A physicist commenting on a post about how a newspaper report of a social sciences paper (speculating on why the rate of rape by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian women is reportedly low) has whipped up somewhat of a rightwing frenzy… Read More ›
Sociology
Academia: Internet-Triggered Death of Civil Society Not Predicted
kwoff_id = 9106; In this week of heightened Internet! Moral! Panic!, it’s worth a peek at whether the internet really is the creeping civil cancer that some believe it to be. The JCMC (Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication) is available in… Read More ›
“Civil liberties advocates = paedophiles”: Internet culture wars from the ALP.
kwoff_id = 9092; The ABC reports on Conroy’s internet filtering bluster. He uses exactly the same discourse strategy as used by half-wit anti civil liberties debaters everywhere: “Well if you don’t like it, YOU must be a pedo then! Eh?… Read More ›
New Year’s Linkfest ’08 v.1.0: words and pictures, pictures and words
” “‘Fatal’ gas pumped into Qantas jet “ Qantas has been pumping nitrogen from a nitrogen cart (typically used to refill aircraft tyres) into emergency oxygen tanks (used for crew in an emergency). Nitrogen and oxygen tanks have different fittings… Read More ›
The Great Firewall of Australia
[image source] So the government has, as planned back in Beazley times, decided that ISPs in Australia must now implement blocking of “pornographic and inappropriate” websites. Customers must opt out, rather than opting in, to a blocking system that is… Read More ›
Creepy #19085: Real Estate Advertising
Via Eric Bramlett, the Top 10 Worst Realtor Headshots. Somehow, this one* only came in at #2. Creepy creepy creepy. [Hat tip to Simon.] * Description: A preschool-age girl in full makeup, with red lipstick, platinum blonde hair, earrings, and… Read More ›
Posts that say it better than I could
I’ve wanted to comment on both these stories, but time and tide have washed up excellent posts that I can’t improve upon. Bernice Balconey on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Lauren on Jamie-Lyn Spears’ pregnancy at age 16. I realise that the… Read More ›
Ninth Carnival of the Radical Feminists
The Ninth Carnival of the Radical Feminists is up at ladoctorita. Check it out.
Love in the Time of Cholera: A Cantankerous Boxing Day Review
What the hell is up with all the praise lavished on “Love In The Time Of Cholera”? While the prose describing the setting and background was competent and at times evocative, the central theme is not a great romance. It… Read More ›
Melbourne Anglican Diocese supports the decriminalisation of abortion
Props to the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne! The Bendigo Advertiser reports that they have put in their submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission‘s examination of the possible decriminalisation of abortion. And the Church is in favour. An all-woman taskforce… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 