Up, Dog.

For the Record...

2009-01-25T11:47:00.002Z

I support Israel. Judeophobes are unwelcome here.

I'm Back. Sort of.

2009-01-21T11:10:00.003Z

It's been almost a year. I missed this! If, like me, you are feeling very down today with thoughts of what might have been... go instantly to Heidi Li's Potpourri and get comfort. Cheers!

There's Still Time

2008-05-19T15:41:00.002Z

to get in touch with your MP before tomorrow's Human Fertilisation and Embryology vote. I did. I have yet to have a reply but I will let you know what it says when I do.

I quote from the government's website: "Amendments to abortion law are likely to be introduced during the passage of this Bill." We need to be all over this like a rash. The bill is before committee as I type and you can watch the privileged white men argue about what happens to women's bodies if you go to www.parliament.uk - but don't blame me if you end up frothing at the mouth and looking for someone to beat senseless. I'm late with this post because things IRL came up and overtook me, but PLEASE, if you have two minutes to spare, e-mail your MP or phone the House of Commons on 020 7219 3000 and ask to speak to, or leave a message for your MP. They need to hear us.

Womyn Company

2008-05-07T16:43:00.002Z

Recently I find that I am spending all my time with womyn. And it's so comfortable and supportive and funny and smart! They aren't all feminists, they aren't all even lefty liberals like me, but I adore them, one and all. I don't know how things will be if and when I get the job I want, and have to work alongside men, but for now it feels right. I'm volunteering with womyn of all ages, loving the older ones, despairing (a bit) of the youngsters, but LOVING it! I'm exercising with womyn, talking, listening, dancing and laughing. I feel relaxed almost all of the time. I don't crave my food. I don't feel unbalanced. I am so up and energised at the moment that I am thinking of starting something myself, maybe a book club. Want to join me?

I changed

2008-05-04T17:16:00.002Z

the name of the blog. I think because I feel less "Salford" and more radical these days. The Salford identity bit isn't driving me the way it used to. I love my city but I think I'm moving on a little bit and thinking of myself in different terms. Or not. Maybe I'm just ready for a change. Things are changing. I am enjoying the experience.

Hiatus ii

2008-04-30T16:41:00.001Z

I shall be back.... Just having a spring break.

Things I Saw Yesterday

2008-03-05T07:40:00.003Z

I am feeling disturbed by these window displays. Disturbed enough to have photographed them and load the images here for you to examine.
The first two photos show the window of a clothing shop (All Saints) where several headless black mannequins are hanging by the neck on chains. The third photo shows the black mannequins in JJB sports window, and for comparison, the fourth photo shows the white dummies in the same store. Can you see a problem? Are the black models horribly stereotypical? I went into JJB and asked whether the black dummies were supplied as part of a specific brand campaign, thinking perhaps that might explain the glaring difference. But no. So I am currently working on my letters of complaint to both shops, and what I would like to know is: am I overreacting? Am I seeing racism where there is in fact none? Opinions please.

Oh, You know how it goes...

2008-02-16T11:32:00.003Z

This goes on and on in my city and elsewhere, perhaps because of this. As an antidote to which, I suggest reading this. And for those of you with a strong stomach and a taste for the extreme, I point you at this. Enjoy.

Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!

2008-02-13T16:25:00.002Z

I am laughing my ass off! Those stolen items I blogged about a few days ago - they popped up on e-bay! I was so sad and so angry that they had been taken (from a CHARITY shop) that I just sat and searched local papers and e-bay listings, thinking that certainly someone would try to sell them, and bugger me, they did! They were listed the same day they were taken. The best bit is, me being the anally retentive person that I am, I had written down the serial numbers from the bottom of each item, so I KNEW they were our missing ones.

So, to cut a long story short, the police stepped in, issued a warrant and this afternoon the items are back in my possession! I could dance with excitement! I don't know what will come of it all but I DO know that this is a victory for me, for the shop, for my obsessiveness and for our community. Hurrah!

I need tissues...

2008-02-08T13:01:00.001Z

As you can see, I have edited this post. Thanks for comments, they helped!

Oh, You know what...?

2008-02-07T17:03:00.000Z

I am so pissed off and upset right this minute. Actual tears are on their way down my face. We got a GREAT (and quite rare) donation at the shop a few days ago. Some beautiful ornaments that I duly washed and checked up on and priced up and then put out in our cabinet of "precious things"... And within two hours of hitting the shelves they had been stolen. By a regular customer. There were only regulars in this afternoon, so I know THAT much. I am actually reduced to tears. For shame.

So, I am grateful for my meditation this morning, which went well, and is perhaps the only thing keeping me from plunging into despair...

Giggle...

2008-01-31T19:05:00.000Z

Guess What!

2008-01-25T17:19:00.000Z

It's now legal for women to drive cars in Saudi Arabia!! After an 18 year ban, women may finally, legally, get behind the wheel without fear of imprisonment or losing their job. Now, how about some other rights for women and girls in Saudi? Like the right not to be gang-raped and subsequently sentenced to a vicious beating and imprisonment?

And, yes, I know that the "Qatif Girl" was pardoned. I also know that she broke the law and probably understood the consequences. I UNDERSTAND that there are people out there who will tell me that there are cultural issues and differences that I ought to consider. And my answer to those people is an unequivocal NO. I will no longer be tolerating the abuse of women and children simply because it can be explained or excused by men as cultural or religious practise.

How can anyone can argue in favour of disenfranchised women, or the enforced wearing of abaya: full body covering that women must wear after they begin to menstruate? How can anyone accept that women's testimony in court is unequal to her male counterpart? Just like Female Genital Mutilation these are obvious human rights abuses. Cultural codes and norms be buggered. I'm sick of it. Getting behind the wheel of a car is a dramatic, empowering act; I hope it is the very beginning of successful protest and liberation for Saudi women.

Skin?

2008-01-17T17:31:00.000Z

Not unusually my brand new gorgeous, all-singing, all-dancing phone has a choice of screen background colours, one of which is a light shade of pink. "Yuk!" you might think, (and you would be right) but then your faint distaste at the thought of anyone electing to have a pink screen will turn to abject horror when I tell you that the intelligent people who designed my phone have decided to call this particular colour - wait for it- "Skin Tone". Hmm.

When my daughter was small, I got myself into many an argument with teachers and school-helper mums about the politics behind naming the pink crayon "skin" coloured. "It's not that important." and "You're overreacting a bit, aren't you?" and "They are just children with crayons, for God's sake!" were standard comments.

"Bollocks." I said. "It absolutely IS important, you tools of the patriarchy!" (I did not make too many friends back then.) "What about black children? Asian children? Hispanic children?" But you see my daughter (unfortunately) went to a school in an area that was exclusively white and the answer always came back -"Oh, there are no black/asian/hispanic children here. So you see it doesn't matter." Ahh. Of course you and I know that it DOES matter what we teach our white children about privilege and othering. But back then it felt like I was fighting a lone battle. It seems that fifteen years later I may have to start the argument all over again with the bigwigs who made my (now tainted) phone.

This week I have been mostly

2008-01-11T17:48:00.001Z

putting my hands into bags of unusually wet, mouldy clothing and discovering that said clothing is in fact soiled bedding. Actual poo, people. Poo on my hands. And the thing is, the person who "donated" the diarrhoea-smeared sheets actually looked me in the eye and SMILED at me as she handed me the bag. I have also cut my hand on a bag of broken porcelain figurines. I hate this job. I've ranted before about this and I hate to sound jaded but shitty sheets and smashed up pots? Really?

But! I have also opened bags of the most amazing donations: a gold sovereign, first edition books, beautifully cared for and cleaned clothes, brand new unwanted Christmas gifts! When this happens I love the job. Even though I'm busy being charitable (!) I'm still looking for something PhD related so if anyone has any suggestions? I am working on an article for an academic journal and I am hoping to branch out a bit and write something for our local paper about various Salford-based women's groups.

Oh, and today I am grateful for last night's yoga and also for tasty mushroom cup soup. Yay!

Hello Debs!!

2008-01-06T18:43:00.000Z

And anyone else still reading here. Yes, I have been taking the piss and shirking my posting duties. I have been filling in full-time for a friend at work and earning some pennies. I'm still on a high from my viva in December and thinking about my options, academic and otherwise. I'll let y'all know when I know what I'm doing.

I've been reading loads, writing some stuff, visiting with family over Christmas, opening up huge cans of worms, realising the roots of some long-standing obsessions, all the usual Christmas holiday crap... I have made resolutions that include not letting myself feel compelled to see and attend to those people who hurt me. I have resolved to have confidence in my decision making ability. I have also resolved to include in my posts a mention of at least one thing for which I am grateful. Today I am grateful for ABBA. Happy New Year everyone!

My haitus.

2007-12-14T09:15:00.000Z

I went AWOL for three weeks because I got notice that my viva was scheduled for 13th December. So I went yesterday and bugger me if I didn't pass! I got my PhD. It seems unreal to me and I feel a bit flat about it yet. I'm hoping for euphoria at some point. I think I deserve it!

I have minor corrections to do, and I am actually looking forward to working on them. So, normal service will be resumed here as of today. Carry on!

Carnival!

2007-11-15T10:03:00.002Z

Here it is! The Carnival's in town. Get your comfy boots on and throw on an old, warm jacket, it's November and we're going for a long, satisfying walk round Radical Feminist country.

First off, Holly Ord at the wonderful and thoughtful site, Menstrual Poetry, posts about Planned Parenthood and talks positively about how the organisation is a champion of woman's health issues and reproductive rights. The Truth About Planned Parenthood.

Holly also provides us with an eloquent post on the "pro-life" agenda and the hit-and-miss results that blogs get with Google ad-sense in her post Fun with My Google Adsense Holly says "Whenever looking at this site, I always find myself going through the ads Google has deemed as appropriate for my website. As most know, most of the time Google comes up with some rather interesting ads to display, sometimes having nothing to do with the content on your website." And finally Holly gives us LOL Fetus? Holly's own take on Gary Cangemi's "pro-life" cartoon Umbert the Unborn. Copy it, paste it, pass it on!

Tracee Sioux steps up with a grand post questioning the apparent Pornification of Halloween. Tracee asks "When the focus is on what girls are wearing for Halloween are we blaming Lolita for Humbert Humberts perversions? Girls walk a tight rope of acceptability now that the pornification of everything girly has become normalized." I absolutely couldn't agree more. And don't get me started on the whole "ugly" witch thing...

Felix at BayRadical presents her interview with lesbian feminist photographer Cathy Cade. The photos that accompany the post are beautiful, powerful, startling and joyful. We need more of this positive celebration of lesbian radical feminism! You Can't Stop Me – an interview with Cathy Cade

Marcella Chester at Abyss2Hope talks about the difficulties surrounding traditional police procedure and the treatment of rape victims in her post Troubling Police Interview With Alleged Rape Victim Marcella comments that "With all the emphasis on false confessions and false convictions, many people still accept retractions of rape allegations as if they can never be false and obtained through abusive tactics."

Marcella also posted about Anti-Feminism And Rape saying, "This is my response to a man who claims that feminists are like Klansmen." This is a searing response to the ludicrous and unintelligent accusation that Feminism encourages the wholesale abuse of men in a way that is comparable to the abuse of people of colour by Klansmen. Fear not, Marcella dealt with it!

Maggie Jochild got all excited and showered me with fantastic fodder for you womyn!! I loved the look of her blog, lots of photos to engage the eye and the heart. We'll start with WHO WERE THE WITCHES? a mega-post that begins with a contemplation on the meaning and celebration of Halloween and morphs gently into a wonderful historical overview of the works of Bonnie Lockhart and The Berkeley Women's Music Collective.

Maggie's next two submissions focus on living with disability. LIFE IN A WHEELCHAIR and DISABILITY 101: SOME GUIDELINES are two beautifully illustrated posts about the politics and practicalities of disability. Disability 101 is, if you'll pardon me, a fucking brilliant lesson in how to talk about and understand varied disabilities.

If I give you the technorati tags (Adriene Rich, Class, BMI, Crooked Timber, Fat, Gay and Lesbian Couple Visibility, Sexism, Title VII, Womensspace, Red Stae/Blue State Regionality) for Maggie's next post, that should give you some idea of the range of her thinking! It won't, however, prepare you for the stunning photo accompaniments. Enjoy! BROAD CAST, 8 NOVEMBER 2007: DELVING DEEPER FOR TRUTH

April Spreeman submitted Sexually Vulnerable Black Women: Can America Empathize? It's a short critique for such a massive subject, but the bones of something eloquent and important are there and April, I would really like to read more!

ISPF submitted a post that made me laugh, then made me feel sad and sorry and all kinds of love for the womyn in my (and your) history who had to fight for some dignity in employment. Read and remember to celebrate our foremothers: Guide to Hiring Women!

Feminist Peace Network gives us U.S. Board of Immigration: FGM Not Grounds for Asylum And I have to ask myself Am I surprised? Sadly, I am not.

allecto worked HARD on this next submission and it's good. Allecto discusses and deconstructs the effects of the Northern Territory Emergency Intervention into Aboriginal communities report and the "Little Children Are Sacred" report and their inherent racism. It makes for a challenging read.Will they come with guns? The military invasion of the Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.

The inimitable, unstoppable Ann Bartow pops up to give us Externalities Illustrated her take on what happened during halftime at the Jets/Steelers game some weeks ago, when women were subjected to the jeers, threats and harassment of a massive group of male football fans. Anne discusses the negative externalities that result for the many when the few "choose" to collude with the oppressor.

One of my favourite bloggers,Debs at Feminist Fire, takes issue with a new surgical procedure in What fresh hell is this? I'm still not convinced it's not a joke...

Binging up the rear are two fabulous posts from Maia at Touchingly Naive. Maia is absolutely an artist. I believe that she has talent beyond measure! Anyway, for a while she has been posting for Vulva Liberation Week and here are two of her VLW posts. Bleeding Over Africa is a thoughtful, intelligent response to the subtle marketing of sanitary protection to poverty stricken women in Africa. My Body, My Self! is Maia's art on show! Go and have a look. I'll leave you to guess how she did them...

And finally, because I love my front bottom, I give you Crochet Vulva!. Go and make your own!

Thanks for sticking with me on this wonderful Autumn walk. I have so enjoyed all of your submissions and I look forward to reading your responses. I'm going indoors to make tea now, can someone bring the biscuits? Pippa x

Job. Maybe.

2007-11-13T10:21:00.001Z

I have an interview this morning! My first proper interview in years. My two good womyn friends remembered and wished me luck. My whole family forgot. It's a small job, a part-time job, but I want it and I need it. So wish me luck?!

This video is for Heart, and my two Janes:

Random Search Terms

2007-11-09T23:25:00.000Z

For your edification I give you the two wierdest search phrases that led people here this week:

1. Boobs are Everywhere

2. Who has smelliest shit faeces?

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Just a Little Note

2007-11-09T17:21:00.000Z

The Carnival of Radical Feminists is here in November/December! Get your submissions to me by 24th November and I'll get down to work. I can't wait! You can e-mail me at pippi_jl@hotmail.com

Get submitting.

Best Comment EVER!! (as you see I don't have that many...)

2007-10-31T12:54:00.000Z

An anonymous commenter found an old post of mine from August 2006 and left this articulate gem for me:

Is this blog being written from some weird 1980s wormhole? (Yes. Quite possibly.)

You should get out more (No, thanks) - the world (Did you really mean world? Or worm?)has turned for Dawn and her 'alternative' ie multi-millionaire celeb playmates, who all succeeded in a left-wing BBC hegemony in which they were all complicit. (A somewhat tautological sentence but I get your drift and I agree a little bit, but I still love seeing women comics on the telly.)

Your views really are bizarrely quaint (Why thank you!)and uninformed (Are they really, or are you just being a bit snarky?),and as for that creepy ragdoll ... (Well, now you're just being personal...)

Hee!

But of Course!

2007-10-29T10:26:00.000Z

The National Right to Life Committee doesn't support SCHIP*! How completely unsurprising! What a non-story. Is ANYBODY shocked that an anti-woman, anti-choice group doesn't actually appear to give a shit about the foetus once it pops out of the host?

Forced to continue a pregnancy? Compelled to give birth to a child you can't afford and can't care for? Child sick and in need of affordable medical insurance? Tough titties! The National Right to Life Committee have done their bit. They only want to know when there's someone else's uterus involved. After that you're on your own.

*For those of us Brits who don't know, SCHIP is a US initiative: the State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing low cost health insurance for Families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance.

According to the website: Families that do not currently have health insurance are likely to be eligible, even if you are working. The states have different eligibility rules, but in most states, uninsured children under the age of 19, whose families earn up to $36,200 a year (for a family of four) are eligible. For little or no cost, this insurance pays for:

doctor visits
immunizations
hospitalizations
emergency room visits

Oh, How I hate that word...*

2007-10-26T16:28:00.001Z

Do you "slow down for whores"?** I ask because if you are the driver that does, there's apparently a bumper sticker you can buy, letting other drivers know that in the event of you espying a woman who, in your estimation, is in fact a whore, you will drop your speed to some ludicrously slow level in order that you may do whatever it is that you do when you have your whore in sight without causing some kind of horrendous pile-up.

I wonder, how do you identify your whore? Is it dress? Hair style? Attitude, location, general air of downtrodden misery? Is the only qualifying factor her evident femaleness? Does it even really matter to you that who choose is actually a prostitute? Will any woman do in a pinch? A man even? I'm guessing that big breasts are essential, given the logo that accompanies the info on your bumper sticker.***

While I'm at it, just what is it that you do? There seems to me to be a notable distinction between stopping for whores, and slowing down. If you're only reducing your speed, you clearly aren't paying your chosen whore for any service. Unless you expect her to stick her head/arms/bum through the car window and get swept dangling alongside as you get blown/wanked/fucked while you drive? Are you slowing down to shout advice? Are you slowing down to toss out money that you owe from earlier encounters? Are you slowing down to ogle, sneer, laugh and generally degrade your whore-elect? What? What's your intent? I don't get it.

Well I'll tell you something you stupid, ignorant pig, your bumper sticker demeans me. It demeans your mother, your sister and your wife. It demeans your daughter. It demeans all women, whores and otherwise. Not only that, (and which I suspect will worry you not at all) it makes you look fucking stupid. You know, you really aren't cool and edgy. You are in fact tedious and simple. And the next time I'm parked behind you in the supermarket, that bumper sticker is done for. Idiot.

* I hate it. I really do. Just so you know.
** Actual bumper sticker I saw yesterday.
***The sticker read "I slow down for whores" and had that awful mudflap woman logo on it. Sometimes I despair.

EDIT: It isn't the mudflap woman, It's similar but not quite the same. I just located the source of the stickers, you can find it yourself if you search using the sticker phrase in quotation marks. I'm not linking. Yuk.

Pippa, Bored.

2007-10-23T17:17:00.000Z

I am. Really, really bored. I have no work to do, no reading that must be done, no writing, editing, chewing of pencils. There are a thousand things that I could do, and many that I OUGHT to do, but all I really want to do is work on my thesis. And I can't, because it's over.

All the time I was writing it I wanted to get to the end and move on. Now that I have, I want it back. There are a hundred things wrong with it, and I know that and could correct them. I am re-excited by my primary texts! I can see the value of my study in a way that escaped me before. So, I'm pining away at my computer, and getting more bored by the minute. I hope it's a phase.