolutely making a huge difference.” He licensed the name during the election: “I had a good imagination he would win.” More»

Edict brought Muslim culture war to the West: Hitchens

(NEWSER) - When Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens knew what it meant: "This was not just a warning of what was to come,” he writes in Vanity Fair, “it was the warning.” A global culture war, between Muslim fundamentalists and everyone else, had begun. Now Khomeini is dead, but the war persists, aided by the West, which self-censors itself in terror. More»

Moderate Khatami, battered by conservatives, still has large following

(NEWSER) - Mohammad Khatami is considering a run to reclaim the Iranian presidency, the Economist reports. Frustrated with successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s financial mismanagement and controversial rhetoric, moderate Iranians have swamped Khatami with entreaties to run. Although Khatami ultimately failed to deliver reform, his 1997-2005 tenure is remembered fondly for relaxed restrictions on everyday life and presenting a likable leader to the world. More»

Palin, stylist collaborated on business-like look

(NEWSER) - The Beehive Beauty Shop is an unassuming bubble-gum pink cut-and-color salon, but it’s in this little Wasilla establishment that Sarah Palin forged her trademark look, the New York Times reports. As mayor, Palin often wore her hair down, but when she jumped into the race for governor, she collaborated intensely with the salon stylists to get just the right business-like ‘do. More»