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| News June 2007 |
June 2007
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BRISBANE FEMINISM ONLINE – JUNE 2007
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Hi People
Welcome to the June BFO newsletter.
There is a wonderfully busy month ahead for the dedicated feminist. There are shows to see, films to watch, speakers to hear and conferences to attend. If you want to get involved in Reclaim the Night this year meetings are becoming a regular thing so don’t miss out, Vulcana Women's Circus is starting up some winter workshops and Children by Choice is having another movie fundraiser.
Best regards and spread the word.
Kitty and Andrea
2007 BFO Editors
Feedback welcome to editor@brisbanefeminismonline.net
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. WONDER WOMAN WORKSHOPS
2. THE GIFT - A WOMAN'S RITE TO HERSELF
3. THE DREAMING FESTIVAL
4. WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY (5 JUNE) CELEBRATIONS 2007
5. A SHADOW OF MY FORMER SELF
6. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TO OUR NEXT RECLAIM THE NIGHT MEETING?
7. FEMINIST DISCUSSION NIGHT: BEAUTY MYTH
8. AMY LAMÉ'S MAMA CASS FAMILY SINGERS
9. GO RED FOR WOMEN
10. SWOON IN JUNE
11. OCEAN’S THIRTEEN MOVIE FUNDRAISER NIGHT
12. AUTHOR FIONA DOYLE: STORIES OF COUNTRY - A WAY OF LIVING
13. PRIDE RALLY & MARCH
14. MOUNTAINS TO MANGROVES FESTIVAL
15. CHILDBIRTH: WAITING (FILM)
16. THE PEACE CONVERGENCE
17. CLOSE THE GAP PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
18. 'TIL DEATH DO US PART
19. VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
20. 40TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ACPA REFLECTIONS
21. SISTERS INSIDE CONFERENCE
22. FEMINIST MOTHERS DISCUSSION GROUP
23. SMART WOMEN - SMART STATE AWARDS
24. FESTITALIA
25. CELEBRITIES TAKE TO SPORTS FIELD FOR ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN
26. THE SHAMELESS OLD LADY / LA VIEILLE DAME INDIGNE
27. CELEBRITIES TAKE TO SPORTS FIELD FOR ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN
28. THE MOTHER: ISSUES, IMAGES AND PRACTICES
29. BARBAKIUERIA
30. MUSGRAVE PARK FAMILY FUN DAY
31. VULCANA WORKSHOPS
32. INTERNATIONAL FEMINIST SUMMIT TOWNSVILLE
33. EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND EVERYTHING... THE TRIPLE LAYERS OF A WOMAN'S LIFE
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LOCAL NEWS
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1. WONDER WOMAN WORKSHOPS
June July August
Have you ever watched one of those TV makeover programs where some wonder woman manages to build a new front fence and remodel the kitchen all in an afternoon? Are You a Potential Wonder Woman? We cannot promise to give you the skills to achieve a television style makeover of your home and garden but you are invited to become a participant in one of our popular Wonder Woman workshops. This TAFE accredited program brings together up to six women and gives them an opportunity to work with experienced teachers and skilled tradespersons Kevin Larsen and Shane Smith. The program is designed to build self-confidence in working with hand and power tools and to develop practical timber construction skills that will allow you to address simple timber-related repairs in the home and garden.
http://bn.tafe.qld.gov.au/courses_and_careers/topics/viewpublishtext.php?courseid=3811
2. THE GIFT - A WOMAN'S RITE TO HERSELF
8 to 10 June 2007
The Gift - A Woman's Rite to Herself is a three day journey of initiation for women into the mysterious and unknown territory of the Feminine Self. For further details for our next weekend together in Brisbane in June 2007 please contact Sheila 3357 9291 or 0421 318 575 or email sheilaheartsoul2004 (at) yahoo.com.au We also have monthly women's sharing circles and all women are welcome. Held at Womenspace Kedron (on Brisbane's northside)
http://www.shematrix.com/
3. THE DREAMING FESTIVAL
8th – 11th June
The Dreaming is a vibrant exciting and a valuable destination where local national and international audiences look forward to their annual ceremony time along with the most comprehensive showcase of Indigenous arts from across the country and around the world. This three day and four night festival will have performing arts venues bars Ceremony grounds traditional healing galleries rituals campfire story circles and a mass of stalls workshop avenue and food outlets.
http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/main/index.php?apply=&webpage=the_dreaming_2007&PHPSESSID=85d8dd86f01c46e58013bd76b565922f&cID=2074&menuID=369
4. WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY (5 JUNE) CELEBRATIONS 2007
9 June (Saturday) 2007
World Environment Day (5 June) Celebrations 2007 - a chance for people to get together in Brisbane to celebrate the planet! Come along for a day in the park... Wear RED to indicate STOP to Global Warming! Bring along a picnic. There will be speakers a painting workshop for kids and an environmental justice walk around the city! So bring your bicycles scooters skateboards and prams! Let's get together this World Environment Day weekend! 12 noon Queens Park. Contact Jenni: 0434 146 832Paul: 0410 629 088David: 0403 871 082.
http://www.brisbanecitylife.com.au/bcl/wotson-june.htm
5. A SHADOW OF MY FORMER SELF
Tue 12 - Sun 17 Jun 07
Catch Nova 1069 Breakfast show host and Rove Live regular Meshel Laurie in her brand new, fabulously funny show. When she was 24 Meshel Laurie hoped she would magically turn into a whole other person. She assumed that sooner or later she’d get her life together and wake up thin. Now, at 34 she has accepted her life will always be rather untidy, she may never wake up thin, and the true path to happiness is to get bigger pants.
http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/a-shadow-of-my-former-self/
6. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TO OUR NEXT RECLAIM THE NIGHT MEETING?
13th June
It's happening next week 13th June 6pm. No experience necessary. Just bring yourself. Tell other women you know about it if you want share your ideas or just listen to other women's ideas if you don't want to share. Some stuff we may talk about: Reclaim the Night-what's it all about...
Designs for a poster publicity ideas themes /demands/purpose/goals of RTN Workshops/events leading up to event Workshops at event? Entertainment ideas Campaigning ideas Activist ideas ANYTHING else you wud like to talk about Meeting starts 6pm Wednesday 13th June at Trades and Labour Council Building (TLC), Level 216 Peel Street South Brisbane (train tracks on right) There is parking around the back of the building and there is the Cultural Centre Bus Way stop a block away along with South Brisbane Train Station. I’m happy to offer lifts to public transport hot spots and West End if needed after the meeting. Next Meeting 18th July 6pm Give Heidi a call on 3391 2573 or email if you need any more info. If you would like to be on the RTN e-list email me and I'll send you the link.
7. FEMINIST DISCUSSION NIGHT: BEAUTY MYTH
Wednesday 13th June
Prepare to deconstruct your feminism and face your inner demons and compromises, the topic is: the beauty myth - do you wear make-up, shave, wax, diet, wear high heels and overtly sexy clothes? why or why not? would you get breast implants? plastic surgery? a brazilian wax? does your feminism influence your decision? How do you reconcile your feminism with your personal buy-in of the beauty myth?" venue details. Email Kitty for Venue details.
kitty@brisbanefeminismonline.net
8. AMY LAMÉ'S MAMA CASS FAMILY SINGERS
Wed 13 - Sun 17 Jun 07
Direct from successful seasons at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London’s SOHO Theatre, London-based American TV and radio personality Amy Lamé brings her acid-tongued wit and shocking revelations to Brisbane. Amy Lamé was a chubby child star in a 60’s cover band. Touring with her dysfunctional siblings she had everything she ever wanted - fame, fortune and sandwiches. She lived the American dream until it turned around and bit her on the ass.
http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/amy-lames-mama-cass-family-singers/
9. GO RED FOR WOMEN
15 June (Friday) 2007
Go Red For Women - Be on high RED alert for Australia biggest and most silent killer Heart Disease by being daring and dressing head to toe in red for the Heart Foundation's Go Red For Women. Not the daring type? You can still support the Heart Foundation by purchasing Go Red for Women merchandise such as kukai beadspinskey rings pens and other accessories or wearing a red shirt tie or lipstick. Go Red For Women aims to increase awareness of heart disease and raise a high red alert to all women about their risk of heart disease. For further information on Go Red for Women call Pippa MacKinnon at the Heart Foundation on 9382 5905 or email pippa.mackinnon [at] heartfoundation.com.au
http://www.brisbanecitylife.com.au/bcl/wotson-june.htm
10. SWOON IN JUNE
Friday 15th June
FABULOUS MUSICIANS from St Mary’s at South Brisbane AND their talented friends bring you Let’s Swoon in June an evening when you’ll enjoy … •Divine live music that you’ll immediately love and understand •A heavenly candle-lit ambience •Complimentary glass of champagne and nibbles on arrival •Opportunities to meet local musicians and composers •A chance to purchase fairly traded jewellery performers’ CDs and more •A warm glow from helping a good cause •Some free off-street parking available Funds raised go to help the valuable work of the REFUGEE CLAIMANTS SUPPORT CENTRE at Lutwyche. This is a fantastic LOW-COST NIGHT OUT. Tickets are $20 at the door –or $18.50 if you buy ahead. Ten-ticket deal is even better: pre-pay for 9 @ $18 - and get ONE FREE! Mark your diary now and contact organiser Josephine Brown phone 3392 0669 or email joalb@bigpond.net.au. IMPORTANT DETAILS •Friday15 June 2007 at 7pm for 7.30pm •St Mary’s Catholic ChurchCnr Peel & MerivaleSouth Brisbane •Formal dress appreciated but optional
http://www.barc.org.au/cms/
11. OCEAN’S THIRTEEN MOVIE FUNDRAISER NIGHT
Friday 15th June 2007
6.00 - 6.30pm Arrival for Nibbles & Glass of Bubbly 7.00pm Movie Screening at the Palace Centro Cinema39 James Street Fortitude Valley Cost $20.00 (inc. glass of bubbly & nibbles on arrival) Synopsis Prolific and acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh's sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Danny Ocean (George Clooney)Rusty (Brad Pitt)Linus (Matt Damon) and their merry band of heist-pullers have a valid ethical reason behind their most ambitious and riskiest casino heist yet: to defend one of their own - after a ruthless casino owner double-crosses one of the original Ocean's Eleven - Reuben (Elliott Gould). To pull it off the crew teams up with erstwhile enemy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) – yes that’s Terry Benedict - and Linus meanwhile falls for a sexy older woman (Ellen Barkin). Oh yea hand there's a new badass in town. Name's Al Pacino - you may have heard of him.
Enquiries to (07) 3357 9933 (option 2) or info@childrenbychoice.org.au
12. AUTHOR FIONA DOYLE: STORIES OF COUNTRY - A WAY OF LIVING
Say 16th June
Author Fiona Doyle states, ‘Writing about Country and living with families on Country has always been inspiration to carry and feed me throughout the creative process of whatever genre I`m creating in, be it dance, writing or theatre. I feel that my memories, the teachings of my people, in particular my Elders, and my own personal experience is the source of knowledge and guidance that I continue to draw from in order to yarn or project.’ 2- 3pm Mayne Centre
http://www.uq.edu.au/events/event_view.php?event_id=3282
13. PRIDE RALLY & MARCH
Sat 16th June
Due to construction at King George Square this year will see the march and rally take place and leave from Queens Square(opposite the Casino) Be there at 10am for the rally and ready to march by 10.30am Lets make some noise and be heard
http://www.pridebrisbane.org.au/
14. MOUNTAINS TO MANGROVES FESTIVAL
16 June to 1 July 2007
Mountains to Mangroves Festival - Join in over 35 environmentally focused events concerts and activities as the Festival celebrates the unique green Mountains to Mangroves corridor that extends from Camp Mt to Boondall Wetlands in North Brisbane. Held every 2 years.
http://www.mountainstomangroves.org/
15. CHILDBIRTH: WAITING (FILM)
17 June 07
M, Australia 1990. Di,sc: Jackie McKimmie. Leads: Noni Hazlehurst, Ray Barrett, Deborra-Lee Furness. Col. 94 mins. Friends gather in a Queenslander in the country to wait for Clare to give birth to a child for Sandy. Theory (feminism, surrogacy, home birthing) is tested by the irrational world of the emotions in a funny, sympathetic and provocative way. “It is a film for all people, men and women” (Jackie McKimmie). Venue: slq Auditorium 2, level 2 Date: Sun 17 Jun, 2pm Entry: Free, no booking required
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/events/films
16. THE PEACE CONVERGENCE
18 to 24 June
The Peace Convergence is a nonviolent gathering in the Shoalwater region on 18 to 24 June 2007. The peak period of the Convergence will be on the weekend: Friday 22 June to Sunday 24 June. An invitation is extended to peace and social justice environment indigenous women's secular and faith based groups and individuals to join with the local community: to nonviolently oppose the war games and the environmental destruction it will cause to voice our call for an end to the war in Iraq and Australian involvement with illegal and unjust US-led wars.
http://www.peaceconvergence.com/
17. CLOSE THE GAP PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
Tuesday 19 June
Gr Floor Waterfront Place Eagle Street Brisbane 6pm. Together we can end the Indigenous health crisis. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders die 17 years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality is three times that of non-Indigenous Australians. It is a national disgrace that Indigenous Australians do not have the same access to health services that other Australians enjoy. RSVP 18th June annmatson@oxfam.org.au
http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/indigenous/action.php?PHPSESSID=a606957a18564018133e92716d1e0342
18. 'TIL DEATH DO US PART
Wed 20 - Sat 23 Jun 07
A live theatre *bleep*tail of parody, schmooze, glamour and dysfunction by the five self-proclaimed "Charlie's Angels of theatre". Drink, laugh and be wickedly entertained by The Brides as they take you on a ride through their most popular party pieces and twist them into the unthinkable. See the famously delicious fairy floss ladies, get down and dirty with the squalid gold dancers and be transfixed by grand visions of gothic horror. There's no way to prepare for being Franked - so pull yourself together and say "I DO"!
http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/til-death-do-us-part/
19. VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
23 June (Saturday) 2007
Genealogical Society of Queensland Volunteers required to participate in tribute to Australia's female convict ancestors by making convict bonnets. Information workshop being held 10.30am at Genealogy Society Qld premises 1/38 Fisher StEast Brisbane.
http://www.brisbanecitylife.com.au/bcl/wotson-june.htm
20. 40TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ACPA REFLECTIONS
Wed 27 Jun to Sat 30 Jun 2007
A performance piece of song dance and narration; a theatrical journey which reflects back on the movement of the coming together of Black and White to take up the fight for the 1967 Referendum; Aborigines the right to vote. To understand the determination the struggle and the strength of our Peoples' plight we heard our Elders speak their personal stories. They informed encouraged and inspired us towards what has to be done for the future. In this performance we pay our respect to the past by reflecting a proud image of hope integrity beauty and strength to the future.
http://www.qpac.com.au/events/ACPA%20Reflections
21. SISTERS INSIDE CONFERENCE
28 29 & 30 June
Crowne Plaza Darwin. Sisters Inside Inc. will facilitate the conference "Is Prison Obsolete” which addresses the crucial issues relating to the criminalisation of women their experience of prison and post release. Training Opportunities: Human Rights In Action Training and Working with Women with Lived Prison Experience.
Facilitated by Debbie Kilroy OAMLLBBSocWK. Director of Sisters
http://www.sistersinside.com.au/conference.htm
22. FEMINIST MOTHERS DISCUSSION GROUP
Friday 29th June
Join in on the ongoing discussion of how feminism influences your parenting and parenting influences your feminism. Contact kitty for more details.
kitty@brisbanefeminismonline.net
23. SMART WOMEN - SMART STATE AWARDS
Nominations Close 29 June
Who is eligible to nominate? An individual or team can be entered under one award category. You can nominate yourself or someone you know if the person (or team) nominated is: female (for a team entry any nominated members of the team must be female but they can be working in a team that includes males) achieving in science engineering or information and communication technology (ICT) currently living in Queensland and either an Australian citizen or has legal permanent resident sttus working or volunteering in Queensland or studying at a Queensland educational institution. Working or studying in Queensland. Nominations close at 5pm on 29 June 2007. Nominate now!
http://www.women.qld.gov.au/?id=1211
24. FESTITALIA
1 July (Sunday) 2007
Festitalia - at the RNA Showgrounds. This Italian Festival highlights the thriving diverse cultural identities and promotes acceptance and tolerance within Queensland's wider community.
http://www.festitalia.com/
25. CELEBRITIES TAKE TO SPORTS FIELD FOR ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN
1 July 07
BRISBANE, June 7, 2007: Retired Indigenous sports stars Cathy Freeman and Steve Renouf will join actor William McInnes and newsreader Anton Enus in lacing up their football boots to spread the anti-racism message in Brisbane next month.
http://www.nit.com.au/breakingNews/story.aspx?id=11441
26. THE SHAMELESS OLD LADY / LA VIEILLE DAME INDIGNE
1 July
U15, France 1965. Di,sc: Renè Allio. Lead: Sylvie. B&w. 94 mins. Sub-titles.
An adaptation of Brecht’s fable about an old woman who, after the death of her husband, outrages her family by suddenly starting a new life of delightful irresponsibility. “81 year-old Sylvie is magnificent…in its quiet way a genuinely subversive film.” (Tom Milne, Time Out).Venue: slq Auditorium 2, level 2 Date: Sun 1 Jul, 2pm Entry: Free, no booking required
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/events/films
27. CELEBRITIES TAKE TO SPORTS FIELD FOR ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN
1 July 07
BRISBANE, June 7, 2007: Retired Indigenous sports stars Cathy Freeman and Steve Renouf will join actor William McInnes and newsreader Anton Enus in lacing up their football boots to spread the anti-racism message in Brisbane next month.
http://www.nit.com.au/breakingNews/story.aspx?id=11441
28. THE MOTHER: ISSUES, IMAGES AND PRACTICES
5th July to Saturday 7th
The Mother: Issues, Images and Practices is being held from Thursday 5th July to Saturday 7th July at UQ, St. Lucia. For information regarding registration to attend please contact Lisa Raith (raith@usq.edu.au) or Jenny Jones (ja.jones@qut.edu.au). Call for papers: Many abstracts have already being received. If you are interested in being a presenter, please forward a 200 word abstract and a 50 word biography to Dr. Marie Porter (m.porter@uq.edu.au) by 31st March. We invite proposals for panel discussions or workshops (90 mins), informed personal reflections, scholarly papers (30 mins). Please submit an abstract and biography by 31st March.
29. BARBAKIUERIA
8 July
U15, Australia 1986. Prod: ABC. Di: Don Featherstone. Sc:Geoffrey Atherden. 28 mins.
A role reversal satire of black-white relations. Women of the Sun - 25 years later PG, Australia 2006. Prod, di: Bob Weis. Col. 80 mins. Women of the Sun was ground-breaking drama series screened on television in 1981 which looked at the history of black-white contact through the eyes of four Aboriginal women. Twenty-five years later, the producer sets out to find out how the series impacted on five women who were involved both in front of, and behind, the camera. Venue: slq Auditorium 2, level 2 Date: 8 Jul, 2pm Entry: Free, no booking required
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/events/films
30. MUSGRAVE PARK FAMILY FUN DAY
13 JUL 2007
Musgrave park family fun day: naidoc 50th anniversary You your Family and Friends are invited to Brisbane's biggest arts & cultural festival: musgrave park family fun day
http://www.4zzzfm.org.au/services/index.cfm?action=dsp_community
31. VULCANA WORKSHOPS
16 July
Run away with the circus with V U L C A N A Women’s Circus. Vulcana runs Circus workshops at the Brisbane Powerhouse for women of all ages and fitness level. Try your hand at TrapezeAerial SilkAcrobalanceStilts Hula-HoopsJugglingFire and more… Our philosophy… ~ to empower women ~ to support women ~ to encourage diversity of cultures creativity & physical expression For more information please contact Vulcana Women’s Circus on 3358 1888 or admin@vulcana.org.auwww.vulcana.org.au Next term starts 16 July
32. INTERNATIONAL FEMINIST SUMMIT TOWNSVILLE
17 – 20 July
“Women of Ideas: Feminist Thinking for a New Era” 17 - 20 July 2007 - Townsville Australia This feminist event is for all women who denounce the escalating violence and oppression that mark the 21st Century, who rage against the continued exclusion and silencing of women throughout the world, and who are convinced that a strong feminist response is essential for the creation of a fairer future.
http://www.feministagenda.org.au/Summit/summitIndex.html
33. EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND EVERYTHING... THE TRIPLE LAYERS OF A WOMAN'S LIFE
26-29 September 2007
The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Women’s Network Inc, Young Women’s Place Inc, Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland Ltd and the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Service have joined together to present this conference exploring some of the issues that affect the lives of women globally and to provide women with networking opportunities, information, collaboration and sharing of resources both locally, nationally and internationally.
http://www.usq.edu.au/iwc2007/
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ARTICLES AND PROMOTIONS
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Making Sex Work: A Failed Experiment With Legalised Prostitution
Authored by: Mary Lucille Sullivan
Can a prostitute be raped? Are pregnancy and STIs an Occupational Health and Safety issue? What sort of society buys and sells women and children for sex? Does legalisation solve the dangers of sex work? Sex worker advocates have argued for many years that legalising prostitution is the way to make the industry safer both for workers and clients. In 1984, the State of Victoria did just that, and Western Australia is currently considering following suit. In this book, Mary Lucille Sullivan looks at the evidence of Victoria’s experience, and asks whether the concept of sex work as ‘a job like any other’ matches the reality. Discussing the practicalities of brothels as regular businesses, the author unearths astounding facts about both the legal and illegal sectors. Covering issues such as violence, organised crime, women’s health, and mainstream businesses’ involvement in the sex trade, Making Sex Work is a compelling read.
http://www.spinifexpress.com.au/book_detail.php?id=176
SHE-YWISE
Sexual Health Education for Young Women's Identity and Self-Esteem ... Children By Choice has received funding from Perpetual Trustees, The Samuel and Eileen Gluyas Charitable Trust, for a project to improve young Queensland women’s access to information, support and education regarding their sexual and reproductive health, in particular for issues relating to unplanned pregnancy.
http://www.childrenbychoice.org.au/youth/sheywise.htm
Brisbane charities warn homelessness at drastic levels
By Penny McLintock
Charity organisations across Brisbane say the number of homeless people in the city is increasing and the problem is getting out of control. One of the city's main emergency housing shelters says it is turning away 90 women a month because it does not have enough beds. There are only about 50 emergency beds for women in the city200 for men and 30 for young people. However charity organisations across the city estimate there are more than 4,000 homeless people in Brisbane with about 400 squatting in the CBD alone.
http://www.abcscience.net.au/news/items/200706/1939978.htm?queensland
Women's Network Australia
Many are often surprised to find out that I am a single mother of two. The youngest Ms Madison (who by the way runs the place) has just turned 10. She's a born fighter having arrived early at just 28 weeks. Running Women's Network Australia between 1 hourly feeds was a challenging and exiting adventure. On top of this I found myself suddenly single within a few weeks of her birth so it just followed that Maddi's cot took prime position at WNA's Head Office. But the real point I am trying to make here is that there is no easy or lucky path to success - everyone has a story to tell and experiences to share on how they made it all work.
http://www.womensnetwork.com.au/board_sample.htm
The state of the world's children 2007: women and children the double dividend of gender equality
The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children. UNICEF
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=148573
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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Afghan Parliament ousts female
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/programs/s1932669.htm
Afghanistan's lower house of parliament voted Monday to oust an outspoken female lawmaker who has enraged former mujahedeen fighters now in President Hamid Karzai's U.S.-backed government. The lawmaker, Malalai Joya, compared parliament to a stable full of animals in a recent TV interview. The video clip was shown in parliament on Monday, and angry lawmakers voted to suspend her from the body, said Haseb Noori, spokesman for the parliament. No formal vote count was held, but a clear majority of lawmakers voted for her suspension by raising colored cards, Noori said. A parliament rule known as Article 70 forbids lawmakers from criticizing one another, Noori said. (05/21/07)
Iraq, Christian women warned to wear veil
http://www.religionandspirituality.com/currentEvents/view.php?StoryID=20070530-101955-6399r
A letter signed by the Mahdi Army linked to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Iraqi Shiite cleric who the United States considers the greatest threat to security in Iraq, warned Christian women in Baghdad to wear the veil as do Muslim women. It is the latest in a long string of abuses against Iraqi Christians, including rape, murder, kidnapping, extortion and forced conversions, AsiaNews reported Wednesday. Answering the question "What measure should be taken against a woman who disobeys her father, husband, or her guardian by not committing to the legal veil?" the letter said husbands and fathers "must guide and educate her religiously in order to convince her. If she is not convinced still, then they must imprison her at home and do not expose her to the forbidden interaction with men." Finally, it warns "special committees have been established to follow up on this matter." (05/30/07)
Mexico's SC to review abortion law
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29403152.htm
Mexico's Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of a new law that legalizes abortion in Mexico City, the high court said in a statement on Tuesday. Last month, Mexico City's legislature made abortion legal in the capital during the first 12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy, sparking street demonstrations both for and against the new law. The law, which has been criticized by Pope Benedict and other religious figures, is one of the first to legalize abortion in predominantly Catholic Latin America. In its statement, the court said it accepted a challenge to the law by Mexico's top human rights official, Jose Luis Soberanes, who argued that it violates Mexico's constitution. The court did not say when it would take up the case. (05/29/07)
CA, ruling on abuse of women frees inmate
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-battered30may30,0,4761165.story?coll=la-home-local
After spending 16 years in prison, Hudie Joyce Walker walked out of a Pomona courtroom Tuesday a free woman — a sign of how much the law has changed for battered women who strike back. Walker was the beneficiary of the first appellate court decision to interpret a 2002 state law that allows inmates to reopen their cases if they can show that expert testimony on abuse probably would have changed the outcome. (05/30/07)
Darfur women share tales of rape
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/185004
More than 200,000 civilians have died and 2.5 million are homeless out of Darfur's population of 6 million, the U.N. says, and a February report by the International Criminal Court alleges "mass rape of civilians who were known not to be participants in any armed conflict." In Sudan, as in many Islamic countries, society views a sexual assault as a dishonor upon the woman's entire family. "Victims can face terrible ostracism," says Maha Muna, the U.N. coordinator on this issue in Sudan. Some aid workers believe the janjaweed use rape to intimidate the rebels, their supporters and families. "It's a strategy of war," Muna said in an interview earlier this year. (05/28/07)
Aussie gay pub can bar heteros
http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C21804872-2%2C00.html
A Melbourne pub catering for gay men has won the right to refuse entry to heterosexuals in a landmark ruling at the state planning tribunal. The owners of Collingwood's Peel Hotel applied to ban straight men and women to try to prevent "sexually based insults and violence" towards its gay patrons. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week granted the pub an exemption to the Equal Opportunity Act, effectively prohibiting entry to non-homosexuals. (05/28/07)
SC hears 30-yr-old abuse suit
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/27/news/top_stories/22_02_395_26_07.txt
The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit in which a former Vista High School student alleges that a teacher sexually abused her almost 30 years ago and that the Vista school district failed to prevent it. The case could reverberate far beyond Vista. The former student did not file a lawsuit until more than two decades after the alleged sexual abuse occurred ---- long after the time limits state law normally imposes for bringing cases against public agencies. If the Supreme Court deecides that a change in state law in 2002 extended those time limits, representatives of public schools and other agencies statewide have said they fear public entities could be exposed to childhood sexual abuse lawsuits similar to those that plague the Roman Catholic Church today. (05/27/07)
Cannes, 'illegal abortion' film wins
http://www.morningjournalnews.com/oniWire/oniWireDetails.asp?articleID=22850&state=&category=International
Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s low-budget film, ‘‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,’’ depicts the horrors a student goes through to ensure her friend can have a secret abortion. Mungiu, who was awarded the Palme d’Or by actress Jane Fonda, said he didn’t even have enough money to shoot the film just six months ago. He hoped the win would inspire other ‘‘small filmmakers from small countries.’’ (05/28/07)
China, 50,000 in one-child riots
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070523/wl_asia_afp/chinaunrestpopulation_070523134848
Police arrested 28 people for instigating thousands of people to riot over population control policies in southern China, state press said Wednesday, as locals voiced outrage over government abuse. Seven towns in the Guangxi region erupted in violence amid tensions over fines and other punishments imposed for having too many children, Xinhua news agency said in the first official account of the unrest that began last Friday. As many as 3,000 people protested in various villages in Guangxi region, Xinhua said, adding that government offices had been destroyed and cars and motorcycles burnt. (05/23/07)
EEOC, discrimination re: family responsibilities?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07143/788104-28.stm
It is unquestionably illegal for employers to discriminate against their employees on the basis of race, age, gender, religion, pregnancy and disability. But when it comes to discrimination toward employees performing family responsibilities, such as running errands for their aging parents or taking time to care for children of their own, the law can get a little murky. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will vote today on whether to issue enforcement guidelines on the topic of discrimination based on "work/family balance." The guidelines, which already have been written, will be released today if approved. (05/23/07)
Saudi woman sues moral police
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/51218647-6330-4021-AD89-4CC6F26BEB33.htm
A Saudi civil court is to hear the first ever case brought against the kingdom's religious police, commonly known as the Muttawa. The unnamed woman is seeking compensation after she and her daughter were allegedly wrongfully arrested in a shopping centre car park in 2004 for "not wearing decent clothing", Abderrahman al-Lahm, her lawyer said. Al-Lahm said the religious policeman in question arrested the pair, commandeered the car from their driver and drove them to his headquarters where the already sick mother suffered "health complications". Women in Saudi Arabia must be covered from head to toe when they go out in public. (05/12/07)
UK, divorce ruling boost for ex-hubs
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/business/tm_headline=divorce-law-boost-for-ex-husbands&method=full&objectid=19126736&siteid=50002-name_page.html
England's reputation as being the most female-friendly place in the world for divorce has taken a knock, thanks to a recent High Court decision. A ruling in the HvH case means that ex-husbands in big ticket divorce cases are no longer expected to provide their former wives with a share of their future earnings. Andrew Breakwell, a partner in the family and matrimonial team at Birmingham law firm Mills & Reeve, described the ruling as "ground-breaking". He said: "For the first time in nearly a decade the pendulum has swung in favour of the husband." (05/18/07)
Mass., don't laugh at fat or short?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C273335%2C00.htmlLegislation to add "weight and height" to anti-discrimination law in Massachusetts has been proposed to give special protection to short and fat people. The bill, which would make Massachusetts the second state in the United States to offer such protections, applies mainly to the workplace but also covers landlords and real estate interactions. (05/18/07)
Four arrested in Iraq 'honor killing'
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/18/iraq.honorkilling/index.html
The case portrays the tragedy and brutality of honor killings in the Muslim world. Honor killings take place when family members kill relatives, almost always female, because they feel the relatives' actions have shamed the family. In this case, Dua Khalil, a 17-year-old Kurdish girl whose religion is Yazidi, was dragged into a crowd in a headlock with police looking on and kicked, beaten and stoned to death last month. Authorities believe she was killed for being seen with a Sunni Muslim man. She had not married him or converted, but her attackers believed she had. (05/18/07)
Tehran cracks down on feminist movement
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,483295,00.html
The growing [feminist] movement [in Iran] has largely taken place in the shadow of a global diplomatic crisis. For months, as the world focuses its attention on Iran's nuclear intentions, Iranian feminists have been bravely fighting the country's entrenched patriarchy. But even as the world has taken little notice of the activists, Iranian authorities have. Accusing the women of being a threat to national security and of using foreign funds to stir up dissent in Iran, Tehran, in recent months has been doing what it can to crush the home-grown feminist movement. The most recent move in the ongoing crackdown was the arrest of prominent activist Zeinab Peyghambarzadeh earlier this month. (05/17/07)
Indian women change their villages
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0510/p01s04-wosc.html
When Phulbasin Yadav and 11 other women set aside $3 a month to start a business, skeptical elders turned the town against them. When Ms. Yadav learned to ride a bicycle, traveling between villages to set up health clinics and offer hot meals for children, her husband threw her out of the house, saying she was ignoring her duties at home. And when she and her colleagues won the contract to run the local market, the businessman who lost the bid promised to kill them. Business in Sukuldhain had always been a man's world. (05/10/07)
Feminist Muslim stirs up Denmark
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,2080453,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
In the land that launched the cartoons war between Islam and the west, Asmaa Abdol-Hamid finds herself on the frontline, gearing up for a new battle. The 25-year-old social worker, student and town councillor describes herself as a feminist, a democrat, and a socialist. She has gay friends, opposes the death penalty, supports abortion rights, and could not care less what goes on in other people's bedrooms. In short, a tolerant Scandinavian and European. She is also a Palestinian and a devout Muslim who insists on wearing a headscarf, who refuses, on religious grounds, to shake hands with males, and who is bidding fair to be the first Muslim woman ever to enter the Folketing, the Danish parliament in Copenhagen. (05/16/07)
Israeli women fight back-of-bus status
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3167/context/cover/
Five women in Israel are going to court to protest the way sex-segregated public buses are run in Israel. The arrangement serves the beliefs of ultra-Orthodox passengers but the women say it discriminates against other riders. Naomi Regan says she wasn't trying to start a revolution when she refused more than two years ago to give up her seat in the front of a public bus to a man who insisted she move to the back. The New York-born writer unknowingly boarded a sex-segregated bus line that caters to ultra-Orthodox riders. On these special lines women sit in the back, are expected to wear modest clothing and usually enter through the rear doors. Regan says that after she chose a seat in the front, a large Haredi gentleman leaned over her "in a threatening manner," told her to "get up and get back to the back of the bus," then cursed at her and yelled "at the top of his lungs" when she refused to budge. [Ed.: presumably orthodox women want the segregated buses as well.] (05/13/07)
Japan scraps breastfeeding policy
http://www.amny.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-japan-breast-feeding%2C0%2C6033283.story?coll=ny-leadworldnews-headlines
A Japanese proposal to urge mothers to breast-feed their babies and sing lullabies to children was scrapped after critics warned it was too intrusive, a news report said. The proposal, which would also have recommended parents limit their children's television viewing and promote age-appropriate morals, was to have been announced Friday by an education reform panel named by the government. (05/11/07)
Amnesty Int'l enters abortion conflict
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1919138.htm
Amnesty International says women who have been raped have the right to a safe abortion. The human rights group's new approach overturns a previous neutral position on the debate over abortion and women's rights. The new policy forms part of Amnesty's global campaign to stop violence against women. (05/10/07)
Somali bans, burns Muslim women's veils
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070509/wl_nm/somalia_conflict_dc
Somali security forces are seizing and even burning Muslim women's veils in Mogadishu to stop Islamist insurgents disguising themselves for attacks, authorities and witnesses said on Wednesday. The Western-backed government's crackdown on veils is a highly symbolic turnaround for the Somali capital. When it was under Islamist control in the second half of 2006, women were instructed to cover their heads. (05/09/07)
Ireland, 'abortion teen' allowed to travel
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2527725.ece
An Irish court has ruled in favour of a teenage girl seeking legal permission to travel to England to abort her terminally ill foetus. The 17-year-old, who is four months' pregnant, opted for an abortion after discovering that the foetus suffered from a brain condition which meant that it could live for at most three days after birth. But health authorities where the girl is in care moved to prevent her travelling to England. Abortion is strictly curtailed in the Republic, though every year thousands of Irish women go to England for the procedure. (05/10/07)
Iranian feminist arrested 2nd time
http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=10300
Iranian women's rights advocate Zeinab Peyqambarzadeh was arrested for the second time yesterday when she reported to the Revolutionary Court for a summons issued for her participation in a June 2006 women's rights protest. Peyqambarzadeh and 20 to 30 other feminist activists were arrested following a peaceful rally outside the Revolutionary Court last June, where they called for women's rights in Iran, including the reform of divorce, custody, and polygamy laws. (05/08/07)
Muslim feminist calls for rights in Italy
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=8959§ionid=3510206
A Muslim feminist leader said she hoped for a better life style for Muslim women migrating to Italy who suffer an isolated life from the rest of society. “We are not integrated at all. Many of the women who came here 15 years ago have not moved one inch forward, they live in a ghetto, they don't speak Italian, they don't go to school and often they don't work,” Souad Sbai, the Muslim feminist leader, said. Souad Sbai is 45 and has lived in Italy for 27 years. (05/07/07)
Bringing femInism to Iraq
http://www.users.csbsju.edu/record/archive/2007/04/19/news/bringing-feminism-to-iraq.html
Mohammed is the director of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which works to end violence against Iraqi women and defend human rights. “From the day the United States entered Iraq, women’s political and social rights have been completely stripped away, and violence towards women has escalated. Systematic campaigns of rape, harassment, sexual assaults by Iraqi police, domestic abuse and beheadings have become a part of everyday life.” From the group’s genesis in 1998, OWFI has worked tirelessly to end the increased presence of violence towards Iraqi women. (05/11/07)
More men report sex har. by men
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/05/Southpinellas/More_and_more_men_rep.shtml
More and more men are reporting sexual harassment, increasingly in cases where one man tries to humiliate another by questioning his masculinity. ulinity. In 1992, 958 men filed sexual harassment charges, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Last year the number was 1, 843. Statewide, there were 36 sexual harassment claims filed by men in 1992 and 146 last year. The agency does not record the sex of the alleged harassers but experts say they have observed anecdotal evidence of an increase in male-on-male sexual harassment, including more cases of a "gender stereotyping" type of sexual harassment. (05/05/07)
Study of abortion-cancer link 'meaningless'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55532
An expert who has analyzed a newly released study denying a link between abortion and breast cancer says it is as valid as determining the incidence of heart disease by observing teenagers. "The average age of diagnoses of breast cancer in America is 61 years old," concluded Andrew Schlafly, general counsel for the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. "But the average age of participants in this study was only 42 years old, too young for the average person to develop breast cancer. "This study is as meaningless as drawing conclusions about heart disease by looking at teenagers," he said. (05/04/07)
Anne Goldie, RIP
http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialcare/news/0,,2072054,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=9
In 1992 Anne Goldie, who has died aged 77 from an embolism, agreed to let us, a group of whistleblowers, use her flat to devise ways of exposing the child sexual exploitation then occurring within Islington's care system. In speaking out, Anne, who had retired from the London borough's social services in 1985, was worried that she might lose her pension, but no matter, she could take risks that we could not. When the story broke in the media in 1992, Anne went on TV news at a time when some of those sounding the alarm were being threatened - and physically attacked. "It's about children," she told us, "how could I not speak out?" (05/04/07)
Egypt, women face an uphill fight
http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070504-042149-1403r
It was one step forward for women's rights in Egypt last month when 31 female judges were appointed to the bench by Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council, and two steps back for feminists when the country's internationally famous feminist writer, activist, and medical doctor, Nawal Al Saadawi's latest book, God Resigns in the Summit Meeting, was withdrawn from publication for allegedly "offending religious sensibilities." (05/04/07)
Nadje Sadig Al-Ali, voice to Iraqi women
http://english.daralhayat.com/opinion/commentators/05-2007/Article-20070503-51ae1529-c0a8-10ed-01b2-ede8ed35deb7/story.html
Soraya, Sumaya and Hana are just three of the many Iraqi women whose memories of Iraq's history over the past 60 years are included in the important and stimulating new book by Nadje Sadig Al-Ali , "Iraqi Women: Untold Stories from 1948 to the Present". The 292-page book is published by Zed Books of London and New York. The book makes a vital and original contribution to the literature on Iraq's modern history and to the literature on gender and women's studies. But at the same time its rich, fascinating and revealing text is enormously readable and accessible to the non-specialist, and it deserves a wide readership. (05/03/07)
Portugal ratifies law to allow abortions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2053831,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
Portugal's president today ratified a new law permitting abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy, bringing the country into line with most of its European neighbours. However, Anibal Cavaco Silva also recommended that parliament, which passed the law last month after a national referendum, take further measures to ensure abortions are a last resort. Parliament voted overwhelmingly to legalise abortion after the referendum, in February. Turnout for the ballot was insufficient to make it binding, but the outcome indicated a majority of voters favoured the legal change, which the governing centre-left Socialist party has long sought. (04/10/07)
Eritrea bans female circumcision
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05181425.htm
A government statement issued on Thursday said anyone who requested, took part in or promoted the practice now faced a fine of several hundred dollars or up to 10 years in jail. "Female circumcision is a procedure that seriously endangers the health of women, causes them considerable pain and suffering besides threatening their lives," the statement said. "Whosoever requests, incites or promotes female circumcision ... shall be punishable with a fine and imprisonment." The ban took effect on March 31, it said. (04/05/07)
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BFO is a not for profit project supporting feminist activities and actions in Brisbane. Thanks to ifeminists and weekly feminist news digest for the international news and to local women’s groups for the local news. Editor: Kitty has a passion for feminism and community building and combines her two loves in this newsletter. You can contact her on 0409 548 892 if you need to speak to her. Assist Editor and Feature Writer: Andrea is an economist with the State Government when she isn’t motor biking, photographing or doing some other exciting thing.
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