I’m stuck in a costume drama mood: largely as escapism from the rest of what I’m reading about, I expect. Who else is up for some escapism? Fitzwilliam Darcy, Horatio Hornblower, Richard Sharpe: what do you do? Elizabeth Bennet, Elinor… Read More ›
Month: April 2008
Move to close WA Parliamentary sexual harassment loophole
Remember we were all wondering a few months ago how Troy Buswell had managed to continue his rise to the leadership of the Western Australian Liberal Party, despite his history of sexually harassing colleagues and staffers alike?
Ah, that immutable primate heritage
Richie at Crimitism takes on the latest piece of simian research (rhesus monkeys this time) which is being spun as proving something about innate gender tendencies. He details the various ways in which the spin fails to take certain results… Read More ›
Hospital predator’s appeal rejected: blames rape on victim, non-existent mental health disorder
Just another example[1] of the way in which vulnerable girls are used and abused by men who think they’re entitled to their bodies. This particular rapist was supposed to be tending to his hospitalised son overnight, but instead he decided… Read More ›
Brian McKinstry whines about women taking over medicine
This prat thinks there are too many women in medicine, recklessly dragging quality standards up. For some reason, the British Medical Journal decided to host a trite debate on the subject, “Are there too many female medical graduates?” The “Yes”… Read More ›
Prostitution: regulation, exploitation and death
prostitution is literally killing women, by murder more than any other cause, and a whole heap of people simply don’t care.
No other industry with a comparable mortality rate is unregulated by the state, and in none of those industries would the workers be allowed to sign away their basic health and safety guarantees in order for more pay. Employers who try to coerce miners or firefighters to go into work without adequate safety measures are quite rightly prosecuted and socially condemned, yet the workplace death rate of those professions combined does not match just the homicide rate amongst prostitutes, let alone the death rate once drug overdoses are taken into account.
“Death twice as likely by caesarean”?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No discussion of reproductive justice is complete without attention to birthing and birthing care. A blithe, shallow, naive focus on “reproductive choice” is not enough. We don’t have free choice in… Read More ›
Carping Corner (Historical Drama Division): The Tudors
There are many things for a history nerd to greatly enjoy about the lush 2007 miniseries of The Tudors, the first season of which is currently showing on cable here in Oz…but now the carping must commence!
Hurrah for librarians
If you are restricting access to information, they will notice during the course of their normal duties, and they will let the world know, and then you will look like censoring buffoons. In February, in line with various other information-stifling… Read More ›
Shopping tip
I don’t know how many are left, but “Australian Feminism: A Companion.”, ed Barbara Caine is remaindered at Clouston & Hall right now for $19.95. (RRP a hundred bucks). A huge project which provides information on every aspect of feminism…. Read More ›