liz777

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By liz777 • 13 years ago

Date rape drug test to hit Canadian store shelves

Cross-posted at the Women’s Independence Network blog.

Here is yet another product that puts the onus of responsibility for “date rape” (or just rape, if we’re being honest) on the victim rather than the rapist. A new date rape drug test kit – which is already on sale in Quebec – will be available in pharmacies across Canada in the next few weeks. Women use the kit to test a drink they suspect may have been drugged by dropping a few drops of the drink onto a test sheet, which changes colour depending on whether the drink has been spiked and which commonly-used “date rape drug” is detected.

I have mixed feelings about this. First and foremost, if this product helps prevent women from being raped or assaulted – or worse – by alerting them to a spiked drink before they drink it, no one with a shred of humanity can argue with the fact that that is a good thing and the product has served its purpose.

However – and this is a big however – the date rape test kit is a superficial fix to a deeply rooted societal problem; it is the equivalent of using a band aid to cover a bullet wound. It will contain some of the bleeding for a little while, but the real threat to safety is still there.

By liz777 • 13 years ago

Poll says a majority of Canadians disagree with Harper’s anti-abortion stance on the International Maternal Health Initiative

Cross-posted at Women’s Independence Network :

Less than 2 months after the largest pro-life rally Ottawa has ever seen ( according to the Toronto Star ), a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid shows that approximately 56% of Canadians are against Harper’s anti-abortion stance concerning the international maternal health initiative. The results were published just two days before Canada’s initiative is to be presented at the G8 summit in Toronto.

Without more information it’s a little hard to say what exactly this means. However, one thing that comes through loud and clear is that more than half of those surveyed realize that abortion is a necessary component ...

Cross-posted at Women’s Independence Network :

Less than 2 months after the largest pro-life rally Ottawa has ever seen ( according to the Toronto Star ), a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid shows ...

By liz777 • 14 years ago

France Drafts a Bill to fine Burqa-wearing Women

Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of the parliamentary majority in France, revealed a new bill Thursday that would fine women who wear a burqa in public 750 Euros.

Jean-Francois Cope…told Le Figaro newspaper’s weekly magazine that men who force their wives to wear the burqa or niqab could face an even heavier fine.

…

"We can measure the modernity of a society by the way it treats and respects women," he said.

Ok…I get that Cope is trying to enact legislation that will ultimately penalize the degradation of women. But part of respecting women is recognizing that they have the capability of making their own decisions, regardless of what those decisions may be. How can someone not see that something they want to do ...

Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of the parliamentary majority in France, revealed a new bill Thursday that would fine women who wear a burqa in public 750 Euros.

Jean-Francois Cope…told Le Figaro newspaper’s weekly magazine that men who ...

By liz777 • 15 years ago

Market Research Survey for Ottawa Residents

Hi! We are two aspiring writers who have recently graduated from Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program.

Not long ago, we noticed the lack of Ottawa youth- and young-adult-oriented publications that not only deal with culture, but also cover more serious issues like politics, the environment, social commentary, and human rights. We decided to start our own magazine addressing all of these issues with an entertaining, no-frills attitude.

In order to get financial backing for such a publication, we need to find out how many people in Ottawa would actually be interested. This is where you come in. We have created a short market research survey that you can fill out online in under 10 minutes. Please follow the link below ...

Hi! We are two aspiring writers who have recently graduated from Algonquin College’s Professional Writing program.

Not long ago, we noticed the lack of Ottawa youth- and young-adult-oriented publications that not only deal with culture, but also ...

By liz777 • 15 years ago

Oxymoron of the day: ProWomanProLife

Since I read this post a few days ago, abortion issues have been on my mind. After reading it, I came across an opinion article on the Ottawa Citizen’s website, and I basically want to have a shot at the authors’ throats.

They have a website, called ProWomanProLife , that is perpetuating the myth that one can be both pro-woman and pro-life – which, as all members of Feministing know, is fundamentally impossible.

My favourite parts of their site so far include the following two quotes (emphasis mine):

From "The Plan" page:

"In the long term, ProWomanProLife aims to develop a nationwide network of mentors, “big sisters,” who can speak confidently to their views on why abortion is not a woman’s ...

Since I read this post a few days ago, abortion issues have been on my mind. After reading it, I came across an opinion article on the Ottawa Citizen’s website, and I basically want to ...

By liz777 • 15 years ago

“The Marketing of Evil” — WTF?!

So as I was reading this post on Feministing, I stumbled upon this link to a book by the editor of WorldNetDaily, the (unfortunately) "world’s largest independent news site." (That a conservative and Christian-oriented "independent" news website managed to become the largest in the world is unbeleivable.)

The book is about how Americans apparently fell victim to evil through the use of very clever marketing and PR campaigns. And of course, this "evil" includes being gay and getting "unrestricted abortions-on-demand" (um, has he been living under a rock in Lapland for the past 20 years?)

Furthermore, he’s spouting this nonsense:

Likewise, most of us mistakenly believe the "abortion rights" and "gay rights" movements were spontaneous, grassroots uprisings of neglected or persecuted ...

By liz777 • 15 years ago

“How Do I Thank Thee, Sarah Palin?”

I found this article today while browsing around, and thought it pretty much sums up my sentiments.

How do I thank thee for running, Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways. I thank thee to the depth and breadth and height my Democratic, Obama-loving, unemployed soul can reach, still exhausted mightily from the interminable weeks of horrific suspense, waiting to find out if what we were witnessing was a monumental comedy or a catastrophic, world-ending horror-movie.

Enjoy!

I found this article today while browsing around, and thought it pretty much sums up my sentiments.

How do I thank thee for running, Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways. I thank thee to the depth ...