Rats, or another* downside to online shopping

In my eager desperation to get new trews from an online shop I opted for delivery to work: I have to be here all day anyway (joy!), and it means I get said trews a day early.

Unfortunately for me I didn't notice the ever so fine print that says the delivery time you're asked to enter is only a guide and they can/do deliver up to 8pm.

What exactly will happen to my trews if the person delivering brings them at 8pm when work is closed up for the weekend? I know one thing - it'll mean I won't have them for my evening soirees over the 'festive period'... Not that I'm going to any you understand.

*If you're interested, the first downside to internet shopping is buying without trying on, nothing ever fits right. The third downside to internet shopping is arranging for returns - the whole rigmarole of going to the post office (made worse if your post office was closed and you don't have one nearby) and forking out for it.

What I was going to do

I was going to write to you today about clothes, my ill fitting jeans and sporty new trainers that I plan to 'go running' in or 'play badminton' while wearing.

Except that was hella boring.

In fact, today is pretty boring. I'm in work between Christmas and New Year (for the first time ever - sob!). There are only 2 other people in the office with me (normally 20+) and I have no work to do so I have been surfing Etsy for things to buy. I spent £60 I do not have on stuff I hardly need yesterday and am trying to resist doing the same again today out of boredom.

To keep me from spending for something to frickin do my afternoon plans include;
1) solve a game of Spider solitaire with two suits! It's exciting because I've never done it before! Or maybe it's exciting because I have a totally skewed idea of what exciting is since I have been talking to myself all morning.
2) play Spider solitaire a second time
3) maybe have a game of minesweepers

In other news - new dog new dog!
My parents got a new dog last week, he is completely daft, really bouncy (yesterday he tried to fetch his toy by climbing over the back of the sofa) and cute as frankenpup. 19months old, called Bob.

Cockknobs

I forgot to write the editors letter for Subtext AGAIN. I am about 2 years over the deadline.
Tomorrow.
I'll do it tomorrow, promise.

Eternally inappropriate

I work with a chap who's eternally inappropriate. He seems to have no ideas that what he says is just, well, not quite on.

For example, today we were in a meeting discussing options for raising some money by asking companies to match fund a project. I know the managers of both of the specific companies being considered. This apparently made me blush.
I am one of those blushing people. It's a curse.

Anyway, in response to said blush Mr Eternally Inappropriate said,
"Why are you blushing? Are you having an affair with someone who works there?"

!!

As it so happens I am in a l/t relationship with someone who works there, but that is not the issue.

This'll sort what ails ya

My partner has been suffering with some kind of panic disorder, leaving him feeling spaced out, unsure of what is real and struggling to cope at work and in social situations.

When we finally persuaded him to see a doctor about it, and after blood tests and a couple of consutations in which he spoke about his anxiety, the doctor prescribed him a book!

He's ordered it from the library, apparently he can keep it for 8 weeks.
I love that.

In other news, I've lost my voice.

Faceblast-from-the-past

I freely admit to having a Facebook account. When people probe, ask me directly or search for my name.

Thing is, Facebook is awful.
I has no point.
It's full of ick little widgets that I don't know how to work.

I am one of those people who escaped her past. I wasn't that it was terrible, but there are a few things I would rather forget. And a few people I thought I had.

This will sounds awful, and maybe it is, but I don't want them to find me. Logging on I view my friend requests with trepidation. Sure, it's nice to find people want to be your online buddy, but what to do if you don't really feel the need to be theirs?

I hate snubbing. I don't want to ignore people. That's mean and I wouldn't like it to be done to me. But I don't really want to chit chat about long past events with people I have nothing in common with anymore and probably never did.

Maybe I'll change to a fake name, can you do that?

Do you dare me?

Ok, potential hilarity / self destruction.
They're casting for the new series of Britain's next top model at the mo'. Prime opportunity to uncover the bitchyness, soul sucking, shallow, stereotypes I envisage will be part of the selection process, for Subtext.

So, who dares me to apply? (here's the form, complete with dodgy questions)
Beware, a swimsuit shot is required.

It is quite likely I am too old and too 'interesting looking' (that's just a nice way of saying ugly isn't it - I bet that's what they put on the rejection letters) to get through the first selection.

I would recount the horrors online for you all.

Maybe I'll just complete a piss take form for a laugh.

Meeting the standard

If tackling gendered violence (eg domestic violence against women) was treated with the same seriousness as racist violence or homophobic violence this story and many like it would not pass by as sideline news. Proper training would be given to police officers. We would have effective legislation.

The police receive one domestic violence call every minute in the UK, despite less than half of all incidents of domestic violence being reported to the police. Women’s
Aid

46% of all female homicide victims (compared with 5% of male homicide victims), were killed by current or former partners in 2001/02. Women’s Aid

On average, two women a week are killed by a current or former male partner. Home Office

Summarising the confusing

Ah, I am trying to write the news section of the magazine. I have been for about 2 weeks already (I hunt for and save relevant news stories for months prior to writing).

I find it one of the hardest things to do - finding relevant news and news that's not been widely reported and re write it in a super short tit bit style.

It's no wonder no one else has volunteered to do the job :o)

Chemical concoction

Or, to be more accurate, hormonal concoction.

Yesterday I went to the ‘contraception and sexual health clinic’. They’ve renamed it. It used to be the Family Planning clinic, but I guess that’s not entirely accurate, because a lot of us women go there to prevent families from happening.

Whoever thought up it’s current name has no sympathy for those of us who only ever remember to make appointments during work hours, from our desks.

So I was off to the ‘Thursday night’ clinic. My colleagues do not need to know about by sexual health. I guess somehow I think you do though…

Anywho.
I’ve been getting the most persistent and recurring headaches for about a year. Recently they’ve intensified to daily. It is misery.

When asked if my ‘medical history’ had changed I dutifully told my nurse/health person yes it had and I was going to see a neurologist about my headaches.

Turns out, it could be the pill. Everything is the fucking pill. Depression, mood swings, no libido; all the pill’s fault.

(I have decided the pill is an evil stealth device. On the surface it ‘liberates’ women, removing the threat of pregnancy from their sexual relationships. Underneath this attractive pretence it’s side effects include keeping women in their place, keeping the down, and keeping them out of the bedroom – the reason they’re on the pill in the first place.)

So, I have changed pill again. I’m progesterone only now don’t y’know.
And guess what? So far it feels fucking great.

I have had hardly any headache today. I feel full of wild energy, which is something I have hella missed since swapping pills last time (pill before last gave me mad mood swings, I missed the manic bit) and I am totally hot with two t’s.

It’s Friday. I am oestrogen lite. Let’s party.

Something to do with your old lightbulbs

when you replace them all with energy saving ones.

The site's in foreign (I don't recognise the language since I only speak English, pigeon French and the language of love - haha!) but the pics are pretty sweet.

I am one of the pro-choice majority

Excellent article on late term abortion in the Guardian today.
Extract below made me well up.

If a woman is more than 13 weeks pregnant, labour has to be induced, and
normally takes less than six hours. Carrie's labour was much longer because the
baby was breech. Afterwards, she says, "We stayed with her for a few hours and
the midwife left a camera and dressed her in a premature nappy and cardigan and
filled in the card you get given with other births." When Carrie felt ready to
go to the ward, "The midwife said she would stay with [the baby] for the rest of
her shift; she acted as if she was an important baby, which she was to me."
...
Late-term abortion remains rare - 89% of all abortions in the UK are carried out at 12 weeks or below; only 1.5% take place after 20 weeks. The process can be physically and emotionally traumatic, and is never undertaken lightly. Those of us who have had late abortions have felt the force of moral outrage - we know that people who have never been in a situation like ours can be all too easily persuaded that the law should change. This is why it is important that our stories are heard.

Someone said something

I wanted to say this, but didn't know how:

Who will persuade us to act? However strong the opposition parties' policies appear to be, they cannot be sustained unless the voters move behind them. We won't be prompted by the media. The BBC drops Planet Relief for fear of breaching its impartiality guidelines: heaven forbid that it should come out against mass death. But it broadcasts a programme - Top Gear - that puts a match to its guidelines every week, and now looks about as pertinent as the Black and White Minstrel Show.

The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to offend the rules, which really means that they don't offend the interests of business or the pampered sensibilities of the Aga class. The media, driven by fear and advertising, are hopelessly biased towards the consumer economy and against the biosphere.

Shit.

From the Guardian CIF

Silver Fox

Vignette:

This morning

Mr comes in through the door (he's been out 'running')
I am making my lunch
Me: I have 3 grey hairs, I am old
Mr: I like it

Ok, that's a really small vignette.
But wasn't he quick on the appropriate response?
I was expecting a bit of ribbing at least.

3 grey hairs. I'm 24.

Disability and the right to sex

There's an article on the BBC website today about a young wheelchair bound male who's first sexual experience was bought in a Spanish brothel.

The article is framed around the question of acceptability for disabled people to visit brothels. So it's not all good - this is pretty patronising. It implies disabled people need special treatment because they are so unattractive they cannot express their sexuality without help or intervention.

I was surprised to read that somewhere this is believed to be true - there is a scheme in the Netherlands where a voluntary group provides sexual services for disabled people. Apparently most clients pay for 'the sex' themselves but some local authorities subsidise the service. That's kind of like sex on the NHS, right?

My own thoughts on prostitution; I am struggling to come to any real conclusion. On the one hand I would be instantly put off someone if I knew they had visited a prostitute. However that is just a personal reaction. It doesn't necessarily mean I think prostitution should be illegal.

It is often suggested that the majority of sex workers get into the profession as a last resort, or a response to factors they cannot control. I would interpret this to mean they had little power over their position, eg. they need to be there to make a living. So I tend to support criminalisation those who buy sex - as they are in the position of power in the transaction. I think this concept can, and is, applied to other situations of imbalanced power in supply and demand exchanges as well (eg drug dealers vs buyers).

I do believe that our patriarchal and capitalist system perpetuates a society in which prostitution can happen, and if this was to be broken down, the attitudes that allow and create a 'need' for it would not exist.

Anyway, there are some great quotes in the piece, for example counselling psychologist Simon Parritt, "I think everybody has the right to a sexual identity," but "I don't think everybody has the right to sex with another person. That involves somebody elses rights."

Anna Bowden, of Eaves, a group that helps vulnerable women,"We reject the view that men have a right to sex." I guess by 'men' she means 'people'. After all, women buy sex too - or maybe they have a right!

Cari Mitchell, of the English Collective of Prostitutes, "Prostitution is consenting sex between adults." This could be the last word on the matter if it was the case each and every time. But in reality, it's not.

There are some really interesting comments on the feature too, from disabled, celibate by circumstances, as well as able bodied sexually active people.

Small victories

Today I logged onto the work intranet to find a notice promoting the Alpha course - dodgy propaganda filled Christan conversion course - depending on who's advice you heed.
Inappropriate for work - right?


So I emailed them to tell them so.
My small victory - they're removing the notice.

People power!

Also, I am thinking of going 'undercover' on this course for a Subtext article. Call the emergency services if I'm not back by 9 ;o)

Pig-la-ta pics

Bert and Ernie (or Bertram and Ernest to use their Sunday names) have grown so big. I've had them nearly a year now and they are weird mixture of indoor pet that's conditioned to know the kitchen is where the food comes from and wild animal roaming and foraging around their habitat.



Here are some recent pics. The first one is taken from the kitchen. They're standing outside their house to get a better view of the food they're hoping is coming their way (you can just see the green fabric in the bottom right, that's in front of their hutch.)

The hutch.

Below is a pic taken just after we got them, see what I mean about them getting so big!

Seam stress

Today I am wearing this dress for work.

Please excuse the headless/footless photo.

My hand looks all boney and evil, doesn't it?

I made it from my own design!!

I was really simple, just 4 pieces of fabric.

It is already lunchtime and it hasn't fallen apart yet. I brought a back up dress in my bag just in case.

I have another dress design in my head, and some £1 fabric I bought from college with which to make it. (This new crafty me is due to a college course I enrolled on called 'fashion wear' that's all about how to make your own clothes).

I quite like the idea of making clothes out the the scraps of older stuff that you don't wear anymore. This is probably the reserve of the more accomplished seamstress (I have been to the sum total of 4 classes so far), but maybe I'll try it soon. I have loads of bits of old t shirt fabric to play with.

On a related note, has anyone heard of the brown dress project? The artist made and wore the same brown dress everyday for a year in a response to our culture of consumption. And then after the year was over she embarked on another year long project, only wearing clothes she had made herself from fabric she already owned (including other items of clothing). She had to give up on home made shoes though since hers fell apart.

Friday afternoons

Friday afternoons should be moved from the end of the working week to the first bit of the weekend. Imagine, finishing work at 1pm on a Friday (let's make it 1 so as not to dent productivity too badly).

This afternoon I would have had a sleep.

Whatta write about?

So, the contributions deadline for issue 5 is drawing close and I haven't begun to think about writing an article. Sure, I have begun editing and compiling articles from super efficient and excellent contributors, but not really given my own writing any thought.

Any ideas people?

Don't tell my arms, my achey breaky arms...

I am an achey breaky person today. All over.

'Tis due to a caving excursion over the weekend involving a day of SRT training (single rope technique - that's climbing and descending ropes with gadgets to the non caver) and another day of using practised skills in cave called 'Lost John's'.

There were 5 pitches to abseil down, one of which required you to swing in through a 'window' onto a ledge. And 3 pitches to ascend on the way out (because it was a through trip rather than going back the way you went in). The first pitch of ascent was over 70 ft and was thoroughly knackering.

I feel, and look, like I've been in a fight. Bruiser.

I should have taken my camera.

Pay day feels so good

Ah, the fresh air of pay day, the long awaited allieviation of stress and penny pinching.

This has been a particularly bad month for money. So i am very happy to have the extra overtime money in my paycheque. It means...

Freedom to buy up select best items from my Etsy favourites list :o)
Abillity to afford a winter wetsuit (surfing tomorrow in east cosat waters - not good plan in 2mm suit, especically as I am currently sat indoors at work with 3 layers plus coat and scarf)
or,
The most amazing boots in town from Green Shoes that I have been saving for for about 3 months (they are not cheap at all).

Kind folks motivate lazy blogger

Thank you kind folks who emailed and commented saying the odd irregular post on one of the worlds forgotten blogs would be missed. You are super nice and I feel heartened to carry on polluting your eyes with more posts.

I love the old TP, and like an addict I just can't quit it.

So, I intend to tell you about my weekend's adventure at 'Truck'.

Small village fete style indie festivals are not usually my thing (in fact, indie is generally not my thing hence the pen name) but I was at a loose end this weekend. The date I had made with some fabric and my sewing machine fell through since my new overlocking foot hadn't arrived (I am currently engaged in a evening class on how to sew and am feeling very motivated to spend time cursing in the front bedroom with a bundle of thread and some impatience).

So, off to truck at 7:30 Saturday morn in a Micra jam packed to busting point. I called shotgun.

The sun shone, I got sunburnt, my nose is all read and my lips are too dry.
I drank beer, which was cheap, since you could carry it in. Good folks at Truck.

Saw some piss poor bands on the Saturday. Merged into one through beer and lack of sleep.

Saw some ok bands on the Sunday, namely The Mules (a bit like Gogol Bordello but with more funk than gypsy) Chris TT (political acoustic folky type stuff about hedgehogs that tugged at the heartstrings and nearly made me cry - I am a softy any day but after no sleep there is no hope for me) and Little Sisters, who were a local band and sang one song about Jesus which kind of put me off. I refuse to dance to praiseful worship godloving songs. But the rest of their set was good. They had a harp and two fiddles though which was super ace.

Highpoint?
Some chap asked me to take a photo of him with a beardy man I assumed to be his friend. Thinking it might be a good idea to have our pic taken we asked said bloke to return the favour. Positioned ourselves in front of a nice leafy background in the vicinity of beardy bloke (careful not to stand too close in case he would be in the picture).

Photo taking man said, "well, stand a bit closer!" in an inpatient tone, so, confused, we quickly did as we were told. Result, us standing next to some beardy bloke we can only assume has fame associated with him since strangers expect us to want him in our photos. Cue sheepish grins on our part as we scarpered from the scene.

You're thinking 'that's the highpoint?!?'. Well, it was funny at the time.

I will find the picture and post it at some point to see if anyone can identify him.

Slipping

I remember when I used to write, a lot. Then 'the net nanny' got in the way and prevented me publishing my nonsense, not to mind the whole real world publishing deal-i-o that takes up a helluva lotta time even now.

Having said that I miss the old blog, the old writing just for the sake of it. I miss thinking about stuff the way I used to, making time for introspection, thinking about what's going on in the world outside of my head.

So I am going to take it up again.
Except I might take it up again anonymously.
This blog has been great. I've met some wonderful people and it's been a big catalyst for loads of new and exciting things in my life.

The anonymity of the 'early years' is something I miss though.

Maybe I will start a fresh new blog, maybe I'll get over myself and realise no one care what the hell I write be it anonymous or not. Maybe I'll just rekindle my relationship with TP warts and all?

I guess time will tell.

Sharholder power - ethics forced onto the agenda at Tesco

Hell yeah! A small shareholder at Tesco (also a primary from War on Want) has amassed enough support among fellow shareholders that they have forced Tesco to address problems within their supply chain of low wages, poor working conditions and job insecurity.
From the Guardian

Only 1/4 of 'money savers' would boycott child labour

In a poll on the site 'Money Saving Expert' only around a 1/4 of money savers said they would boycott a cheap clothing retailer if it was shown they used child labour to manufacture their products

I'd rather not have it than knowingly ignore the truth of where it came from.

Taken from the Labour Behind the Label website, info on high street stores and how they fair:

We wrote to all the major high street retailers and all members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). On the basis of the information gathered for this report, we put the companies into five groups, based on how well they were able to respond to the questions we asked.
1.Non-responders
These companies make no information available to consumers on their websites, and did not respond to our enquiries in any meaningful way. We are concerned that this lack of transparency indicates a lack of engagement. Includes: Bhs*, Diesel, House
of Fraser, Kookai, Mothercare, Marshalls, Monsoon Accessorize, Moss Bros, Peacocks/Bon Marche*, River Island, Ted Baker.
2.Dragging their feet
Responses from this group indicate scant effort to tackle workers' rights issues. They have not participated in collaborative efforts to develop best practice, in particular the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), and it shows from their responses. Includes: Arcadia (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, etc), French Connection, Jigsaw/Kew, Laura Ashley, Matalan, Mosaic Group (Oasis, Karen
Millen, etc), Primark, Principles.
3.Resting on their laurels
While these companies have previously taken some steps to address working conditions, including joining the ETI, their responses and case histories suggest that they are more interested in ticking the right boxes to stave off criticism than they are in achieving actual results for their workers. By and large they don't seem to accept the seriousness of problems regarding wages and freedom of association. Includes: Asda, Debenhams, Sainsbury's, Madison Hosiery, Pentland.
4.Could do better
These companies gave us mixed responses, which indicated some consideration and decent steps in some areas, but didn't deal substantively with others or were too vague to be sure about. Includes: John Lewis, H&M, Levi Strauss & Co, M&S, New Look, Tesco, TK Maxx, Zara.
5.Pulling ahead
From their responses and case studies, these companies are further along than others. While they still have a long way to go, they seem to be engaging more seriously with the issues we raised. Includes: Gap, Next.

For a guide to ethical clothing check out Labour Behind the Label

Subtext: issue 3 out now!

Apologies for the recent radio scilence.

Good news though, Subtext issue 3 is now on sale!
And on time! With double proof read text and (fingers crossed) all but titchy mistakes eliminated.
Plus, we've got badges too!

Back to reality

Me on a camel, with a baby goat.
As if just sitting on a camel wasn't hard enough on it's own.

Back from Morocco (very nice, warm, sunny) to reality and stomach flu.
Oh how I wish I could escape.

There is a Zounds song, one of the lines is:

"I'm not looking for escapism,
I just want to escape"

My boyfriend says I can't claim this as a little mantra because it makes me sound like a junkie living in a hovel, and that my life isn't bad. He is right, but that line rang a chord with me from the very first time I heard it years ago.

[spacey voice]It has so many meanings man...[/spacey voice]

I think I am experiencing some chronic post-holiday blues. Nothing has felt right since I've been back. I have no motivation, anxiety, lethargy. I want to spend my days holled up sulking.

Such is life, times like these prompt me to change my situation, do something new.

I thought about trying to get an apprentiship as a blacksmith this morning.
Blacksmithery doesn't pay very well according to learn direct.

Lke most people I don't want to work, I want to fanny around, ride my bike, make things, bake muffins (which I planned to do today, as well as tidy the house, write some stuff for the magazine and make falafel. It is 4pm already!)

At least the sun is shining today. Landing in Birmingham to BLIZZARDS OF SNOW after glorious sun in Morocco did not do it for me.

Wimbeldon women win equality

Male and female competitors to receive same rewards for first time ever the guardian reports.
Coo-el.

Suck on that Andy Murray.

Lazy as a marmaset's arse

I don't know if that's how you spell marmaset, and I'm too lazy to check. I'm too lazy to write, too. For someone who professes to love writing, I don't actually write that much. I have ideas in my head, developed, ridiculous, readable ideas - but they're staying there where it's safe and warm and no one actually gets to see them.

I want to set up a copywriting business. I have already done the fun bits of designing the website and writing the copy for the (most) of the website. The not so fun bits are yet to be tackled. Finishing the website, trying to drum up business etc.

There are many more winges of the lazy that I could bore you with, but I'll spare you that at least. Maybe one day I will write all those things I thought I'd write, and then you could read them. I've still not written the article of feminism and capitalism I promised you so very long ago (like, 2 years ago!).

You spell it marmoset. I checked it, but it would mean my whole intro would be shot through if I changed it.

In training / whoop

I'm officially in training for my trip to Skye in April. I will have to walk up big hills, I think they're classified as mountains they're so big. Today I took the stairs from the ground to the seventh floor. My legs ached and I was a bit out of breath. More training required.

Before then though, I' going to Morocco! I am fully excited about this. Not only is it my first hot sunny beachy holiday for two years, but it's a girls holiday. I'm going with Jess, assistant editor of Subtext, drinker, punk band drummer, kariokie singer (I've never seen her sing kariokie but I can totally imagine her doing it) and fun to be around bad influence.

I am going to have to be so good - we're somehow affording to go all inclusive, so that pretty much equals free alcohol and cake all the time.

The above reads like I'm some kind of richy-rich jet setter. Believe me, this blog should be renamed 'budget travelling punk'.

Tiny baby, big decisions

There's an article in the Guardian online today about tiny baby Amellia who was born by cesarean at 22 weeks (making her about 17-18 weeks premature).

I expect her survival to have a big impact on abortion laws, both here and in the USA, because she lived despite being under the age considered 'viable' in the USA (23 weeks), and under the 24 weeks abortion limit in the UK.

It's brilliant news that this baby survived, and I can understand why a desperate mother would lie to doctors about her baby's age. However it is concerning that this may have a detrimental impact of a woman's right to abortion if she past 22 weeks. I can imagine the question will be 'if babies can be kept alive by medicine after 22 weeks then should the age of viability be lowered?'

Comments in the article from another mother who's premature baby survived via medical intervention suggests that each case should be considered individually, rather than a 'catch all' rule being enforced. I hope if this is adopted for premature babies that they see fit to give women who choose not to have children the same respect and considered their cases individually rather than applying a catch all rule after the normal cut off point for abortions.

Who would be a medical ethicist? Stressful much.

Animal rights is a racy business, promise

PETA, who are you trying to speak to exactly? Your 'latest and raciest' ad campaign certainly doesn't appeal to me. Are the big fur wearers all Nuts readers?

Maybe not, since they paid for this ad to be on the blog 'Go Fug Yourself'. I'm guessing that website has a majority audience of bored women.
How pervy does the bit in brackets sound "yeah, she looked so good we couldn't choose just one". Lord.

What is it with everyone? UPDATED

Britney shaves her hair off - the media reports she is loosing her mind.
In and of itself, shaving your head does not mean you are going mad - it means you wanted to shave your head. Britney choosing to see the back of her long blonde extensions, reportedly hanging off just a couple of centimeters of her own hair seems pretty understandable to me.

There's an summary of shaven heads in among celebrity women on the Guardian website that's quite interesting - basically concluding there are many different reasons to shave ones head.

The main reasons for the furore seems to be, as picked up by the journalist for the Guardian, that the renunciation of traditional femeninity associated with a bald head can still shock people.

UPDATED: to add a link to a BBC story about Britney, there are some great encouraging comments from both women and men who think that it is not the 'break down' the media are protraying it as. There are also comments from short and skin head women who rock their look and wonder why there's such a fuss.

This is the most I have ever blogged about Britney. Someone who works for her is a pr whiz, everyone is talking about this!

WTF?

According to the BBC, this is news - Breastfeeding 'aids class status'

Who exactly wrote the policy to tabolidise the BBC?

Rape conviction rates under spotlight

A look at possible reasons behind low conviction rates for rape on the BBC website today. Some very deluded and annoying comments. Some sad personal accounts of decisions not to report a rape because of lack of faith in criminal justice system too.

Bill to bring laws against forced marriages in the UK

Another great 'comment is free' article on the gaurdian online, today taling about forced marriages and a bill that is in front of the House of Lords designed to help the women (and men) forced into marriages that are abusive, miserable, degrading.

"Even India and Pakistan have laws against forced marriage, however badly
enforced they may be. It is time Britain not only had them, but sent out a clear
signal that violence against women in this country, whatever their colour or
religion, should never be tolerated. "

Positive that Sunny Huandal framed this as not only a gender issue, but an issue of violence against women.

And while we're here link to more Sunny Hundal articles on the Guardian website
And link to Sunnys profile - lefty dream-boat.

Ambiguous laws

Thoughtful article on the Guardian Online regarding the ambiguity in the law that makes it very difficult to convict someone of rape - ie. the jury have to be 'sure' a crime has been committed.

Some interesting comments, some fights over language, and a commentator suggesting trying people for GBH rather than rape ie. rape not as a crime in itself, but part of a spectrum of violence covered by grevious boldily harm.

Could classifying rape as GBH add weight to the accusation, lead to a better conviction rate or prompt a change of perception away from thinking of it as the victims fault? Should rape be classified as GBH?

Appaulingly the convication rate for rape has fallen way below the rate I had heard in previous reports (1:5) to an even more worrying 1:20 (in 1999).

Accidentally on purpose

Slavery promoter and lesbian fearer off 'Shipwrecked' described as 'far right' by BBC.
Her location, that is, not her politics.
It's so coincidental though, I wonder if they phrased it this way on purpose.


I almost wrote 'one wonders if they phrased it...' but then realised that I am not the Queen.

Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow

So, women who choose not to shave are news worthy (or something) according the the BBC. In fact, I think this even received a homepage picture it's such a scoop!
Man bites dog, woman doesn't shave etc.

Still, isn't it nice to read the solidarity of other women who also choose not to shave, and interesting to read about those who continue to shave alongside an understanding of the reasons why they feel compelled to do so. There are mixed reactions from male commentators too.

Meet Bert and Ern

"The boys"

Feeling safe?

Interesting article on the Guardian website today taking a critcal look at Guantánamo Bay, now facing it's 5th brithday.

"Human rights have been traded away in Guantánamo in the hope of gaining security, and it has not worked. One of the US's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, stated: "He who trades liberty for security deserves neither and will lose both." Adorned on the walls of the Guantánamo camp is its mission statement: "Honour-bound to defend freedom". After five years of Guantánamo, do you feel any safer?"

Hell no.