Blog posts from November 2008
Book Club Choice #2: Noughts And Crosses
By Barbara Felix | 30 November 2008, 07:00
Following the success of our previous book club discussion, I am pleased to announce the second F-Word book club choice. This months choice was nominated by Lindsey: “I’d like to nominate Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses, a YA [novel] re-imagining…
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Feminism, Disability & Activism Zine: call for submissions
By Jess McCabe | 29 November 2008, 22:31
The Feminist Activist Forum is calling for submissions for a zine on feminism, disability and activism: Disability has been treated as an unglamorous side-issue within feminist activism. We are looking for writing and artwork that addresses attitudes to disability within…
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16 Days Against Violence Against Women
By Sokari Ekine | 28 November 2008, 10:01
November 25th marked the beginning of this years “16 Days Against Violence Against Women”. Black Women’s Rape Action Project have issued a press release regarding the UK government’s obligation to provide protection to women seeking asylum from rape and other forms of sexual violence.
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Not a slow blogging round-up
By Jess McCabe | 27 November 2008, 15:45
A New York Times article has drawn fresh attention to the ‘slow blogging’ movement. Like slow food, slow blogging is meant to encourage thoughtful blogging and “not having what you write be the first thing that comes out of your…
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The Newells
By Jess McCabe | 27 November 2008, 11:49
The UK should copy the Australians, and set up an annual ‘awards’ ceremony to highlight sexism in the public eye, argues Cath Elliot over at Comment is Free today. The Ernies take place at the New South Wales parliament building,…
The Cyber-Quilting Experiment
By Jess McCabe | 27 November 2008, 10:29
Cyber-quilters are the thread, the middle person for areas that are marginalized or simply unsure about how to use technology - Adele Nieves BitchBuzz has a great interview with Adele Nieves, which explains what The Cyber-Quilting Experiment is, its origins,…
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News and Views
By Louise Livesey | 27 November 2008, 09:07
Here’s a really powerful reminder that, in the words of bell hooks, feminism is for everyone: The definition of feminism does not require a diploma or other proof of graduation. It is not reserved for those who teach women’s…
Female artist’s belly too fat for record label
By Laura Woodhouse | 26 November 2008, 20:16
Incredibly cool and beautiful singer Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame) has been forced to search for a new record label after Roadrunner refused to promote her latest single, video and album. Why? Because she refused to let them…
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Help Rape Crisis in a few easy steps
By Louise Livesey | 26 November 2008, 17:23
Would you like to help Rape Crisis launch a national anti-rape campaign? Think about past public education campaigns like drink-driving or non-smoking - it really has the potential to make a difference, to change attitudes towards survivors and even…
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Anti-choicers in a school near you
By Jess McCabe | 26 November 2008, 11:50
Anti-choice groups such as the ‘Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child’ are being invited to give presentations at secondary schools: Rawnie Chapman-Kitchin, 15, was aghast when her teacher compared abortion to Nazism, saying that in time history would…
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News Round-Up
By Louise Livesey | 26 November 2008, 08:56
Yesterday was International End Violence Against Women Day. Following our coverage of the trial of the Sheffield man who raped his daughters over 25 years comes the news he was found guilty and sentenced to life. His minimum sentence (before…
Feminist networks profiled in today’s Guardian
By Jess McCabe | 26 November 2008, 08:39
Today’s Guardian profiles the growing number of feminist networks up and down the country: Bristol isn’t the only city with such a popular group - there are new feminist networks forming around the UK, providing a stark riposte to the…
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More News
By Louise Livesey | 25 November 2008, 16:36
The UK now has specific legislation to try and prevent forced marriages. This includes the right to issue an injunction to prevent a young person being taken abroad and to force family members to disclose the location of a person…
Feminism = Orion
By Jess McCabe | 25 November 2008, 15:30
Sudy has a great description of feminism as the constellation Orion: Feminism, as a collective movement, needs to sustain a habit of frequent communication between the movements. Borrowing from astronomy, the Orion is a sisterhood of stars that make up…
UK women barely visible in Web 2.0?
By Jess McCabe | 25 November 2008, 10:16
A list of the 20 “most visibile” people in the UK’s digital landscape contains only one woman, at number 11. NowPublic compiled the list based on what they say is a “metric-driven” formula, looking at “whose voices are most heard…
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Google thinks clitorises are unmentionable
By Jess McCabe | 24 November 2008, 16:51
The word “clitoris” is on a Google list of words ‘banned’ from its safe search option, according to Susie Bright. Google’s filtered search option is, largely, a good thing in my view - for one thing, it means I can…
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Some news items
By Louise Livesey | 24 November 2008, 16:35
First up this piece about a Saudi all-girl rock band, The Accolade, who’s music seems pretty good to me. Saudi Arabia’s strict laws mean they can’t perform publically, have photo’s taken for album covers and rehearse in secret but the…
Policing masculinity - board games and bikes
By Jess McCabe | 24 November 2008, 11:04
The board game Risk has been given a ‘manly’ makeover by Hasbro. The packaging is now covered in slogans such as “are you man enough?”, big pointy arrows and instructions to “man up!” Winning players are encouraged to demand all…
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Our report on Reclaim the Night 2008
By Jess McCabe | 23 November 2008, 22:14
More than 2,000 women marched to take back the streets of central London last night, in protest against male violence against women, for the fifth national Reclaim the Night event since it’s revival in 2003. Despite the bitter chill (it…
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Death of Laddism Parade
By Lynne Miles | 23 November 2008, 18:40
Firstly - well done to the 2,000 women who filled the streets of London to Reclaim the Night last night!! Secondly, capitalising on its success, there has been talk amongst various feminists, including those from the London Feminist Network, Object…
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A pre-RTN round-up
By Jess McCabe | 22 November 2008, 12:32
Heading out to Reclaim the Night in a few hours, but in the meantime here’s a mini-round-up: Talking of RTN, the LGBT domestic violence helpline Broken Rainbow has endorsed this march and other events taking place around the country. Over…
Transgender Day of Remembrance 2008
By Helen G | 20 November 2008, 19:19
Today - 20 November - is the Transgender Day of Remembrance Please spare a few moments quiet contemplation for all those of my trans sisters and brothers who can’t be here today. Teisha Cannon Dilek Ince Duanna Johnson Aimee Wilcoxson…
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Abortion Rights comedy fundraiser
By Laura Woodhouse | 20 November 2008, 17:41
Abortion Rights are hosting a fundraising comedy night: When: Friday 28th November 2008, doors open 8pm, show starts 8.30pm. Where: Upstairs at the Round Table Pub St Martin’s Court, on the side of the Wyndham’s Theatre. One minute from Leicester…
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News and Views
By Louise Livesey | 20 November 2008, 11:28
I am sure I can’t be the only one infuriated that some bloke’s resignation from a reality entertainment programme has overshadowed all other news including the government’s latest legislative announcements on prostitution. The BBC has contrasting views from two sex…
Apparently men have to be Cervix Savvy
By Louise Livesey | 20 November 2008, 08:39
This website (with hat-tip to C for sending it to me) is designed to encourage people to be more aware of the need for cervical screening - a right and good thing. But on looking at the website who would…
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Appropriate games for girls
By Carrie Dunn | 20 November 2008, 00:17
I was covering The X Factor for the Guardian’s website on Saturday night, and, during one of the breaks, was taken aback with one advert featuring Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby. Here’s what I wrote over at the Organ Grinder…
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Sheffield anti-violence demo this Saturday
By Laura Woodhouse | 19 November 2008, 22:13
Sheffield Fems are holding a demo in Sheffield town centre this Saturday, coinciding with Reclaim The Night London, to raise public awareness about violence against women. Meet outside the town hall at 2pm, placards and flyers will be provided! This…
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Reclaim The Night London
By Laura Woodhouse | 19 November 2008, 12:59
EDIT: London Feminist Network members have confirmed that “women only” of course includes trans women. However, considering the confusion this has caused both this year and on previous occasions, I really think this should be made explicit on publicity for…
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Muslimah Media Watch
By Catherine Redfern | 18 November 2008, 20:28
I recently discovered a fantastic blog that I think deserves more attention: Muslimah: Looking At Muslim Women in the Media and Culture Muslimah Media Watch is a forum where we, as Muslim women, can critique how our images appear in…
Time wasting tool of the day: GenderAnalyzer
By Laura Woodhouse | 18 November 2008, 17:21
Look, look! Stick your blog or site address in here and it’ll tell you whether you write like a man or a woman! RESULTS: We guess http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog is written by a man (58%), however it’s quite gender neutral. Well, I…
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68th Carnival of Feminists, and some thoughts on waves
By Laura Woodhouse | 18 November 2008, 14:32
The 68th Carnival of Feminists went up last week at Fourth Wave. Highlights for me include a brief retrospective of the life of Olympe de Gourges, who in 1791 wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman as a counterpoint…
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New Cardiff Feminist Group
By Laura Woodhouse | 18 November 2008, 13:10
A new feminist group called The Waves has been set up in Cardiff: The Waves is a forum for feminist discussion and grassroots activism based in Cardiff. It’s a new group and welcomes anyone with an interest in feminism -…
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OK I eat my hat….
By Louise Livesey | 18 November 2008, 12:34
Email just received from Chargrilled on this. All I can say is wow and go F Word! (Obviously the fact they were ever there in the first place is abhorrent but this is responsive). Dear Dr. Livesey, We would like…
And in other news
By Louise Livesey | 18 November 2008, 10:10
I can’t work out whether to be appalled or applaud this story…. Reinforcing gender stereotypes by having an all-girls school plan a wedding as a learning tool (as that’s obviously the most important thing they’ll ever have to do). But…
News Round Up - ridiculous ideas of the day
By Louise Livesey | 18 November 2008, 09:32
This might get long…. I have to join the calls for Helen Mirren to stop spouting on rape. It goes against the grain for me to want to silence a woman but sometimes speech can be deadlier than, well, pretty…
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Genuinely being advertised on Ebay
By Louise Livesey | 18 November 2008, 08:30
But obviously we don’t live in a society hostile to women’s rights….. Description: A blue short-sleeved men’s tshirt on which the slogan reads: Statistically 9 out of 10 people enjoy gangrape Description: A red short-sleeved men’s tshirt on which the…
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‘Virginity’ is an outdated concept
By Jess McCabe | 18 November 2008, 03:56
We prize the idea of ‘virginity’ in our culture, whether valorising it in the form of ‘purity’ balls, or pillorying ‘virgins’. But it’s an extremely problematic concept, bolstering up a highly heteronormative hierarchy of what is and isn’t defined as…
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Round Up
By Louise Livesey | 16 November 2008, 21:44
Why is Germaine Greer writing about Michelle Obama’s dress? Did I miss something? Is this really contemporary feminist analysis? The mind boggles. Mind it does that a lot, not least with this advertising campaign from the RSPCA Australia (warning distressing…
More news and views
By Louise Livesey | 16 November 2008, 18:59
Jacqui Smith has clarified the proposed law on men who buy sex. It will be criminal to purchase sex with a woman who is controlled for anothers profit - that is women who are pimped and trafficked. Of course this…
Two news articles analysed….
By Louise Livesey | 16 November 2008, 16:30
First up this piece from the Daily Mail arguing that women over 50 years old are less bitchy than those under 50. So why do I dislike it? 1. It implicitly presents women over the age of 50 as being…
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Rachel Maddow on bloggers
By Jess McCabe | 16 November 2008, 08:30
Via Feministing…
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Somehow I feel I should remember the Newsround theme….
By Louise Livesey | 14 November 2008, 12:33
Several sources are reporting an acid attack on schoolgirls in Kandahar. All the girls were wearing burqas which afforded some protection. The Taleban have denied responsibility. The UK gender pay gap has increased to 17.1% (overall and 36% for part…
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RIP Amy Leigh Barnes and Duanna Johnson
By Lynne Miles | 14 November 2008, 05:02
There have been two horrific murders in the past week. 19 year old Amy Leigh Barnes was found stabbed to death in the flat that was her first home away from her parents last Saturday morning. Her former boyfriend, a…
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Way to make organ donation kind of creepy
By Jess McCabe | 14 November 2008, 03:25
Sociological Images draws attention to this ad meant to promote organ donation, which originally ran in a Belgian men’s magazine. As lisa says: There are some interesting implications here about why we engage in altruism and who is deserving…
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For the laughs
By Louise Livesey | 13 November 2008, 18:10
Full Size Version Here…
Ladyfest Manchester: Sunday
By Laura Woodhouse | 13 November 2008, 14:09
Like Catherine, I had a wonderful time at Ladyfest Manchester, and am thoroughly impressed by the lovely people who worked so hard to put it together. I spent the afternoon learning more about zines in a workshop with Melanie of…
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News Round-Up
By Louise Livesey | 13 November 2008, 10:38
Seemingly according to Jersey officials sexual abuse survivors should shut up. Now bear with me whilst I explain how I got to that conclusion… They have called the release of information about the investigations at Haute de la Garenne “misleading”….
News and Views
By Louise Livesey | 12 November 2008, 16:05
First up on Proposition 8 there is a great Open Letter at Racialious by Adele Carpenter: These articles mistakenly imply that the struggles for civil rights for LGBT people and communities of color are separate or even at odds with…
Homo Promo
By Milly Shaw | 12 November 2008, 12:21
The gay community is often accused by right-wing groups of trying to push their ‘homosexuality agenda’. Rather than fighting the accusation, Gay Times magazine decided to roll with it, and asked some creative agencies to design some homosexuality advertising campaigns….
‘What are you thinking about gender right now?’
By Jess McCabe | 12 November 2008, 03:34
As I’m in San Francisco at the moment, so I got a chance to meet up with charming Sarah Dopp. Sarah has about a million exciting projects on the go, but one of those is the photoblog Genderfork.com. It’s one…
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Alice Walker writes to Barack Obama
By Louise Livesey | 11 November 2008, 16:58
Here’s her letter to the President Elect. Nov. 5, 2008 Dear Brother Obama, You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know,…
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Some News in Brief
By Louise Livesey | 11 November 2008, 16:35
Here’s what Obama is planning to do for women. All sounds remarkably, well, the starting of good things for women! Most positive measures seem to me to be acknowledging the gender impact of HIV and Aids (but sadly without the…
First female Commissioner of the Met?
By Laura Woodhouse | 11 November 2008, 11:35
The Metropolitan police are inviting applications for the post of chief Commissioner following Boris’s ousting of Sir Ian Blair from the position last month, and Cambridgeshire police’s Chief Constable, Julie Spence, could well be in the running. The Guardian reports…
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Ladyfest Manchester 2008 - Saturday Report
By Catherine Redfern | 10 November 2008, 22:25
I spent Saturday at Ladyfest Manchester, and although I couldn’t stay for the bands in the evening, I had a really great day. As usual for a Ladyfest Festival it was difficult to decide what to do as the…
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Met Human Trafficking Unit Forced to Close
By Laura Woodhouse | 10 November 2008, 14:03
The anti-human trafficking team which successfully brought six sex traffickers to justice last week will be forced to disband following the withdrawal of government funding. The Metropolitan Police do not have sufficient funds to keep the unit running. Really disappointing…
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New Zealand had an election too!
By Jess McCabe | 10 November 2008, 02:01
Labour has been ousted in the New Zealand election, reports the Guardian: New Zealanders have voted for their first conservative government in almost a decade, ending the tenure of one of the world’s longest-serving elected female leaders. Conceding defeat, Prime…
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Birth: everyone’s got an opinion
By Abby O'Reilly | 8 November 2008, 21:26
It is the most private and intimate moment in every mother’s life, and yet birth is something that everyone is more than happy to jaw about judgementally. Should we have baby at home or at hospital? Pain relief? No pain…
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Lads: your mags are bad for your self image, too.
By Laura Woodhouse | 8 November 2008, 20:24
Plenty of women have had negative reactions to the sexualised images of women on lads’ mags covers, but research conducted at the University of Missouri has concluded that reading lads’ mags also impacts negatively upon men’s self image, even a…
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Female influences on Obama.
By Laura Woodhouse | 8 November 2008, 14:52
Yesterday’s Guardian features Kira Cochrane’s profile of the key female figures in the President-elect’s life, including his grandmother: Born in 1922, [Madelyn] Dunham was raised in Kansas, and worked as an aircraft inspector during the second world war, before studying…
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Maya Angelou
By Jess McCabe | 7 November 2008, 20:04
Maya Angelou’s reflection on Obama winning the presidency - wow. Starts about 3 minutes in….
‘Tramp stamps’ again
By Jess McCabe | 7 November 2008, 12:20
Ug. Reviving the ‘tramp stamp’ phrase again, the Daily Mail has published a ridiculous rant by Liz Jones about how women shouldn’t get tattoos. She lays on the classist and sexist bullshit very thick. A taster: They are a mark…
International End Violence Against Women Petition
By Louise Livesey | 7 November 2008, 10:27
Reprinted from contact: Dear Friends, There are less than 3 weeks to go before UNIFEM will hand over all signatures to the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. So far, more than 490,000 people…
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News Flash
By Louise Livesey | 7 November 2008, 08:37
BONG Man defends other men’s right to not get long punishment for murdering partners/women if they show autonomous sexual behaviour. Apparently changes in the law which remove the “provocation” defence of infedelity ignores the impact of sexual betrayal on men…
Ladyfest Manchester this weekend!
By Laura Woodhouse | 6 November 2008, 15:50
Ladyfest Manchester kicks off tomorrow at the Zion Arts Centre in Manchester, and it all looks very exciting! Ladyfest is a female-focused, not-for-profit arts and music festival where, for once, women take centre stage. Events include cabaret, burlesque and bands…
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More US election aftermath…
By Jess McCabe | 6 November 2008, 12:23
Brownfemipower: I don’t think that I’ve truly understood until yesterday exactly how terribly the black community has been hurt. How devastated the black community was by the violence inflicted on them. How deep the ache of murder, lynching, rape, benign…
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Teen Sex Attitudes Surveyed
By Louise Livesey | 5 November 2008, 12:56
Channel 4 reports a study of sexual attitudes amongst 14-16 years. Key findings are that: boys thought it was acceptable to pressure girls into sex and to use alcohol to get them into bed. boys often used aggressive language about…
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And yet
By Jess McCabe | 5 November 2008, 11:09
As exciting - as much of a blessed relief - as it is to see Barack Obama elected president, and Congress swing to the left - as elating as it is to see the amazing reaction to this in the…
Obaaaaaaaaaaama wins!
By Laura Woodhouse | 5 November 2008, 05:27
Fantastic news, the first black family in the White House: if I was American right now I’d feel so proud! But even as a Brit I feel elated, I really hope he can bring the change he’s been promising,…
African women blog…
By Jess McCabe | 5 November 2008, 00:13
Afrigator has compiled a list of the top (as in, most read) “female African blogs”. Sokari has already posted her assessment of this ranking over at Pambazuka: Unfortunately the term “African women bloggers” is somewhat misleading as many of the…
Another round-up
By Jess McCabe | 4 November 2008, 23:32
Campaigners in Scotland are concerned that changes to the rape law could backfire, making it more difficult to convict rapists. Sudy composes a letter to her daughter on the significance of this election. Via Majikthise, Rachel Maddow points out that…
Sex traffickers convicted; 18% of British men have visited a prostitute.
By Laura Woodhouse | 4 November 2008, 20:32
A gang of six men have been handed down sentences of up to 14 years for their treatment of a 16 year old girl and 22 year old woman who they trafficked into sexual slavery: Their 16-year-old Slovakian victim had…
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Preston refuge side-steps anti-immigrant government rules
By Jess McCabe | 4 November 2008, 17:49
It’s far from a complete solution, but it is progress: Preston Women’s Refuge has become the first in the country to open their doors to women with insecure immigration status. Because of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ rule, women…
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‘Double-glazed’ glass ceiling for lesbians in the workplace
By Milly Shaw | 4 November 2008, 14:46
Gay and bisexual women think their gender creates a greater barrier to success at work than their sexual orientation, according to research by Stonewall. The report, entitled The Double-Glazed Glass Ceiling, is based on interviews with working lesbian and bisexual…
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Does my brain look small in this?
By Helen G | 4 November 2008, 11:32
Via The Daily Telegraph (also UPI), I learn that some 400 women employed by the accountancy firm Ernst & Young have attended a course “to learn how to dress appropriately for the office”. Fleur Bothwick, head of diversity at the…
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Daily News and Views
By Louise Livesey | 4 November 2008, 11:15
First off, Momgrind has a fantastic list of ten reasons you should stop reading women’s magazines. Mentoring seems to be coming under review - something I’ve long been interested in because, basically, it’s what men do incredible well formally and…
I’m sorry “Child Rape: the musical?” how is that even…..I’m speechless
By Louise Livesey | 4 November 2008, 11:04
Those witty theatre types have done it again, this time by writing a lovely little piece of musical theatre which valorises child rape, child prostitution and the punters “rights” to have sex. Oh yes, that sounds like a fun night…
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New review: The York Lesbian Arts Festival 2008
By Jess McCabe | 4 November 2008, 10:46
Literature-loving women flocked to York last month for the UK’s only lesbian arts festival. Milly Shaw reports back Since its first incarnation in 2000 as a book reading event, the York Lesbian Arts Festival (YLAF) has grown to incorporate workshops,…
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OMG!
By Louise Livesey | 4 November 2008, 09:31
That is all I could say to this amazing piece. That and almost crying at it’s power……
New feature: ‘The useless organ’
By Jess McCabe | 3 November 2008, 17:02
Maggie Lee tells of the devestating effect her hysterectomy had on her sexuality and more This year in the UK there will be approximately 40,000 hysterectomies performed on the NHS. For private operations, the figure is not so well-known and…
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Laura to guest edit The F-Word Blog while I go on holiday!
By Jess McCabe | 3 November 2008, 14:51
Just a quick service announcement, folks: Laura is going to be guest editing this blog for two weeks starting on Saturday. This is because I’ll be in San Francisco from the 8th to the 21st of November (back in time…
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New feature: Women in physics
By Jess McCabe | 3 November 2008, 10:38
Frances Downey reports back on an international conference aimed at driving up the number of female physicists Walking into the third International Conference for Women in Physics was always going to be an experience like no other. Usually, when attending…
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Canadian Feminists Issue Manifesto
By Louise Livesey | 3 November 2008, 09:44
The first Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Conference, Toujours Rebelles, has issues a manifesto - it’s damned impressive… Feminists Unite! DOWN WITH the colonial legacy of genocide and assimilation of Aboriginal peoples, particularly of Aboriginal women DOWN WITH the sexism and racism…
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In the news
By Louise Livesey | 3 November 2008, 09:27
First off, another woman has been stoned to death in Somalia by Islamist rebels. This barbaric practice has to end. In this case the eager crowd were told the victim was submitting voluntarily but clearly saw her struggling to prevent…
New review: The Virgin Daughters
By Jess McCabe | 3 November 2008, 00:21
Black-tie dances during which six-year-old girls promise their fathers to abstain from sex until marriage? A documentary about ‘purity’ balls in the United States horrifies Dawn Kofie I tried to be open-minded about The Virgin Daughters, Jane Treay’s deeply unsettling…
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Another weekend round-up
By Jess McCabe | 1 November 2008, 20:51
Mercy Wanjiku has had her ‘removal’ date postponed after a last minute intervention - see womensgrid for more. You may remember Northern Irish MP Iris Robinson, who made some vile homophobic comments earlier this year. Her husband and Northern Ireland’s…
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News Round-Up
By Louise Livesey | 1 November 2008, 09:08
First news from America that voters are influenced by the looks of female candidates - not really shocking news given that almost all groups are influenced in almost all settings by the looks of females from job interviews to personal…
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