Thanks to iTunes’ automatic search for album-cover art, I woke up this morning to find this image now attached to the brassy 1959 instrumental hit “Manhattan Spiritual.” I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Sad relic of a Mad Men past we’re glad to be over.” Since this is the No-Comment Dept., I’ll let your thoughts carry the day.

…(or, rather, to a blog item reposted at CNN.com), “Any day now, women are expected to become the majority of the American workforce.”

French photographer Eric Tabuchi offers haunting, lonesome images of “Twenty-Six Abandoned Gasoline Stations.”

ICELANDIC WRITER Iris Erlingsdottir, meanwhile, wishes to remind you that merely having a female leader won’t, by itself, save her speculator-trashed country: “Estrogen Will Not Cure Greed and Stupidity.”

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS wants you to “Save the Words.” Simply mouse over the obscure word of your choice (the words will shout out “pick me” and “no, me”), learn its definition, and promise to use it in daily speech.

…a lot lately, letting interesting-sounding links take me any which where. While browsing the “Stores” page listings, I ran across something called “I Love ‘Boobs.'” Within the “Wall” (comments thread) was a lovely, loving ode to women’s self confidence. (Hint: It might have scrolled off of this particular page by the time you click on it. Keep going back through the thread.)

I like the idea that a woman telling other women how smart, daring, and beautiful they are can coexist, with seemingly no contradiction whatsoever, in an online discussion dedicated to the most superficial expression of admiration toward the female physique.

Some British gent claims “Shakespeare’s Plays Were Written by a Jewish Woman.” I’ll leave it to you to imagine Hamlet’s soliloquy recited by Fran Drescher, or Juliet’s balcony speech emoted by Sarah Silverman.

…could possibly resist the clarion call of Obamamania? Douglas County, that’s who.

In other nooze:

• As you probably don’t recall, the reason WashState has both caucuses and primaries is because Bush pere‘s people cried foul after Pat Robertson’s people swamped our ’88 GOP caucuses. This time, it’s Huckabee’s people crying foul.
• Your Museum of Flight: Singlehandedly bringing back the stewardess fetish.
• Note to KEXP main man John Richards: You can host a local Seattle show, or you can move to NYC. Choose one.
• Developers’ plans for the part of First United Methodist that won’t be saved: One of them angular, reflective glass towers you see in 60 Minutes segments about emerging Far Eastern capitals.
• Doesn’t anybody wanna buy Getty Images?
• Actual headline (for the print version of this story): “How far will Microsoft go to overcome Yahoo’s rejection?” Some handy tips: Chocolate, self-esteem classes, regular gym workouts, a ‘pity party’ with friends, a nice cry, then get on with your own life.

…you might not have seen before: Serious, respectful sex advice for straight guys!

…asks the musical question, “Is There Anything Good About Men?” His long and surprising answer: Yes.

…who have sex with boys (or girls) really be perceived as less icky than men who have sex with girls (or boys)?

…in Snohomish County thought the best way to pick up underage girls was to pretend to be an underage boy, live an elaborate made-up existence, and gain the unsuspecting girls’ confidence.

This sad case of exploitation and deceit flies against one of “alternative” culture’s longest-standing tenets, that women in general, and lesbians in particular, are the most righteous, morally purest creatures on Earth. I’ve long argued that women are perfectly capable of doing all the things men can do–including the bad things.

Newsweek’s got a compelling cover story this week about “Men and Depression.”

…makes #48 in the Guardian’s UK-centric list of “the 50 men who really understand women.” (George Clooney’s #1.)

…why females, including female politicians, should not be slandered with demeaning references to sex organs and sexual activity: “I don’t understand why I should regard vaginas with the negative attitude that the metaphorical use suggests…. every interaction that I have had with a vagina in my life has been a positive one.”

In keeping with her well-contrived “hot mess” public image, it’s a disjointed scrapbook of images and random thoughts. Salon’s reviewer can’t seem to get out of the cookie-cutter mode of feminist analysis, spending paragraph after paragraph discussing whether the book proves or disproves Love as being some sort of role model for All Females Everywhere. Silly reviewer: Of course she’s not. That’s part of her appeal, or at least it used to be.

…is now 52 percent female, according to unnamed sources cited by In These Times. One more geek bastion breached.