Jack Straw. What a strange political animal. NUS leader in his student days,no leftyness left when he got to parliament. Now old Jacko is saying this about Iraq-

I think many mistakes were made after the military action - there is no question about it - by the United States administration

Why did he not tell us when he was FOREIGN SECRETARY??
All these outsted cabinet ministers-everone from the late Robin Cook, Claire Short (who I do love) to now Charles Clarke and Jack Straw suddenly regaining their own opinions and able to speak candidly about reality and divisions within the Labour party. Very good for humiliating your political rivals, politicising an issue and generally being a bit of a rabble rouser-but I can't help but question the value of having a party line. Sure, no electorate likes to see a party divided- hence the trouble over the Blair v Brown issue a few weeks ago, but to suddenly admit errors-when you are no longer in a position to negotiate or change it- is disgraceful. Yes, we need politicians who are open and honest but what good is Jack Straw's admission now? Did he try and remedy this whilst he was in office?

With senior military officials calling for a withdrawal in Iraq in order to support troops in Afghanistan and the American Intelligence admission that Iraq and Afghanistan HAVE politicised and encouraged radical Muslims- did Labour really need a swan song conference. Are they that arrogant to believe that TB is AOK? I will not be voting Labour after the axis of evil debacle and horrific spectale of war and destruction due to Tony Blair's indifference to his electorate and desire of Bush's approval. Grrr...Jack Straw, Claire Short, Robin Cook-why did you not make your voices clearer!!!!!

Please read these following reports and do your best to get writing/support/talking about these horrific cases.

Imminent execution

IRAN

Kobra Rahmanpour (f), aged about 25

It is feared that Kobra Rahmanpour is at imminent risk of execution
for murder. The Office for the Implementation of Sentences, which
carries out executions, has set a deadline of 12 October for the
family of the murder victim to agree to forgo their right to have
Kobra Rahmanpour executed, and accept the payment of diyeh (blood
money) instead. If they continue to ask for the execution to be
implemented, it is likely to be carried out soon after 12 October.

Kobra Rahmanpour was arrested on 5 November 2000 and was sentenced
to death by Branch 1608 of Tehran's Criminal Court in January 2002
for killing her mother-in-law. In 2003 the sentence was upheld by
the Supreme Court. She claimed she had acted in self-defence after
her mother-in-law had tried to attack her with a kitchen knife.
Kobra Rahmanpour was allegedly forced into marriage against her will
by her parents, due to the poverty of her family, and was subjected
to domestic violence during her marriage. She did not have access to
a lawyer until the beginning of her trial.
.....
Kobra Rahmanpour has been detained in Evin prison for nearly six
years, for four of which she has been under sentence of death. In
September 2006, she wrote an open letter, published on the internet,
in which she said:
"I am a human like you. I don't want to die. But right now I am more
like a lifeless body who has forgotten happiness and laughter scared
of the execution rope...I am only a step away from death. I, like
all of you, am scared to die. Help me so this wouldn't be my last
letter. So many times I think with myself, wishing my life would
follow a different path. Wishing I could finish my pre-university
course. Wishing I wouldn't be forced to work and to serve my
husband's family. Wishing I wouldn't reach the borders of madness.
But I have suffered so much. I am really a victim. And it is this
victim who they are going to hang to death. This is not a destiny
that I deserve. In these days of fear and horror, I come to you
again. I thank all the media, papers and people who supported me and
said that "Kobra shouldn't be executed". This time, maybe for the
last time, I want to ask you to do your last efforts for me so I am
not executed and have a chance to be free. In my dreams I always
think of freedom and a good life after that. I have suffered enough.
Help me so this horrible nightmare that has so many times chased me
in sleep and has made me wake up and scream, won't come true. Help
me to be away from death. Do whatever you can, there is little time.
These days would be gone too, and for me, every click of the clock
is a sign that death is near. Please help me! I am scared of death
and execution. I hate the execution rope and the crane. I want to
live. All other ways are closed to me. Nobody is here for me. My
only hope lies in people and my fellow humans. I want to hug my
father and mother. In the end, I'd like to thank my family and
everybody who struggles to save me, for their efforts."

For more info go to amnesty's home page here

Kyrgyzstan: Bride-Kidnapping, Domestic Abuse Rampant Despite Progressive Laws, Violence Against Women Goes Unpunished

(Bishkek, September 27, 2006) – Kyrgyzstan’s government is allowing domestic violence and the abduction of women for forced marriage to continue with impunity, Human Rights Watch said today in its first report on human rights violations in this Central Asian country.

"Police in Kyrgyzstan have an obligation to ensure that perpetrators of domestic violence and bride-kidnapping are brought to justice," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "But more often than not, they simply don’t treat these as serious crimes."

The 140-page report, "Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop
Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan," concludes that
although Kyrgyzstan has progressive laws on violence against women,
police and other authorities fail to implement them. As a result, women remain in danger and without access to justice.

Based on in-depth, firsthand interviews with victims of violence, the
report tells the stories of women who have been kicked, strangled,
beaten, stabbed and sexually assaulted by their husbands. The report also tracks what happens when women seek help from the authorities. Instead of attaining safety and access to justice, they are encouraged to reconcile with their abusers.

A 38-year-old woman, "Elmira E." told Human Rights Watch about being
beaten by her husband for years and hospitalized, once for a knife
wound and another time for a concussion after he kicked her in the head. "The situation was so bad that I thought it would be better if he killed me," she said.

For more information read Human Right's Watch report here

An article in The Times today discusses the development of female boxing with the introduction of the the first female title- English bantamweight, sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control. This will please all the 'Million Dollar Baby' wannabes clearly.
Is this a development in the world of sport and related attitudes to sporting women? Is this going to result in more equality between men and women in the sporting arena by aligning the perception of 'aggression' as neither masculine nor feminine but human? Or are women just abandoning their female-ness and embracing stereotypical male roles- a step, but not a step forward arguably.

Modern notions of femininity — which embrace the athleticism and ambition of the likes of Serena Williams and Paula Radcliffe — seem to balk at the concept of female prize-fighting.

By literally fighting for their rights are women moving towards equality or becoming masculine in order to win the fight?

I love this idea-enforced codes of conduct for fashion shows and magazines.
Here's a little snippet-

Last week, Madrid City Council, which is the sponsor and regulator of the Spanish capital's annual fashion week, announced that it was imposing a ban on the use of models with a BMI of less than 18.
....
The Spanish rules would mean that a model who is 5ft 9in tall will have to weigh at least 8st 11lb to work.

According to estimates, the average catwalk model is 5ft 9in tall and weighs just 7st 12lbs - giving a BMI of only 16.

Mr Bloomfield said a cut-off point of a BMI of 18 was appropriate because at that level, an adult was considered to be at significant risk of an eating disorder, while a rating below that meant it was "highly likely" that a disorder already exists.

Kate Moss's BMI is just 15..

Whatever the magazine and fashion worlds claim, the bottom line is they are very much responsible for perpetuating the beauty=ill myth. Size 8 and below is the norm in their world, but not in ours and it is incredibly damaging to ONLY see exceptionally thin women in the media. I would totally support this-not sure how-possibly a petition?

In a depressing, but unsurprising move, President Pervez Musharraf dropped hoped for reforms on Pakistan's rape law.

At present under sharia law, a women can only have been raped if she has 4 witnesses to the crime, otherwise she can be tried for adultery. President Musharraf did say this though..
Absolutely sickening, disheartening and disgusting.

I have to ask-sharia law seems to outrightly discriminate against women-why do women support this law? How do they find peace and liberation though this combination of religion and law? No judgements, just confusion.

Now, I normally love a bit of JK-angrier than Trisha before him and so much more patronising it's wickedly wonderful BUT..
Yesterday I had the day off work and so settled down to watch Jezza prior to heading out, and his guests where teenage tearaways and their hopeless parents.
All three young girls were fiesty, smug, drinking, bunking,swearing bad girls and were all around 15.
To smarten them up, Jezza and co decided to take them to..A FINISHING SCHOOL!!!
yep, these institutions still exsist, whereby a young lady can learn to walk properly, apply terrible makeup (uber orange and bright red lipstick..nice) and learn to get out of a car properly. The last lesson was taught just in case the young lady met "a rich gentleman friend who had a nice car". SERIOUSLY..
I know it's trashy and horrible but I had hoped for better. One of the girls said she'd like to be a lawyer when she grows up. Having only attending school for about an hour a day, obviously this would be quite tricky. Why didn't they take her to meet a lawyer? To talk to someone about the profession and all the hard work neccessary to become a lawyer!!??
Nope, this girl didn't need educational motivation, she needed to walk properly.
Excellent work.

Wandered to Tesco on my lunch break today and whilst queuing to pay for my sarnie a tannoy announcement asked everyone to observe a 1 minute silence in memory of the 9/11 atrocities. The reaction made my blood boil. You'd have thought shoppers had been asked to hand over their first born. Chatter continued throughout the 'silence', most irritating was the cashier who after 30 seconds repeatedly asked 'is one minute up yet?". 5 years on the appalling truths of the fateful day are still being uncovered and it saddens me that so many people consider it unworthy of their time and thought.

All those men who opt for a motorbike to increase the perception of their virility are sadly mistaken it seems. I read in the Daily Mirror (It was the only available thing in the waiting room, honest) today that the vibration of the motorbike saddle decreases male fertility. Or is it just that most men who own a motorbike are over the age of forty, in mid-life crisis mode and thus their lack of fertility is nothing to do with their mode of transport at al...whoops, excuse my political incorrectness...bad day!