Interesting paper on women in politics by Kathie Muir, from the University of Adelaide. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view it though.

It’s disturbing how mysogynistic — no, perhaps it’s too hard a word let’s say instead “backward” — news services — and many people — are regarding women in positions of visibility in society.

Take Noel Ashby’s opinion that too many female recruits hurts the police force in Victoria.  Perhaps his version of the force — overbearingly male dominated — might be hurt, but oddly enough, the force might grow to become a bit more inclusive and have a better foot in the community by including more women (I won’t say minority group, because on average, women outnumber men; 51% is the number most often used). It might also be improved by adding people from other groups; aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islanders, Vietnamese, Chinese, ex-refugees, homosexuals, the religious; when the police force properly reflects the society which it polices, it might actually find itself in a far better position to do its job.

Then there’s John Westacott, channel 9‘s new boss opinion that “…To make it in this industry, you gotta have f—ability. To make it in this game, women have to be f—able…”. Nice, inclusive and not at all sexist, mysogynistic or backward. Course, it’s notalot worse than former chief Eddie “Everywhere” McGuire‘s comment that a former female employee should be “boned”.

What is it with men in positions of power in this country? I understand that the minority who get the bad press don’t do the majority any good, but on the other hand, where the hell do opinions like this come from?

Some people blame the mothers for not teaching their sons to be more respectful. This sort of opinion not only makes my eyes water involuntarily, trying to work-out how it can be a females fault that a male is being an arsehole, but it also gives the male in question open slather to be as nasty as he wishes; it’s not his fault, it’s his female parent. What?!

But at the core, I wonder about the male psyche in this country… I wonder about any place where a male can get away with being so horrendously disrespectful and abusive to any other human being.

And I wonder most about the other people around them that nod and do nothing, say nothing, and by this very act, become complicit in the abuse.

Another Apple rave.

What makes me really laugh about this — and every other article online I’ve read which declares how nice Apple equipment is — is the rabid and aggressive response from the PC fanbois out there in interweb territory.

It’s so … what’s the word I’m looking for…? Defensive, that’s it. They’re terribly defensive; like they assume that because someone touts how easy an opposing computer is to use and how nice the hardware looks, that it’s a personal attack on the very soul of their preferred computer system.

One of the major things I notice is that the fanbois tend to attack the person and not the argument, thus:

 ha! on 02/12/2008

 

“I’m A Lot Less Savvy And Smart Than I Thought.”

“OK, I’m an idiot, a near retard with no self-control.”

And we’re supposed to believe this drivel you write about, self-titled retard? Go find some play-dough or something, leave thinking to the big boys.

and…

idiocy

- submitted by Anonymous on 02/12/2008

 

you are the biggest idiot ever… idiocy is an understatement.

Now, I’ll admit that I don’t make a habit of reading Windows articles, so there could very well be apple fanbois out there doing much the same. My experience of Apple verus PC is that life is nicer on the whole with the former rather than the latter; and I’ve been using computers for 30 years, and professionally for 15.

But who am I to comment?

These guys are one of the biggest advertisements for what’s wrong with religion.

Rabid, fundamentalist… not muslim… christians who’d put a bullet in you if they could get away with it.

Like Douglas Adams said:

“…nearly 2,000 years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change…”

Where exactly is the message of “the great white saviour” (middle-eastern origin, but don’t let that be an impediment to the Jesus-is-a-white-man industry) in the Westboro Baptist Church? Cast not the first stone, anyone?

Hah.

In memory of Heath Ledger… who died today on a bed in New York  surrounded by pills.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCswb58p0fs&rel=1]

HP* -  Shite!

MS** – CRAP

Why? Installing printers. Try installing a printer on an HP laptop… a printer that is connected to an apple airport network… and you’ve got hair ripping fun for the whole freaking family.

Here’s one of the many sites that I’ve just found — at 11pm at night while in bed — to potentially find a cause for the issue.

Bottom line, however, was that my plan to be in bed by 9pm has gone right out the damn window.

However, I have discovered — or managed to put into words — something that has dogged me for some time.

Which is this: I take failure personally.

—————-

*or as I now call them, Hewlett CRAPard

** Great piece of dialogue in “The Last of the Time Lords” (SPOILER ALERT), from the professor trying to get a computer to work: “Whoever thought we’d miss Bill Gates.”. I L O L’d.

Family Values Under Threat!!!

Apparently if you help a couple who can’t have kids, or are a lesbian couple or — presumably — anyone else who has a family where there is not One Man, One Woman and one if not more children, you are threatening “Family Values”.

I’d like to ask for a definition of family values please. Because if family values includes One Man, One Woman and children in a situation where they are so poor that they can barely feed themselves, does this fall under “maintaining family values”? How about where the kids are being abused — either verbally, physically or even both — is this maintaining “Family Values”? What about if one of the parents dies? Do the remaining parent and kids suddenly get stamped with “Not Maintaining Family Values”? How about if a parent runs off with someone else? Divorce? Single parents? Orphans?

I don’t get it. But then, I’m not the brightest bulb in the room.

RobotAlice 8:48 PM

just wanted to say

Ms Eek 8:48 PM

yes?

RobotAlice 8:48 PM

about freaking time that you watched the new who

we TOLD you it was good

Ms Eek 8:48 PM

I was in the wrong headspace

RobotAlice 8:48 PM

but noooooooo you wouldn’t listen

Ms Eek 8:48 PM

Yes, yes, yes.

Hence the tag of “Bag Me Stupid”

Think of it this way. I’m now the female equivalent of Tom, and so I’m open to new  adventures

RobotAlice 8:49 PM

lol

Ms Eek 8:49 PM

You remember Jon, very tied down

Limited

Had no Tardis

Now I’m Tom, I can fly away on new adventures.

RobotAlice 8:49 PM

you are a dag

Ms Eek 8:49 PM

And I have the teeth for it now, too