Lisa O'Donnell's The Death of Bees

This is the best book I've read in ages and I've read some pretty freaking brilliant books lately. The Death of Bees was one of my random choices from the Edinburgh Book Festival. I always buy a few books by authors I've never heard of but this is the best one by far. It is triggering since it covers the systemic violence against women, particularly against those young girls who aren't considered "proper" victims but it is also beautiful, funny...

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The Right to Abortion on Demand

Yesterday was the International Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion. Whilst abortion is legal in the UK, it is not available on demand.* Abortion can only be carried out in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy if two doctors agree that "abortion would cause less damage to a woman's physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy". That's only if you're lucky enough to live on the mainland. Abortion isn't available in Northern Ireland. There are some obvious exceptions to the 24 week rule involving saving the life of the mother or...

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Apparently, Feminists Can Only Concentrate On One Thing at a Time

At least, Sarah O'Meara seems to be implying that Feminists are incapable of being worried about more than one thing at a time in her article Give Me Page Three Models Over "Celebrity News" Any Day in the Huffington Post; a newspaper well-known for its refusal to to publish news about "celebrity culture". Of course, the article is really nothing more than one of those self-serving defences of porn in which anyone who even thinks about the harm caused to individuals within the porn industry and its wider effects on human sexuality...

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Coco Khan: Missing the Point of Slutwalk Entirely

I wasn't going to write anymore about Slutwalk this week; especially after Slutwalk London came out on the side of rape apologists. Then, in the it never rains, but pours construction of life, I came across this piece of nincompoopery in the Huffington Post. Yes, Coco Khan claims to be aware of the criticisms surrounding Slutwalk and chose to attend in spite of her misgivings. But, I'm struggling to see how one can claim to be aware of the criticisms...

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Slutwalk London's Joins the Never-Ending Parade of Assange's Rape Apologists

I'm not a supporter of Slutwalk in general as I have already outlined here. ‎I don't think its possible to reclaim a word that the Patriarchy uses to oppress us. Despite my reservations, I am, however, supportive of the number of women who have stood up to be counted in the War on Women. I hope to see these women at Reclaim the Night and Million Women Rise. We can destroy the Patriarchy from within fighting simultaneously on various fronts but we...

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How to Identify a Misogynist: Neil Wallis takes a Tour through Narcissism.

Otherwise entitled: Reason 347 why I don't follow men on twitter: unrelenting levels of nincompoopery. Really, no one should be bothering to read anything written by a man so dense but, unfortunately, Neil Wallis is also a former deputy editor of the Sun. You know, one of those aresholes responsible for the Page 3 phenomenon. Suffice it say that I had never heard of Wallis until I read his self-righteous, utterly narcissistic defence of the Page...

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Salma Yaqoob: Apparently, she bakes.

It is important that we know this. Also, that Salma Yaqoob is very, very slight. As in the perfect example of femininity. Just in case we got confused about what is actually important and its not that she was the leader of a political party who RESIGNED IN PROTEST because of some seriously offensive rape apologist bullshit on the part of another member of the party: George Galloway. Nope, we must remember at all times that Yaqoob is a girl and knows how to behave like one.In the middle of what could have been a decent article in the Guardian, Yaqoob's...

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Zach Braff: Yet Another Right-On Dude.

Because, obviously, there can never be enough left-wing dudes supporting the Patriarchy. Chris Brown is apparently busy this week so Zack Braff has donned his Patriarchal Chain Mail in order to ensure that women understand that we are nothing but liars who like to be sexually harassed. Because, if we weren't told at least twice a day, we might get confused and think we have opinions. Or, even more shockingly, believe we are human. I am so glad Braff...

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Slutwalk London

SlutWalk London 2012 Saturday 22nd September 201212.30pm Top of Piccadilly (near Hyde Park Corner).FaceBookPetitionThese are the details for this year's London Slutwalk. As with the Edinburgh Slutwalk in July, I won't be attending because I find the concept of Slutwalks deeply problematic. However, Slutwalk has ignited debate about victim-blaming and sexualised violence. It has also created a safe space for women to share their stories....

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So, Mike Tyson is a "Wrongly- Convicted" Rapist"

At least, one of the organisers of Mike Tyson's latest money-making event is claiming that he's a "wrongly convicted rapist" in a phone conversation with a local resident Kim Graham who is concerned about the hero-worshipping of a convicted rapist. Tyson, you know, the convicted rapist, is now a "motivational speaker" and has been invited to speak at a dinner event in Gorleston, Norfolk. Quite why anyone would pay to hear a convicted rapist claim not to be a rapist is beyond me. Mostly, Tyson makes me equally nauseous and angry. He continues...

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Sarah Catt: Reinforcing My Pro-Choice Stance

I've written and erased this blogpost several times now. I've followed the case in the media but I don't feel competent or qualified to comment. As Glosswitch said "I didn’t attend her trial, don’t live in her head and have no idea, in the grand scheme of things, how harshly she deserves to be judged." The case is disturbing and, frankly, asks more questions that I feel comfortable with trying to answer for myself. But, I do think 8 years is an incredibly...

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The Offensive Product One

This rocked up on my FB news feed via the group Feminism! [who are definitely worth following. Just so you get the privilege of seeing this image with your coffee first thing.] I'm not sure what I can say about this that Feminists haven't already said in the comments section but, seriously, what kind of sick fuck buys shit like this? Because, I'm struggling to see how anyone who isn't a sociopath or a rapist would find this funny. The only...

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Misogynistic Advertising Walk of Shame: Vagenda Knocks Them Down

These images are taken from a blogpost on Vagenda. I think they've brilliantly deconstructed the misogyny. But, sometimes, you just need to look at the images a second time to fully understand the WTF?  bit. [Or, a third time in this case].*******Between, Kookai definitely don't sell yogurt. I googled just in case there were two companies called Kookai. There aren't.**Surely, PETA should be starting a campaign against French Connection...

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