I've moved...come with me.

You can now find all my bullhockey at bloodybibivirtue.tumblr.com.

Female Genital Mutilation

This is an issue very close to my heart. My mother has been a campaigner against FGM all my life, I've been to more conferences and campaigning events than I can count. I have discussed the issue at length with Mum and bored friends and I even write a chapter of my graduate dissertation on the topic.

Every time there is an article in the press about FGM being carried out on young British girls in the UK and abroad, my heart sinks and my stomach churns. Despite all the legislation the deeper social and cultural changes that must be made to make this horrible practice socially unpalatable seem to be impossible.

But what we can offer is counselling and training of medical professionals and that is certainly no small beer. In time we can only hope that this, coupled with legislation and the educational work taken on by FORWARD UK and other anti FGM charities will prevent seven and eight year old young girls being taken on much longed for summer holidays that they will never, ever be able to forget.

Two women I greatly respect and admire for their work in the field; Comfort Momoh and Naana Otoo-Oyortey amongst others speak here in this article about the work that they do.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jul/25/female-circumcision-children-british-law

Please donate to anti FGM charity FORWARD UK http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/

So...

It's been almost a year since I blogged last. What happened was I got a crazy job that left me no time to do anything else at all, like not even sleep. I've left there now (and the meedja-possibly) and have a lot more time on my hands.

So what happened in a year...

- I left Jezebel - what will I write about?
- I've yelled at a lot of people
- Have realise that people who work at press offices at charities are just as sucky as people who work in press offices anywhere else
- The British public/The Libereal Democrats are as gullible as all get out.
- I am increasingly becoming part of UK social trends
- I was unemployed for a while - this has never happened before
- I planted grass in my garden and baked a lot of cakes
- I listened to 'cool' music about 4 months after everyone else. Have you guys heard The XX?

That's about it. But I'm back (baby). This time around, there will be more photos and less yelling about what some daft woman said on a daft website that only enrages me.

Ugly Betty

Watching Ugly Betty would be one of my guiltiest pleasures if I believed in such a concept. Googling people in television programmes that I watch/bands that I like/who make clothes that I like also falls into the un-guilty pleasures category.

While Googling Betty herself, actress America Ferrera this evening, two out of the top ten Google Suggestions that came up were:

America Ferrera Weight Loss
America Ferrera Size

Both above, America Ferrera Movies, America Ferrera Golden Globes etc...

Oh what a world.

Obviously the concept of a programme that highlights the looks of a female character by dressing her up as a pantomime dame (pretty much) and calling her 'ugly' isn't really my flavour, but attempts by the writers to show how fickle and shallow the fashion world is and to give Betty some real warmth, depth and intelligence sweeten the pill. Or some other weak, justifying arguement.

Amanda Blank

Despite being the boring kind of feminist who thinks that young women's constant references to sexing, boozing and flagrant TMI don't do much for the advancement of our gender, I cannot help but love this woman and her dirty rhyming. Her MCing on Spank Rock's Bump (STILL one of my go to party tunes - despite all the 'bitches') was only the start. Her new single 'Might Like You Better' is against pretty much everything I stand for, but I just can't help it.



Anyway, I'm back. Marty Funkhouser suggested that I might find it easier to keep blogging if I switched focus a little bit. I found it so hard to write about politics this Summer because every single post was complex, negative and painful. I would lose the will to write before I came to a conclusion and I felt as though I wasn't qualified to talk about the things I was trying to. So here's my new plan: more stuff I like, less agonised ranting. There'll still be a 'political' bent and political posts but I'm going to throw more fun stuff into the mix to keep me sane.

Sorry

I haven't written anything for ages because I've been so angry with the world that I couldn't write anything sensible. Sorry. I'll be back.

BNP MEPs

Hmmmm, not much to say except 'This is the price of apathy and 'punishing'* a government you are annoyed with by NOT VOTING!"

Hopefully, next time those who didn't vote for whatever reason will, having realised that their actions have had an effect. We can only hope that the European far-right parties fall out over who gets to hold the fascio or something and don't gain too much sway.

*Who came up with this wrongheaded bollocks?