Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why has Clegg helped Cameron destroy one of our biggest exports to win votes from UKIP?

Perceived political advantage and self-delusion is as close a fit as Cameron’s hand in Clegg’s pocket!

Pride's Purge

(not satire – it’s the Tories!)

David Cameron is destroying one of the UK’s biggest exports just so he can win back a few more votes from UKIP.

The UK Border Agency has increased the number of face-to-face interviews with potential students hoping to study in Britain, to check if their English is good enough to study here.

But English language learning for international students is one of the UK’s biggest exports, and earns the UK more money than the banking sector.

The UK earns around £28bn from overseas students in the English language learning sector ranging from universities to small English language colleges.

By comparison, the UK earns around £19bn for financial services and £20bn for the automotive industry.

Obviously Cameron doesn’t care about UK industry. All he wants is to claw back a few more votes from UKIP.

But why did Clegg help Cameron to introduce this amazingly stupid policy which…

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¡Feliz Cumpleaños Dolores Huerta!

Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Voz

At the end of last month the much-anticipated biopic about Cesar Chavez opened in theaters across the country. While we were thrilled that this important story was finally being told on the big screen, we couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. In reality Dolores Huerta played an equally important role in the movement for farm workers’ rights. However, in the movie – much like in real life – her role isn’t always highlighted.

6344443648_8ba11754e2_m Dolores Huerta and Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of NLIRH

Therefore, we’re taking a moment to shine the spotlight on Huerta and her many contributions over the years in celebration of her 84th birthday. Huerta – who is consistently regarded as one of the most influential women of the 20th century – rose to prominence for dedicating her life to la lucha for equality, with a particular focus on farm workers’ rights, civil rights…

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I read a Harper’s Bazaar article about spinning and it made me sad

Fit and Feminist

I guess I shouldn’t expect much from an article on spinning that is illustrated with this.

I’ve been spoiled.  I’ve taken advantage of the internet’s ability to cater to any microgenre of information to immerse myself in blogs and online magazines that tend to share my philosophy regarding women and fitness, and I was starting to feel like we were making a substantial incursion against the “skinny at all costs!” mindset that has consistently informed the vast majority of mainstream women’s media for as long as I can remember.

And then yesterday, courtesy of Fit Chick at Bicycling, I was reminded that we still have a ways to go.  Fit Chick singles out a Harper’s Bazaar article from August 2013 entitled Can Spinning Make You Fat?, and after I finished reading it, I basically turned into this guy:

(BTW notice that just below the end of this article…

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The Brotherhood, and Britain. The “terrorists or us” theory

You have say how high? when your bankroller says jump!

Nervana

 The British decision to launch an investigation into the Muslim Brotherhood and its alleged links with radical militancy has sparked widespread controversy. Many people are justifiably surprised by the sudden decision and the possibility that it is politically motivated by Saudi pressure. However, more alarming is the comment made by the Brotherhood’s most senior leader in the UK, Ibrahim Mounir, who said (according to the UK’s The Times) that banning the Brotherhood would leave Britain at greater risk of terrorist attacks. The problem with Mounir’s remarks is that they are based on a dichotomous and perilous view that holds “it is either the extremists or us,” which is wrong, dangerous, and counter-productive.

 The “terrorism or us” theory has been touted since 9/11 and classifies political Islam into two tiers: moderate and radical. It suggests that any conflict with alleged moderate Islamists will automatically force followers to subscribe to more…

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NLIRH Leaders Fasting to HEAL Immigrant Women and Families

Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Voz

By Jessica González-Rojas, executive director for National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH)

10155950_10152317414718416_6100789107688453464_nToday I’m going without food to demand fair immigration reform!

This week Destiny Lopez, board chair for NLIRH, and I are fasting in solidarity with our herman@s  from Women’s Fast for Families – a national project calling for fair immigration reform and an immediate end to deportations. By fasting with our allies across the country, we are trying to tap into the courage, compassion, and common sensibilities of our elected officials in order to encourage them to address our country’s flawed immigration policies and practices.

Under our current administration, approximately two million people have been deported, which has torn families apart and left countless children without their parents. The time is now for these practices to stop. Our elected officials need to work together to establish a new system that facilitates a pathway to citizenship…

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“Your Right to Self Care” video by the Marsa Sexual Health Center

Hummus For Thought

The Marsa Sexual Health Center released a video in which they asked over 20 women living in Lebanon intimate questions about their perception of their body and their relationship with it.

Located in Hamra, Marsa Sexual Health Center has one primary goal: “to provide social, psychological, and medical services to all sexually active individuals in Lebanon regardless of gender, age, and sexual orientation in complete confidentiality.” It offers free HIV, Hepatitis B & C testing for everyone, medical consults & follow-ups for STIs as well as psychological & social counseling.

My 500LL:

In our patriarchal society, Lebanese women are still restricted by ‘moral’ guidelines that are rarely, if ever, applied to men. They’re expected to pretend as though their sexuality comes second because, as usual, a man’s sexual needs come first. Patriarchy essentially demands that a woman’s vagina be kept hidden from all thoughts. She doesn’t really own it. It belongs to Society, Religion and…

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