nimic nou

Posted on February 29, 2008 by ruxi

cum spuneam intr-un post mai vechi la care tocmai am facut referire aici, de multe ori chiar in cazurile cele mai extreme barbatii care comit crime misogine sint… intelesi. cine poarta vina pentru aceste crime? tot femeile:

You can say many things about the double murderer Levi Bellfield, but you could never suggest that this was a man who kept his rampant, violent misogyny a secret. … The past week has brought us not one, but three horrific cases of misogyny-inspired murders, which have ended in the convictions of Bellfield, Mark Dixie and Steve Wright. In each case, what comes through most strongly is just how open, violent and persistent the killer’s misogyny was, and how they were allowed to indulge it, and even boast of it, for years. … In all three of these murder cases, the men had been violent towards one or more of their partners in the past. … Given the litany of violence carried out by each of these men, how did they stay free to attack women for so long? Why didn’t their partners go to the police and complain that these men were vicious wife-beaters? … And for anyone looking for more evidence of misogyny, just consider who is being blamed for these murders: their mothers. …

“How could it happen again?” (27.2.08, The Guardian)

it’s only a “myth” if…

Posted on February 29, 2008 by ruxi

The psychology of female rape apologists isn’t that hard to figure out. If you can tell yourself that rape survivors asked for it — that they dressed a certain way, flirted too much, drank too much, just changed their minds, or flat-out made it up — you feel safe. You don’t do those things, and so you aren’t at risk.

I’m sympathetic to the need for psychological self-protection. But not when it’s to the detriment of other women. … It’s the standard right-wing misogynist line. And it’s part of a much broader assault on women’s rights and basic bodily autonomy. …

from the first of two posts @ feministe commenting a recent l.a. times op-ed called “what campus rape crisis?”

finally, a feminism 101 blog highlights those posts and also links to a round-up of blogger reactions put together by SAFER (a great response in the l.a. times by nora niedzielski-eichner from SAFER here)

post-Ipswich murders conviction

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

The same old story?

Steve Wright was convicted yesterday of murdering five women in Ipswich. Twenty-seven years ago, Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of killing 13 women throughout northern England. Many of their victims were prostitutes. What do the two cases tell us about how policing, the sex trade – and misogyny – have changed in the intervening decades? …

more: Joan Smith reports in The Guardian

(in ro: un post din decembrie 2006)

Scrisoare deschisa re: legalizarea prostitutiei

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

… Asociaţia Caritas Bucureşti împreună cu o puternică reţea de organizaţii non-guvernmentale au iniţiat un amplu program de informare şi conştientizare care atrage atenţia că prostituţia este o nouă formă de violenţă asupra femeii. Statisticile arată că rata mortalităţii şi morbidităţii femeilor implicate în prostituţie este de 40 de ori mai mare decât cea a populaţiei generale şi că aceste decese sunt aproape întotdeauna de tip violent, provocate de proxeneţi, traficanţi şi clienţi. Rata ridicată a mortalităţii, bolilor şi traumelor fizice şi psihice, demonstrează că guvernele trebuie să ia toate măsurile necesare pentru a elimina prostituţia, care este o formă de violenţă împotriva femeii şi o crimă împotriva demnităţii umane. …

— Intreaga scrisoare deschisa AICI (Open letter in English HERE)

si cateva resurse pe subiect aici

EFF June conference in Poland cancelled

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

The European Feminist Forum, which was planned for 13-15 June 2008 in Warsaw, will not take place.

The European networks that have been cooperating since 2006 on the platform for debate and sharing entitled European Feminist Forum have decided, due to financial reasons, that the culmination of the process with the conference will not take place. This is the face-to-face meeting of European feminists, which we had scheduled to take place from 13-15 June 2008. Instead, the process will be concluded with a comprehensive publication.

The other parts of the European Feminist Forum process have taken place and we are very proud of the achievements. The process has set up a vivid field of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, movement building and agenda setting in Europe. 21 Affinity Groups have debated urgent issues, and shared their information and knowledge through the European Feminist Forum website. Our process of visioning a feminist Europe was driven by many feminist-inspired voices, from young, migrant, male, minority and marginalized voices. The European Feminist Forum was constructed and has been an inclusive and joint platform of all of these groups from the start. For a preliminary overview of results so far, follow this link.
Continue reading →

Latest WorldWatch: sustainable economies

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

Seven Principles for a Sustainable Global Economy

Ideas about how the world works that don’t accord with reality can be unhelpful … That’s especially true about mainstream economics. But in recent decades, economists and researchers have suggested a variety of reforms that would make economics truer, greener, and more sustainable. … seven of these from Chapter 1 of the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report, State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy:
1) Scale.
2) Stress development over growth.
3) Make prices tell the ecological truth.
4) Account for nature’s services.
5) The precautionary principle.
6) Commons management.
7) Value women.

Read: “Green Economics”: Turning Mainstream Thinking on Its Head

Maintaining Climate, Maintaining Peace

Climate stability, reduced poverty, and less inequality should be key goals of a far-sighted security policy … Even though peacekeeping budgets have been on a welcome incline in recent years, a comparison with world military spending indicates where most governments are really prepared to put their money.

Read: Peacekeeping, a Study in Contradictions.
Vital Signs Update: Peacekeeping Budgets and Personnel Soar to New Heights.

Living Sustainably

“More is better”—the modern economic mantra—is under attack as the environmental, economic, and personal downsides of consumerism become evident. Harried, overworked, and indebted consumers are increasingly open to a focus on quality of life rather than more stuff …

Read: State of the World 2008, Chapter 4: The Challenge of Sustainable Lifestyles (pdf).
Vote: What would you ask your community leaders to do to encourage sustainable lifestyles?

2008 – Anul european al dialogului intercultural

Posted on February 4, 2008 by ruxi

http://www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu

Anul 2008 a fost declarat Anul european al dialogului intercultural.

Acest an urmareste:

* promovarea dialogului intercultural ca instrument care sa-i ajute pe cetatenii europeni si pe toti cei care traiesc in Uniunea Europena sa obtina cunostinte si aptitudini de a actiona intr-un context mai deschis si mai complex
* constientizarea de catre cetatenii europeni si toti cei care traiesc in Uniunea Europeana a importantei dezvoltarii unei cetatenii europene active, care sa respecte diversitatea culturala si sa se bazeze pe valorile comune.

Nume de marca ale culturii mondiale, cum ar fi binecunoscutul scriitor brazilian Paulo Coelho sau regizorul de origine romana Radu Mihaileanu, artistul sloven Marko Peljhan, cantareata serba Marija Serifovic vor fi ambasadori ai manifestarilor organizate in acest an.

Programele vor fi coordonate de comisarul pentru cultura, educatie si tineret, Jan Figel, si de comisarul pentru multilingvism, Leonard Orban.

Leonard Orban a prezentat pentru Radio Romania principalul program pe care urmeaza sa il lanseze in 2008 in cadrul Anului dialogului intercultural:

“Am solicitat unui grup de intelectuali sa ne propuna formule prin care multilingvismul poate sa contribuie la dialogul intercultural. Grupul este precizat de celebrul scriitor franco-libanez Amin Maalouf. Undeva la inceputul lunii ianuarie acest document va fi finalizat, grupul va veni cu un fel de manifest, un fel de contributie intelectuala la modalitatea in care multilingvismul va contribui nu numai la succesul anului intercultural 2008, dar si dincolo de acest an.”

fwd c.