More women than ever have competed in the 2012 London Olympics than any previous games. For the first time, every country represented at the Olympic Games has sent women to compete in London. This includes Saudi Arabia, a country that has never previously sent any women athletes to the Olympics. Women’s boxing also made its…
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As a feminist, I often get into situations where I’ll do something vaguely ‘un-feminist’ (not that I even believe in that term), and whoever is with me will clap their hands in glee and say, ‘Ha! That’s not very feminist of you, is it?!’, triumphantly, as if I’ve finally been caught out as the fraud…
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barack obama says same-sex couples should marry In a mammoth political move, US President Barack Obama has declared his personal support for gay marriage. He said: “I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my…
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Today my father told me he wanted to walk to our local café for coffee. We’ve both been walking a lot more recently because my parents have downsized to one car and, as my mum is still working, she has the car the vast majority of the time. I thought it would take the both…
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Name: Melissa Wellham Age: 22 Occupation: Student / Freelance Writer / Blogger How would you describe yourself and your life? I’m a movie buff, word nerd, music snob, mag hag, comic book aficionado and political hack – and like to write about all these things, for various publications and on my blog. I studied…
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Name: Andre Pant Age: 27 Occupation: Engineer/Physicist How would you describe yourself and your life? I like to think I enjoy a pretty well rounded life. I’m a pretty big science nut, with a background in space engineering and plasma physics. I also care about the social side of humanity, and have been involved in…
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Name: David Nowell Age: 64 Occupation: Business Engineering Consultant How would you describe yourself and your life? My life is very full and with many aspects of happiness and enjoyment in all areas. I have a great mix of work, social and relaxation in essentially a carefree arrangement. I can pick and choose what I…
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Name: Tara Mitchell Age: 23 Occupation: Activist How would you describe yourself and your life? I never imagined I’d be a Feminist. Being a transsexual, I was brought up with male privilege for the first 20 years of my life, and this left me quite blind to the reality of women’s lives and the toll…
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I sure as hell never envisaged myself reading a book with Porn in the title when I was fifteen, but here I am five years on having thoroughly enjoyed just that. Pornland: How porn has hijacked our sexuality by Gail Dines is an exploration of the effects porn has had and continues to make on…
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Name: Nayree Mardirian Age: 20 Occupation: Student and Sales Assistant 1. How would you describe yourself and your life? I am currently a student just trying to make my way in the world. I am always busy and eager to engage in new experiences. I love music, film and have a passion for foreign affairs…
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Name: Stephen Benko-Nehme Age: 31 Occupation: Library / AV Technician How would you describe yourself and your life? I’m a Western Caucasian male nearing middle age, living in middle-class suburbia. Why are these specific details important? Because my relatively easy existence alluded to by my demographic puts me in a unique position – I…
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tunisian association of democratic women wins simone de beauvoir prize The 2011 Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom, an award given to advocates of women’s rights across the globe, was awarded to the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) on Saturday. According to a statement from the prize organisers, the AFTD ‘was recognised for…
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Afghan rape victim marriage pressure An Afghan woman who was raped and subsequently jailed for adultery has been pardoned for her ‘crime’ but upon her release, may be pressured into marrying her rapist. The woman, Gulnaz, who gave birth to a daughter in prison, apparently agreed to the marriage in a bid for freedom, despite…
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Regency era England is often regarded as a world of fluttery Jane Austen-types, high tea and button-down sexuality. However, the fascinating and largely unknown figure of Anne Lister, and her extensively juicy diaries, pry open a very different account of the times. Watching the recent BBC telemovie based on Lister’s life, The Secret Diaries of…
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