Until now both technical and psycho-cultural barriers have prevented the development of effective chemical male contraception, with the psycho-cultural barriers being the primary reason that there does not exist a sufficient potential market to drive investment in R&D to overcome the technical barriers. Even the MRAs who so bemoan women trapping them into unwanted paternity appear oddly unwilling to consider funding the R&D for an effective Male Pill
Year: 2008
Carnival time!
The Third Edition of the Down Under Feminists Carnival is up at Audrey and the Bad Apples! Thanks Audrey, you’re awesome.
Gratuitous David Tennant blogging (now with rich and creamy Hamlet coating)
The reviews of the latest RSC production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (starring David Tennant) are in, and they’re somewhat mixed. (Although not for Patrick Stewart, whose Claudius appears to be universally praised.)
Jim Beam demonstrates just how much men want to hate us
A note to Jim Beam: If you are so embarrassed about these ads that you don’t want anyone to see them, to the point that you’re chasing fair use political commenters from video hosting site to video hosting site with your DMCA heavies, how about issuing a formal, sincere apology instead? A company that doesn’t want anyone actually seeing their ads. Interesting.
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As tigtog said, people are up in arms about the “The Neighbours” commercial from purveyors of bad bourbon and toxic masculinity, Jim Beam.
Shonks and sensationalists
Andrew Funnell on today’s Radio National’s Media Report [transcript] examines the reaction to ABC-TV’s Gruen Transfer from the public and from within the industry. GT was a ratings hit, is being attributed as the source of new interest in advertising as a career from bright young things, and is also accused of doing more harm than good to the industry through the panel-members playing up to an existing image of advertisers as quipping show-ponies with a cynical streak.
The range of opinions about the show is interesting, and the controversy obviously plays into why the show has been renewed. To me the criticisms of the show as lightweight ring a very loud bell, as I was disappointed by the lack of substantive discussion regarding the manipulations of advertising – they keep on circling the issue and backing off.
Anyway, one line in the program caught my attention as especially well expressed:
Contagious yawning and canine empathy
Until recently it was thought that only humans and their primate cousins displayed contagious yawning, but now it’s been shown that dogs display the behaviour as well.
Yawning, although sometimes a response to extreme stress, is more often a sign of tiredness; but the reason for why yawning is catching is not fully understood.
How more vile (and thick (and don’t forget vile)) can McCain possibly be?
He pimped his wife to voters as a potential contestant in a local “beauty contest” that involves skimpy swimwear, topless parades and simulated sex acts – (edited to addwhich to be fair I’m sure he didn’t know was quite so “risque”, but it’s still totally objectifying his wife). (Video here of both McCain’s “quip” and a typical night’s entertainment in the contest) As I’m sure you’ll all
Homosexual panic moment du jour
I caught this on Canadian Idol. Sebastian Pigott is the performer, Zack Werner the judge. (Pigott’s performance is here, if you’d like to see it.)
Whoydensday: when fans attack edition
NOTE: Spoiler Free Zone for later episodes of the Doctor Who 2008 Season – Australia has only just seen the Sontaran Double Episodes 4.04 The Sontaran Stratagem and 4.05 The Poison Sky. Everything prior to that is fair game. Torchwood Season 2 is entirely off limits for spoilers here too, please (We can always have another fans attack edition later in the year) – we do have a thoroughly spoiled Season 4 Finale thread still open though – feel free.
So, it keeps on happening (the image below recurs in various adaptations all over the ihasatardis LJ community):
What’s been your most jarring WTF moments? Conversely, what’s only crept up on you later, upon reflection or reading someone else’s take? On the gripping hand, what fan-attacks have struck you as totally unwarranted?
Hoyden About Town 