tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207005652007-08-30T19:29:04.601+01:00la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-85754138116778208342007-04-23T14:51:00.000+01:002007-04-23T16:11:47.098+01:00

Today's newspapers have all commented on a report by ActionAid. This report ("Who Pays? How British supermarkets are keeping women workers in poverty") looks fantastic and well worth a read. Just wanted to quickly tag it up - I'm going to try and get through it in the next couple of days and report back but there are loads of good summaries in the 'papers. I've been trying to give up my

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-27472853140413862722007-04-08T18:23:00.000+01:002007-04-08T18:26:11.435+01:00

Hello to anyone out there who still occasionally checks this. Sorry for the lack of updates - in August last year I moved to Bristol and began the Legal Practice Course there. I have been really busy with the course and really poor with money so I can't afford the internet in my flat and have had no time to update at uni. However my final term begins in a week and the workload has eased off a bit

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1155664409320991062006-08-15T18:48:00.000+01:002006-08-15T18:53:29.360+01:00

I've enjoyed reading everyone else's and have been tagged by Laura at I'm not a feminist, but and Michelle at LonerGrrrl so here's my contribution to the book meme (tried to go with my gut feeling and not think or analyse my choices too much...) One book that changed your life? The entire Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta series – I wrote a dissertation on them for my degree and got a first. One

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1155645618802710812006-08-15T13:39:00.000+01:002006-08-15T13:40:18.826+01:00

Working lots of overtime recently so haven’t been able to blog much (excuses excuses). However I was interested to read the article discussing thinness in the Observer Women magazine last weekend. Siberian Fall posted about this article at Mind the Gap and asks has feminism failed to make an impact on eating disorders and obsessional thinness? Identifying as a feminist has had a hugely

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1154427198352675222006-08-01T11:12:00.000+01:002006-08-01T11:13:18.363+01:00

I love the NHS for many reasons, one of them being the fact that it has given me the pill for free since I was 17. When I was younger they also gave me a lot of party bags full of condoms as well. You just can’t fault this amazing service. However I do have a problem with the pill. My experience is one of constant compromise. I began on Dianette because it is a treatment for acne as well as a

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1154344775299816562006-07-31T12:18:00.000+01:002006-07-31T12:19:35.310+01:00

I’ve grieved the end of Smash Hits!, wept as Simon left Popworld, and now have to cope with the end of Top of the Pops. Not really a feminist issue as such but nevertheless TOTP was pretty important in my childhood. I was a massive Madonna fan when I was tiny and watched it every Thursday, dancing along to the routines, and it was watching Alisha’s Attic on that very programme which inspired my

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1153475654586527532006-07-21T10:30:00.000+01:002006-07-21T10:54:14.600+01:00

I haven’t written much about BB lately, mainly because I have had a pretty love/hate relationship with it this time around. However hats off to Aisleyne (and Pete) for upholding a woman’s right to own her own body. And as I’m feeling in such a good mood, hats off to the producers as well for not editing it out! For those of you angelic enough to resist the horrible temptation that is Big Brother

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1153466332469035932006-07-21T08:16:00.000+01:002006-07-21T08:18:58.613+01:00

And I passed! In fact I passed my Graduate Diploma in Law with a commendation! So the rest of the day (apart from when I am at work) will be spent celebrating, because a law degree in a year is the hardest thing I have ever ever had to do and it's over woooooooo!!

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1153249162917479612006-07-18T19:56:00.000+01:002006-07-18T19:59:22.933+01:00

The papers reported today that a Dutch court has refused to ban the Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity Party (PNVD). Anti-paedophile campaigners brought the case in an attempt to prevent the party (which supports the legalisation of child and animal pornography and would allow violent porn to be shown on television) from running in the next general election. However the court refused to ban

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1153170421872565502006-07-17T22:06:00.000+01:002006-07-17T22:07:01.890+01:00

I’ve spent the last few days at Wakestock in Pwllheli sunning myself on the beach in the morning and listening to music in the evenings which was rather nice. There were a few problems with camping at the site but on the whole I’d recommend Wakestock to anyone who is fed up with the big festivals (although don’t camp on site - it’s expensive and your stuff will get wrecked and stolen!) However I

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1152606367844404932006-07-11T09:23:00.000+01:002006-07-11T09:26:07.856+01:00

Flat hunting in Bristol has put the brakes on me finishing the several posts I've got going but just a note to say the first issue of Subtext magazine is now available to order online :)

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1151740938195315732006-07-01T09:00:00.000+01:002006-07-01T09:02:18.210+01:00

One of the real pleasures of reading blogs is spotting the memes that pop up – reading different perspectives on the same issue, or discovering that others are thinking about the issue you have been contemplating. Spotted Elephant has recently blogged about her plan to learn Spanish because “we should be encouraging Americans to learn more than one language.” This is a problem that also persists

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1151324622311269302006-06-26T13:23:00.000+01:002006-06-26T13:23:42.323+01:00

Exams over (results pending…) and I can get on with doing things that I love. I have already been on holiday for ten days to Poland. A lot of people have expressed surprise at the choice of location but I have to say it was amazing. Warsaw is so underrated – the city was beautiful and the sense of history is really powerful, but probably more about that when I get my photos sorted. I arrived

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1148930708154775182006-05-29T20:21:00.000+01:002006-05-29T20:25:08.166+01:00

Apologies for the lack of posts - I feel I should concentrate on these exams that I have paid so much money for the privilege of taking so will be back in a couple of weeks when it's all over :) ( half a day revising the sexual offences act and various other sticky issues have inspired some posts for when I return...in particular I fail to understand why rape is classified as a sexual crime and

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1148503144904259172006-05-24T21:37:00.000+01:002006-05-24T21:39:04.916+01:00

This post is, I suppose, influenced by Big Brother (although not by the hideous debacle of bullying and prejudice currently surrounding Shebhaz). BB follows a pattern and this year, as with every year, one of the young men has expressed his discomfort at being touched by a fellow male housemate who is gay. This year it was Glyn but it is an issue that invariably arises in every series. Overtones

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1148287328279039892006-05-22T09:39:00.000+01:002006-05-22T09:42:08.290+01:00

Thanks to Jamie for the tip off - documentary "What's wrong with porn?" tonight at 9pm on radio1. I may tune in if I've got through this pile of revision by then - otherwise the website lets you listen again.

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1148282598241070512006-05-22T07:53:00.000+01:002006-05-22T08:23:18.306+01:00

An article in The Observer Magazine caught my attention yesterday. It is a brief interview with Corinne Bailey Rae, a musician who I have generally avoided purely because she seems to be this year’s Gay Dad*. There is some discussion about Christina Aguilera and the Pussycat Dolls and she is then quoted as saying: “I think it is both an interesting and a sad thing that some women don’t

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1148043986394521342006-05-19T14:05:00.000+01:002006-05-19T14:06:26.406+01:00

Channel 4 briefly earned some brownie points yesterday as Jez disclaimed any interest in pornographic magazines saying they are degrading to women – who says Hollyoaks doesn’t support the feminist cause! However the channel soon let itself down with the latest influx of Big Brother contestants, and in particular Mikey who introduced himself as hating feminists. He doesn’t understand why they

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1147795452216943622006-05-16T17:02:00.000+01:002006-05-16T17:04:12.236+01:00

I’m generally quite an outspoken person. My first degree was in literature and I am now studying law, both of which appeal to me because I love expressing my opinions, learning about other people’s thoughts, and generally having a good old fashioned debate. However I find that I am very reluctant to comment if those around me make uninformed or offensive comments about women. I know why this is,

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1147624838895021012006-05-14T17:39:00.000+01:002006-05-14T17:40:38.906+01:00

I am slowly managing to work my way through the Orange Prize shortlist. I finished “The Accidental” by Ali Smith last week but revision and the like has got in the way of me giving it any kind of post-read thought. It is a truly beautiful novel. I am a big fan of the modernists and this captures the stylistic experimentation that they epitomise. The characters are a mother, step father, son and

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1147455391866532262006-05-12T18:35:00.000+01:002006-05-12T18:36:31.876+01:00

I'm in the process of updating my blogroll to cover the sites I love to look at every day. If anyone is unhappy with being linked, or I've got your name wrong please let me know.

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1146769803497527362006-05-04T20:09:00.000+01:002006-05-04T20:10:56.226+01:00

All over the news today is the story of Dr Patricia Rashbrook. The 63 year old who is seven months pregnant following IVF treatment has sparked the increasingly familiar controversy over how old is too old to conceive by IVF. I have found myself in a quandary and not really sure what to think about it all. The arguments for an upper age limit to fertility treatment are obvious and often repeated

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1146604033781987132006-05-02T22:06:00.000+01:002006-05-02T22:07:13.796+01:00

Saturday or Sunday morning I woke up and for about five minutes watched what seemed to be the television equivalent of a gentlemen’s club. T4 had televised parts of Friday night’s Carling 24 – a series of gigs across London. All fairly mainstream bands, unsurprisingly, and all of the musicians were male. Actually I have to clarify that. There may be the odd female drummer or bassist in one or two

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1146331252223376292006-04-29T18:19:00.000+01:002006-04-29T18:20:52.266+01:00

The shortlist for the Orange Prize for Fiction was announced this week. It is an international award for the best English language novel written by a woman and one which has introduced me to some fantastic current women’s writing in the past. The shortlist this year features: “The History of Love” Nicole Krauss “Beyond Black” Hilary Mantel “The Accidental” Ali Smith “On Beauty” Zadie Smith “

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20700565.post-1146167705728505282006-04-27T20:52:00.000+01:002006-04-27T20:55:05.743+01:00

...to everyone protesting against conviction rates for rape tomorow at Southwark Crown Court. Wish I could be there, hope it gets the coverage it deserves... And a new post will be forthcoming when I've got on top of this damned revision.

la somnambulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207386261665146096noreply@blogger.com