Can we ever condone the notion of state-sponsored assassination?

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

The killing of Osama bin Laden produced a small crisis for the liberal conscience. Just as the world marked the operation with muted approval, liberals found themselves gulping at the suggestion that torture might have played a part

Budget 2011: Key points

Budget | THE TELEGRAPH

George Osborne will use the Budget 2011 to outline how the coalition Government aims to kick-start growth and create UK jobs.  Louisa Peacock extracts the key news from today's Budget for us. No new taxes on alcohol or tobacco.

"No Fly Zone" gets U.N. approval with China, Russia and Germany abstaining

News and Politics | MAGLESS

Fukushima demonstrates that nuclear power is the solution not the problem

Views & Ideas | NEW STATESMAN

Nuclear power has so far maintained an enviable safety record, even during accidents: Three Mile Island which resulted in a partial meltdown in 1979, released very little radiation and had no impact on the health of surrounding populations.

Hypocrisy of demand for intervention in Libya exposed by near-silence on Bahrain

News and Politics | SP!KED

Forget the finger-pointing about human ‘arrogance’ and ‘powerlessness’

Views & Ideas | SP!KED

"The representation of humanity as ‘hopelessly irrelevant’ resonates with the cultural pessimism sweeping Western societies. From this perspective, the phenomenal achievements of Japanese society since the Second World War count for nothing".

What are the media doing blaming an 11 yr-old raped by 18 men for the assault?

Views & Ideas | JEZEBEL

Survey shows teens aren't at it like rabbits as male and female virgins increase

News and Politics | TIME MGAZINE

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Only one in five women describes herself as a feminist

News and Politics | THE DAILY MAIL

It may come as a surprise to those who feel hit the glass ceiling or hear one too many blonde jokes. Most women do not believe the UK is a sexist place. Fewer than 4 in 10 say they have experienced derogatory remarks or behaviour because of gender. ...

As Muslim women fight for democracy, France outlaws the niqab

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

The democratic revolution and Egyptian women

Views & Ideas | FOREIGN POLICY

Are boardroom quotas the only way women will be hired for the boardroom?

Views & Ideas | THE GUARDIAN

For Maria Reinertsen the Norwegian experience  shows “Mandatory quotas are bureaucratic, they hurt both the pride of women and the freedom of business. But if you genuinely want more women in the boards, it's probably the only way to achieve it.”

Why Assange lost the extradition hearing and his case for appeal

Views & Ideas | NEW STATESMAN

Assange will be extradited to be questioned about an allegation of rape, two of sexual molestation, and one of unlawful coercion. There can be no doubt that these allegations are serious: far more serious than they have been represented by many.

In Canada, rapists avoid jail if flirty women wear boob tubes and heels

News and Politics | WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Justice Robert Dewar called a rapist a "clumsy Don Juan" who may have misunderstood what the victim wanted when he forced intercourse. Justice Dewar specifically noted the woman was wearing a tube top with no bra, high heels and plenty of makeup. ...

The uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia show that this is not an Islamic revolution

News and Politics | NEW STATESMAN

In Europe, the ongoing popular uprisings have been interpreted using a model that is more than thirty years old: the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Commentators have been expecting to see Islamist groups lying in wait, ready to seize power.

Drug Big, who gave his crew motivational sales calls, needs to watch The Wire

News and Politics | NEW YORK POST

High court quashes practical way to help women in need of an early termination.

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

The early medical abortion involves two pills taken 48 hours apart. The first terminates the pregnancy; the second stimulates a process akin to miscarriage. Now, unless you live near the clinic, you are likely to start miscarrying on your way home.

''Italy is not a brothel!''

News and Politics | SLATE

Julian Assange Was in Hiding — from Sarah Palin

News and Politics | TIME MAGAZINE

Meet the Egyptian child vigilantes - too young to stay at home alone in the UK

News and Politics | NEW REPUBLIC

As I strode up the streets towards my apartment in Cairo’s Dokki neighborhood, a posse of teenagers approached. One was packing a his pistol. Another carried a sword. Trailing a few feet behind, a couple of ten-year-olds carried broomsticks. ...

Egypt teeters as the Mubarak regime lashes out

Egypt | AL-JAZEERA

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Injunction by JIH reveals a worrying trend towards anonymised justice

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

The greater public interest is for justice to be open but we see a wider shift towards less transparency. Anna Soubry’s Private Member’s Bill would ban the media from reporting the names of those questioned about crimes until they are charged.

Journalists seem to be sleep-walking into more reporting constraints

Views & Ideas | GUARDIAN

Another day and another sympathetic article from The Guardian about attempts to restrict what newspapers can report. MPs are now very keen on pre-conviction anonymity. Such anonymity would have put the kibosh on the expenses revelations of last year.

Should Andy Burton be fired for calling Siân Massey “a bit of a looker”?

Views & Ideas | NEW STATESMAN

Following the sacking and resignation at SKY, Jason Stamper asks whether calling someone a "looker" is any worse than calling them good-looking and whether calling someone good-looking is enough to get them sacked? Is Andy Burton another SKY sexist. ...

Apparently, women are yearning to stay at home. That's guilt talking

Budget | THE GUARDIAN

There is a whole generation of women who were raised to believe that it is possible to have a stellar career, a wonderful marriage, an amazing sex life, several well-balanced children and still have time to see your girlfriends and get your hair done. ...

How Nicole Kidman's surrogate birth will soon be a crime in NSW

Views & Ideas | SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“I believe the message this Parliament needs to send to all citizens is that commercial surrogacy - an act that commodifies women and children - is wrong, whether it takes place in Australia or another State or country”, NSW Minister, Linda Burney.

Most Americans feel political rhetoric unrelated to Tucson shooting

News and Politics | CBS NEWS

Forget the pundits’ views. Nearly six in 10 Americans say the country's heated political rhetoric is not to blame for the Tucson shooting rampage that left six dead and critically wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, according to a CBS News poll.

Sweden's attempts to tackle Sex-Crime Problem are behind Assange 's arrest

News and Politics | TIME MAGAZINE

Sweden has by far the highest incidence of reported rapes in Europe, and one of the lowest conviction rates in the developed world. Various international bodies have slammed the country for the prevalence of sex crimes committed by its citizens.

An overprivileged prat in a military coat is new face of student protest

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

GQ goes all Socialist Worker as it lambasts the bankers

News and Politics | GQ

When banks make profits gambling in good times, they pocket them. When they make losses in bad times, we pick up the tab. We have been told to worship them as "wealth creators", they  turned out to be the biggest wealth-sucking parasites in history.

Operation Payback clearly think Assange is so special he is above the Law

News and Politics | EVENING STANDARD

Computer hackers crashed the Swedish government's website today as they declared “war” on any organisation that opposes WikiLeaks. The Swedish government is being targeted after prosecutors there issued the international warrant for rape.

Wikileaks' leaks appear to be another excuse for celebrities to trivialise rape

Views & Ideas | HUFFINGTON POST

Could your personal integrity be bad for society?

Views & Ideas | BIG QUESTIONS ONLINE

Ask a student to define honesty and the response invariably will be inward-focused. Honesty is about personal integrity, being true to yourself and facing your fears. However, what about outward-focused honesty — honesty in social interactions?

New culprit allegedly found in gender pay gap war: we can't hack the competition

Views & Ideas | TIME MAGAZINE

New research, exploring gender pay gaps has a novel hypothesis: Women don't like competition. Researchers found females are more likely to pass on a job once they found out part of their pay would be based on their performance versus a co-worker.

Journo thinks liberals oppose Palin because she's too sexy not for her views

News and Politics | THE DAILER CALLER

The dynamic, explosive, and primordial power of her kind of sexuality explains why some Palin-haters lose control of themselves, even if it hurts their arguments. When the editor hates the most popular girl, it’s hard to get a coherent argument.

Is it right suspected abusers be barred from homes where charges not brought?

News and Politics | EVENING STANDARD

Suspected wife-beaters could be banned from home for upto 4 weeks even if there is insufficient evidence to charge them. Police will be able to step in even if a victim is afraid of taking action themselves or if criminal proceedings aren’t possible. ...

Woman jailed for falsely retracting rape claim is freed

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Overturning her 8-month sentence, Lord Judge criticised the CPS's decision to prosecute the 28-year-old woman, who he accepted had been the victim of prolonged domestic abuse and been put under pressure by her husband to withdraw the allegations.

The Pope's problem with condoms? Women

News and Politics | SALON

So, the pope thinks it is okay for male prostitutes to use condoms. However, what is most interesting about his comment isn't that it represents a shift in position, but that it lays bare the Church's real issue with rubbers: they prevent pregnancy.

Vote on whether this couple should have an abortion.

News and Politics | GAWKER

Someone hand this republican a commemorative sickbag

News and Politics | SP!KED

Kate may have started out as a university student intent on a career in fashion, but the moment that it threatened her relationship with William she appeared to give up all worldly ambitions to make herself available to shoot grouse and stalk deer.

Should a scantily dressed student ever be admonished by her Prof?

Views & Ideas | CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Or to put it another way, when, if ever, is it OK for a professor of the history of civil liberties to tell a scantily clad female adult student that her choice of attire is inappropriate, sexually objectifying and indeed distracting?

Planned anonymity for rape suspects to be abandoned

News and Politics | THE TIMES

The Government will today abandon its pledge to grant anonymity to men charged with rape in England and Wales. No change will be made to existing law that gives anonymity to rape victims. The decision to scrap plans to give anonymity follows criticism ...

Obama lost women because of abortion and economy

News and Politics | L.A.TIMES

Aja Sutter is the kind of voter the Democrats could not afford to lose this year. The 26-year-old physical therapist, part of a cohort of unmarried women that has long been one of the most reliable Democratic bases, voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Facebook trolling case shows why you should defend trial by jury.

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

In this week the Victim Czar, Louise Casey said the right to trial by jury for many lesser offences should be ended and a magistrate set a dangerous attack on freedom of expression by sentencing Colm Coss to 18 weeks for trolling on Facebook.

Mama Grizzlies lost because their feisty ambition was too male

News and Politics | SLATE

The main problem with Mama Grizzly candidates is that they present a contradiction, laying claim to feminism while denouncing most feminist ideals. Sarah Palin, with her peculiar genius, created the term Mama Grizzly to rationalize the contradiction.

After all that "manning up", did Sarah Palin's "mama grizzlies" fail to rise up?

News and Politics | DAILY BEAST

In many of the highest-profile races, where Sarah Palin had loudly interjected herself, her candidates—Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell , and John Raese —lost.  Even in her home state of Alaska, her help seems to have been less than helpful.

Ex-Marxist female guerrilla finds it has not limited career options. Phew!

News and Politics | YAHOO NEWS

Was virginal GOP candidate hoisted by own petard or stiffed by the sisters

News and Politics | GAWKER

Christine O'Donnell is seeking federal office based in part on her self-generated, and carefully tended, image as a sexually chaste woman. She lies about who she is; she tells that lie in service of an attempt to impose her private sexual values on her...

Things must be bad when the Daily Mail and feminists agree

Views & Ideas | THE INDEPENDENT

I suppose a cabinet composed of male millionaires – 19, according to some estimates – might not know how hard life is for care assistants or cleaners, but they could make an effort to find out before imposing savage spending and welfare cuts.

Man thinks 'mummy track' may be a myth

Views & Ideas | WALL STREET JOURNAL

Ursula Burns joined a rare breed when she took command of Xerox Corp. in July 2009: She became just the 22nd woman to run a Fortune 500 company. What isn't so rare is that she's a mother. In fact, all but 2 of the female CEOs of the 500 are mother.

Why shaking someone’s beliefs turns them into stronger advocates

News and Politics | DISCOVER MAGAZINE

You don’t have to look very far for examples of people holding on to their beliefs in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Thousands still hold to the idea that vaccines cause autism.

Your tween hasn't started a social network site or charity? Is she a deadbeat?

News and Politics | USA TODAY

The atheist Clegg could be taking your child's school place

News and Politics | THE DAILY TELEGRAGH

The atheist Clegg prepares to chose the catholic London Oratory for his son; Diane Abbott chose an independent for her son and Harriet Harman chose a grammar for hers. Why do politicians lambast an elite education for our kids but not for theirs?

Is this really the most powerful woman in the world?

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

A parent's guide to running the country and deficit reduction

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

You only have to watch Supernanny to understand the psychology. If toddlers learn that by making enough fuss, they will get what they want, what do they do? It’s the same with the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegragh. As a father of four, Cameron should ...

Able to be home with the kids, husband in a good job? Still not happy?

Views & Ideas | TIME MAGAZINE

According to a new study the underemployed are much less content than the overemployed and almost as unhappy as singletons. Confusingly, people whose careers were most important to them were less happy than those whose families were more important.

Miliband shock: appoints unqualified man instead of qualified woman

News and Politics | BBC

Alan Johnson has been named shadow chancellor in a surprise move by new Labour leader Ed Miliband. Ed Balls will be home secretary, while his wife Yvette Cooper, an economist who topped the shadow cabinet poll of MPs, is shadow foreign secretary.

Mocking the "mama grizzlies" will only make them tougher

Views & Ideas | NEW STATESMAN

The UK, like the US, has a history of conservative women's activism. A raft of new female Tories entered parliament this year who are likely to describe themselves as “feminist”, “anti-abortion” and Palin admirers. But where are our “mama grizzlies”? ...

Don't believe the doom-mongers, kids are getting smarter

Views & Ideas | MILLER-MCCUNE.COM

There we have it. 'A' levels may or may not be easier. Course work may or may not penalise boys and resits may inflate grades. What cannot be disputed is that kids's IQ scores across the globe have been rising since their introduction 100 years ago.

Will the 'human' politician please stop with all that love guff

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

After the miscarriage and the birth, is tweeting about rape too much?

News and Politics | SALON

The tweet was blunt and to the point: "On my way to the hospital with girl whose tongue was bitten off when she was raped." Later: "So, they're gonna have to do tongue reshaping, rather than reattachment, because the guy who bit it off swallowed it". ...

Tea Party: the American Right's political tantrum

News and Politics | SP!KED

A multi-millionaire wins a Republican gubernatorial nomination and declares that he’s leading a ‘people’s revolution’ against the ‘ruling class’. Policy proposals include housing welfare recipients in prison. This poseur is a Tea Party favourite. ...

Short skirts don't cause rape - rapists do

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

Is a miniskirt so dangerous? There can't be any parent who would want their 13yr-old daughter walking to school in a pelmet and most of us would welcome teachers reading the riot act. But some forums make it sound more perilous than a cornered snake. ...

Forget the terms and conditions, should your 8 yr-old be on Facebook?

Views & Ideas | THE DAILY TELEGRAGH

Knowledge is power and parents would be well advised to wrest back control rather than wringing their hands when their youngsters find themselves horribly ensnared in a social network they don't have the maturity to negotiate or even to understand.

Should a woman marry her rapist? One Indian judge thinks so

News and Politics | TIMES IF INDIA

You normally don't expect a girl to marry her rapist but in a recent case a woman wanted to marry the guy who allegedly raped her. This is obviously not a one off case and definitely brings to limelight the existence of an insensitive society.

Bad birth experiences are traumatic but they are not rape

Views & Ideas | SALON/DOUBLE XX

It's fear of elitism that holds poor, bright kids back

Views & Ideas | THE INDEPENDENT

When my twelve year-old son assured me airily that the teachers at his school didn't care about "punctuation and stuff", I assumed he was swinging the lead and made him redo his homework. To my gnashing frustration, it turns out to be true...

Banning the burqa compromises the very principles that we value

Views & Ideas | INDEPENDENT

“Have we become so arrogant as to believe that every woman who would wear a burqa is necessarily oppressed? Or so fearful that we see a potential terrorist behind women who cover themselves out of religious belief?' writes Thorbjorn Jagland.

Why are American women politicians like Sarah Palin suddenly so hot?

Views & Ideas | NEWSWEEK

Is Philip Hollobone a sexist for his proposed burka ban?

Views & Ideas | BBC

Pro-lifers cannot be feminists. They don't trust women's decisions

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

Men hung on to political and cultural hegemony for so long because they are not in hock to their biology. Look at a map of the world and the right to abortion on request correlates pretty exactly with the expectation of a life unburdened by misogyny. ...

If kids are now a lifestyle choice, does it make sense to have any?

Views & Ideas | WALL STREET JOURNAL

By historical standards, modern parents get a good deal. Among hunter-gatherers, children consume more calories than they produce, and grandparents produce more than they consume virtually until they die. Agricultural societies are much the same.

Nannies bloody furious about over-weaning nanny state

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

Stroppy MPs are angry about the hurdles and effort thrust on them by the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in order to claim what they think they are due. Welcome to our world, we've put up with bureaucracy and incompetence for years.

Mothers in the workplace: call this choice?

Views & Ideas | THE GUARDIAN

My brain was craving intellectual stimulation. My husband started coming home to a "mum-on-strike" situation. The house was a state, the children were understimulated and grumpy, and a highly emotional wife was trying to discuss the meaning of life.

Should an assault conviction be a reason to deny a UK visa?

Views & Ideas | TRUE/SLANT

UK immigration officials have put up a roadblock on Chris Brown’s road to commercial redemption, denying him entry into the UK for his current “Fan Appreciation Tour” because of his conviction earlier this year for assault in the Rihanna case.

To end child poverty end adult poverty, not the other way around

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

Consensus on the shrinking of the state is not complete. There are plenty of people who argue the deficit should not yet be cut because cuts may damage "the recovery", as if raising taxes or continuing to borrow would not damage "the recovery".

Unable to distinguish between childhood acts and adulthood criminality

Views & Ideas | SP!KED

The case would have collapsed if they had been adults, because the evidence provided by the young girl was so inconsistent...what really counted was not the evidence on offer, but adult prejudices and the imperative of sending the ‘right message’.

You don't have to like the burqa to defend their right to wear it

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

A young Muslim woman overhead a female lawyer making comments about her black burka. The lawyer is said to have likened the woman to a TV demon who covers his hideous face with a mask. An argument ensued and the lawyer ripped the woman's veil off.

Pregnant driver in crash loses unborn baby, faces 15yrs in jail

Views & Ideas | ABC NEWS

A pregnant U.S. woman, who fled police when they tried to pull her over for speeding, struck a car, spun into oncoming traffic and was hit by another car, thus killing the fetus, police said. Murder of fetus by vehicle carries a 15 year prison term.

The people have spoken and the financial markets did not implode

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Recently, deficit news has been good; the deficit in 2009/10 net of bank stakes is £155bn, well short of the scary £200bn from Christmas. The recovery is strengthening. Fixing it will be unpleasant, but a majority Commons can do what is necessary.

In UK, BNP want to burkha ban, in France, left and right want to.

Views & Ideas | ECONOMIST

France’s strict form of secularism, which keeps religion out of public institutions, was inspired by the political left, and this legacy informs much Left thinking today. An earlier proposed ban in 2004 on the headscarf, was supported by the Left.

Where we got to a polling booth, voters put Xs in all the right boxes

News and Politics | THE TIMES

Some of the justifiably outraged citizens staged a sit-in, police were called and, in the time-honoured phrase, “the mood turned ugly”. Maybe it’s the journalist in me, or the anarchist, but I can’t help it, I get excited when the mood turns ugly.

Clegg Decapitates Gordon Brown And a Nightmare Looms

News and Politics | THE SPECTATOR

Playing Salome, Clegg has got Gordon's head on a platter and we have the extraordinary sight of the Lib Dems negotiating with both parties at the same time. This is madness and invites the public to view the Lib Dems as a party of political hoors.

Lib-Dems did much better than the scoreboard suggests

News and Politics | UK POLLING REPORT

In 2005 the Lib Dems held 62 seats and were second place in 188. Following the 2010 election the Lib Dems hold 57 seats, but are in second place in 242. In 2005 they were within 10% of the winning party in 31 seats, now they are within 10% in 45.

Goldman Sachs think UK electorate deserve any turmoil in markets

News and Politics | FORBES

Goldman said if the "end game is a new election in the autumn, then uncertainty could reign for a significant amount of time. Therefore UK assets are deservedly under pressure and may well succumb to even further pressure as this situation evolves.

Tepid endorsing of minority Tory government sorry result for kingmaker

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

The Lib Dems have proved to be the political transformation that never was. After all the sound and fury of the leaders' debate and the yellow surge, they're back where they started. Clegg has been cruelly cut down to size by the two-party squeeze.

Evan Harris, beacon of sanity, loses seat. Abortion politics to blame?

News and Politics | OXFORD MAIL

What's went wrong for the Lib Dem's yesterday

News and Politics | NEW STATESMAN

The sheer quantity of polling that this election has seen may have been a distorting factor. The introduction of the daily poll may, in fact, have been counter-productive to the aim of giving an accurate picture of national mood or voter intention.

Cam for PM, Lab for Social Justice, Lib-Dems for electoral reform

News and Politics | THE TIMES

The country needs Mr Cameron as PM, a Liberal Democrat inspired reform of the electoral system. And the country needs a Labour Party that can still be the best hope for social justice at home and progress abroad. So who to vote for?

Skinny jeans are evidence of consent in rape cases?

News and Politics | SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Is it possible for a woman who is wearing skinny jeans to be raped? Or are they so tight they can be taken off only with her collaboration and consent? These are some of the questions a jury asked before acquitting a Sydney man of sexual assault.

Audit of how taxpayers' pounds are spent should precede a first budget

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

Unfortunately, such exercises are not liked in the corridors of power: they threaten too much upset and challenge too many interests. They are treated as invitations to quibble about definitions and accounting. They may unearth buried skeletons.

Cameron isn’t reactionary throwback, and Clegg vote won’t mean reform

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Curiously the nearest to right-left differentiation in the election has been between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, with Labour to the right and Lib Dems to the left. Witness taxation, the euro, Trident, the Iraq war, student fees and immigration.

The Duffy affair turned the media into a pack of shrieking gibbons

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

Office has rotted Labour, but does it really deserve to die?

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Labour is a decent party, rotted by office and the complacently top-down, technocratic politics of the past few years. But it does not deserve to die; and this week, with just days to go, it is fighting not for office but for its very life.

Boris says Mandy should be next Labour leader

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

There is one man whose reputation has been burnished by the disaster of the past few weeks; one man who is still sought after by society hostesses; one man whose every silken Voldemortian utterance is still taken down by the political journalists.

A lesson in how not to make an ass of yourself. Take note Gordo

News and Politics | THE TIMES

Boris Johnson really could teach Gordon Brown a thing or two (or 300) about “real” people on the campaign trail. Yesterday, in Ealing, Boris went walkabout amid scenes of unscripted chaos and never, once, did he blame anyone else for anything.

Organic, local, and slow is no recipe for saving world's hungry millions

Views & Ideas | FOREIGN POLICY

Influential food writers, advocates, and celebrity restaurant owners are repeating the mantra that "sustainable food" in the future must be organic, local, and slow. But guess what: Rural Africa already has such a system, and it doesn't work.

Did Sarah Palin, now earning $12m, resign as Governor because of money?

Views & Ideas | NEW YORK TIMES

Is Mumsnet just Angry of Tumbridge Wells or a vibrant political voice

Views & Ideas | NEW STATESMAN

The strange, disconnected relationship people have with "online" is a challenge for adherents of “e-democracy" and undermines the fashionable theme of the "Mumsnet election". Will Mumsnet make a difference on 6 May? It's a nice idea for the media.

Pink Stinks socks it to the St.Tropez fake self esteem campaign

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

Did Tory complacency create their unlikely Lib Dem nemesis

News and Politics | THE OBSERVER

It says much about the tastes of Conservative politicians that, at the suggestion of Oliver Letwin, they have taken to comparing the struggle for power in Britain to the fight for control of Middle Earth. Last week, Tory England turned its blazing eyes...

Are 'Get Clegg' dirty tricks backfiring?

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

An ad for the Independent reading "Rupert Murdoch won't decide this election, you will" so inflamed News International that James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks, allegedly stormed round to the Independent to give Simon Kelner, a piece of their minds.

Cameron hiding real agenda because he knows public will loathe it

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

85 per cent of us say the gap between rich and poor should be "much smaller", a majority would get there by introducing a maximum wage that caps the incomes of the rich at £135,000 a year. 58 per cent support a dramatic increase in the minimum wage.

Ignore the pundits, it was almost a draw

News and Politics | NEW STATESMAN

Neither Cameron nor Brown landed a knockout blow on Clegg who finished strongest with a direct, personal appeal to voters not to be intimidated by a hostile media. I'm not surprised that no clear winner has emerged from the instant reaction polls.

Belgium to become first EU country to ban face veil

Views & Ideas | ALJAZEERA

Are Clegg's Lib Dems middle-class rebels or old-school lefties

News and Politics | THE TIMES

Is it the voice of a middle-class rebellion against the old politics, sticking to the Centre, emphasising “newness”, arguing the old parties are the same and sucking in all political backgrounds? Or should it complete its mission to reunite the Left.

Toynbee: Brown could come third and still sail into Downing Street

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

David Cameron is dead right when he warned yesterday: "Vote Clegg, get Brown." Gordon Brown could come third and still emerge with the most seats, as unelected as ever he was. But this time voters would be in a state of revolutionary outrage.

Afghanistan's revenge rapes - targetting the women

News and Politics | FOREIGN POLICY

Who'd have thought it but the Lib Dems take the lead

News and Politics | THE SUN

A YouGov opinion poll for The Sun put support for Nick Clegg's party at a staggering 33 per cent. It is the first time they have been in the lead in a general election race for 104 years. The Conservatives lag one point behind at 32 per cent.

Everything the parties are saying on the family

News and Politics | NEW STATESMAN

If that was a job interview, the vacancy is still open

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

None had conspicuously missed a goal. That would have been far too exciting, and almost certainly in breach of one of the 76 rules which ensured an event that seemed unlikely to act as a political aphrodisiac on limper elements in the electorate. ...

Tory mag says Cameron lost it last night

News and Politics | SPECTATOR

Who won? For the first half-hour that wasn't in doubt: the Daily Mail vanquished all opponents. On immigration and crime all 3 men tried to out-populist one another. Who knew that foreign students were such a threat to this green and pleasant land?

Liberal US journalist thought Cameron won it

News and Politics | THE ATLANTIC

My live-blogging of the first American-style debate between British party leaders is here. My bottom line: Cameron narrowly won this. But, apart from the tedium and politeness of the thing, my biggest take-away is about the boundaries of the debate.

Crocs loses bucketloads of money but hasn't rolled over and died

News and Politics | NEW YORK TIMES

IN a new U.S. TV commercial for Crocs, an actress wearing black high-heel shoes enters an apartment building and wearily climbs a flight of stairs. As she opens the door to her unit, two small red animated characters scamper toward her like puppies.

Pregnant women given right to kill abusers

Views & Ideas | THE FRISKY

Missouri House of Representatives has passed a bill that allows a pregnant woman to use deadly force if someone threatens her or her foetus’ life after a pregnant woman was convicted of manslaughter for killing her boyfriend, who tried to kill her.

Labour hacks talk down Brown's chances - things can only get better

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Remember, it didn't have to happen. No other prime minister ever agreed, and Gordon Brown could have kept to tradition. If Tony Blair didn't fancy his chances, why is Gordon Brown putting himself up against Cameron, who has Blair's thespian skills?

Sarcastic Yanks do Election 2010 overview

News and Politics | GAWKER

Huzzah! America's Deadbeat Older Brother, the United Kingdom, is holding an election for Best Wizard! Or Prime Minister, or something. Who are the Party Leaders who might lead the UK? Is one of them Ringo? Did you even know that they have elections. ...

The Lib Dems are doing very well. The future may be yellow

News and Politics | SPECTATOR

The Liberal Democrats are doing well. Very, very well. More voters seem actively to want a hung parliament - they neither hate Labour or love the Tories enough to act decisevely either way - and a vote for Nick Clegg seems a pretty safe, fair choice. ...

Should Tilem Debique's childcare problem be the Army's problem too?

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

JK Rowling rails against Cameron's betrayal of the poor

News and Politics | THE TIMES

I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under Major’s Government, was there to break the fall.

Blame the women for the Berlusconisation of British politics

News and Politics | DAILY MAIL

Are the parties reverting to their traditional instincts?

News and Politics | THE TIMES

As the parties launch manifestos and the leaders prepare for the first television debate, it’s worth asking whether policy or personality matters most. Politicians pour out eye-catching initiatives and compete to see who has the best-dressed wife.

Given there's blessed little politics, it should at least entertain

News and Politics | EVENING STANDARD

Where are labour’s bloodhounds? Labour back in 2001 was on a high, its campaign team stuffed with manpower, mischief and cash. I can understand a lack of manpower or cash, but what surprises me about the 2010 campaign is the total lack of mischief.

Where is the Obamamaniaesque internet frenzy?

News and Politics | NEW STATESMAN

This may not be the social media election. Labour has just launched its 2010 general election manifesto with a pretty major nod to social networking, a leading blogger making the first speech and a cartoon designed for Youtube, Twitter and Facebook. ...

How the mass incarceration of black men hurts black women

Views & Ideas | THE ECONOMIST

“As incarceration rates exploded between 1970 and 2007, the proportion of US-born black women aged 30-44 who were married plunged from 62% to 33%.” The sexual revolution, contraceptive pill, women in the workplace, all played a role, but so did jail.

Do women's better prospects cause single-parent families?

Views & Ideas | DAILY TELEGRAGH

The number of fathers in Britain who stay at home to look after their children has increased tenfold over the past decade. There are apparently about 600,000 men in the UK who are "househusbands", making up 6 per cent of men with dependent children.

The unfrocking of St. Vince of Cable

News and Politics | THE SPECTATOR

Are we choosing a Prime Minister – or a primate?

News and Politics | THE OBSERVER

As was evidenced last week, to play a meaningful part in Britain's democratic process in 2010, the only qualification a woman truly requires is a Level 1 NVQ in applying makeup and a short primer in how to accessorise one's handbag with one's shoes.

Something stirring in the student undergrowth.

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

Students must pay their fees and take out loans, which we never had to. They all hate it, but it certainly makes them pay attention to the facts of money, the problems of debt, the chances of work. They focus. All agreed the economy was the subject.

Would Cameron lower the abortion threshold

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Cameron calls for the lowering of the abortion time limit in the Catholic Herald. He says he thinks "the way medical science and technology have developed in the past few decades does mean that an upper limit of 20 or 22 weeks would be sensible."

Are the Tories becoming a one-man band?

News and Politics | DAILY MAIL

One could be forgiven for thinking that Cameron is the Tory Party. There are endless pictures of him - jogging, exhorting, campaigning. He and his advisers evidently believe he is the trump card, and that the electorate can't have too much of him.

Be careful what you wish for in politics

News and Politics | THE GUARDIAN

Is there a solution to the collateral damage to truth in a war of words and pictures? Make it as public as possible, and the public might believe the politicians enough to vote for them. But remember: we may secretly prefer to be kept in the dark.

Daily Mail lionises working mum, sniggers at 'loyal' wives

News and Politics | DAILY MAIL

By going to work as normal, by not forsaking her career for his, by refusing to pose at his side with a melon-slice smile of utterly fluttery stupidity and by not behaving like a mummy shepherding a small boy at a party, Miriam is inching ahead.

Even if your Tory is liberal on social issues, can you vote Tory?

News and Politics | THE TIMES

My Tory Candidate is liberal on social issues, not wanting to change the abortion laws; he is pro-EU  and does not appear to be a gouger from the bodies of the poor. Even if he made his money in Balkans real estate, he has spent some on good works.

Are they too posh to rule? How the posh are really different

News and Politics | THE INDEPENDENT

"Why are you so chippy about posh people?" teased a wealthy friend recently. "What's your problem?" It is a very good question. Posh people have a head start in life. They have better skin and hair. They walk in expecting things to go their way.

Can a 6 year-old commit suicide?

Views & Ideas | AOL News

Police in Oregon investigating the death of 6 yr-old girl’s by hanging, are challenging its classification as suicide."It's not that we disagree with the mechanics of what happened. It's the finding that a 6-year-old could form that kind of intent."

Tory broadsheet gushes over SamCam

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

It's not just the pregnancy. There's the unerring sense of style, the chic maternity wear, the hair, glossy, but not quite so luxuriant as to inspire resentment. I could go on, but I'm far too distracted rubbernecking footage of the Camerons at home.

Are you thinking what they are thinking?

News and Politics | SP!KED

The political elite looks upon the mass of the population as simply the targets of its various initiatives. It doesn’t look at us as rational political actors whose minds should be engaged; it looks at us as an incomprehensible, inscrutable blob. ...

Mums don't know better than anyone else

News and Politics | THE TIMES

I wish to utter a sustained whimper of alarm at the outbreak of political baby-kissing that threatens to make this the ‘Mumsnet election’... But there is something deeply creepy about the way serious leaders are sucking up to this particular forum.

Simon Singh wins libel court battle

Views & Ideas | THE GUARDIAN

Simon Singh has won his battle for the right to rely on the defence of fair comment in a libel action. He suggested there was a lack of evidence for claims some chiropractors make on treating certain childhood conditions including colic and asthma.

Are Women's Rights the new stick in U.S. foreign policy

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

At this moment women are rescuing girls from brothels in Cambodia, campaigning for public office in Kuwait, healing women injured in childbirth in Ethiopia, running schools for Burmese refugees and rebuilding homes in earthquake hit Haiti and Chile.

Rape and race metaphors in U.S. politics

Views & Ideas | PROTEIN WISDOM

Do female suicide bombers also get 72 virgins?

Views & Ideas | SLATE

A ninth-century scholar argued that women will be reunited with their husbands, and those who had multiple husbands can pick the best one to be their eternal spouse. Other commentators added that a woman who never married can marry any man she wants.

Stop their parents' benefits

Views & Ideas | BBC TODAY

Delegates at a teacher's union conference are being urged to back a motion for parents of disruptive pupils to lose part of their benefits. Mary Bousted, ATL and Mumsnet co-founder Carrie Longton discuss how parents must teach kids how to behave.

Angry female tea partiers

Views & Ideas | POLITICO

When the tea party movement burst onto the scene last year to oppose President Barack Obama, the Democratic Congress, and the health care legislation they wanted to enact, some liberal critics were quick to label its activists as angry white men.

Teachers tick off the parents

Views & Ideas | THE INDEPENDENT

"Many teachers” The Association of Teachers & Lecturers' General Secretary says "feel they are working their socks off under an extremely rigid accountability framework to get children to learn at school, but are not being supported at home."

French hookers against brothels

News and Politics | HUFFINGTON POST

On Wednesday dozens of French sex workers proclaiming themselves really proud to be prostitutes marched to protest at a lawmaker's proposal to legalize brothels in France, arguing that such a law would deny them the freedom to work on their own..

VERDICT: Class war declared

Budget | THE DAILY MAIL

The big lie at the heart of Alistair Darling's class war Budget: the stamp duty hike for £1m homes will not pay for first-time buyers' stamp-duty holiday. His own figures reveal a £160m shortfall in his stamp duty sweetener for first time buyers.

VERDICT: Not sure it's enough

Budget | THE GUARDIAN

‘A plausible case for re-electing Labour.’ ‘No fireworks. Darling doesn't do fireworks.’ Few farthings to rub together – except for pensioners.’ ‘Some bank-bashing – but not enough’.  They’d probably agree this was ‘workman-like’ but was it enough?

VERDICT: Unrealistic on growth

Budget | THE TIMES

‘Series of modest but helpful changes for business’. ‘The projections for growth are still too bullish’. ‘Focused on support for the young, growth, investment, jobs’. ‘Full of political rhetoric looking to draw political lines ahead of the election’.

VERDICT: Tax the rich

Budget | THE SUN

Alistair Darling turned the screw on the rich as the battle lines were drawn for the General Election saying: "I believe those who have benefited the most from the strong growth in incomes in past years should now pay their fair share of tax."

BUDGET 2010 LIVE BLOG

Budget | THE MAGLESS

Do you want a sleep-deprived PM

Views & Ideas | THE TIMES

Why are we so obsessed by our leaders having children? It’s not enough for them to tackle the national debt, they have to be able to blow up a paddling pool (Gordon Brown), opine on Gina Ford (Nick Clegg) and begat lots of children (David Cameron).

Jobs, the needy, public services

Budget | MIRROR

Today’s Budget must be carefully targeted to help businesses, create jobs, boost consumers’ confidence and help the most needy. He should also spell out how Labour will tackle the nation’s deficit, without slashing public services, unlike the Tories.

Labour's energy budget

Budget | TIMES

The Chancellor will use the Budget to try to “unlock private sector investment” to boost jobs and help to harness the energy sources of the future. He will seek to portray Labour as safe custodians of a recovery too fragile to trust to the Tories.

Drivers, smokers, drinkers stiffed

Budget | THE SUN

The Sun reveals Mr Darling will copy Tory plans to abolish Stamp Duty for first-time buyers for homes up to £250,000. He clobber drinkers with a 2 per cent hike and smokers by a one per cent rise in the cost of a packet of cigarettes and tobacco.

Stealth tax on income

Budget | DAILY TELEGRAGH

Millions of middle-class Britons face higher income tax bills to fund another increase in public spending to be unveiled in today's Budget. The Chancellor has decided to freeze all income tax bands, which will lead people to pay more tax on earnings.

Future of politics is female

News and Politics | INDEPENDENT

In a Government survey in March 82 per cent of Britons thought that women MPs were more likely to prioritise issues like domestic violence and fairness. Beware though of political romanticism when campaigning for change says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Thank you Sam!

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

Running scared of Jihad Jane

News and Politics | SP!KED

Adverts by Keep America Safe, led by Liz Cheney, recently caused howls of protest. They demanded that the Department of Justice name the officials who served as pro bono defence lawyers for the Guantanamo Bay detainees labelled ‘the Al-Qaeda Seven’.

Nowhere to take your £ on hols

Views & Ideas | GUARDIAN

In uncertain times there is often a "flight to safety" which has also depressed the euro. But for sterling, the recent downward lurch has economic, as well as political, foundations. We have suffered a steeper decline in aggregate demand than most.

Is it 'cos I is black?

News and Politics | INDEPENDENT

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown thinks we judge Woods and Cole by different standards: “Several conversations I overheard and some I had, saw mixed-race Woods and Cole as cheating "black" men. John Terry was just John Terry the charlatan. His race didn't count"

Should she shut up on celibacy

News and Politics | HUFFINGTON POST

Are girl gangs a new panic?

Views & Ideas | GUARDIAN

Girls come into contact with gangs as sisters, mothers, girlfriends and friends of male gang members, as well as being directly involved in gang activity. They hold weapons, drugs, set up attacks, recruit other females, provide alibis, store money.

US Boomers reliving '60's activism

Views & Ideas | L.A. TIMES

A poll debunks assumptions about the Tea Party movement, showing that it's largely middle-class, educated, white and male. Oceans of ink, terabytes of blog space and an eternity of TV time have been devoted to this latest object of media fascination. ...

RBS bonuses, are they right?

Egypt | MANAGEMENT TODAY

State-owned RBS released its 2009 results this morning; £3.6bn – the loss made last year and £1.3bn – the Government-approved RBS bonus pool, most of which will go to its investment bankers. MT asks if the alternatives are any more palatable.

"What is sexting, mummy?"

Views & Ideas | TIMES

Alice Thompson writes “As I walked to De Burght junior school in Amsterdam to talk to the headmaster about his policy [on sex ed], I bumped into 8-year-old Carla carefully balancing a dish. It was a sample of her father’s sperm for show-and-tell.”

Sexy's posh face or feminist icon?

Views & Ideas | SPLICE TODAY

£200,000 and counting

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

The new findings show that childcare costs remain the biggest single drain on the family's resources, and could add up to as much as £54,696 for one child between the ages of six months and 16 for a typical household where both parents are working.

Overegging girls' sexualisation

Views & Ideas | SUNDAY TIMES

Much too fair at Vanity Fair

Views & Ideas | YAHOO'S SHINE

Empowered or just immoral?

Views & Ideas | TIMES

Feminism has a problem with women who spray themselves orange, enlarge their breasts, squeeze into Lycra and chase footballers around clubs...granddaughters use their freedom to sprawl on pavements, hairless, botoxed, siliconed, sprayed and buffed.

A pro-beauty contest feminist

Views & Ideas | DOUBLE X

Gen Y women still feel an unbearable pressure to be “effortlessly perfect”...”smart, accomplished, fit, beautiful, and popular," without visible effort. In this cultural moment, I’ve come to respect contestants for their blindingly obvious effort.

Living Dolls and feminism's death

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

Three biological parents

Views & Ideas | NEW YORK TIMES

A surrogate gave birth to twins conceived with the sperm of her brother’s male spouse and donor eggs. She signed a contract agreeing that her brother would adopt the children, but a court ruled his spouse and the surrogate were the legal parents.

Parents should trust themselves

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

Do you think that the decision of Alan Johnson to allow parents to find out from the police whether an individual who has unsupervised contact with their child is a convicted paedophile is in the child’s interests? Melanie McDonagh thinks not.

You're like Lisa Hayden-Johnson

News and Politics | TIMES

For Libby Purves, the lack of remorse by the Edlington attackers’ parents, Frances Inglis’ murder of her disabled son and Lisa Hayden-Johnson’s abuse of her child, are the extremes of a parenting continuum which most of us rubbishy parents occupy.

Not assertive enough?

Egypt | CLAY SHIRKY

Blame France for Haitian disaster

News and Politics | THE DAILY BEAST

Casual sex causes terrorism?

Views & Ideas | THE INDEPENDENT

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown isn't pleading on behalf of screwed-up men who would murder us naming Allah. But she argues the collapse of all restraint in our societies is breeding sicknesses and madness, and may be pushing some Muslims to the edge of reason.

Will the kids be poorer than you?

Views & Ideas | NEWSWEEK

Rana Foroohar writes, “There's now a booming cottage industry among consultants and investment managers to describe and capitalize on "the New Normal," which will likely be the opposite of the hypercapitalist market culture of the past 25 years.”

Penis freed by firefighters

News and Politics | THE SUN

A man had to have his penis cut free by SEVEN firefighters after he got it stuck in a steel pipe. The crew used a metal grinder for the delicate 30-minute operation, after doctors at Southampton General Hospital tried to release him without success.

Career women make bad mothers

News and Politics | FEMINISTE

A campaign by the Outdoor Advertising Authority claims that career women make bad mothers. Feministe asks what debate is this meant to be sparking, anyway; whether women ought to be allowed to work? Whether women who choose to do so are bad mothers?

Corporate women need the P&L

Views & Ideas | US NEWS

Whether women avoid P&L jobs (which Bonnie Erbe doubts) or corporate bosses are loathe to give women those responsibilities and are more likely to steer them toward other career paths (which she believes is more likely) has yet to be proven.

Privacy is not a royal priviledge

News and Politics | SP!KED

“As photographers gathered outside the Tate Modern in London this weekend to protest against the censorious effects of anti-terror legislation, Queen Elizabeth II dealt another blow to the freedom to snap in public spaces” writes Natalie Rothschild.

Why Williams' huge fine?

News and Politics | FEMINISTING

Let's not forget that this was one outburst from Serena, an exception to the rule, as opposed to say John McEnroe who was known for his outburst and became part of his celebrity status.

Monogomy just ain't natural

Views & Ideas | LA TIMES

“Right-wing pro-marriage advocates are correct: Monogamy is definitely under siege. But not from uncloseted polyamorists, adolescent "hook-up" advocates, radical feminists, Godless communists or some vast homosexual conspiracy” writes David Barash. ...

Google is right not to censor

News and Politics | sAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Confronted with the return of an offensive, doctored image of First Lady Michelle Obama to the top of its image search engine results, Google is now using some of its own valuable ad space to offer an explanation on how its results are determined.

How d'you solve a puzzle like boys

Views & Ideas | THE CHRONICLE

Don't trust women either

Views & Ideas | SP!KED

More children are telling ChildLine of female sex abuse. Since the Vanessa George case it appears that women not just men ought to be uniformly suspected of sexually abusing children. But Sp!ked argues that the evidence of widespread abuse is flimsy.

Is shouting the new spanking?

Views & Ideas | SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"I can't believe you did this!" I screamed. "What were you thinking? I'm not going to put up with this behavior! I'm really mad about this! This is where I draw the line! You need to start behaving in class..." writes Amy Graff in the Mommy Files.

Slapper chic - what not to wear

Views & Ideas | MIAMI DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW

“You've come a long way, baby, but it may be the wrong way. Some women lawyers have gone from blue suits and white bow-tied blouses to dressing like hookers. It's liberating to dress as you please, but is it liberation?” so asks The Rodent column.

Is Uni too special for some kids?

Views & Ideas | CHRONICLE OF EDUCATION

"It has been empirically demonstrated that doing well (B average or better) in a traditional college major in the arts and sciences requires levels of linguistic and logical/mathematical ability that only 10-15 percent of the nation's youth possess."

Sex-education and abortion

News and Politics | NEW YORK TIMES

More than 13m abortions are performed each year in China, according to Chinese health officials’ figures, a big increase on 2003. Officials said that a low level of sex education among young people was the reason for the widespread use of abortion.

Drunk girls deserve to get raped

Views & Ideas | WASHINGTON CITY PAPER

A 15-year-old girl was gang-raped at her homecoming dance for hours in front of dozens of onlookers. Apparently, she had been drinking. For some, that turns her rape into a valuable morality tale that will put the fear into America's drunk girls.

Whatever happened to adults?

Views & Ideas | FRANK FUREDI

“Educational experts are increasingly harnessing young people’s well-meaning idealism in order to chastise their elders.... In previous times, the practice of mobilising children to police parents’ behaviour was confined to totalitarian societies."

Why aren't more women hookers?

Egypt | JEZEBEL

In the book Superfreakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner acknowledge that streetwalking is tough work. But being a high-end escort is big fun, like being a trophy wife without the marriage. Why don't more women do it? Anna North answers them.

Are models thin or are we fat?

Views & Ideas | WASHINGTON POST

Fashion doesn't just reject the overweight and the obese. It also gives the average a hard time.... Fashion is a test of willpower and determination. It is a purveyor of status. It is a badge of honour for having outrun, outfasted those saddlebags.

Are liberals scared of strong gals?

News and Politics | WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Noemie Emery observes that “At Vanity Fair, Michael Wolff pawed through the adjective bin and came up with "pernicious", "venomous," "sour, wounded, aggrieved, graceless, paranoid ... self-pitying, doubtless, extreme, aggressive and defensive"

Is maternity leave bad for us?

Egypt | SUNDAY TIMES

Like those who went before her, Pease, 48, was expected to say nothing of interest. Instead, she dropped a bombshell. “Legislation is turning into a nightmare,” said the mum of 3. “I think we have got too long maternity leave — a year is too long."

Daily Mail's gay-bashing

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

"Circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy. They took a young Bulgarian man back to their apartment.... What happened afterwards is anyone's guess....it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships”

Interracial duo denied license

News and Politics | GAWKER

A white Louisiana JP refused  an interracial couple a marriage license because he feels for the babies. ‘There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it.'

Population control bad for women

Views & Ideas | SP!KED

"Women’s health activists, in the US and around the world, have fought long and hard for the right to safe, voluntary birth control and abortion services. … The war on population always has been, and will continue to be, a war on women’s bodies."

Women aren't that bloody unhappy

Views & Ideas | THE NATION

Conservatives blame feminism, liberals blame women's extra burdens, and others blame various stereotypes. Using a single statistic as a peg for your pet theory is a game we all can play. But, the actual differences are tiny notes Katha Pollitt.

Myth of the US Mancession

News and Politics | REUTERS

Apparently it is a myth that gender roles are being rewritten in the US.  According to the US Census Bureau, women in full-time work saw their annual earnings fall at twice the pace of men in the recession — losing almost two percent last year.

Buying Kenyan food is good

News and Politics | TIMES

The smallholders who grow the French beans gracing British dinner tables, typically till fields by hand or with ox-drawn ploughs. “For many Kenyans, the money earned pays for school fees and better diets for their children” writes Tristan McConnell.

Is the Crocs love affair over?

Egypt | TIME

“Sales at the Colorado-based company climbed from a meagre $24,000 in 2002 to more than $847m in 2007. When Crocs went public in February 2006, it raised $208m — the largest shoe-firm IPO in market history. Then fortunes turned.” writes Tara Kelly.

Obama and his Nobel prize

News and Politics | ECONOMIST

The Economist asks, ‘Is it premature to give Obama the Nobel peace prize, less than a year into his presidency?’ Did the Nordic judges feel it a suitable consolation after Chicago lost out to Rio de Janeiro in its bid to host the 2016 Olympic games?

Tweeting your miscarriage Pt1

Views & Ideas | WASHINGTON POST

Penelope Trunk, CEO of a blog called Brazen Careerist, tweeted while in a board meeting last month that she was miscarrying - and how great is that? Beats the abortion she was planning to have, which would have meant missing two days of work.

He slept with 1300 prostitutes

Views & Ideas | OPEN THE MAGAZINE

“The affections of a woman have to be won through the peacock dance of success and refinement, or through the deceit of many lies. And then sustained for years through many strange virtues, or more lies. The price of love, above all, is monogamy."

Skinny model ban by glossy mag

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

Germany's most popular women's mag is banning models and replacing them with images of "real life" women.  In the latest attempt to stamp out the "size zero" model, the editors of Brigitte said it would in future only use women with "normal figures". ...

Sarah Brown: political wife

News and Politics | SP!KED

“Back in the days when Gordon Brown was saviour-of-the-nation-in-waiting, rather than a cheese wheel short of complete mental crack-up, his wife Sarah was a largely silent political consort, a retired PR exec and mother-of-two.” writes Emily Hill.

US census dispels 'mommy' myth

News and Politics | WASHINGTON POST

The notion of an opt-out revolution by high achieving women to stay at home has been the subject of public, academic and media debate. Derided as a myth, it has never quite gone away in an era when women still struggle to balance work and family.

Thatcher is China's top lady

News and Politics | GLOBAL TIMES

Of the 60 most influential foreigners voted for in a poll of Chinese readers, there is only one woman: Margaret Thatcher.  Mrs Thatcher shares the accolade with amongst others Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Michael Jackson, Henry Kissinger and Bill Gates.

Cops: Brooke Shields art is porn

News and Politics | GUARDIAN

“A display due to go on show to the public at Tate Modern tomorrow has been withdrawn after a warning from Scotland Yard that the naked image of actor Brooke Shields aged 10 and heavily made up could break obscenity laws.” writes Christine Higgins.

Should they let Polanski off?

News and Politics | SALON

Mary Williams writes, "One of my closest friends was molested by her father for years... A childhood friend was abused by a baby sitter. Another was gang raped by a bunch of classmates in junior high... none of them ever pursued criminal charges..." ...

Population control's new mask

Views & Ideas | FEMINISTING

“...using fears about climate change as a way to expand contraceptive use is eerily reminiscent of "population control" policies, some of which were coercive and all of which were rooted in the idea that certain people should have fewer babies."

Protect French from airbrushing

News and Politics | DAILY TELEGRAGH

“[Airbrushed] photos can lead people to believe in a reality that does not actually exist, and have a detrimental effect on adolescents.  Many...do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a young age.”

Girls keener on abs than labs

Views & Ideas | GUARDIAN

“Normal girls abjure their lecturers for the company of their peers, but nonetheless, most male lecturers know that, most years, there will be a girl in class who flashes her admiration and who asks for advice on essays. Enjoy her! She's a perk."

Unintended consequences

Views & Ideas | GUARDIAN

“The act of submission to checking by "the authorities" prompted a sense of unease. What if they muddled me up with someone else? How about the time I argued with a patronising doctor at the hospital and signed my child out against medical advice?"

Back to work 3 hrs after birth

News and Politics | DOMINION POST

“Just 3 hours after giving birth, Apikaila Lameko climbed on stage to accept an education award, with baby and husband in the audience...She and husband drove straight from Wellington Hospital to the grand hall at Parliament.” writes Kelly Burns.

Suing Wal-Mart over porn claim

News and Politics | SAN FRAN CHRONICLE

Last year A.J. and Lisa Demaree took a memory stick with photos to the local Wal-Mart in Arizona. Some of the photos showed their daughters partially naked in the bath. An employee contacted the police who agreed that this was child pornography.

Paternalism as govt activism

Views & Ideas | NEWSWEEK

Jacob Weisberg writing in Newsweek observes, “Paternalism is the method of government activism most amenable to an impoverished public sector. The problem is justification. Standard liberal theory holds such a role for government to be abhorrent.”

Smokers as cultural contaminators

Views & Ideas | SLATE.COM

NY’s health commissioner says kids shouldn't "have to be watching someone smoke.” As William Saletan notes “We're no longer talking about breathing even a particle of smoke. We're talking about banning bad habits to prevent cultural contamination."

Shoe heel options disorder (SHOD)

Egypt | THE TIMES

“Women have an unstoppable appetite to buy shoes and that’s the bottom line. Even if they are not going to buy another dress, girls are incapable of stopping themselves buying shoes.” Michael Sharp, deputy CEO of Debenhams, tells Catherine Boyle.

Keep women from frontline war

Views & Ideas | THE AUSTRALIAN

“That women should be able to join all front-line combat units of the Australian Army, including the Special Air Service, infantry rifle companies and the tank squadron, is the single stupidest idea I have heard in my life.” writes Greg Sheridan.

Earn millions from your sofa

News and Politics | SLATE.COM

Chris Wilson invites you to fill in Slate’s interactive plot generator to spit out the next volume in the Robert Langdon chronicles. Select a city and group from the menu or choose ”random" and let the computer decide. Then just wait for the cheque! ...

What's a woman without ovaries

Views & Ideas | NEW YORK TIMES

“Why should being biologically male or female still be so critical to our self-definition?  Is it nature, an evolutionary imperative to signal with whom we can reproduce?  Is it nurture?  Either way... it is profound” writes Peggy Orenstein.

Feminists battle over the veil

Views & Ideas | SALON.COM

Tracy Clark-Flory writes that we have Naomi Wolf, third-wave feminist and author of "The Beauty Myth," defending Muslim garb and Phyllis Chesler, second-waver and author of "The Death of Feminism," attacking both the veil and Wolf for defending it.

Rich people are more honest

News and Politics | TELEGRAGH

Zac Goldsmith says his vast fortune will protect him from the pecuniary temptations that might persuade others to stray. It is a novel thought, that great wealth confers some sort of superior morality when it comes to hard cash notes Liz Hunt.

Artless nobodies

Views & Ideas | Alistair Sooke

TELEGRAGH: Antony Gormley's open-plinth project has dispiriting echoes of reality television. By involving his audience so directly, he abdicates the artist's responsibility to alter the way in which we think about ourselves.

Can a rape joke be funny?

Views & Ideas | Amanda Hess

THE WASHINGTON CITY PAPER:  As America’s leading source of fake news, the Onion is always skewering the media along with its make-believe subjects, and media treatment of sexual violence is often ripe for satire.  The format has a lot to do it.

The September Issue

Views & Ideas | Jess Cartner-Morley

GUARDIAN: There is a new film that painstakingly unpicks the fashion industry from its inner seams. The September Issue follows Anna Wintour ('devil') and her team through much of 2007 as they put together the September issue of Vogue ('bible').

We missed Gordon's anniversary!

News and Politics | Ross Lydall

THE SCOTSMAN:  Gordon Brown became Prime Minister two years ago this week.  It is an anniversary the country appears to have decided not to celebrate, a collective acknowledgement perhaps of reverse schadenfreude.

Have Mercy, Madonna

Views & Ideas | Lisa Lovatt-Smith

GUARDIAN: For professionals arguing for ethical responsibility in inter-country adoption, Madonna's successful appeal to adopt 4year-old Mercy James was a heavy blow. We believe that poverty is not a reason to separate children from their families.

UK press united against ID cards

News and Politics | BBC staff

BBC: Alan Johnson yesterday ruled out making ID cards compulsory for UK citizens, signalling a significant retreat by the government on its flagship £4.8bn national scheme.“Holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens.”

More films should be kid-ist

Views & Ideas | Natalie Haynes

THE TIMES: When the BBFC announced this week that it was reclassifying some films and DVDs, it struck a blow in favour of grown-up culture. It has acknowledged, firmly and publicly, that some things (and not just porn) are made by and for adults.

Madoff de-funded U.S. Left

Views & Ideas | Matthew Vadum

AMERICAN SPECTATOR: By swindling clients out of up to $50 billion, Madoff has hurt or fatally wounded scores of nonprofit groups and charitable foundations, doing irreparable harm to the liberal causes he loves.

The women's infidelity club

Views & Ideas | Melanie Mason

POLITICO: Republicans have been rocked by 2 sex scandals in 2 weeks.  Why the discrepancy between the number of male and female politicians who end up in the hot seat. Are female politicians really more faithful, or are they not getting caught.

Michael Jackson has died at 50

News and Politics | TMZ Staff

TMZ.com: We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home. When paramedics were unable to revive him.

Unconditional right to choose?

Views & Ideas | Frances Kissling

SALON: One abortion provider told of a couple who had come to her clinic because the baby would be born under the wrong birth sign. The clinic considered that women do not have to give reasons for abortions and saw no reason to penalize this woman.

Why has art foresaken beauty

Views & Ideas | Roger Scruton

CITY JOURNAL: The ostentatious transgression of ordinary moral norms since modernism is mere sentimentality, a cheap way to stimulate an audience, and a betrayal of the sacred task of art, which is to magnify life as it is and to reveal its beauty.

Perez Hilton in gay scrap

News and Politics | Elizabeth Snead

LA TIMES:  "These are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community. For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it  is incredibly dangerous.”  says GLAAD’s director.   ...

The lost art of conceding defeat

Views & Ideas | Matt Bai

NY TIMES: What happens in politics cannot be extricated from the society at large. The lost art of losing nobly is not a political phenomenon. At the upper reaches of society, we litigate more readily and accept misfortune with ever less stoicism.

France's burqa fuss

Views & Ideas | Editorial

TORONTO STAR: The vast majority of Canada's million-plus Muslim women don't wear the burqa. Many no doubt share the view it is demeaning. Others are indifferent. Only a small minority embraces it. And it is not the business of the state to intervene. ...

Sarkozy policing women's bodies

Views & Ideas | Tracy Clark-Flory

SALON:  Women have been punished both for wearing and not wearing variously a burqa, hijab or headscarf. And yes, attacks on women's personal freedoms are wrong, but a broad burqa ban would be just that.

Isreal can see the Iranians

Views & Ideas | Ziv Bar'el

HAARETZ: Suddenly, there appears to be an Iranian people. Not just nuclear technology, extremist ayatollahs, Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad, axis of evil. The ears need to be conditioned to hear other names: Mousawi or Mousavi, Khamenei not Khomeini.

Lying about voting for Obama

Views & Ideas | Christopher Beam

SLATE: Even as Americans grow skeptical of various Democratic policies, President Obama's approval rating hovers at 63 percent. People like him so much, in fact, that many say they voted for him—even when they didn't.

Jolie's narcissistic statement

Views & Ideas | Sarah Vine

TIMESONLINE: The queen of the tattooed ladies is Jolie, who is positively festooned with inky symbolism including the longitude and latitude of her children’s birthplaces, and a tiger rampant at the base of her spine.

Iran's Kingmakers

Views & Ideas | Neil MacFarquhar

NEW YORK TIMES: With Iran’s political establishment at war with itself, a central question lurking behind the postelection tumult is which side the country’s highly influential clerics will back. So far the mullahs have remained largely silent.

North Korea: insurance fraudster!

News and Politics | Baline Harden

WASHINGTON POST:  Kim, a North Korean defector who worked as an insurance executive for 5 years has accused North Korea of global insurance fraud concocted to provide its communist leadership with hard currency.

Against involvement in Iran

Views & Ideas | Vanessa Gezari

DOUBLE XX: Images of protests in Iran offer the strongest argument against U.S. interference as a tool for democratization. Whether the election was rigged, whether they win, protestors have won a victory by disrupting on their own the status quo.

Palin, the Republican martyr

Views & Ideas | Debra J Saunders

SFGATE: During the presidential campaign, I wrote about the unfair treatment to which the political press subjected Sarah Palin and her children. Now I just want her to go away. Palin should stick to her day job.

Twitter and Iranian Opposition

News and Politics | Josh Lowensohn

CNET: According to Biz Stone, Twitter's host NTT America is postponing downtime that was scheduled to take place late Monday night in light of the Twitter activity surrounding the presidential elections in Iran.

Fear, Fraud or Democratic will

News and Politics | Ballen and Doherty

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT: The election results in Iran may reflect the will of the Iranian people. Many experts are claiming that the margin of victory of incumbent President Ahmadinejad was the result of fraud or manipulation.

Roald Dahl on vaccinations

Views & Ideas | Cory Doctorow

BOINGBOING: Parents have been duped by a falsified claim that vaccinations are linked to autism. Dahl had a child die from measles, and he was determined that no other child should die needlessly from fear and ignorance.

Major economies decline steeply

Egypt | Bob Davis

WALL STREET JOURNAL: Steep declines in the economies of 3 of the U.S.'s biggest trading partners, Mexico, Japan and Germany, underscored the severity of the global recession and put pressure on major industrialized nations to revive  global talks

Patent on breast cancer gene

News and Politics | John Timmer

ARS TECHNICA: ACLU has organized patients, clinicians, and medical organizations and filed a suit that seeks to overturn patents awarded to Myriad Genetics, which uses them to enforce its monopoly on testing for genetic changes associated with breast c...

Kenyan women on sex strike

News and Politics | Tracy Clark Flory

SALON.com: In Kenya, thousands of women are sounding the familiar battle cry "all is fair in love and war," only they're playing that infamous odd couple against itself. In desperate hopes of pacifying the government's furious infighting, they've res...

US shrinks by 6.1%

News and Politics | Alan Rappaport

FT.com: The US economy continued to contract in the first quarter of this year as business investment collapsed in the face of eroding global demand. Preliminary commerce department figures showed on Wednesday that US gross domestic product declined by...

WHO: pandemic imminent

News and Politics | MSNBC

MSNBC: Global health authorities warned Wednesday that swine flu was threatening to bloom into a pandemic, and the virus spread farther in Europe even as the outbreak appeared to stabilize at its epicenter.

Census-taker spread flu widely

News and Politics | Wilkinson and Sanchez

LA TIMES:  In an ominous disclosure, officials said the first confirmed fatality of the disease, a 39-year-old woman from an impoverished state neighboring Veracruz, worked as a door-to-door census-taker and may have had contact with scores of people. ...

Obama's 100 days a hit

News and Politics | Laura Meckler

WALL STREET JOURNAL: A hundred days into his presidency, Barack Obama's standing with the public remains high, increasing the odds he can enact his ambitious agenda. Most Americans like their new president, even amid some reservations about his policy ...

International borders tighten

News and Politics | Donald G. McNeil Jr.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two new swine flu cases were confirmed in Israel and as many as 11 in New Zealand, bringing the number of countries with confirmed cases to at least seven on Tuesday. But all, with the exception of Mexico, said the patients were rec...

Mexico City to be shut down

News and Politics | Adam Thomson

Mexico City authorities have admitted they may "shut down" Mexico's sprawling capital in an effort to combat an outbreak of swine flu that has so far claimed the lives of up to 149 people, according to official reports.

Sex worker downturn

News and Politics | Megan

JEZEBEL:  With too many people left with too little spending cash, the world's oldest profession (in one of a few countries where it's legal) is feeling the pinch. Hence: brothel discounts.

Public Health Emergency in US

News and Politics | Donald G. McNeil Jr.

NEW YORK TIMES: Responding to what some health officials feared could be the leading edge of a global pandemic emerging from Mexico, American health officials declared a public health emergency on Sunday as 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in this ...

Obama is flu free!

News and Politics | Michael McAuliff

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:  President Obama did not bring back an unpleasant souvenir from his recent trip Mexico: he's all clear of swine flu, White House officials said.

CDC readies swine vaccine

News and Politics | Alice Park

TIME:  Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged on Friday that "concern has grown" since the first reports of a novel swine flu infecting patients in Texas and California emerged late March.

US to butt out on Iran ruling

News and Politics | Hussein Jaseb and Fredrik Dahl

REUTERS: Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Hassan Qashqavi, said the United States should respect rulings issued by the Islamic state's courts, but that Saberi had the right to appeal.

Raspberry Flavoured Galaxy

News and Politics | Ian Sample

The Guardian. Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries.