The Wrath of Lilith

Where Have All the Bloggers Gone?

2011-12-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking recently about how much time I used to spend blogging, and reading other people's blogs. I had my faves, who I would read regularly - Kiki, Blakkat, Eleanor Bloom, Dot and Mars, Jacob, Original Mel, The Man at the Pub, Nerd Girl, and the Hungry Hungry Hypocrite...

Do any of us blog anymore?

What does this mean? Is blogging too time consuming, what with Facebook, Twitter and fuck knows what else to update? Is the Internet to full of random thoughts now? Is blogging not immediate enough anymore? What is going on?

I guess what I am trying to say is that I miss all the blogs that used to make my day better*.

*I am well aware that I have not blogged regularly for a very, very long time.

Oh The Irony

2011-07-18T01:55:00.000-07:00

What could be better than talking about the anti-gay marriage lobby?

It seems they are feeling 'demonised' and have pulled out of an upcoming public debate being planned in Hobart. Everyone's favourite Masters of Systemic Fuckery (well mine anyway) - Family First, The Australian Christian Lobby and the Liberal Party - have apparently decided that the pro-gay movement won't give them a fair hearing. In their own words (apparently) it seems that they are being painted as beloning to "gay hate groups". What isn't fair about this assessment isn't entirely clear to me, but hey. Maybe that's just me.

But really - poor Christians, they don't get listened to, have their views and standpoints twisted, and are being demonised by other social groups.

Give it another few hundred years and perhaps I'll feel some sympathy for them. Maybe. For now, it just all seems so deliciously ironic.

See more here:
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/demonised-christians-pull-out-of-gay-talk/story-e6frfku0-1226097035382

Media Fuckery Part #125

2011-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/gai-waterhouse-hits-out-at-julia-gillards-fashion-on-world-stage/story-e6frf7jo-1226045269252

Readers will know that I am a Gillard fan. What I am not a fan of are the double standards the media consistently apply to women politicians (I wrote my thesis on it). I had hoped - obviously naively - that the media's preoccupation with the clothes, the hairstyles and the the personal lives of women politicians would abate somewhat now that we have a woman PM. But no. The Australian news media still feels it is necessary to create a total non-story. About Julia. And about her dire need for a makeover. WTF? If it were Howard, or Rudd, who'd been over to Japan, bet your arse we wouldn't be getting media articles about what they wore when they were there. The articles might actually be about the, you know, work they were doing whilst there. Just saying.

Offensive Defence

2011-04-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

I complain a lot about the mainstream media. And there's a great deal to complain about too - like Andrew Bolt getting his own TV show. This is a most unappetising prospect - that little Australian slice of Fox News is so not going to be pretty. But sometimes even I have to acknowledge that the mainstream media can do some good.

The story of 18 year old ADF cadet 'Kate' which hit channel 10 this week is a great example. There's no question at all that our military institutions are bad places to be if you're a woman. They're built by men, run by men, and they protect men. So it was really a victory that Kate was able to get her story told. The fact that she had to go to the mainstream media to it because the ADF wouldn't do anything is fuckery of the highest order.

Can there be a more damning indictment of the state of the ADF that a woman must go to these lengths to have that story taken seriously? Really, to get any kind of attention at all - and what about any redress? It is absolutely outrageous that the Federal Police initiatlly decided that no offence had been committed - but the paper tells me that was because of the ADF and the tiny amount of information they provided...Now, I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty that what this woman went through is against the law. And clearly the AFP think so too.

The ADF has hardly been playing fair either. Releasing information about a disciplinary hearing (unrelated to the skype incident) she was to attend at the same time as all of this was unfolding - classy guys, not to mention original too. Why not wheel out the old faithful set of tools which are used to discredit women who stand up to sexism and bad treatment all the time?

Since this case has come out, many more women are coming forward to share experiences of sexual harassment, misogyny and even rape. I've pasted some links below because this is making me too angry to type.

For FSM's sake military institutuions - get your shit together. Start taking women, safety and respect seriously....because the boy's club world you are trying to protect is slowly crumbling. Women have every right to work in those institutions, you need to accept that and you need to respect them. It's really that simple.

Why dont' you listen to Stephen Smith - he know's that something's got to give, and good on him. Nice to know that sometimes politicians do the right thing.

SENIOR military figures are privately furious over Defence Minister Stephen Smith's public attacks on Defence's handling of the webcam sex scandal.

Mr Smith today repeatedly refused to express confidence in the head of the Australian Defence Force Academy and took the extraordinary step of endorsing an 18-year-old cadet's decision to go public with allegations of misconduct against fellow cadets.

He also blasted Defence for hauling the “distressed' woman - who says she was secretly broadcast by webcam having sex as six cadets watched in another room - before an unrelated disciplinary hearing yesterday.

See more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/stephen-smith-slams-defence-errors-in-cadet-sex-case/story-e6frg8yo-1226035406276

A case in Brisbane:
A BRISBANE woman says a commanding officer told her young niece to "suck it up" after she was raped while training at the Australian Defence Force academy.

The unnamed woman told the ABC her niece was 19 at the time and the sexual assault was so bad the young woman was admitted to hospital.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/raped-adf-trainee-told-to-suck-it-up/story-e6frfku0-1226035193747#ixzz1IsmmSFZI

More women come forward:
12.04am April 8 Three more women have come forward claiming sex abuse cover-ups by the Australian Defence Force. One says she was filmed and assaulted while naked and unconscious when she was a 17-year-old first-year naval cadet at HMAS Cerberus in Westernport Bay in 2001.

Another woman alleged she was sexually assaulted at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra by a third-year cadet in 1989 and that several of his peers paid money to watch.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/australian-defence-force-academy-rocked-by-webcam-sex-scandal/story-e6frfkvr-1226035062923#ixzz1Isn1sOc8

On Pubic Freedom and Feminism

2011-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

I've blogged about my love of Amanda Fucking Palmer before (see

http://femikneesm.blogspot.com/2010/03/wrath-free-music.html ).

I love her independence, her unwillingness to conform, her feminism, her willingness to interact with her fans and, of course, her hairiness. I love that she can go from playing sometimes heartrending, sad songs to funny odes on the ukulele (New Zealand, for example)to a theatrical concept band (the conjoined twins Evelyn Evelyn). I love that she inspires other artists and actually goes out of her way to help them. I love her avowed bisexuality.

Anyway...you get the picture: I have a lot of respect for AFP. Her dedication to being nothing but herself is incredibly refreshing in an industry which is so often completely superficial and manufactured - especially in the representation and presentation of women musicians(surprise, surprise).

Last week, she released the video for her new song Map of Tasmania. Not only is it fun, and silly, and way too catchy, it's also a kind of feminist call to arms - a call, that is, for pubic freedom.

It was released on the Spin Magazine website, here:

http://spinmag.com/articles/amanda-palmer-fights-pubic-hair-freedom?page=1

To me, it's about pubic freedom and the recognition that we as people can have our voices heard through art and the internet ("we are the media", after all....) - but it's also about feminism. It's about questioning the beauty standard and social norms around appropriate femininity - and then DANCING. ALL. OVER. THEM.

And that is a wonderful thing.

What's not so wonderful? Check out some of the comments the video got on the Spin website. Sure, not everyone is going to get AFP, not everyone likes her style or her music. This is completely cool, of course. Diversity of opinions is what makes life interesting, and what often makes art really interesting.

What I can't get over is the criticism of her appearance.

AFP is no stranger to sexist, stupid and stereotypical reactions to the way she looks. In fact, her previous record label were so appalled at AFP's stomach in the Leeds United film clip (because she looked too fat) that they asked her to allow them to digitally 'fix' it. (AFP is clearly a hottie - she's also a healthy weight - the shame!) This ridiculous fuckery prompted what was referred to as the Rebellyon - when fans sent photos of their own bellies to the label because clealy they (the label) needed to be reminded that normal women often have curves. In the end, the video stayed as it was.

See AFP's blog about it here:
http://blog.amandapalmer.net/post/62721071/the-rebellyon-the-deal-with-roadrunner-records#

And see the 'offending' video:

Amanda Palmer "Leeds United" Music Video from Amanda Palmer on Vimeo.

It's disheartening and annoying and frustrating that people still seem to need to hate on women simply because of the way we look (and if you're a feminist - that seems to only encourage the hate). It's complete fuckery and it's completely sexist. And it needs to stop. And women like AFP are going to help that happen.

And now..the Map of Tasmania video - watch it. Love it.

And the lyrics so you can sing along...

they don’t play the song on the radio
they don’t show the tits in the video
they don’t know that we are the media
they don’t know that we start the mania
i don’t want to see but i’m making you
ass is off it’s seat and i’m shaking you
walking down the street i’m the lady - oh
showing off my map of tasmania

soft and sweet and shape like a triangle
some girls want no shape and they shave it all
that's so whack it hurts with the stubble
walking around look like an eight year old
i say grow that shit like a jungle
give ‘em something strong to hold onto
let it fly in the open wind
if it get too bushy you can trim

they don’t play the song on the radio
they don’t show the tits in the video
they don’t know that we are the media
they don’t know that we start the mania
i don’t want to see but i’m making you
ass is off it’s seat and i’m shaking you
walking down the street i’m the lady - oh
showing off my map of tasmania!!!

Interesting Times

2010-09-01T03:03:00.000-07:00

It feels strange to have Caretaker government for this long. It's just weird. And election night was terribly anticlimatic after 2007, which was a night of major wins and much happy drunkeness. This election night saw me on ABC online until the early hours, stunned at the swing against the ALP and the hung parliament. There were some good things of course - the demise of Steve Fielding being particularly sweet, but it was the success of the Greens that everyone is rightly talking about.

I'm a Labor voter, but the results for the Greens made me really happy. As a left leaning kind of gal, I've been troubled by the ALP's pandering to conservative Australian elements, but perhaps most worrying is the conservatism within the ALP itself. The Right faction is seemingly happy to support a Left Prime Minister with Rudd on the electoral nose, but as far as embracing Left policy - that's a different matter.

Gay marriage is perhaps the most pertinent example. The Australian right broadly has been loathe to amend the Marriage Act to recognise gay couples, and the ALP has continued to fall into line with this ridiculous and outdated view (though I remain unconvinced that the general Australian populace actually really feel that this is the right thing to do). Now we've seen huge gains for the Greens, and today, a deal between the ALP and the Greens.

Do I wish that Gillard was already Prime Minister? Sure. The thought that Abbott could be running the country makes me terrified. But I hope that if the ALP can form a minority government with the help of the Greens, they learn this lesson - you can't take left leaning voters for granted. They will be loyal, but they will eventually, as we've just seen, protest by voting for a Party who will be socially progressive, who will remember the ideals and values that made us Lefties in the first place.

Happy Day #3

2010-06-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty damn happy to be a Left, Welsh Adel-lady at the moment.

I was proud to toast our new Prime Minister with some sparkling shiraz last night (insert red wine/red head 'joke' here).

Bring on the election!

And if you're interested - I've written about my love of Julia before - see:

http://femikneesm.blogspot.com/2007/10/no-husband-no-kids-no-life-oh-my.html

Wrath Free Music

2010-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

A friend found Kim Boekbinder through, I think, @amandapalmer on twitter. This discovery has made me very happy. An amazing talent. Listen.

Like Amanda Palmer, Boekbinder (The Impossible Girl) is taking her cause to the internets. You can send money towards her upcoming album. It's such a cool idea and keeps artists in control of their art. Provide cash. You can get some awes stuff. Go here:

http://www.theimpossiblegirl.com/music.html

On to other current crushes - Amanda Palmer. Got to meet her recently in an Adelaide studio she was recording at, and saw her in the Garden. Amazing.
Check out this bit of purefuckingawesomeness the night several Adelaide fans (including my sister and I) got to lend our voices to a recording. (Have had 'New Zealand' stuck in my head ever since - youtube it!)

Many of us guests paid for the opportunity to see her again and she was absolutely lovely in the studio - told us what was happening, was funny and approachable. Was something else to be sitting at her feet as she played piano and ukulele, covered Radiohead and Nick Cave and drank red wine. Palmer goes to show that if you care about and engge with your fanbase, they will reward you with not just cash, but loyalty and admiration too.

And finally - one of my most enduring musical girl crushes is back. And she still rocks the crazy like no one else. Ms Courtney Love.

Where There's Steam, There's Fire

2010-02-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Hasn't Tony had a good week? I bet he's secretly relieved about those poor insulation installers who died - they've taken the attention nicely away from his comments to the "housewives of Australia". I can see the Advisers now - "thank fuck for those dead workers, we can attack Peter G for his plan to significantly reduce the power needs of Australian homes and no one will remember what Tony said about ironing. Hurrah!"

(And of course I don't mean to be flippant about the deaths, it's a terrible thing to have happened and is a reminder of how important enforcement and compliance is when you launch a scheme that's nation wide and involves a lot of money. It also reminds us that unions, health and safety and fair wages are vitally important to Australian trades).

But back to Tony.

I wanted to blog about his 'virginity' comments, but you know what? It was almost too easy. We all know he's a right wing, anti feminist, arsehole. But then came the ironing comments. It was just too much on top of the virginity stuff. Where does he get off making assumptions about Australian women? Where does he get off telling women what they should be doing with their private lives?

Obviously, some damage control was required. There was quite an uproar about the ironing stuff, with a lot of the comments focusing on the fact that it's pretty hard to identify a 'typical Australian family' and reiterating that the majority of women are in the workplace - not sitting at home being married to a house, ironing.

I love politics. I love that this week, as penance for his thoughtless comments, and to prove that he's a modern guy, Tony got on national TV and ironed a shirt. Cause that totally makes me change my mind about him........

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/tony-abbott-started-ironing-this-week/story-e6frfku0-1225829534250

Personally, I'd Rather Have a Dog.......

2010-02-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

So, holidays over, and sadly, here I am back at work. Sigh. I spent two fabulous weeks in Siem Reap, and am I sad to be back....I loved Siem Reap. The people were great, the markets were fantastic and you could smoke everywhere. It's a shoppers/smokers paradise people. I might put some photos up.....But anyway.

What prompted me to blog again, after so long? This little piece of fuckery:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/10/2815798.htm

Here's a quote from the article:

A Queensland Opposition MP says planned changes to surrogacy laws will see children treated like pets.

Also, everyone's favourite right wing dirty Christian lobby group has of course weighed in:

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) earlier launched a video and internet campaign against the proposed changes to the surrogacy laws.

In its video, the ACl says it is not in a child's best interests to be born to a single parent or a homosexual couple.

It says the laws treat children as pets, not humans and it is calling on its members to urgently contact members of Parliament to protest against the passing of the bill.

Personally, I prefer dogs to children, but WTF is up with saying gay parents treat children like pets? And why is it relevant to a debate on surrogacy? Why would gay people be any more likely to treat their kids like pets? And I don't know about you, but my dogs are treated pretty well - most kids would feel lucky to be spoiled like my pets are.

Anyway, happy 2010 everyone.....

Long Time No Blog; The Liberals Implode, Hurrah

2009-12-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long since I've blogged - it's been a busy few months....

However, I had to return to revel in the deliciousness of the Federal Liberal Party's current implosion. Thanks for handing the election to us, losers!

Also, how is this for a bit of total grossness??

See this article:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/03/2760367.htm

Pay close attention to this line -

Mr Abbott defended his new deputy during their joint press conference on Tuesday, declaring "She's a loyal girl!" and patting her.

The horror. How condesending. How inappropriate. How hilarious.

What more can one expect from a white, middle class, religious, pro life, climate change denier??

At least we can feel pretty certain that the Libs will be kissing goodbye the votes of doctors wives....

Reclaim the Night 2009

2009-10-27T21:34:00.001-07:00

International acknowledgement of womens right to live safely in our community. SIN is lucky enough to host the event this year but it is the same reclaim the night, the same message and we invite and encourage all women and supporters to come along and help us sendour message!!

ALL WOMEN DESERVE TO BE SAFE! MY BODY MY BUSINESS!

7PM RALLY AT VICTORIA SQUARE
ASSEMBLE OPPOSITE HILTON HOTEL
8PM AFTER PARTY - YUGONDI COURTYARD
LION ARTS CENTRE [cnr North Tce + Morphett St]
MALE SUPPORTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FROM THE SIDELINES AND ARE WELCOME AT THE AFTER PARTY

After party entertainment to include:
Mr Bigpants (Debby Doesnt Do It For Free)
Nancy Bates
sandyj

Some Monday Fuckery

2009-07-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind on news and blogging at the moment. I'm irritatingly busy with work, so please forgive this perfunctory post.

First, did you all here about this?

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25763071-661,00.html

We all know already that Sam Newman is a tool, and is pretty high up the list of Fuckery Masters - this is just another example.

The other piece of fuckery that's been irritating the crap out of me, is this:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25743956-2722,00.html

Um....can I hear a WHAT THE FUCK? A six game suspension for taking a shit in public? And that fuckstick football player Bock got only a ONE GAME suspension for hitting his girlfriend in public. Seems fair doesn't it? Like an appropriate response really.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25693176-19742,00.html

Rugby and football administrations are hereby placed high on my list of Masters of Systemic Fuckery for their inability to appropriately discipline and respond to the ingrained misogyny evident in the culture of these sports.

Ann Coulter is the Spawn of Satan

2009-06-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

You know, just when I thought I couldn't hate Ann Psycho Hose Beast Coulter anymore, I come across this on You Tube....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_lChZ_FEHs&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebust%2Ecom%2Fblog%2F2009%2F06%2F24%2Fcoultier%2Ddisrespects%2Ddrtillers%2Dright%2Dto%2Dlife%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded

If you can stomach it, I recommend watching her interview with Satan's other favourite spawn, Bill O'Reilly.

They're discussing the tragic murder of Doctor George Tiller in May this year. Here are some of Ann's most horrifying quotes:

"Liberals are generally on the pro-death side."

"[Liberals are] for infanticide....They're finally against someone dying, a man responsible for killing 60,000 babies."

"I don't really like to think of it as a murder. It was terminating Tiller in the 203rd trimester."

And dude, it just goes on.

I'm so mad I can barely type. This is a typical twisting of left ideology and fuckery of the highest order: it's absolutely mind boggling that someone can compare the brutal murder of man with an abortion (even Coulter).

In Which I Catch Up On Movies I Should Have Watched Long Ago...And Some Television Too

2009-05-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

So I watched a few movies this weekend. It was cold and rainy and weather like that is just made for watching movies, drinking red and canoodling with the girlfriend. (Not necessarily in that order).

So, I watched Juno, Foxfire,Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Office Space. (And I started Thankyou For Smoking but 'fell asleep' before it ended. I'll go back to it, cause what I saw of it was Pure. Awesomeness.)

Juno. I was pleasantly surprised by this, even though I had high hopes because Diablo Cody, who wrote it, is totally one of my crushes. I've just reread her memoir Candy Girl, and highly recommend it. So anyway, Juno. Def worth seeing. Excellent dialogue, a kick arse soundtrack and no nasty last minute family values moral at the end, which would have totally sucked balls and runied the film. I should have had more faith in Diablo. Here she is, cause she's so cute and I love her pin up girl tat:

So, on to Foxfire. Sadly, this isn't a patch on the Joyce Carol Oates book on which it was based (seriously, read the book). The time period of the film was inexplicably changed to the 80s (the book is set in the 50s)which really reduced the 'shock factor' of a group of high school girls forming a gang to take revenge of men who fuck over women (there's more to it than that, at least in the book, but that's the gist). Character back ground stories were non existent, character development ditto, and there was no narrative thread. At all. Very bloody disappointing, and not even a young Angelina Jolie with short lesbo hair, showing her rack could save this film. The soundtrack was quite good though.

Finally, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Wow, is this film worth watching. It's almost a return to the Woody Allen genius of Manhattan, Love and Death, Radio Days, Husbands and Wives and Hannah and Her Sisters (and these are just a few, obviously, of his great films - I could go on and on). I love Woody Allen and can even forgive him for The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and other sub par movies, because even the worst of them have moments of dialogue related brilliance. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, on the other hand, pretty much has it all. Witty dialogue? Check. Gorgeous locations? Check. Engaging and well developed characters (particularly the women)? Check. Excellent ensemble cast? Check. Gorgeous women? Erm...check. Three times over.

Speaking of which. The thing I was surprised about was Penelope Cruz. I've never been a fan. But she was really excellent in this film - it was like she'd found and moved into Crazy, and was very comfortable there, thankyou very much. But seriously - watch this film. The only thing I missed was seeing Allen himself. But you can't have everything. This hotness kind of makes up for it though....

I also rewatched Office Space because girlfriend had never seen it. I won't rave on here about it's magnificence cause I'm sure you've all seen it...However, I'm just going to go ahead and say if you haven't seen it....watch it.

I'm off to see the new Star Trek movie tonight, too. I'm a bit precious when it comes to fucking with the Star Trek timeline (the reason I hate Enterprise with a burning passion)and I don't think it's ever a good idea to go back. And, Leonard Nimoy will always be the only Spock I love. Having said that though, the reviews have been excellent and even Star Trek nerds have good things to say...so I am going to go in with an open mind, and hopefully I'll be pleasantly suprised. It cannot be worse than that last piece of shit movie Nemesis anyway....

I also have a lot of TV watching to do. I'm a compulsive reader of blogs (obvs) and keep reading about all these awesome shows.

At the moment,I am watching:

Arrested Development
30 Rock
Battlestar Galactica (the shame! Not to have finished yet....)
Weeds
Pushing Daisies

What I have to watch but haven't started yet:

Chuck (yay, Season One has just arrived on DVD)
Dollhouse
Parks and Recreation
Better off Ted
Mad Men
The United States of Tara (written by aforementioned crush, Diablo)

I don't know how I find the time to hold down a job, really....

What are you guys watching at the moment? Have I missed any cool shows?

Another Countdown

2009-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Check out the tracks from The Goddess Amos in the side menu.

Ah, Tori. I can't wait. A new album is always exciting, even if you do become a little more self indulgent with each record...

I love only Janis Joplin more than you....

Both Sad and Happy News

2009-05-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

You know how something good happens, and then something bad happens almost at the same time? I don't know what this is about, but it must be something to do with balancing the universe out or something....No, not really, I suspect that the universe actually specialises in randomosity.

Anyway....I've forgotten the point of this blog now...

Oh yes. Happy and sad.

First the happiness.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/811484/watchdog-slams-newman-mannequin-stunt

That dirty, unfunny fuck Sam Newman has been officially censured by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)because of the sexist fuckery seen on the Footy Show (remember the stunt where Newman groped a mannequin dressed in lingerie with a picture of a female journalist stapled to its head?)

"The broadcast was likely, in all the circumstances, to have provoked severe ridicule against the journalist on the grounds of gender," ACMA said in a statement on Friday.

"Nine breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice by broadcasting a program which was likely to provoke severe ridicule, as well as failure to provide a substantive written response to the complainants."

Now apparently Channel Nine took action at the time, even sending Newman to counselling. However, I'm pleased that the ACMA's report has brought attention back to sexism displayed on this show. I'd be more pleased if Newman had been sacked, but I guess you can't have everything.

Moving to the sad news now - Marilyn French has passed away.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/07/BAG017F5UG.DTL

French was one of the foremost feminist writers of the seventies, and her book The Women's Room is a modern feminist classic. I still remember reading it when I was twelve. It changed my life and I've been proudly identifying as a feminist ever since. I've loved a number of her other books too, and her women's histories and The War Against Women are must reads as well.

Rest in peace Marilyn, your legacy will live on.

FFIT....Funny or Not? And...The Feminist President.

2009-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....I'm not quite sure how to react to this, so I am going for cautiously hopeful, but of course remaining healthily prepared for dissappointment.

Yes, apparently HBO are creating a series based on a former feminist it girl (you know, a FFIT) who is now a college professor.

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-hbo-developing-tv-show-about-womens-studies-professor/

I suspect that a great deal of the 'humour' in this show might be based on the supposed dilemmas faced by a now aging, formerly hot, woman, who is likely to be suffering, having had her limelight removed. This, I hope, will not be the case. Really, it's too easy, it's not very funny and it's patronising. Speaking of patronising -did you notice this in the article linked to above:

Watching a crazy, washed-up feminist trying to feel important in Vermont sounds right up our alley.

Interesting that they go straight to 'crazy' and 'washed up', no? Sigh, groan, sigh.

What does give me some hope is the fact that Daily Show/Colbert Report executive producer Ben Karlin is on board. Both shows are witty, left wing and funny. Also, apparently Julie White is down to star in the show, which I think is a good thing.

So what do you think? It is going to be awful, cliched and poke fun at 'humourless feminists'and aging it girls? Or will it be something new and progressive, a la my total fave, 30 Rock?

In other news - have people seen this piece of awesomeness? Apparently there's been some pissed off feminists who think that this pic is in bad taste, that is suggests that feminism needs a super man to step in and do some rescuing....Me? I really like it and I don't think it's in bad taste at all. Rather, I think the fact that Obama is willing to embrace feminism (and even adverstise it on a t shirt) is gold, Jerry, gold. And yes, there's no doubt it's smart politics as well, an obvious bow to the women who wanted to vote for Hillary amongst other liberal voters, but smart politics doesn't belittle the importance of this message.

What's Your Damage Heather?

2009-03-12T21:16:00.001-07:00

I know I am not the only one yelling a big WTF to this bit of news....

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25166475-5005962,00.html

Regular readers may remember* my lack of respect and, indeed, interest in football players and anything they have to say, or in fact what people have to say about them, but I just had to read this article.

These quotes are my favourites at the moment:

"He talked about the glassing, he said it wasn't like it has been portrayed," Mr Cleary said.

"He said 'I know I am a big man, I know I can be intimidating' but he said 'I am not violent towards women'."

It wasn't like it has been portrayed?? Perhaps a glassing isn't domestic violence at all? Perhaps it only counts as domestic violence if you, I don't know, kill the woman involved? Perhaps girlfriend Kate was behaving in a very similar way to that poor singer in the news at the moment (the name of whom escapes me, sorry)...being a 'bitch', or speaking when she shouldn't, or some other 'crime' which means a violent 'retort' is okay.

The media articles, and particularly the comments around these two stories are really fucked up. I've been appalled at a lot of the public comments, which basically seem to take a line like: really, what's your damage girls? Don't you want your men to act like...men? Maybe you should watch what you say....

Why is the media, and parts of the public, making excuses for these women bashing arseholes? What, they come out and do a 'poor me, I'm brooding and complex and I have problems in my life' and suddenly it's okay to be a cowardly, rat like piece of shit?

Is anyone else finding the coverage around violence against women terribly disturbing at the moment? Especially in light of the recent DV murders here in South Australia.

*see http://femikneesm.blogspot.com/2008/02/respect-for-women-for-dummies.html

Holy Progress

2009-02-19T20:20:00.001-08:00

Have you seen this piece of awesomeness?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/batwoman-the-redheaded-lesbian-is-unleashed-at-last-1606329.html

I am pretty excited....Comics (and, for that matter, graphic novels) have been traditionally pretty male, in my limited experience with the genre (apart from Wonder Woman, Neil Gaiman's stuff and obviously the much more indie titles like the Love and Rockets series, Ariel Schrag's stuff, Alison Benchdel's books etc - which are all totally worth checking out by the way). So, this new development is pretty cool. An ass kicking female character replacing one of DCs more famous heroes.

It's also a pretty good thing that she's a lesbian - it's a great for lesbian visibility. And in light of the homoerotic flavour of the Batman TV series, it's nice to have some explicit homosexuality. It's just a shame that who Batwoman bonks is considerd news, but I guess the more out characters we get in our popular culture, the less it will matter to people.

And a final thought - she's pretty hot, isn't she? I know there's the whole issue of conforming with traditional standards of beauty, but you know - some progress is better than none.

Neko Case - The Countdown Begins

2009-01-29T16:33:00.001-08:00

I am very excited, readers.

Neko Case has a new album coming out in March.

I heart Neko. What's not to love? She's an amazing musician and she's pretty damn hot too. A picture, because I can:

Even more awesomeness - every time someone posts the link on a blog, $5 is donated to Best Friends Animal Society.

You can download the new song here:

http://www.anti.com/media/download/708

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

Ah Neko. I'll be counting the days until the new album arrives.....

I Just Can't Be Bothered....

2009-01-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

Even commenting on this fuckery...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,24945543-661,00.html

I don't have the energy, you know?

I Could Have Sworn it Was About Peace and Love

2008-12-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas, that is. You know, that day that used to be about the winter solstice and the symbolic death of the sun, but was later adopted by Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ.

I think Jesus was probably a really nice bloke. I don't think he was the son of god, but he was a total leftie who hung out with the disenfranchised, including women of 'loose morals' and, conceivably, gays. He apparently didn't judge people, but preached a message of peace, love, empathy and equity. What a guy. Seriously.

Now, the last I heard was that the Pope was supposed to be all about Jesus. You know, singing his praises and shoving his word down the collective throat of the world. So, I am at something of a loss as to how the Pope's latest comments and actions fit in with the Jesus stuff.

This month, in the lead up to Christmas the Pope has been up to some hard core fuckery (and not the kind with the kiddies). First, the Church has refused to support the UNs push to decriminalise homosexuality. No real surprise there, as irritating as it is. Following on from this though, the Pope, just before Xmas, has decided that homosexuality is as big a threat to the world as climate change.

Now, my understanding is that climate change could, you know, devastate the planet and kill us all. Correct? So, pray tell, how exactly are gay people a 'threat'?According to the Pope, it's all about procreation. You know, cause gay people can't have kids. The Pope has also spoken about the danger of 'gender theory'. Gasp. It's quite something when the Pope starts referring to the cornerstone of feminist theory, isn't it? Now, gender theory is simply the understanding that society assigns certain traits to people based on their biological sex. Gee, that's radical isn't it?

Frankly, if I were a Catholic who listened to the Pope, I'd be scratching my head about the gender thing. Do Catholics - or the general public - really care about the concept of gender? But I digress.

All the usual discriminatory crap is at play at here, including that assumption that gays can't (and shouldn't) parent children and that procreation itself is the most important thing you can do. Unless, you know, you're a priest.

Rest In Peace

2008-12-22T15:00:00.001-08:00

Another Musical Crush

2008-12-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Ding Dong, Crazy's Dead

2008-12-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

I love The L Word. Seriously, what is not to love? Lots of very cool fashion, great music and hot women making out, including my (and almost everyone else's) uber crush, Shane. To note:

The first four seasons, I enjoyed tremendously. Season Five, not as much. The whole All About Eve Jenny/Adele thing was just weird. Tasha and Alice fighting made me sad. The ongoing Bette and Tina saga - it's getting a bit old. But nonetheless, I continued to download each episode as soon as it aired in the US. What can I say? I'm an L-addict.

However, I'm a little perplexed by the direction that Season Six is taking. Showtime, for some unknown reason, has revealed perhaps the biggest 'surprise' of the season. Jenny Schecter, Crazy personified, dies - apparently, murdered.

As Dorothy Snarker has already pointed out, we don't actually watch The L Word for the crime solving (see http://www.dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/). (Although I am pleased about Lucy Lawless appearing as a detective....)

It's all very strange, and though I am reasonably miffed about the whole murder angle, I know that I'll be watching. And much as Jenny pissed me off majorly last season, I did feel sorry for her about the whole Nicki/Shane thing and about Adele the Usurper. And Jenny did use to be more normal and was quite endearing in the first two seasons. So, I think that I will miss her, and will even miss her raging ego craziness which, though increasingly annoying, was also kind of entertaining.

My other brief thoughts on Season Six - yay, Dylan is back. But what about Carmen? Surely it's not too much to ask to have her back? I, for one, could certainly endure another round of 'too hot'....(gratuitous video after the link).

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=d8jsDGcWfSU

Here's the clip from what is going to be the first episode of Season Six, the last season (though there will be a spin off which, I hope, will be good, though there are rumours it's going to be set in a prison: this could be very very good, or very very bad.....http://www.afterellen.com/blog/malinda/showtime-announces-l-word-spinoff).

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=1WFH2Z148Kc

This Is Why I Love the Media

2008-12-08T14:41:00.001-08:00

I was on the Adelaide Now news website the other day, and had a total WTF moment. There were two stories in the breaking news section - and this is what they were called.

'Schoolie Girls More Ladylike this Year'

'School Girl Raped in Front of Class Mates'.

I was speechless. In fact, I still am which is why this post is going to be very lacking in substance.

Both articles use the construct of school girls in their headings. One article is a bit of fluff which employs an outmoded concept of appropriate female behaviour - "ladylike" - as a contrast to what are clearly unwanted behaviours - that is, "bitch fights". Obviously, ladylike is the more desirable and the school girls were much better behaved than the boys. Natch.

The other article, while including the welcome news that the rapist has been charged, tells us in the first line that the poor young woman who was raped had "passed out after a drinking binge".

I don't know about you, but I think that both of these articles are terribly paternalistic and take away any chance of serious treatment or consideration these school girls may have had.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24710136-29277,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24705188-421,00.html

The Secret Shame File

2008-11-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

Readers (hi EB and NG!) - I have recently turned 30. And with the passing of this momentous day, I've been thinking about how much less I care what people think of me. It's true. Think I'm boring? Weird? Old? A ranty feminist type (I'd be flattered by this one)? I. Do. Not. Care.

So, in the spirit of this new attitude, I thought I would reveal to you (both) some of my formerly secret shames.

Pony books. I love them. Especially the old hard cover Collins Pony Library series. Ah, old English books about rosy cheeked children dashing about having adventures on horse back and going to pony club rallies, hunter trials and gymkhanas. Particular faves are written by KM Peyton (Fly By Night), Joanna Cannan ( A Pony for Jean), Ruby Ferguson (the Jill Series), Monica Dickens (the World's End series) and anything by the Pullein-Thompson sisters (especially Diana and Josephine - weirdly, Josephine is actually Joanna Cannan - JC was a pen name). There's something particularly comforting about them, they're so wholesome and fun. I know I am not alone in this love of pony books - hi Bek! (http://bekk.blogspot.com/)

Music. Everyone has secret musical shames I am sure. Here are some of mine which regularly make their way into my on the go playlists. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler. Beast of Burden by Bette Midler. Don't Go Now by Ratcat. Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver. Mr Brownstone by Guns n' Roses. And there are many more.....but that will do for now.

Press Gang. Now this doesn't really count, I know, because there are fellow bloggers who love this show. But I never used to talk about it until the awesome reviews started appearing on Square Eyes, Square Arse (http://squarearse.blogspot.com/). Now, however, I am out about it and say proudly that I am, indeed, a Spike and Lynda fan.

I still love the movie Romancing the Stone. I know it's bad, and cheesy, and not very well written. But I'll always have a soft spot for Joan Wilder. My brother and I must have watched it 100 times when we were kids. I also love the Phar Lap movie, the Black Stallion and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

I think this will do now, but who knows? Perhaps I'll make the Secret Shame File a regular occurence? Though perhaps it should be called the Formerly Secret Shame File....

Prop 8 - Marching Against The H8

2008-11-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to put a big cheer out for all the people who protested across America and the world this weekend about Prop 8.

It's a terrible thing that at the same time the first African American was being elected President, gay marriage was banned in California.

It's a sad, sad state of affairs particularly when so many people (particularly young people) support gay marriage

Two steps forward, one step back....

See more here: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AF02X20081116

More Musical Randomosity

2008-11-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Because I don't feel like working right at the minute, I thought I'd post some links to a couple of bands I am really loving at the moment.

First - Life Underwater. I'm reading the lead singer's (JD Glass') books at the moment which is how I found out about her band. I like her voice. I like the music. Not my usual style, but perhaps I am crushing on JD. Regardless - download away I say.

Sadly, I can't find any photos of JD so won't be able to ad one here.

http://www.myspace.com/lifeunderwateronline

Second - Uh Huh Her. How could a band who named themselves after one of PJ Harvey's greatest albums not be cool? Actually they are far more poppy and electronic than what I would normally listen to but...I just like them. It's not a bad thing either that one of the members is Leisha Hailey of L Word fame. I also like the little unicorn in the film clip to one of the singles (second link below).

http://www.myspace.com/uhhuhhermusic

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=OAcprO0023o

And here's a photo of Leisha, because her hair looks awesome.

Fair readers, I am sure you won't be surprised to know that I think it is very, very important to listen to and buy music by independent female artists.

Anyone have any cool new grrls to share?

Oh Happy Day # 2

2008-11-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

Obama. Fucking A.

But you know what? I think that, in a weird she-was-so-terrifying-she-was-entertaining way, I'm secretly going to miss Sarah Palin....

US Election - I Vote For Tina Fey

2008-11-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

No, not really, I'm for Obama of course. But if Tina Fey were running - boy would she have my vote. She's gorgeous, and funny, and 30 Rock is gold, Jerry, gold.

I hope you've all checked out her awesome SNL performances as Sarah Palin (as well as, of course, her totally fabulous sitcom 30 Rock - it's tied with Weeds, Hollowmen and Battlestar Galactica as my fave show at the moment).

Tina as Sarah is just amazing. She's got her down pat and spookily, even looks like Sarah I Wave to Russia, I Love My Gun, Gay People Suck, No Abortion Palin.

I'm planning on watching the election fun unfold at the pub tomorrow, but I'll miss Tina.

Here's some clips from Tina's skits on SNL (the full versions seem to be being taken off You Tube at alarming rates, so these are a bit, um, bitty, and the quality isn't always great):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2zykFatZY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFL58Jduryg&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6qkeB6LtIE

Reclaim the Night - Safe as Houses

2008-10-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

It's Reclaim the Night tonight people.

No march this year, just a big party.

7pm - 11.30pm
Yungondi Courtyard
Lion Arts Centre [cnr North Tce + Morphett St] Adelaide.

Update: This is a great column from the Sydney Morning Herald about Reclaim the Night.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/all-jokes-aside-its-a-disgrace/2008/11/03/1225560733793.html?page=2

The writer quite rightly points out that stats around violence towards women have barely changed in the last decades, that women are more likely to be attacked by somebody known to them and that conviction rates are appalling.

Hey Hey it's Post-Modernism

2008-10-30T03:04:00.000-07:00

The Hungry Hungry Hypocrite himself has stopped by to do a guest blog (see below). I am not sure whether I have previously advised my few readers that I love Bill Hicks. Seriously. He is my hero.

I've never seen the below video before (first link). The HHH (who shares my love of Bill) and I were very excited to find it. Excited and then kind of sad. And bemused.

For fun, I've posted a second link for you to watch Bill as he would have normally peformed, had he not been censoring himself in order to perform on that pinacle of family entertainment, Hey Hey It's Saturday.

Over to HHH.

I think the worst job I ever had was doing PR for the government...this tops it by a long shot. Hungry Hungry Hypocrite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ0LMworMOU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qmglGWMsdk

Satan's Little Helpers Still Going Strong in 2008

2008-10-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen the ads for carlton mid strength? Despite being a beer loving gal, I just can't be amused by these ads (plus, I'd never drink mid strength. Or Carlton for that matter).

PR Bastards, Satan's Little Helpers* - it's 2008. Do we really have to keep recycling the same old tired, gendered cliches? Do we really have to equate women with dogs and/or horses? Do we really have to recycle the woman-as-shrew stereotype? Do we really have to wheel out the women are no fun oh poor men scenario? Yes? Why?

Can somebody please tell me?

Here's a link to the ad on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Z2gKT7B6Y

*Required Bill Hicks quote:

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. Thank you, thank you. Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day they'll take root. I don't know. You try. You do what you can. Kill yourselves. Seriously though, if you are, do. No really, there's no rationalisation for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, OK? Kill yourselves, seriously. You're the ruiner of all things good. Seriously, no, this is not a joke. "There's gonna be a joke coming..." There's no fucking joke coming, you are Satan's spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage, you are fucked and you are fucking us, kill yourselves, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show.

"You know what Bill's doing now, he's going for the righteous indignation dollar, that's a big dollar, a lot of people are feeling that indignation, we've done research, huge market. He's doing a good thing." Godammit, I'm not doing that, you scumbags, quit putting a godamn dollar sign on every fucking thing on this planet!

Yes Ma'am

2008-09-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Helen Mirren. Aside from the fact that she is, still, drop dead gorgeous, she is an amazing actor. I saw her most recently in The Queen, and was blown away by her. I also loved her as Deep Thought in Hitchhikers Guide and in The Madness of King George.

Needless to say, I'd be only too happy to say "yes ma'am" to Dame Mirren.

She has spoken publicly about being date raped and about taking drugs. She has a tattoo. She talks about orgasms. She's more than happy to display her 60+ body in public (and why the hell shouldn't she? - whatever the British press have to say:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article4346108.ece)

She's a no bullshit kind of woman - what is there not to like?

Erm. Yes. Moving on. The point of this post is a recent article in which Mirren says some very sensible things about prostitution (she's apparently currently working on a film in which she plays a madam) . I (obviously) think she's totally cool so I am reproducing her comments below.

"I researched the whole notion of a brothel and went to a legal brothel in Nevada.
I loved the girls and the madam was wonderful - she became our adviser. She was invaluable - a wonderful woman.

I am a complete believer in legal brothels. The girls are protected and free and it takes out that horrible situation of pimps and drugs. Also the men who go there know the girls are medically checked and it is very carefully controlled - everyone is in a safe environment.

I don't think you are ever going to get rid of prostitution so you might as well make it as safe as possible."

Amen to that, ma'am.

Check out more of her awesomeness here:

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24310682-5006343,00.html

Reasons I Love....Weeds

2008-09-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

A girl can't spend all her time thinking about politics and the world's fuckery. Sometimes, a girl needs a little entertainment. This is why I spent last night finishing off Season Three of the most excellent Weeds.

There are many reasons to love this smart, occassionally hilarious, occassionally touching, always witty show about a 'soccer mom' type who becomes a drug dealer.....but for today, I would like to share just two of them.

Number One. Doug. He always make me laugh. Let's face it, he is, like Andy, the comic relief for the show. However, I must say that the Season Finale was a new level of great. Doug, playing banjo, in the community centre where the population of Majestic/Agrestic (the "pre fab Jesus loving town") have gathered while the town burns, was a stroke of genius. Particularly when he was singing such gems as:

"Jesus freaks are singing, Jesus freaks are singing, Jesus freaks are singing....They're annoying, self righteous and lame" - upon entering a room of...erm, Jesus freaks, writhing and speaking in tongues; or this:

"Well, this is just like the Superdome, 'cept no rape or piles of human waste. Its still not quite like home, even though we've got wifi, some cookies and toothpaste. Yeah, its just like the Superdome, 'cept everyone's white and middle class. We've got some yogurt, people chanting, oh there's lots of gatorade and toilet paper to wipe our ass. This is just like the superdome."

Check out this link on You Tube: http://youtube.com/?v=Qn0_lL5CcKE

Gold.

Number Two. Another piece of awesomeness from the show. The fact that the Majestic church is called Absolute Truth Ministries. ATM. That's right. And there is plenty of cash on hand too. Just as Jesus would want.

Women Are, Apparently, Interchangable

2008-09-03T20:09:00.001-07:00

Just something that's been pissing me off all week.

Sarah Palin. That creey old guy McCain's running mate. Palin was obviously and cynically selected as a way to woo the Hillary faithful - "gee if they wanted to vote for a woman, let's give 'em one". Yeah right - cause the politics of the candidate has nothing to do with it. Of course people wanted to vote for a woman - one who is pro-choice, pro-health care, pro-gay rights, pro-education (if I lived in the US, Hillary would have had my vote). But minor issues such as politics and policy must not be a consideration for old man McCain.

So now - am I to understand that people are supposed to vote for Palin just because she has a vagina? I don't think so. The fact that she's pro-life, a lifetime member of the NRA and believes in creationism is way more important than the fact that she has girly bits.

And surprise, surprise - the Catholics love her. Gross.
http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palins-pro-life-credentials/

Olympic Apology

2008-09-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

I guess I should start by apologising for my extreme slackness of late - though I suspect nobody has actually noticed my absence. Oh well.

I'm sure everyone has now read/seen the ridiculous situation that has recently arisen over comments on Australian hockey player Nikki Hudson's personal Facebook page (here's a link in case you've missed it: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,24268790-12428,00.html ).

Frankly, I think her comments about the running of the Spanish hockey men's team and wanting to be impaled are pretty funny. It's kind of refreshing for men to be held up as sexual objects, is it not? And it's not like she put out a wildly public media release or something.

What irks me is that she's felt the need (that should probably read 'she's been ordered') to apologise in case any one was offended by her remarks. This, when fucktards like Sam Newman get away with saying incredibly offensive (not to mention unfunny) things about women. On national TV. And rarely has to take responsibility for his fuckery.

It doesn't seem quite right does it?

Painfully Obvious

2008-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is old news I know, but I'm a bit behind these days.

On 1 July, there was this in the SMH:

EXTRAORDINARY new powers will allow police to arrest and fine people for "causing annoyance" to World Youth Day participants and permit partial strip searches at hundreds of Sydney sites, beginning today.

The laws, which operate until the end of July, have the potential to make a crime of wearing a T-shirt with a message on it, undertaking a Chaser-style stunt, handing out condoms at protests, riding a skateboard or even playing music, critics say.

It was scary, people, very scary. And what I found most terrifying - it was a State Labor government that gazetted the new laws. Better not frighten the Catholilcs - apparently they're skittish, like young horses. And heaven help us (or not, as the case may be) if the Catholics are offended by something! Frankly, I'm offended by the Pilgrims, not to mention the Pope, but no one's passing any laws to help me get by. Sigh.

Of course, we now know that this has happened:

[The] federal court struck down a new law that banned people from annoying pilgrims, ruling that it restricted free speech.

I haven't much to add to this, apart from - Gee...really?? Restrictive to free speech? Talk about the painfully obvious.

In other news....Hollowmen may be one of the greatest television shows of all time. Along with Black Books, of course.

Email Goodness

2008-07-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

You know when people insist on sending you those shit jokes (like the endless round of ones about two old women buying condoms or some crap like that) or stupid chain letters or those annoying little question and answer things? Or not to mention work....Don't you hate that? it's enough to make you think that life may have been better, far better, before email was invented.

But then, something like this arrives:

...and it makes the world a better place and makes me almost happy to recieve emails - until the next powerpoint presentation of kittens, puppies and kids with poxy little captions arrives, anyway.

A Round Up of Wrath

2008-06-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've been too lazy to blog for a while, but fear not, my knee has remained ever ready to jerk in the face of sexism, racism, homophobia and general fuckery...and below is a short list of what's been incurring my wrath lately.

The whole Henson art thing. Lucy Tarten is far better spoken than I, so read this blog for an excellent summary of art vs pornography - http://allordinary2.blogspot.com/2008/05/art-is-not-illegal.html. This whole issue has really irritated me - the debate has been paternalistic, narrow minded, anti-art and anti-free speech. And K Rudd's comments really gave me the shits - I know politics is a popularist game, but really. Really. I'm too cross to even finish that thought.

Religion. I know, I know, it's a given isn't it? But I am referring more specifically to the whole women can't be priests thing. It's not new or even all that relevant to my life and it brings to mind a quote from the excellent Bill Hicks ("Women priests? Great, great. Now there's priests of both sexes I don't listen to"). Nonetheless, that the Vatican felt compelled to issue a decree threatening to exommunicate anyone attempting to ordain a woman priest is just another example of the fear and over-reaction that occurs when women encroach on areas considered to be 'male'. Sigh.

Howard being awared the Order of Australia. It just seems wrong, doesn't it? That the man responsbile for anti worker legislation, for encouraging racism and xenophobia, for blocking state same sex legislation etc etc should be rewarded is more than I can cope with. (BTW - congratulations Dr Cooper, I'll drink to you).

American Pro Lifers. What's not to hate, right? What could I possibly still be ranting about? How about this - http://www.thepillkills.com/index.html. Yes, June 7 was Protest the Pill Day, 2008. Because, that's right, the pill kills babies. Have a look at the web site - it's a freak show.

Linda Hirshman's article in the Washington Post. Haven't read it? Here's a link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/06/AR2008060603494.html. There's been a raft of articles published in response, including this one at Feministe: http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/06/09/has-feminism-lost-its-focus/, which is far more articulate than I could ever be.

Hillary Clinton not getting the Democrat nomination. I'm not overly crushed about it, but it would have nice wouldn't it? Still, VP would be better than nothing.

SA banning the sale of bongs. It's the Nanny State in action, folks. Read all about it here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/07/2267926.htm

Some things are making me happy though. Here's a short list.

California.
Rewatching Roseanne on DVD. She'll always be the real domestic goddess to me.
Going to see Abbe May play at Enigma. Check out her Myspace page.
The Audrey's have a new album out. And it's good.
Kitchen Nightmares.
Augusten Burroughs has a new book - and it's just arrived from Amazon. Happy day.
Watching Rise Above: The Tribe 8 documentary. It's awesome.
The bookshelf application on Facebook. I'm addicted to it.

Amusement....

2008-05-13T00:04:00.001-07:00

As my great friend the Hungry Hypocrite proved the other day, sometimes an opening paragraph can make your day (see http://narcolepticbedwetter.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-world-we-live-in.html).

I've just come across this opening line on the news.com.au/adelaidenow website:

Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has told his MPs the Rudd Government is bringing back a left-wing agenda.

Gasp! The horror of it all!

Needless to say, I am rather amused. This has certainly cheered my day up.

The Important Work Politicians Do

2008-05-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Oh please. Since when is looking into swearing on television the work of a Senate Committee?

According to Adelaidenow, a current committee is doing just that, headed by SA Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi. Gee I'm glad such important issues are being considered by our Senators.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide have apparently sent in a submission to the Committee, pointing the finger squarely at celebs like one of my personal TV faves, Gordon Ramsay. Yes, seems that Ramsay is a terribly bad influence on young people, making them think that it is okay to swear.

Now...I hate to get too simplistic here....but surely it would be far more sensible to write a submission saying if you don't like something on TV, don't watch it...and if you don't want your kids exposed to a show which contains bad language, turn the fucking televsion off. Sigh.

See the article here: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23652400-5006301,00.html

Well It's About Time

2008-04-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

I am really very pleased with the way the Rudd government is performing so far. They have a progressive vision, and they are working towards achieving it. And that is a wonderful thing.

My few faithful readers will now that I have long been ranting about gay rights
(see The Wrath of Lilith: Kill Me Now and The Wrath of Lilith: Horse and Carriage - Part Two and The Wrath of Lilith: I Now Pronounce You...A Total Bigot for example).

So I am rather pleased to see that the ALP is, in fact, following through on their promises to deal with the issue (excluding marriage, of course). Ultimately, the removal of discrimanatory policies, laws and procedures is an excellent start.

I guess if I have to be picky, I am a little pissed about the whole marriage is between a man and woman refrain....for example (taken from http://www.news.com.au/):

But Mr McClelland said the Government remained firm on its stance against gay marriage.

"We regard marriage as being between a man and a woman. That's confirmed in our platform," he said.

"Equally, our platform recognises that it would be desirable to have a uniform national standard for legal recognition of same-sex relationships as they have, for instance, in Tasmania.

"The register-style model, we regard as appropriate."

But that's just if I have to be picky - I think any form of legal recognition is totally a step in the right direction. And frankly - who wants to get married anyway*?! I guess it's okay if you really want to do it...but....it's not for me.

The Liberal party was predicatable - with Nelson commenting that:

"Whilst we will steadfastly oppose gay marriage, gay adoption and gay IVF, we will carefully scrutinise the proposals being put up by the government, and if they are affordable and reasonable we will certainly be providing support to them."

Affordable and reasonable?? Whatever. Gay adoption and gay IVF?? Groan. Typical. But I'm not really cross, because the current state of the Liberal party is revenge enough for me (see, for example, this cracker - link taken from Ms Blooms' latest post, which is fabulous as usual so make sure you read it - http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23603249-948,00.html).

*That's not saying, by any means, that gay couples shouldn't be able to get married - of course they should. Especially if born again Christian freaks are allowed to.

Oddness

2008-04-29T16:58:00.001-07:00

Does this ad campaign strike anyone else as....weird? And kind of wrong?

The Definition of Randomosity

2008-04-22T00:19:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've been tagged by the Hungry Hypocrite himself to complete a meme (an exercise which is, perhaps, the very definition of randomosity). It's my first tag and I feel honoured, in a totally nerdy kind of way.

So...five things about me? My mind's a blank...Surely I can think of something?! Hmmm...here goes....

1. I used to be a practising Witch. Not the disney, ride around on a broom stick kind, of course, but the Pagan type. (I do not like the term Wiccan). I still get into the Witchy stuff, but I'm too lazy to keep up with regular Witchy Work.

I basically got in to Paganism because I liked the whole Goddess as primary deity idea, and the important role of women in the religion. I also liked the idea that individuals could commune with nature/divinity/elements/elementals without the need for a 'go to' person. You do it all yourself, including designing rituals, spells, chants - you name it.

Though I was pretty eclectic in my practise, I could have been considered a Dianic Solitary Witch (which basically means a feminist witch who practises without recognising the male aspect of divinity and that I never practised as part of a coven). For more info, see the 'Starhawk' link the side menu (her book, 'The Spiral Dance', is a Witchy classic -
here's a link:http://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Dance-Rebirth-Religion-Anniversary/dp/0062516329/ref=pd_sim_b_title_2 ).

Also check out the book 'Ariadne's Thread'. (Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Ariadnes-Thread-Workbook-Goddess-Magic/dp/0895944758)

And have a look at 'The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries': .http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Book-Womens-Mysteries-Spellcasting/dp/0914728679/ref=pd_sim_b_title_3

And no - I am not some flakey new age-er. Fuck you.

2. I am obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. I have more books, dvds and videos on Monroe than I care to admit. Every time a new memoir or biography is published, I simply must have it. It's like a sickness - I can never, ever read enough about her.

It really shits me that people think of her as the ultimate dumb blonde. She may have played plenty of dumb blondes, but I think that she would have been an incredibly intelligent, artistic woman. And let's not forget that she had the courage to tell The movie studio of the 1950s, Twentieth Century Fox, to go fuck themselves - for underpaying her when she was making them more money than any other star. She promptly set up her own production company and made a film with that company, before Fox came crawling back, offering her a much improved contract with many perks, including director approval. Not bad for a supposed dumb blonde.

And just as a side note: the Milton Greene photographs of Marilyn known as 'The Black Sitting' are simply amazing. Check them out on the Milton Greene Archives web site. Link is: http://www.miltons-marilyn-monroe.com/marilyn-monroe/pictures/marilyn-monroe-black-sitting/index.html - I have a print of BLK 106 - Stunning.

3. I have a tattoo inspired by the Xavier Rudd song 'Jack' (it's on his Live in Canada album). My sister drew the design, then we chipped in for my younger sister to get it tattooed on her back for her 18th. Then we got it as well - so all three of us sisters have matching tattoos on our backs.

4. I have two Staffordshire Bull Terriers. One of them is a neurotic, needy mess. He's the Liz Taylor of dogs. He's so neurotic, he's on Xanax.

5. I still love Degrassi High. Yes, I am afraid that it is true. Joey, Spike, Caitlin, Lucy, Wheels... I love them all. I even have the movie which followed the Degrassi High Series. Sue me.

So there you go....some random information.

I now tag.... Original Mel, Dot and Mars, Jacob from Bent My Wookie, Kiki and Felix for Zosia.

What a Ridiculous Question

2008-04-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I was imagining things when I stumbled across this article:

http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=tg8brlb197zz322qp4vxwd59nbj08ff2

asking if a "feminist classic can be an American classic".

Umm...what the fuck? Of course it can.

But apart from this quibble, I'm extremely pleased that Erica Jong's Fear of Flying warrants a conference to discuss its importance*, over thirty years after it was published. It was a ground breaking book then (and not because it introduced us the concept of the zipless fuck) and it is still significant today. It's honest, passionate, angry, sexual, funny and feminist. And it reminds us of the importance of both surviving and following your art...wherever it may lead you. Sadly, women artists traditionally aren't big on the whole survival thing (think Plath, Sexton, Dickinson) - but luckily we have Jong, who, like Colette before her, embraces art, life and love. And that is a very good thing.

*Full disclosure: it's one of my favourite books. I buy everything that Jong writes. Everything. And you should too. Or at least borrow her stuff from the library.

When Compliments Kind of Aren't and Some Randomosity

2008-04-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

A great friend of mine (we'll call her the The Girl) has recently lost a lot of weight. She, in fact, looks like a different person. I'm very happy for her; she looks happier, and healthier, and fitter.

But she's still the same person. Obviously. Just thinner.

I've noticed that many people seem hung up on her new appearance. Everyone who sees her, says "oh The Girl, you look fabulous/fantastic/like a different person" etc etc. Which I think she appreciates...but it must get really fucking annoying after a while. Surely. Cause as I say - she's still the same old Girl.

I don't know whether I am just getting agitated and over reacting on her behalf, but for fsm's sake, surely her appearance shouldn't merit so much attention? I mean, yes, it's great that she's getting healthier and looking good - but she's still the same ultra smart, high powered Girl she has always been.

I guess more than anything it's the way peoples' attitudes towards her have changed. It used to irritate me years ago when I first worked with her, that in meetings, senior men would look past her and not take her seriously - until she opened her mouth, of course. Then everyone took her seriously - she's smart. Now, though, I've noticed that people seem to see her more than they did before...as if being fat made her invisible; now that she's thin, she's worthy of attention.

I've been thinking about this for a while. It's not that I've come to any new conclusions (I mean fat = bad, thin = good as far as society goes is harldy a revelation) but I just needed to get it clear in my head. That I can, you know, be happy for her, but also irritated that people can be so fucking superficial. Bastards.

So there you go. Rant complete.

On a totally random note, I am kind of reliving my angsty youth and can't stop listening to the Geraldine Fibbers, for the first time in well...years. Seriously...check them out. Carla rocks my world. And so does this film clip. Here's the you tube link for your pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJZUXuD16s

And a photo, because I can.

And in further randomosity, I've recently read a great book - Rose of No Man's Land by Michelle Tea. Like Carla from the Fibbers, Tea's a super cool grrl, and I'm working my way through all her other books, but this one stands as my favourite (so far, anyway). Definitely worth a read. Here's a link to make life easy for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Mans-Land-Michelle-Tea/dp/0156030934/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208319727&sr=8-1

And a photo, also because I can, and am crushing.

I Now Pronounce You...A Total Bigot

2008-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

I've been too angry to blog about this until now. Don't get me wrong - I'm still angry - but I've lost the incredulous, so pissed I can't even speak anger - now I've simmered down to a manageable level of rage.

I know I've ranted before about the Australian Christian Lobby and their appalling views on gay rights, particularly gay marriage, but due to this weeks Lateline (a debate between the ACL and Bob Brown), I feel that another rant is in order - I don't have a problem with being repetitive and neither, clearly, does Jim Wallace of the ACL. (Here's the transcript - http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s2168241.htm).

This transcript kind of reminds me of a Simpsons episode - Mrs Lovejoy with her constant refrain of "won't somebody think of the children?" - only in this case, it would be Wallace with a refrain along the lines of "won't somebody think of the sanctity of marriage? We must preserve it at all costs!"

Ho hum. What I find most infuriating is Wallace's use of 'statistics' - stats around monogamy and the length of relationships, for instance - to illustrate that gay people can't have 'real' marriages. I don't know about you, but I know of plenty of straight marriages which didn't last, and plenty that haven't quite managed to pull of the whole pesky monogamy thing.

The other fucked up thing about Wallace's argument is the role of children in creating a marriage. Marriages, he argues, are about establishing stable, nuclear families for kids. So I guess that if you're a straight, married, but childless couple - you don't really have a marriage.

These are just simplistic, paternalistic and totally nonsensical arguments. This one, for example, is a cracker:

"I am absolutely adamant that we must retain in society an ideal which we call marriage, and an ideal of relationship, which aims to put stability, commitment up there right at the fore. That needs to be held before our children as an example, it needs to be held before society as an example because it's been proven."

As good old Bob Brown pointed out, there's no evidence that gay couples can't successfully love and nurture children, nor that they can't have long term, committed relationships. I really can't see the difference between a marriage between a straight couple and a gay couple if you apply Wallace's criteria above - can you? I don't think he really can either. It's lucky he's got the contradictions of Christianity to hide behind I guess - they seemingly never need to be explained and haven't exactly set a high standard for logical arguments.

Respect for Women - For Dummies

2008-02-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I just feel like tearing my hair out sometimes.

Did you see this article from the Herald Sun - http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23248063-19742,00.html - which is about a new DVD being developed for foot ballers "teaching them how to respect women".

For fuck's sake. They need a DVD to teach them respect for half the worlds population?! The best (or the worst, really) part is the multiple choice questions that are posed. For example,
one of the questions asks footballers what they'd do "if they are with a girl who has had too much to drink:

A) Get her some water? B) Call her a taxi? or C) Take her back to your place for sex?....are among the responses."

Oh my FSM. I can't even begin to fathom this. Perhaps they need a perpetual video recording of Mr Macky saying "rape is bad, m'kay"... a cartoon is bound to resonate with these overgrown children.

Maybe I need to develop a DVD of my own - how to control the urge for physical violence prompted by the moronitude of footballers and the football industry.

Such a Wanker

2008-02-13T00:52:00.001-08:00

I am, today, filled with feminist rage. It has, in fact, distracted me from the most excellent apology given by K Rudd today.

Those of you in SA would probably already be aware of the most ridiculous and absurd comments made by Independent MP Bob Such, regarding rape reform laws currently before Parliament.

Basically, Such is asserting that young women are to blame for the lack of respect they receive from men....why? Because of the T Shirts they wear...And I quote..."I see women getting around in T Shirts saying 'give me a few more drinks and I'll do this and that' and displaying comments drawing attention to their breasts and so on...People may say these are flippant comments but they do not help in trying to impress on young men a respect for women."

Oh...silly me. I forgot that women are the moral guardians of our society and that we are responsible for the behaviour of men.

I mean...really. To make these comments is bad enough, but during debate on rape reform? It's 2008 for fucks sake. I can't believe this whole ridiculous 'she was asking for it' argument (which is, of course, what this is) is rearing its head again.

Can I please just reiterate a fundamental point...It doesn't matter what a woman wears. Rape is never, never acceptable. It is always wrong and it is always a crime (despite appalling conviction rates). End of story.

Gee, Maybe Men Don't Run Everything?

2008-02-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

If you are 'feminist' Rosie Boycott, apparently they don't. No, men are the new downtrodden.

Check out this article - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=512550&in_page_id=1879&in_page_id=1879&ct=5&expand=true#StartComments - from the Daily Mail.

Don't you just feel overwhelmed with sympathy for poor, confused and helpless men? What, with those nasty feminists usurping their roles as provider, bread winner and boss. And all this time I've been thinking it's women who don't have enough power, enough say in how the world is run. I must be mistaken - perhaps it is women who make up the bulk of our elected representatives, who run entire countries and corporations, control the word's economy and earn more in the dollar than men for the same work?

And let's not forget reproductive rights, housework and caring responsibilities and the right to live free from the fear of sexual violence - is it men who bear the brunt of of gendered issues such as these?

No? What a surprise.

Really Rosie - give me a break. Call me hard hearted, but I'm not going to lose sleep over the fact that some poor little men are whinging about having to do their equal share of child rearing and housework; or about a little competition educationally and professionally.

Women have managed to navigate huge cultural and social changes over the last century - it's not mine, or feminism's, problem if some men can't adapt and adjust to changes - and let's not forget we're still a society that is far less than equal.

So how will these men cope when women finally gain real eqaulity? Not well, if this bit of fuckery is anything to go by.

Real Australian Men Behave Badly and Stay Until the G String Comes Off

2008-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

Ah, Zoo. You quality piece of journalism you. You've done it again. Apparently, the latest issue features a bit on the most Un-Australian People of the year. And Kevin Rudd was the winner.... Want to know why?

"[Rudd] had behaved like a perfect gentleman during his strip club adventure, it's poor form," Zoo editor Paul Merrill said. "He also left within an hour so, he didn't even get his round in." (from the Advertiser January 21).

So, there you go. It seems that real Australian men should behave as badly as possible in strip clubs, get hammered, stay until the last bit of clothing is tossed away and always take their turn to buy a round*. So, male readers (if I have any)....prove that you are true Australians - get thee to a strip club, post haste, behave badly and start drinking. Heavily. Wouldn't want Zoo staffers to think you were un-Australian, would you? I mean, you might as well be a terrorist. Or a feminist.

*Okay, maybe I can't argue with the fact that, you know, you should cough up when it's your round. But that's just good manners.

Brides for Sale

2008-01-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

I came across this http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/newsfeed/2008/01/21/fury-as-dating-agency-offer-czech-girls-unspoiled-by-feminism-86908-20292880/ article today, and have been rendered quite speechless.

Sounds like men across the UK are able to buy themselves a nice, young, submissive, attractive, respectful and (most importantly) non feminist Czech bride - and all at a bargain price.

Really....what more could any man want?

Republicans are Totally Scary

2008-01-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

The American primaries. Aren't they fun? Despite much West Wing viewing, I still find the whole thing a little confusing. However, I have been paying fairly close attention because the candidates are so interesting this time around. And, you know, because I want the Democrats to win. Really badly. Obviously.

Just a few things of note...first, there was this http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/iron-my-shirt/ little piece of sexist fuckery.

I have to say I am pretty impressed that Clinton didn't shy away from naming sexism where she saw it. Perhaps not the most popularist of approaches, but one that is sure to endear her to the left.

Second, I've been watching with disturbed rage the campaign of one of the Republican candidates, ordained Baptist preacher Huckabee. Isn't he a lovely piece of work? A truly stand up guy?

He's being endorsed by anti abortion groups in the US and is also a supporter of the pro life amendment known as HR536 - the Paramount Right to Life amendment. This amendment would extend constitutional protection to embryos “from the moment of fertilization without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency.” This is pretty scary stuff and could well mark the biggest threat to Roe v Wade America has yet seen.

Huckabee's also apparently seeking the support of Catholics as well as his base of evangelical freaks - I mean Protestants - across America with this anti abortion, anti gay marriage agenda. He's also playing the 'help the poor and the sick, it's your Christian duty' card, which means he could well have a larger base of religious supporters than previous right wing, pro life/pro family candidates. It's quite smart in a terrifying kind of way. He's also, apparently, an excellent media performer. He's the crazy right winger you have to keep an eye on this year.

I will definitely be watching as this election unfolds....

Also, just while we're on politics, isn't it lovely to have Gillard as Acting Prime Minister?

Maybe This is Who They Mean by Femi-Nazi?

2007-12-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

I am feeling a little cranky. I'm sure part of it is hangover, but the larger, more important part, is this opinion piece from The Age on 4 December by Karen Murphy- 'Blame Women for the Death of Feminism'. http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/blame-women-for-the-death-of-feminism/2007/12/03/1196530572754.html (I really must work out how to link to articles...stupid lack of technical skill).

Yes, you heard it - feminism is dead. And women have only themselves to blame. Apparently, I've been a bit delusional - the positive moves we have made as women don't really count (leaps made in moving women's issues into the political arena, maternity leave, superannuation entitlements, employment rights, abortion and birth control - and yes, I know that we have a long way to go, which Murphy rightly points out, but look at how far we have come in only a few decades). No, apparently these things don't matter at all, not when women still care about their looks, or are sexual beings, or, worse, make money in sexualised ways. The author of this piece points the finger at women in the porn industry, women who strip or lap dance, prostitutes and women who model in 'degrading' ad campaigns - and the list goes on to even include women who have Brazilian waxes. I'm amazed Murphy didn't add 'women who wear make up and skirts' to her list.

Now, I don't want to get all post modern, Catherine Lumby in Bad Girls on your arses, and start talking about texts and multiple identities and meanings, but the kind of crap being spouted in this opinion piece makes me suddenly look at feminists like Lumby in a far more sympathetic way that I am normally disposed to do - because things aren't always so black and white as Murphy apparently thinks. I might enjoy wearning a pair of hot high heels and eyeliner, but does this mean that I cannot name myself feminist, earn good money or use my brain?

Pieces like this also make me think fondly of pioneers like Carol Queen and Annie Sprinkle - sex positive feminists both, who have worked in the sex industry and lived to tell the tale. Who aim, in fact, to help reposition women in the sex industry as agents. And what about feminists like Candida Royalle, an ex porn star who now produces pornography made by and for women? What about the nameless women who endeavour to keep prostitutes safe and healthy, a near impossible task whilst the industry remains illegal and unregulated? Are these women, because they are sexual, not feminists at all? Hardly.

Murphy has a point with her quick mention of the sexualisation of young girls - but rather than blaming mothers, how about looking more broadly at the role of the media and capitalism? At choice? I guess it's easier just to blame other women as it doesn't require much thought or analysis. And I don't want to ignore the obvious issues around the sexualisation of women in the media, and in day to day life, but I do want to drive the point home that this is not a simple argument. These issues are a lot more complex than simple finger pointing, based on "this is good/this is bad" assumptions.

On the whole, Murphy's argument is overly simple and smacks of the old Madonna/Whore dualism - a dualism which feminists have worked hard to dispel. If this is what Murphy's feminism is all about, it's probably a good thing it's dead - I want a feminism that embraces choice and multilpe possibilities - and not one that dictates appropriate behaviours and activities - after all, we're not Nazis.

Oh Happy Day

2007-11-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

Complete with Gift Box

2007-11-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

The other day, I happened to be perusing the new Peter Alexander catalogue... I quite like some of his sleep wear. However, imagine my dismay when I saw images like these.....

These are not photos of Barbie dolls. This is a model from the latest catalogue.

I'm not really sure what I find more disturbing. The air brushed, Barbie Doll 'perfection' (complete with limbs that don't bend properly) or the way these photos make me think of dead women. Because really, aren't Barbie dolls just images of frozen (dead, if you will) beauty? Or, to be more accurate, what is perceived as female beauty?

The image of the 'dolls' in their gift boxes is also freaking me out. The gift boxes are kind of like little pink coffins. The idea of women as pretty little gifts also comes to mind. Gifts that don't speak, or breathe, or think...gifts that just look real pretty, and pink, and pale.

Is this seriously the best ad campaign that Peter Alexander can come up with? What kind of reaction was he expecting, exactly? Cause I sure as hell won't be buying anything else from his catalogues - if this is what he thinks will appeal to his consumers, he can kiss my arse.

Mmm...Cat Fight

2007-10-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Why is it when two men have a fight, it's called an assault or an altercation, or some other 'serious' term.

When women have a fight, it's a cat fight.

In one of their newsbreaks yesterday, MMM reported on a fight between two women, using roughly these words...." A woman’s been taken to hospital after what’s being described as a cat fight at Paralowie this morning."

One of the women apparently received numerous stab wounds...but hey, it was between girls so it can't have been serious.

God Is Gay*

2007-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

So, according to Pell, discriminating against homosexuals is nothing like discrimation on racial grounds.

No....not at all.....Discriminating because of sexuality, and not race, is totally different....

Umm...How??

God botherers are speaking out against gay rights in light of the upcoming federal election. Everyone's favourite scarily effective lobby, the Australian Christian Lobby, are at it again, adding their comments to Pell's.

What really disturbs me, apart from the blatant fuckery, of course, is that the deeply entrenched hatred of gay people is evident in their comments....particularly in the references to not wanting to 'normalise' homosexuality. Naturally, they are fine with trying to normalise their own pathetic, god fearding beliefs....in fact, it sounds like Pell is outraged at the thought of political decisions being made without religious involvement....

Wouldn't it be great if there really were a divide between Church and State? And if people's personal lives were, gee....personal?

That is all.

*With apologies to Kurt Cobain for stealing this awesome line.

And Now...For Some Amusing News...

2007-10-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Far be it for me to take pleasure in the unfortunate lives of others...except when unfortunate things happen to Family First. Then I'll take lots of pleasure in these events. Lots and lots.

Seems that the Family First candidate for Reid in western Sydney, Andrew Quah, has had a bad weekend. A member of a right wing, ultra conservative (anti-gay, anti-feminist*, anti-abortion etc), church funded political party should, one assumes, set a Christian example for the electorate....A white bread, holier than thou kind of example. Not so if you are Andrew Quah.

Nude photographs of him have appeared on gay web sites. His explanation for how the photographs came to exisit in the first place? He must have been "off his face drunk or drugged by political enemies". Yeah, I'd be going with the former as the most likely story... He's almost admitting to accessing internet porn recently. The porn accessing thing seems to have been the biggest problem for Andrew, what with Family First's hard line ("won't somebody think of the children") on the internet and pornography. Andrew has stated that he disagrees with FF's position on internet porn - he actually seems to think that controlling internet content might be, you know, difficult. Who would have thought?

He's now been disendorsed by the Party and dropped from the Family First Executive. I kind of feel sorry for him really - It would have to be a bit...embarrassing to have people googling naked pictures of you. And he's (obviously) got a point about the whole porn on the internet thing. And I have nothing against nude photos on gay websites, either, now that I think of it (though, of course, I never professed to be some god fearing conservative).

But really - it's all so amusing... I have to say kudos to you, Andrew, for giving Fundies First the kind of publicity lefties everywhere have been patiently waiting for. Steve Fielding has to be having a bad day today, so I say hurrah for drunken nude pictures and internet porn!

I may just be petty and small, but it's a happy day for me when candidates/members of religious organisations are shown to be flawed and no better than the rest of us, whatever their moralising rants would have us believe. It's just so good when their pious figure heads/political leaders are left exposed, and fumbling for words.... well, look, it just makes me feel happy. And kind of smug.

Look forward to seeing you campaigning for the Greens soon, Andrew...

Read more here: http://www.smh.com.au/news/federalelection2007news/family-firsts-member-for-nowhere/2007/10/28/1193555533377.html?source=cmailer

*Update: According to Crikey, the anti feminist credentials are pretty much second to none. Apparently Quah produced a 'report' when attempting to run for President of the Students Representative Council at Sydney University. The snippets printed in Crikey are positively antagonistic towards feminism and feminists...Maybe I was too quick with the Greens comment above...

Kill Me Now

2007-10-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

Just when I was thinking the ALP was going to take some much needed, progressive action on gay rights - Rudd starts with the 'marriage is between a man and a woman' line. Again. And not only this - he starts talking crap about gay couples adopting children only in "special circumstances". Some excerpts from yestereday's news:

"Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has indicated a Labor government would not move to make it easier for gay couples to adopt children."

Marvellous.

"Opposition leader Kevin Rudd says he would still love his three children if they were homosexual, but as prime minister he would not change the law to allow gays to marry."

Oh, that's just lovely.

"Speaking on the Austereo network today, Mr Rudd remained committed to his party line that marriage is between a man and woman, but admitted it was not a popular view in some circles. Under a barrage of questions urging him to allow homosexuals to marry, he said a Labor government would grant legal concessions to homosexuals, but not the legal status of marriage".

Well, it's better than the Liberal's position - which is to do nothing - but really. Really. At this point, I'm starting to wonder if there really is any difference between the Right faction of the ALP and the Coalition (or, that matter, the dreaded Fundies First) - when it comes to gay rights, anyway. Let's hope KRudd is just taking this conservative (read: bullshit) line until the election is safely in the bag....otherwise, someone - please kill me now*.

*At least I can take some comfort in the outing of the fabulous Dumbledore.

Reclaim The Night - Adelaide - This Friday 26 October

2007-10-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

RECLAIM THE NIGHT

Reclaim the Night has been acknowledged internationally on the last Friday of October since 1976, with the first rally being held in Adelaide in 1978.

This event acknowledges that the safety of women remains an issue in our community and assists in promoting community awareness around domestic and sexual violence and its impact on the lives of many women.

All women are invited to join in a peaceful march on Friday 26 October at 7pm in Victoria Square [opposite the Hilton Hotel] and then march along King William Street and Hindley Street to a festival in the Yungondi Courtyard, Lion Arts Centre [cnr North Tce + Morphett St].

There will be performances, food and drinks at the festival in a safe women friendly environment.

Last year over 600 women attended Reclaim the Night and we invite all women to join us again.

Visit the Office for Women website for more information (this is where this text comes from) and to download the RTN postcard:

http://www.osw.sa.gov.au/

It would be great to see Adelaide women bloggers out on the night.

Oh, I'm Not a Feminist - I'm Third Wave

2007-10-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

What is happening in the literary world? First Fay Weldon and Germain Greer (see article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/magnus_linklater/article2302728.ece), and now Doris Lessing are distancing themselves from today's brand of feminism.

This could be a generational thing. In the article above, it's pretty obvious that Weldon and Greer are of the opinion that third wave feminists are not really feminists. I guess they don't make a habit of getting on line and reading the plethora of smart, funny and active feminists who blog, make web sites and bring us excellent on line resources, such as as feministing and feminism 101.

And now Lessing - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-schmich_oct14,1,5084299.column?coll=chi_news_local_util&ctrack=1&cset=true - doesn't like being called "a feminist writer".

Look, I'm really pleased that she's been honoured with the Nobel Prize. She's only the fifth woman since World War 2 to receive the prize, after all. It's just a shame she didn't take the opportunity to say something about women's rights or women's issues - or to, you know, call herself a feminist. I guess things have changed since The Golden Notebook....

No Husband, No Kids, No Life - Oh My

2007-10-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'm fascinated by media coverage of women politicians. So fascinated, I did my Honours thesis on the topic. For my thesis, I (obviously) had to do a whole lot of reading, devoured newspapers from across the country and interviewed women politicians from the ALP. To condense my 20,000 word thesis into a paragraph - what I found was that women pollies are treated far differently in the media than their male counterparts. There is a strong emphasis in the media (when women politicians actually get media coverage) on their dress, appearance, marital status. They are accused of neglecting their children and their partners for politics. Fundamentally, all those cultural norms and stereotypes which equate women with the private sphere (home and family) come into play.

I devoted a chapter of my thesis to the coverage Julia Gillard had been receiving in the lead up to the last Federal election. I'm not sure if you remember, but there was quite the media feeding frenzy due to a story and photograph of Gillard in the Sun Herald. Gillard was photographed in her kitchen (the media love to photograph powerful women in domestic settings) - and the media were extremely excited by her tidy kitchen with its empty fruit bowl. Yes, I shit you not - the empty fruit bowl and tidy kitchen were news. The Sydney Morning Herald jumped on the band wagon too:

…it wasn't just Gillard's unnaturally spotless kitchen that appeared eerily stark when the media were allowed into her home. Apart from a few personal belongings dotted around the house, the rest of Gillard's home in the Melbourne suburb of Altona is pretty bare too [Hornery with Malkin January 24 2005]

Eerily stark...unnaturally spotless...pretty bare...These quotes are just so telling. Gillard is, clearly, not normal. (Although, of course, had her home been a pig sty she would have copped a serve for that too). She was endlessly positioned as deviant, or other, because not only was her house too tidy, she had neither husband or children....How sad, the media cried. How can such a woman relate to the average Australian?! Let's not forget that had Gillard been married, with the apparently requisite kids, she'd have been accused of neglecting them. You just can't win.

Leading up to the 2007 election, the media coverage hasn't changed much. Gillard is still a story. She's a member of the Left, she's a feminist, she could well be our next Deputy Leader...and the media are loving it. Not because it's about bloody time we had someone like Gillard in a position of power - no, it's because she's newsworthy. She is unmarried, childless, ambitious - not all that unusual for a male politician, but add gender to the mix and you have news - let's forget the fact that a growing number of Australian women are deciding not to marry, or have children. Let's forget the fact that we love ambition in men. No, the media would rather paint Gillard as some kind of oddity, someone who is not a real woman (whatever the hell that is - but bet your arse it comes down to traditional notions of femininity).

In the last week, there have been a number of articles on Gillard in that faux newspaper, the Advertiser. Tony Abbott has been shooting his mouth off again in most un-Chrisitan ways (aren't we all supposed to love each other, turn the other cheek etc Mr Abbott???), and the Advertiser has printed no less than three stories related to Abbott's comments. The articles position her as a radical, a woman obsessed with politics, as lacking humanity, as lacking life experience, as having no life.... And these tags are pretty much all thanks to Abbott and his stupid, stupid, stupid comments. (Of course, the 'deliberately barren' quote was also recycled - again). Lucky for Abbott he's got a good wifey at home to look after his kids - no one could accuse him of neglecting his kids or lacking life experience - I bet he learned a lot about life at church and private school - what more experience could you possibly want?

I just find it so wearying that the media thinks these kinds of comments deserve to be analysed and reported over and over again. For fuck's sake, I would have thought that being passionate about your job was pretty much essential for a Deputy Leader. I would have thought that feminist and left politics would be an important part of ensuring diversity in our political arena. I would have thought that whether a politicians is married or not, has children or not, was not as important as, gee, whether or not they can actually do the job, and do it well. But no - obviously I am mistaken. Obviously the media is still wheeling out the tired old notions relating to women - they can't be too smart, they can't be too ambitious and marriage and kids are the ultimate -something all women should aspire to.

So Julia - get married and have a brood of kids already, would you? Play down that intelligence and education and put on an apron and do some baking in your bare and stark kitchen - how are we expected to take you seriously otherwise?

Horse and Carriage - Part Two

2007-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

A friend has just sent me an article regarding Labor's policy on same sex couples. Despite my ranting below, it seems that Labor actually has some balls....

According to the article, "a labor government would make the removal of legal discrimination against gays and lesbians one of its first orders of business". Let's hope this is actually the case.

This is quite a bold move for Labor to take so close to the federal election. One wonders how Rudd feels about statements made by Legal Affairs spokesperson, Senator Joseph Ludwig - Rudd has spent quite a bit of time and energy courting Christian voters (who can forget the nauseating Rudd quote "we should be proud of our Christian heritage"), and gay rights (especially gay marriage) is probably the number one issue which alienates and angers the religious right.

According to the Australian Christian Lobby, interviewed on last night's 7.30 Report, about 19% of the Australian population attend church at least once a month - not an insiginificant part of the electorate. The Australian Christian Lobby are disturbingly active lobbyists, and I will be curious to see what sort of tack they take now that gay rights are (seemingly) firmly on the ALP's agenda. It also raises the interesting question of what impact this will have on preferences from Family First...

You can read the whole article in The Australian, or here http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22522604-11949,00.html.

I Believe in Her Goodness

2007-09-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

I always go to see Tori Amos feeling excited but determined to retain a critical mind set. I can do this when it comes to her albums. For instance, I think that since she started creating concept albums (beginning with Strange Little Girls up until the latest, American Doll Posse) her music has suffered. Don't get me wrong - the concepts themselves are interesting, feminist and worthy of intellectual, possibly even academic, consideration. The idea behind American Doll Posse, that of the exploration of the many asepcts of femininity, using mythology as a basis, is not without merit. I'm just not sure how successful Tori is in linking her concepts to her music, and I feel that there is too much emphasis on the concept itself and not on producing great songs. (She could use an editor at times too).

Having said this though (simply to illustrate that yes, I can criticise Tori) I cannot retain the critical mind set when I go to see her live. As soon as she appears on stage, I am lost. All critical and, indeed, rational thought, leaves my head (it's bendage without the alcohol). Last night was no different. I've never seen her with a band before, and they made the show a different experience to any I've had seeing Tori before. Usually, seeing Tori solo is akin to being in a church. Generally, nobody makes a sound as they worship at the altar of the Goddess Amos - except when the songs end. Last night, however, the band made the show seem much more like a rock concert. The crowd made a lot of noise, during and in between songs. And Tori seemed quite pleased about this. She grinned and almost parodied her serious 'girl and the piano' image throughout the concert.

Coming on stage as Pip, one of the five identities she created with American Doll Posse, Tori was rock goddess personified. Tight leather pants, sexy black wig, a whole lot of attitude. Pip began the show 'covering' the Tori song Cruel, then moved on to Bliss, two of the best in the Tori canon. Pip's set was high energy, sexual and pure rock n' roll. All in all, an impressive start to the show. Then, a short break (accompanied by a recording of the Professional Widow remix) and Tori returned to the stage as...Tori. Wearing an absolutely hideous sequinned pant suit that, of course, she managed to somehow pull off (as a 'normal' person, you'd surely be beaten up if you tried to wear it anywhere but the Mars Bar).

The 'Tori' set was pure gold. A fabulous mix of old and new songs, with two of my favourite songs from 'Boys For Pele' (In the Springtime of his Voodoo and Putting the Damage On). Cornflake Girl made an appearance (sadly - I'm a bit over it myself) but otherwise the songs were well chosen and used the band well. Happily, the verion of Parasol she performed was far superior to the lacklustre track on her worst album, 'The Beekeeper'.

When the band left the stage, Tori performed two songs from Little Earthquakes, solo - an excellent and slightly jazzy version of Leather, and an emotionally demanding Me and A Gun. This was the only time the crowd fell completely silent - and only appropriately, as I believe Tori doesn't often perform this song, which details a sexual assault she suffered in the past. To my great joy, she also performed 'Cooling' one of Tori's best which has only ever been recorded as a B side but is a live show favourite. I don't think I've ever heard this one before live, and was, shamefully, quite beside myself.

With the solo portion out of the way, the band returned and so did the high energy vibe. The version of Spark was excellent, with Tori moving between two keyboards - a move that has become slightly contrived, but which is always impressive. The show 'finished' with Code Red from the new album - and a standing ovation from the crowd.

Encores are a matter of course for Amos. She always performs at least one, usually two. Last night, we got two. The very last song was a beautiful version of Hey Jupiter - an excellent note to finish on.

All in all, as I reflect on the concert, urging myself to be critical, I am not able to find fault with the show. Yes, she is a rock star - something I endlessly criticise in male musicians - but somehow, I find it endearing (and, dare I say) empowering when a woman acts out the typical rock star peformance. There's something slightly subversive about it. And yes, she is all too obviously aware of her effect on Amos obsessed fans. But, ultimately, she has the talent, the skill and the songs, to back up her ego.

Set Listing:

Cruel
Bliss
Fat Slut
Smokey Joe
Body and Soul
The Waitress
Big Wheel
Parasol
In the Springtime of His Voodoo
Cornflake Girl
Putting the Damage On
Siren

Leather
Me and A Gun
Cooling
1000 Oceans
Spark
Code Red

Encore 1:
Precious Things
Bouncing off Clouds

Encore 2:
God
Hey Jupiter

Music Randomosity

2007-09-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm updating my ipod at the moment, and scrolling through the close to 4000 songs I have somehow imported. Which got me to thinking - if I had to choose, which thirteen songs* could I just not cope without? I am sure I will change my mind as soon as I post this, but at present those songs are:

Ball and Chain (live version on 18 Essential Songs) by Janis Joplin (favourite song of all time)
I Can't See Until I See Your Eyes (from Smile From the Streets You Hold) by John Frusciante
Gloria (from Horses) by Patti Smith
Hotel Chelsea Nights (from Love is Hell) by Ryan Adams
Star Witness (from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood) by Neko Case
The Mercy Seat (from Tender Prey) by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Reasons to be Beautiful (from Celebrity Skin) by Hole
Blood Roses (from Boys for Pele) by Tori Amos
Bigmouth Strikes Again (from The Queen is Dead) by The Smiths
My Alibi (from Music in a Foreign Language) by Lloyd Cole
Pocket Knife (from Uh Huh Her) by PJ Harvey
Shameless (from Dilate) by Ani DiFranco
Pom Poms (from Kidnapped by Neptune) by Scout Niblett

If you had to pick, which thirteen songs could you not live without?

*It was going to be ten songs, but that was just far too difficult...besides, thirteen seems to fit the randomosity theme...

Good Wives

2007-09-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

I came by this article (http://stuff.co.nz/4184553a12.html) via the excellent http://www.feministing.com/.

It seems that a fundamentalist church pastor has recently been sentenced to eight years in jail because he "had sex with two of his teenage daughters to educate them on how to be good wives." Apparently this went on for a decade - but the pastor "told the court the sex was not about fulfilling his desires but about teaching his daughters how to behave for their husbands when they eventually married, as dictated in scripture."

Yeah, right. Scripture's a handy thing isn't it? Also, I'm a little disturbed by the use of "had sex with" in the article...let's be clear here - what we are talking about is rape and incest. (Hmm...wait....that's a big part of the bible, is it not?)

And, as if this wasn't disturbing enough, apparently the church, and this pastor's wife, "remain supportive". Okay, so no big suprise about the church remaining supportive - churches seems to like men who have sex with children - but his wife? The woman who is very likely the mother of the poor young women who were raped? It's impossible to even begin to fathom the sort of damage that has been done to the daughters, and good wifey is willing to support her husband?

I can't go on....The world is, truly, completely fucked.

A Barjoran Farmer

2007-09-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

I feel like a Bajoran farmer. Ready to till the earth, grow crops and revel in the newly fertile soil now that the Cardassians have been driven from my planet and the Occupation is over.

Well...okay. In my case the Cardassians are my dogs. They've laid waste to portions of my garden and my lawn is not in a healthy state. I carry on though, planting replacement plants and rebuking said dogs severely for walking over my once lovely native plants. My scoldings have little impact though. Sigh. Where is the Emissary when you need him?

But - I will not be defeated. For the last month or so, a bare patch of garden has been fenced off (most attractively, with chicken wire - must do something about that...) as a vegetable patch. Copious amounts of horse shit and mulch have been dug into the soil by willing BF. I've weeded and worried about the soil. Worried about what to plant. Worried about the fact I know nothing about growing vegetables. Looked on line, called Father for advice, have even watched gardening shows. Became confused by too much advice. Had to lie down and have a cigarette.

This weekend, inspired by the awesome weather, I decided that a trip to nursery was in order. Grabbed many vegetables and some lone strawberries. All the advice I had received regarding what to plant, and when, flew out of my head when faced with row upon row of gorgeous little seedlings. I just grabbed the vegetables I like - zucchini, cucumber, brocoli, eggplant, spinach, silver beet, rocket. We bunged them all into patch (most pleased to see worms as we were planting them - I seem to recall this being a good sign). So - I have no idea if any of these veggies are suitable to grow at this time of year, no idea even if they will grow. All that advice I gathered has vanished from my brain.

But I choose to focus on the fact that I got something accomplished. I have defeated evil Cardassian dogs with chicken wire and rusty stakes. And now I have a vegetable patch, full of lovely little seedlings, which will, hopefully, become lovely large vegetables. Any advice on how to ensure that this happens would be appreciated. Though I guess I could ask the Prophets, Wormhole Aliens if you will, for help.

Quality Bendage

2007-08-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Why does getting pissed mid week always seem like a good idea at the time? Why do I think that getting home at 3am, to arise at 7.30am for work, is totally doable? Why?

I am blaming $3 pints. By fifth pint, bendage seems like a great idea. Sober, I don't think that stumbling about town, with drunken mates in tow, on a Wednesday night, is a great plan of action. And yet, after a night of cheap pints, this is exactly where I find myself. In fact, I find myself at 1.30am in a gay bar, listening to v bad music and arguing with friend about…something. (Can't quite recall topic of argument now…) Also find myself squeezed into photo booth with said mates (as if we needed evidence of bendage), then practising my punching action on willing friends and rolling yet another cigarette…It's always good when you can look back and say "oh yes, the night deteriorated here...." (which would be - fighting in gay bar about some stupid shit). Although, by this point, I guess the fact that I can remember anything is something...

Am then roaming down a deserted street, looking for a pub…any pub that is open and still serving beer. Then eating pizza (accompanied by more beer). And assuring myself that "it's still early!" - four hours sleep will be ample.

Ah, bendage. You're always fun at the time. But the next day at work, with hang over raging, is hell. And yet I never learn…I am helpless in the face of quality bendage.

Horse and Carriage?

2007-08-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Did everyone see this news article?
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22292944-2,00.html

What a happy day - John Howard to decide on the future of gay rights in Australia. I feel much better, knowing that such a balanced, fair and non-judgemental man will be making the final decision for our gay community...After all, this is the man who continually refers to marriage as a union between a man and a woman. A man who refers to marriage as sacred and emphasises the importance of the traditional (read: Christian), child producing hetero-marriage (as if gay couples can't have children). A man who has publicly agreed with both President Bush and the Vatican on the subject of gay rights and relationships. Fundamentally (pun intended), he is a a man who needs the religious right if he is to stay in power. So I am sure he'll consider the latest push (from inside his own party) for equality for gay couples....for about five minutes.

It's not just about marriage. It's about the right of gay couples to be acknowledged as couples - and treated as such - and to recieve the same financial, social and medical benefits that straight de-facto couples are entitled to. State and Territory Labor Governments are doing something about this issue - it's the Federal Government who stall, interfere with state decisions, and avoid making any kind of decision at a Federal level. Most recently (August 2007), the Federal Government are apparently considering whether to ban gay couples from adopting children from overseas - a ban which would override state and territory legislation. With an election coming up (and thank fuck for that) I doubt that a firm policy direction or legislative decision will be made on issues pertaining to gay rights...but it has to be on the Liberal party's agenda should they win another term. And this is a scary thought. Very, very scary. (WorkChoices springs to mind here....)

If you haven't already, please head over to Get Up to sign their petition on equal rights for gay people - here's the link http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/EqualBeforeTheLaw&id=29

Off The Record

2007-08-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

I just had to draw attention to this article from the Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tuckey-blames-staff-for-fax/2007/08/15/1186857563104.html

It seems that Tuckey, a Liberal back bencher, is blaming his staff for a faxed mail out, which apparently criticised the PM. When I say staff, and I quote, I mean "the girlie" who works in his office. Ah, lovely. Girlie. But this is not the best quote in the article. Not by far.

Further down are commments made by Tony Abbott about a dinner between journalists and Peter Costello. The journalists present say that Costello threatened to destroy Howard's leadership unless he stepped down by 2006. However, according to Abbott, it doesn't matter what Costello said - the dinner conversation was "off the record".... Are you ready for this?...He goes on to say: "If [the remarks] were off the record in 2005, they should also be off the record in 2007...And if something is off the record it in effect doesn't exist and there's nothing wrong with denying something that didn't exist."

Makes you feel good about the Federal Government doesn't it? I mean, as if their backward social policies and conservatism in every arena weren't bad enough.

I, for one, cannot wait for Labor to win this year.

Quality Media

2007-08-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

I am at my computer, busily searching you tube for cool music to listen to, and reading the news at the same time. I like to search for articles relating to women/feminist causes - (hey, I might want to do a PHD - I need ideas. Also am a nerd). I have just found this article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/21/nrape121.xml.
Consequently, I am having a fairly major moment of knee jerk rage, and thinking - well, now I have a blog, why not have a rant?

Is it just me, or is this article perpetuating a stereotype about women and rape - that is, women who are victims of rape are 'asking for it' - because they've had a drink? Is this really a signifcant factor? Does this article imply that women who have a drink are women who get raped?

The article does not explore the appalling convinction rates in rape cases. (I believe that the statistics are even worse here in Australia). The article does not expand on the fact that the majority of rapes are committed by people known to the victim. The article really doesn't tell us much at all . This is some quality media - it goes for the real story- which is whether a woman has had a glass of wine, or whatever, before she is raped.

Aside: speaking of 'the real story', check out this web site: http://www.kittennews.com/mag/2006/maxponti_06_01_abs_personal_safety_study.htm.
It seems we are focusing far too much attention on women as victims of sexual and physical abuse - it's the men we should be worrying about, poor lambs...

The Body Conversation

2007-08-12T22:40:00.001-07:00

I work in an office which is predominantly women. Before that, I attended uni where classes were made up, mainly, of young women. And before that, I attended an all-girls Catholic school (the horrors of which I will have to expand upon at a later date). I have noticed something disturbing about being around a lot of other women - eventually, sometimes so seamlessly that you don't even notice it - you begin having The Conversation. I mean - the Body Conversation.

The Body Conversation is nothing new. Women's magazines are, essentially, one long Body Conversation, with endless judgements included as a calorie free bonus. In my current work place, the Conversation is, at the moment, about diets. Which ones work, which ones don't; fad diets, life style diets and what sort of exercises you should be doing to complement said diet. Then, of course, it comes down to weight loss - how much, from which part of the body, and how soon you need to do it. It's riveting stuff in a sick kind of way, for the sardonic observer type. Though it's usually couched in "got to be more healthy" terms, rather than "I want to be hotter" terms, surely healthy/hotter are irrevocably linked in the minds of western women. We're told so often that you can't be plump and healthy - and you sure as hell can't be plump and hot - both of which are, of course, untrue.

As a woman reasonably educated in feminist and geder politics, I've usually been able to steer clear of The Body Conversation- have, in fact, been the Sardonic Observer. Until recently, when I heard myself bemoaning my recent beer-related weight gain. I heard myself talking about squeezing into jeans, that had, suddenly and mysteriously, become too small. I think I may have even uttered that cliche of all cliches - "my thighs are huge". Shudder. I've even used the "just need to get into my healthy weight range" line - which is, of course, a lie. I just want to fit into my jeans again. Yes, clearly, I am that shallow. Shudder again.

And it has made me realise that The Body Conversation - indeed, the Body Preoccupation - is insidious. It can creep up on you, no matter how well grounded you may be in feminist arguments about the media, the male gaze and acceptable notions of femininity. Intellectually, I know that women's magazines, the broader media, the music industry, the diet industry - in fact, pretty much every industry in which women are consumers and/or viewers - need to keep The Body Preoccupation alive. Then, of course, there is the role of men.

Now, I don't want to get into a whole knee-jerk feminist diatribe about shallow men and their appraisals of women as objects...let's face it, women can be just as good at objectification as men...But, just the other day, I had a disturbing experience which is by no means unique to me, or to any woman. I was at a pub, drinking with my predominantly male friends (many of whom, surprise, surprise, are of the stylish, loving and gay species). The first thing that struck me was the lack of gender balance in the pub - there were hardly any women there, let alone women sharing jugs of beer with their mates, as I was (I'm not sure what this means - but it must mean something). The second thing that struck me was with the arrival of a group of acquaintances (of the straight and very drunk species). Now I have nothing against straight and drunk - in fact, one of my dearest friends is of this genus (though he is not straight/drunk in that blokey, let's pick up chicks and watch football kind of way, the kind that should be eradicated from the face of the planet...sorry, tirade averted). But this group was a particularly disturbing pack. One of them in particular. Mid thirties, badly dressed, thinning hair, drunk and full of misplaced confidence and self importance. I began to have the feeling that I was being appraised; I suddenly knew how a slab of prime rib at the butchers feels. I rebuffed his attempts at conversation, rudely and quite effectively. Unfazed, he was then reduced to making conversation about me - which I pretended I could not hear....Not the most wildly inventive strategy, perhaps, but the best thing I could think of at the time, being several pints down. I'm still trying to work out what these men think they are accomplishing by making clumsy, lascivious passes at any girl they think is reasonably attractive. I was glad I was surrounded by friends, one of who had to give me his scarf to wear to cover the small amount of cleavage I had revealed. This assisted me to deflect the unflinching gaze of drunken and despicable letch (it was a "red alert Captain – shields up" kind of moment). Having ranted, it is obvious from this tale that there are some good men out there, ones who appraise you as an individual and not as if you were a nice bit of steak. I'm glad that most of the men I know are like this. But I guess what I can draw from this experience the fact that there plenty of jerks out there, and that these men are experts at making judgements based on the body (big surprise, I know). But as discussed above, women are pretty damn good at this too - it's just that their judgements tend to be about their own bodies. We're still working from the same base though - that ever changing social ideal of what makes a body attractive.

What I do know is that the whole Body Issue is a complex one. I know that individual women and individual men are complicit in the Body Issue. I know that western society, our structures and institutions, are deeply entrenched in this issue of the Body and how we see ourselves. I know that we can't begin to break down the Body Issue until we understand how ingrained it is, not just in our culture, but in our public/private selves. What I don't know is how we break it down. Feminist analysis goes a long way, so does refusing to buy into the Body as an Issue. But if my ramblings above tell me anything, it is that I am just as indoctrinated as the average woman, worrying about how she looks and how much she weighs.

I am sure that are women out there, more enlightened than I, who don't give a fuck how other people perceive them. Who are comfortable in their own skin, whether or not it conforms to some socially constructed ideal. And this is my new goal - I will be one of these women - I'm just not quite sure how to get there.