Time: 11:45
The loos in the Blackett Lab at Imperial are reasonably easy to find, right next to the elevator. Unless you're a female visitor, in which case you have to go down two floors and hunt some more.
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Friday, 23 December 2011
Thursday, 22 December 2011
The Life Expectancy of the Homeless
Time: 7:47am
Today's Thought For the Day on Radio 4 was inspired by yesterday's news on the life expectancy of homeless people in the UK: 47 years, about 30 years less than the rest of the population.
What I hadn't realised until the Rev Lucy Winkett led with it this morning is that there's a gender gap. It's homeless men that have a life expectancy of 47 years; homeless women have a life expectancy of 43 years. Both the poor statistics and the poor reporting piss me off.
Today's Thought For the Day on Radio 4 was inspired by yesterday's news on the life expectancy of homeless people in the UK: 47 years, about 30 years less than the rest of the population.
What I hadn't realised until the Rev Lucy Winkett led with it this morning is that there's a gender gap. It's homeless men that have a life expectancy of 47 years; homeless women have a life expectancy of 43 years. Both the poor statistics and the poor reporting piss me off.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Pink & Blue: Are We Bored Yet?
Time: 7:45am
I don't know where this came from, but it was in my kitchen this morning.
Girl figure: pink shirt with a heart. Boy figure: blue with a worm hanging out of his pocket.
In the interests of fairness, I thought I should open it because the inside might more balanced.
In the interests of thinking, I should feed my brain breakfast before making it work...
The inside of the folder: where there was only a single Lego figure next to an item, it was male. I think the only exception was the house which had a female figure. On the odd occasion where there were two or more figures, the female was passive half the time while the male was generally doing something active.
I'm sure I remember when Lego used to be cool for everyone. :(
I don't know where this came from, but it was in my kitchen this morning.
Girl figure: pink shirt with a heart. Boy figure: blue with a worm hanging out of his pocket.
In the interests of fairness, I thought I should open it because the inside might more balanced.
In the interests of thinking, I should feed my brain breakfast before making it work...
The inside of the folder: where there was only a single Lego figure next to an item, it was male. I think the only exception was the house which had a female figure. On the odd occasion where there were two or more figures, the female was passive half the time while the male was generally doing something active.
I'm sure I remember when Lego used to be cool for everyone. :(
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Even The Queen
Time: 11:30
My Queen has disappointed me.
Your Majesty, surely you can insult politicians without pandering to the idea that women are the weaker sex. And that goes for everyone else who feminises men in order to mock them as well (I'm a republican at heart, after all).
My Queen has disappointed me.
@Queen_UK: Very disappointed that Hamleys have removed their "toys for girls" signs. How is one going to find a Christmas present for Ed Miliband now?
Your Majesty, surely you can insult politicians without pandering to the idea that women are the weaker sex. And that goes for everyone else who feminises men in order to mock them as well (I'm a republican at heart, after all).
Monday, 12 December 2011
Sock On
Time: 21:00
A slow-burning swear, this one. I was shopping for some household items and came across some packs of socks. One lot were advertised as kids' warm cotton/wool mix socks, in the colours, white, light blue and dark blue. The lot next to it was advertised as girls' socks, pure cotton, in the colours, white, pink and dove grey. Why?!
This time, I'm not whinging about sorting genders by colour so they can be conveniently put in the washing machine. What jumped out at me is that the girls socks are thinner and less practical, which is often the case with girls' clothing. Although it's generally advertised as boys vs girls.
(With thanks to Ailbhe and other parents of girls for making me aware of this issue.)
A slow-burning swear, this one. I was shopping for some household items and came across some packs of socks. One lot were advertised as kids' warm cotton/wool mix socks, in the colours, white, light blue and dark blue. The lot next to it was advertised as girls' socks, pure cotton, in the colours, white, pink and dove grey. Why?!
This time, I'm not whinging about sorting genders by colour so they can be conveniently put in the washing machine. What jumped out at me is that the girls socks are thinner and less practical, which is often the case with girls' clothing. Although it's generally advertised as boys vs girls.
(With thanks to Ailbhe and other parents of girls for making me aware of this issue.)
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Quite Interesting
Time: sometime last night, post-party
We decided to chill out in front of some of this season's QI and I was immediately reminded of why I'd stopped watching in the first place. Stephen Fry introduced the evening's guests one by one and, one by one, they all turned out to be men. Which is par for the course for it and other panel shows.
It's a damn shame because Quite Interesting is definitely more interesting when there's women panellists. Though I should perhaps say woman panellist, since I've only seen one at a time. Unless we're counting ventriloquist Nina Conti and her female dummy as two...
We decided to chill out in front of some of this season's QI and I was immediately reminded of why I'd stopped watching in the first place. Stephen Fry introduced the evening's guests one by one and, one by one, they all turned out to be men. Which is par for the course for it and other panel shows.
It's a damn shame because Quite Interesting is definitely more interesting when there's women panellists. Though I should perhaps say woman panellist, since I've only seen one at a time. Unless we're counting ventriloquist Nina Conti and her female dummy as two...
Friday, 9 December 2011
Abortion and Mental Health
Time: 7:55
One of BBC Today's topics is the big review which found that abortion doesn't increase risk to women's mental health. After a couple of minutes of discussion an anti person is introduced to add "balance".
Not gender balance, obviously. Why include women? Especially in a discussion that pertains to their health and bodily autonomy. I must be light-headed from not having had breakfast yet...
One of BBC Today's topics is the big review which found that abortion doesn't increase risk to women's mental health. After a couple of minutes of discussion an anti person is introduced to add "balance".
Not gender balance, obviously. Why include women? Especially in a discussion that pertains to their health and bodily autonomy. I must be light-headed from not having had breakfast yet...
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
The Games Children Play
Time: 18:40
Man speaks thusly on the radio: Boys are for getting us through the higher levels on games. Etc.
Presumably that's straight from The Book of Girls Don't Play Computer Games, Chapter 3, Verse 1,000,001.
(Actually, it's from Heresy, a BBC Radio 4 discussion programme which "challenges established ideas and questions received wisdom.")
Man speaks thusly on the radio: Boys are for getting us through the higher levels on games. Etc.
Presumably that's straight from The Book of Girls Don't Play Computer Games, Chapter 3, Verse 1,000,001.
(Actually, it's from Heresy, a BBC Radio 4 discussion programme which "challenges established ideas and questions received wisdom.")
Monday, 5 December 2011
Boys Are Better
Time: 12:30
If today's conversation in the library is to be believed, boys are intrinsically straightforward and adventurous, and girls are catty. This being near the children's section, they were also in earshot, though I'm not sure they were old enough to understand what was being said.
Oh, shhhhh--
If today's conversation in the library is to be believed, boys are intrinsically straightforward and adventurous, and girls are catty. This being near the children's section, they were also in earshot, though I'm not sure they were old enough to understand what was being said.
Oh, shhhhh--
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Who Knows Breast?
Time: 12:30
A conversation about breastfeeding. Older Woman advises Younger Woman that she'll have to stop feeding her baby soon because her husband would want his breasts back and would get jealous otherwise.
That breasts can multi-task didn't enter into it. But in any case, it was clear that the breasts under discussion belonged either to the baby or the father and not to the woman they were actually attached to.
A conversation about breastfeeding. Older Woman advises Younger Woman that she'll have to stop feeding her baby soon because her husband would want his breasts back and would get jealous otherwise.
That breasts can multi-task didn't enter into it. But in any case, it was clear that the breasts under discussion belonged either to the baby or the father and not to the woman they were actually attached to.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Strike Out
Time: 9:29am
Today, 2 million public sector workers in the UK have gone on strike to protest cuts to their pensions. These cuts, like others, will have a disproportionate effect on women.
What had me cursing? The fact that the Sure Start Children's Centre down the road still opened its doors today. It can do this because the majority of its staff are so-called temporary workers. Part-time, low paid, inevitably almost all women.
Sure Start Children's Centres have suffered big cuts all over the country. These particular women are the staff left over from a sudden cull at Easter. So even if they were unionised, they're not likely to protest any shitty treatment while in such a precarious position.
Today, 2 million public sector workers in the UK have gone on strike to protest cuts to their pensions. These cuts, like others, will have a disproportionate effect on women.
What had me cursing? The fact that the Sure Start Children's Centre down the road still opened its doors today. It can do this because the majority of its staff are so-called temporary workers. Part-time, low paid, inevitably almost all women.
Sure Start Children's Centres have suffered big cuts all over the country. These particular women are the staff left over from a sudden cull at Easter. So even if they were unionised, they're not likely to protest any shitty treatment while in such a precarious position.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
A Sporting Chance
The last post received a comment that it didn't really qualify as a "for fuck's sake" moment. Fair enough. So here, a bonus before dinner, swearing at the radio more in anger than in sadness, moment.
Today, the ten finalists for BBC Sports Personality of the Year were named. None of them are women.
The man on BBC Radio 4 explained to me that 27 publications had been asked to nominate lists and ten of them only choose men. He read out the list of those ten. I admit I wasn't paying 100% attention but two names fairly leapt out at me: Nuts and Zoo.
Yes, the BBC actually invited two lads mags to participate and then stood around looking surprised when they didn't appreciate women's personalities...
(Not that I'm letting the others off the hook, you suck too.)
Today, the ten finalists for BBC Sports Personality of the Year were named. None of them are women.
The man on BBC Radio 4 explained to me that 27 publications had been asked to nominate lists and ten of them only choose men. He read out the list of those ten. I admit I wasn't paying 100% attention but two names fairly leapt out at me: Nuts and Zoo.
Yes, the BBC actually invited two lads mags to participate and then stood around looking surprised when they didn't appreciate women's personalities...
(Not that I'm letting the others off the hook, you suck too.)
Sunday, 27 November 2011
The Clothes Maketh The Baby
Time: 11:45am
Someone behind me is holding a baby wearing a red hoody and green trousers. The receptionist persistently refers to the baby as "he" even though the mum has told him its a "she".
The hoody comes off to reveal a pink and purple striped top. A woman keeps calling the baby "that boy".
Yes, it's an oldie but a goodie, colour-coding infants by gender. Here in England, babies wearing bright colours and/or stripes are presumed to be boys. Heaven knows Ailbhe has had to remind me about this more than once. And she says it's gotten worse in recent years. But seriously, red, it's practically pink, right? I give up.
Someone behind me is holding a baby wearing a red hoody and green trousers. The receptionist persistently refers to the baby as "he" even though the mum has told him its a "she".
The hoody comes off to reveal a pink and purple striped top. A woman keeps calling the baby "that boy".
Yes, it's an oldie but a goodie, colour-coding infants by gender. Here in England, babies wearing bright colours and/or stripes are presumed to be boys. Heaven knows Ailbhe has had to remind me about this more than once. And she says it's gotten worse in recent years. But seriously, red, it's practically pink, right? I give up.
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Big Tissue
Time: 2.30pm, or, the first time I left the house today.
I need tissues. What I do not need are Mansized Tissues with Mansized Capitals. Where are my delicate little lady tissues to catch my delicate little lady boogers?
On the back of the box we're exhorted to look out for the Kleenex Mansize Compact Box. But don't worry, the Tissues, like the Capitals, are still Manly.
It also seems they hold a Royal Warrant. Yes, Her Maj is Manly, too.
I need tissues. What I do not need are Mansized Tissues with Mansized Capitals. Where are my delicate little lady tissues to catch my delicate little lady boogers?
On the back of the box we're exhorted to look out for the Kleenex Mansize Compact Box. But don't worry, the Tissues, like the Capitals, are still Manly.
It also seems they hold a Royal Warrant. Yes, Her Maj is Manly, too.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Vince Cable and Pregnant Women
Time: just after 8.30am
I wasn't listening too closely to Radio 4's Today program but the topic was proposed changes to employment law. The interviewer asked something about protected conversations and what would happen if employers gave out about pregnant women taking lots of time off. Vince Cable reckoned that was an extreme example.
Because women being fired due to pregnancy is such a rare problem.
I wasn't listening too closely to Radio 4's Today program but the topic was proposed changes to employment law. The interviewer asked something about protected conversations and what would happen if employers gave out about pregnant women taking lots of time off. Vince Cable reckoned that was an extreme example.
Because women being fired due to pregnancy is such a rare problem.
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