July 2008 Archives

I discovered that my subscription to eMusic had started again. Last month. I've yet to figure out if I've basically paid for nothing, I can't remember if they roll-over unused downloads. Anyway. Thus far, I've downloaded some Sia remixes, and Aphex Twin album and the reissue of Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair. While waiting for those and for inspiration to strike, I was browsing my reader and came across this list of bands who are "pro-abortion". (It's probably fairer to say that they are pro-choice, or pro-safe-and-legal-abortion-for-women-who-make-that-choice-for-themselves than pro-abortion. That makes it sound like they want all pregnant women to terminate, which makes about as much sense as the "pro-lifers".) As I type, I'm downloading Fabulous Disaster's back catalogue. It sure helps with the recordstoreitis I suffer, having a handy list to refer to when I forget what bands I like and what bands I will like. In addition to this, I'm trying to download the new NIN album from the website, as it's free. And NIN are pretty good at worst. However something about Firefox and the plug-in I'm using to stop scripts running are making it... irksome.

Anyway.

Still, the song is awesome.

So, my days off are getting sparse. Someone, get that tiny violin... A nice waltz by Strauss? How about the Blue Danube? Why, thank you....

I ordered a couple of CDs from an well-known online vendor. I usually use the buy-from-independant-vendors-through-the-site option, but this time, because Mum had asked me to get Field Commender Cohen for her, and it was just as cheap to order that and make it up to £15 and get free postage. It made sense to me at the time, anyway. I decided to push the boat out and ordered Ladytron's new album, Velocifero (I'd check the spelling, but I've done my usual thing of putting it down somewhere and I cannot for the life of me remember where) and Goldfrapp's latest, Seventh Tree. They're both now ripped and transferred to Evadnie, so now I'm listening to them. While out a little while ago, I listened to a bit of Ladytron. So far, so good. We have tickets to their show in November, I'm really looking forward to it already!

Now I have Seventh Tree on. It really is a departure from the electro-disco-type stuff they've done before on Black Cherry (I still have yet to hear Supernature) and feels more like Felt Mountain. Maybe a bit less... processed? Anyway. I point out this is my first listen to the album. Nonetheless, the 3rd track, Happiness, had me singing along. I likes this record. Also, Alison Goldfrapp's voice is just a pleasure to listen to. It makes me think of the old Flake advert in the 80s when the woman gets in a bath and is so lost in her chocolate, the bath overflows. The people who've seen that ad (so probably just Pilf, maybe Fiatim!) will know what I mean. To everyone else, I think I've just said Ms. Goldfrapp's voice makes baths overflow. Which is still a good thing, I think. Unless you're the downstairs neighbour.... Cologne Cerrone Houdini is such a warm summer's evening song, by the way... I really likes this record!

I'm still on a bit of a high from seeing Leonard Cohen, too. Honestly, I don't think he could've been better. His voice sounded amazing, his choice of songs and the presentation of them was just fantastic... He came across as being so humble, and pointed out that luxury we live in, that made the concert possible, while so many people around the world are lucky to wake up in the morning. (Not his words, but his gist) His interactions with the audience were spare, it wasn't until into the 2nd half (at 73, he's allowed all the intermission he wants) that he said more than 'thank you', really. I wish I could remember exactly what it was, he made a bit of a joke about the meaning of life. I think it was at the very end of Tower of Song, and tied into that somehow. Anyway. He clearly doesn't take himself seriously. His music has a reputation of being depressing, sort of like he was what you listened to as a tortured teenager in the days before Nirvana broke the mainstream and pain sold records. Many of his songs are about pain, the end of relationships, regrets, but I've never been to such an uplifting concert. Even the Pumpkins' show in February. I loved that show, and it helped me is unexpected ways, as Billy's music has for years, but after the Leonard Cohen show, I felt like I knew my place in the world a bit better.

Gosh, I sound like I'm on something, don't I? Just music that moves me, my dear reader.

*****

I picked up a magazine in the local supermarket the other day; No. 1 (also misplaced so I can't check to be certain) which positions itself as Scotland's answer to Hello! and OK! (it might be No.1!) On the cover: Scotland's Rape Shock - The truth behind the worst conviction rate in Europe. That's why I spent £1 on it, I normally rarely bother with women's magazines these days as I'm quite happy with my body the way it is, thanks. Anyway, that article. They quoted Sandy from Rape Crisis Scotland (who I've met! This is me all star-struck and fangirl!) quite extensively, discussing attitudes to women who report rape. Not a perfect article; for some reason about halfway through, it turns into a discussion of the lack of services for women in England and Wales. And the photo? A black-and-white of a woman in an alleyway with an ominous shadow behind her. And tips on how to have a safe night out. Useless in 80% of reported rapes, as they take place in or near the woman's home and are perpertated by someone already known to them... That said, when it comes to rape, people do like to focus on the minority and abnormal cases ('stranger rape', male rape, the false claims [and handily that's in order of occurance!]) so why should I be surprised that they print that instead of, say, tips for women who have recently been raped*?

Anyway, the general aim of the article seems to be that for more convictions to be successful, general attitudes about women who report rape have to be challenged. Remember, 97% of women who report aren't lying.

Oh, I just looked at the news section of Rape Crisis Scotland's site. The statement made by Sandy Brindley there is identical to what No! published... Funny that.

Anyway. So I flipped on through the magazine. As I said, it's not the kind of thing I buy. Got to the letters page. Can words convey how disappointed I was to see...

Leave that man alone!
When the news broke that [has-been 'celebrity'] was being accused, yet again, of raping another woman, I can't help but wonder if these women have just got it in for him? Charges have never been pressed against the [man in question] and while I'm sure he's no saint, does he really deserve to be vilified when there is no firm evidence against him?

It kind of undermines the whole 'lets get away from the rampant victim-blaming when it comes to rape' that they printed just a few pages beforehand, doesn't it? I might be wrong, because I don't engage with the tabloid press, but the only person I've seen making any public statements in the case that is referred to in that letter was the has-been lecherous celebrity, who made a press statement. Maybe all these women are lying about it. Because, you know, the first one who made the complaint didn't actually name her attacker, it was someone else who did. And any subsequent complaints have been so successful in even getting to court... Anyway. I'm just a reactionary feminist who doesn't know any better and hates all men, remember?

*****

In 2 weeks I will be in the sprawling metropolis of Heathrow airport, trying to find my gate. Even I, who loves travelling, am expecting it to be akin to one of the rings of hell. And then I'll be away for 2 weeks. And possibly moving house at some point, hopefully before I go. So my sparse updates will likely be even more thin on the ground. Oh, and we've rolled toons on a PvP server, so there's a possiblity I'll surface in November, to go to Ladytron. And we're back about where I started, so I think I'll leave it there for now. Even if I'm listening to Zeitgeist now. But you already know I love the Pumpkins and think that Billy's a musical genius.






*from Rape Crisis Scotland

If you have just been raped or sexually assaulted

	Try to be somewhere that feels safe.
	Its likely that you will be in some form of shock after what has happened. It's important to keep warm and drink plenty of fluids.
	If possible, see if a friend or someone you trust can be with you.
	Have any injuries treated by your doctor or at a hospital.
	If you think you would like to report the incident to the police, you can either contact the police directly, or speak to your local rape crisis centre. The section on police and courts in this website can give you more information about what reporting might involve.
	If there is a possibility of pregnancy you may want to take the morning after pill (up to 72 hours after) or have a coil fitted (up to 5 days after). To do this, go to your Family Planning Clinic or GP.
	If you are worried about sexually transmitted infections, you can have fully confidential advice and treatment from your nearest genito-urinary medicine clinic. You do not need a letter from your doctor.You don’t have to give the clinic your real name and you could ask a friend or a centre support worker to go with you.

Oh, hai.

Bored?

Watch this. It's funny.

(I gather it's also only free to watch 'til midnight on Sunday - tomorrow - and then after that you have to download it from iTunes. Baaaa.)

So, some of my readers might notice that I've altered my commenting settings. This would be because someone came upon my blog somehow, read a bit and somehow manged to miss ever point I've ever tried to make, and has decided that bombarding me with reactionary comments might make me change my mind. Much in the same way that Iain thought that thumping heavily on the door after I wouldn't let him in might change my mind.

Ama, in your most recent comment (btw, creating a blogger account, just so you can slag me off more? Stay classy.) you suppose that I think that women abusing their partners would be alright. For fuck's sake, take that brain cell you're about to wear out and try using it?

I. Do. Not. Think. Any. Sort. Of. Violence. Is. Alright. I. Am. A. Pacifist. On. Both. The. Personal. Level. As. Well. As. The. Political.

I know that men can be and are raped, abused and assaulted, both by other men and by women. I know, personally, at least one male survivor of child abuse and at least one man who was raped by his female partner. Chances are, with the number of gay men I know, I also know at least one man who has been raped by a man, too. There are a number of charitable groups who support these male survivors, and I applaud the work they do. No one, no one at all who walks the earth, should suffer any kind of violence or discrimination.

Rape and sexual violence affects far, far more women than men. I am never going to do those women the injustice of minimising their experiences by starting to hand-wringing about the problem of gendered violence against men, when there's still so much to do to stop it happening against women.

In case you haven't connected the dots, and I appreciate that it appears beyond your cognitive abilities, I volunteer for a rape crisis centre. It's run by women, for women. I take a feminist view of rape and sexual violence. It's a very effective method of asserting partiarchal dominance over an individual woman - the woman who is raped - and all women, who live with the fear of being raped. Or being raped again. Before bothering me again, go read Susan Brownmiller.

In fact, don't bother me again. You are not welcome here.

So, I've finally got a day off. Still woke up at 7.15.

And do I have a bunch of things (none of which are cool or funny to misogynistic Australians) to blog about...

I got a book in the charity shop last week (along with about 7 others), by Colin Wilson. If you're unfamiliar with him, he's an extremely prolific author of books about crime. As I understand it, he's actually quite good. The specific title I picked up was World Famous Unsolved Crimes. Interesting reading, though I was a bit surprised to read about an eleven-year-old Starr Faithfull being 'seduced' by a middle-aged man, and that their 'relationship' continued for many, many years afterwards. In the definition of seduction, there is "the offense of inducing a woman to consent to unlawful sexual intercourse, by enticements which overcome her scruples" but it's a mightily ambiguous term to use, even in 1996 (when the book was published). I would be more inclined to describe it as a rape. Because an eleven year old child? Cannot consent to sex. The subsequent relationship? Ongoing abuse. Even after she reached majority. Not the popular image of abuse, but it does happen and to casually assume otherwise can be very damaging to those who wish to escape the abuse.

Of course, he devotes some of the book to the death of Marilyn Monroe. It's reported that, in her childhood an adult male "persuaded her to remove her dress [...] she later admitted to a lover that the experience had not been traumatic - in fact, that she had found it oddly pleasant."
Abused children often respond physiologically (as do grown adults) which can be confusing. Also, if it's the only affection you're shown...

*****

Catching up with the reader (honestly, it feels like there's a permanent backlog of 231 items) I read this post via Shakesville. Maybe it's because I'm still tired, and maybe because I'm so fed up with dealing with people who just refuse to see that there's something wrong with this culture, this culture where women are seen are peripheral to men, often only for their titilation and sexual excitement, where they're viewed as not human, somehow inferior. It's the 21st century, and it's only very recently that rape has been recognised as a weapon of war. How many millions of women have to be raped before people realise that this isn't right? That telling women to do this, that, the other and to do it all hopping on their off-hand to avoid rape doesn't work? That for rape to start to disappear, men have to get involved and take responsibility for it too? Anyway, I read Faith's post, and cried.

But, why give up the fight? As Melissa McEwan so wonderfully wrote, the world needs all the teaspoons it can get. (Btw, I've linked to that piece about a nonillion times now, if you haven't read it, you really should.)

While we're at Shakesville, read this post too. If you've ever heard of a woman who put up with an abusive partner for any length of time and wondered why she didn't just leave, you really need to.

*****

In other news, my shiny new passport arrived (very quickly again, I must just have luck with government bureaucracy) so I will be off and away across the pond quite soon. The new passport has a rigid page that apparently contains a chip that holds my biometric data, something I always understood to mean things like fingerprints, retinal scans and what have you. (dictionary.com is my friend today!) But no, according to the leaflet that accompanied my documents, it's an electronic version of the page with my photo, name, place of birth etc. So the government want us to have biometric identity cards because...?

Along with the passport, I also have 12 new passport-size photos of myself. Turns out I've changed enough in the last 10½ years that I no longer look like myself in photos. So I had to get it counter-signed. Not a problem. Except my glasses covered my eye just slightly in the photo, so had to get more taken without them on. If I look a bit zoned out and spacey in my passport, that's because I can barely see beyond the end of my own nose. The sharper-eyed amongst you will have notice that that only accounts for 8 photos... The first lot I rejected out of sheer vanity. I didn't want to be reminded of how rough I look after a morning's work when I'm 39.

∞∞∞∞∞

A couple of interesting sites to idle away a few hours on... Space 4 Case and National Geographic.