TARP = Troubled Asset Relief Program i.e. the Bush administration’s proposed bailout legislation for corporations that have overextended and overexposed themselves to dodgy derivative financial instruments. Some perspectives exercising opinionators in particular are the no-strings attached nature (the corporations being… Read More ›
moral panics
Quick hit: Here we go again
Author: Mindy is a regular commentor around Australian blogs and a contributor to the eclectic For Battle! group blog. What will amount to a public enquiry into abortion in Australia is likely to be approved by Federal Parliament today. Story… Read More ›
In a nutshell
Commentor caffeine over at Shapely Prose, in response to Kate’s post about a study claiming that the 30% of Caucasians with a genetic propensity to become fat can avoid putting on weight if they “just get three to four hours… Read More ›
Well they would say that, wouldn’t they?
From ABC Online: A residents’ group that fought against a proposed Muslim school at Camden, in Sydney’s south-west, has denied its support for a proposed Catholic school demonstrates a double standard in the community. Apparently their main concern, they now… Read More ›
UK Criminal Compensation Authority Blaming Rape Victims
Under guidelines meant to minimise compensation payouts for people who “contribute to their own ordeal during a criminal incident”, such as people taking part in the crime, or offering provocation for an attack, certain bureaucrats decided that women being out in the world socialising in a perfectly legal fashion were liable for provoking their own rapes, and cut their compensation payouts accordingly. Public outcry has meant that the decision has been reversed, but how could they have been so wrong headed in the first place?
It could be something to do with the way that the media reports rape, of course. Melissa reports [trigger warnings], and then responds to a typical Daily Mail women-blaming op-ed (the pictorial juxtaposition has to be seen to be believed):
The piece itself is just unrelentingly infuriating, as its male author offers up gems like:
Feminism Friday from the Feed-reader
A few must-reads highlighting several very different feminist core issues from the recent posts at Feministe:
Octogalore: Opt Out, Push Out, and Pink Collar Paths
Well, it’s critical for workplaces to become more family friendly. Single parents, poor parents, don’t have the option for one parent not to work. And for women and men to have equal access to unemployment benefits.
But it’s also critical for this “family friendly” path not to
No surprises: internet filtering test results show products block legitimate content
We said it would. Despite a cheery press release from Communications Minister Stephen Conroy that all is going well, an analysis of the actual test results shows that the tested filters slow connection speeds significantly (which means ISPs would have… Read More ›
Friday Hoyden: Joy Nash
Ok, so this was *everywhere* last year. But some of the readers who’ve come aboard since then may not have seen it. The discussion today about oppressive beauty ideals and the resultant social insecurities that lead to immense profits for… Read More ›
Woman “brain-damaged” by Amazing Hydration Diet detox
Image: Culpable “nutritionist” Barbara Nash. Source: Daily Mail. BBC: “Woman left brain damaged by detox”: A woman has been awarded more than £800,000 after she suffered permanent brain damage while on a detox diet. The High Court heard Dawn Page,… Read More ›
The Papal apology for clerical abuse in Australia
Kim has some excellent analysis of where it fails to hit the mark over at LP. Two major problems: the setting of the apology (a mass for seminarians and clergy/religious orders only) reflects an inward focus on dealing with abuse… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 