Women Riding The Wave

Being an avid SMH reader (and lazy butt-hole who forks out the $1.20 each day instead of subscribing) I found this article commenting on the roles of women in the aftermath of the tsunami. Women Riding The Wave, I found was a insightful read into the changing lives of the women in Sri Lanka. While up to 70% of the women and children were lost in the Boxing Day tsunami, more and more women it seems, have begun to pick up masculine roles such as fishing in order to survive and cater to their remaining families and loved ones.

It seems that these women are determined to rebuild their lives, both emotionally and economically. Men are remarrying much younger spouses after losing their wives and children to the tsunami, and these women have to make a greater effort in order to care for their existing loved ones. Furthermore, The Guardian reports show an increase of alcohol consumption among men and teenage boys, amongst other things, since the tsunami. Men appear to be losing their purpose for life, garnering an increased feeling of hopelessness in rebuilding their lives - another reason as to why women seem to be taking matters into their own hands.

Alarmingly though, in the midst of the tsunami clean-up in Sri Lanka, the civil war continues with the New York Times reporting that the ceasefire between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government is breaking. It's no wonder that with this ongoing civil war, along with the slow use of international aid devoted to reconstruction of the lives of these civilians that these women have decided to take things into their own hands.

In another report, the women of Tamil Nadu in India are seeking to undergo surgery in a bid to conceive again, and possibly replace the children they lost in the disaster. The SMH reports the small number of women who have become successful in conceiving after having the surgery to reconnect their fallopian tubes in order to conceive. It's a stark contrast to the women in the Sri Lanka who are fishing and engaging in masculine tasks in order to maintain their community. The women in Tamil Nadu, it seems, are trying to keep from losing their husbands to younger women - who are much more able to conceive and produce children - by undergoing this surgery. I think they fear losing even more as a result of the tsunam, their children, and their husbands as well.

There are so many issues that tie into this aftermath of the tsunami - way to many to discuss here in this one blog entry. I'll post later when I find more and when I get my thoughts into order - oh the dramas of Christmas aftermath!

Gay Liberation Front

So it turns out that the gay reform laws in Britain have sparked more than a little bit of interest in Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that gay rights groups are seeking to meet with Howard to discuss possible reform in the laws concerning the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Although it seems that our PM is strongly against it - stating that 'Marriage is between a man and a woman', which is no surprise considering his conservative inclination. However, he is in favour of removing discriminatory acts on same-sex partnerships, despite his conservative views.

The ABC has also commented on this - although, it is a very similar and much shorter article than the SMH one.

I do! Legally so!

The issue of gay marriages has risen again in the media with the Sydney Morning Herald picking up on Britain's first gay and lesbian marriage, or rather, signing of legal documents, between Shannon Sickels and Grainne Close in Belfast. These couples will be able to gain recognition just like any normal couple living in Britain as a result of the new laws passed over there. It's clearly a step towards the greater acceptance of gay and lesbian couples in today's civil society. Outstandingly, approximately 700 gay marriages in Britain are to take place this week as a result. The ceremony is similar to a civil wedding without the church and all that jazz.

What issue isn't complete with celebrities - The New York Times reports that Elton John and his long-term partner have decided to marry in an extravagent ceremony under the new laws next week also. Also, singer George Michael and his long-term partner are also looking to marry under the new laws. These celebrity figures are more or less icons that other gay and lesbian couples look up to in their campaign towards legal rights on their sexuality.

What I admire is the fact that Sickels and Close stood against the tide of anti-homosexual protestors in their determination to get married - it outlines the fact that not everything should be based on appearance and biological nature. Every human is capable of love, regardless of whom that love is devoted towards. Doesn't the saying go, 'love is blind'? Its' been scientifically proven here (BBC) and here (The Age). And when you're talking about the controversial issue of homosexuality, everyone's got their own opinions. I honestly don't believe it should even be an issue. But hey, not all of us are blessed with open minds.

Sorry this isn't longer- it should be. I've left this too late in the day to post and I have work tomorrow. It'll be better next time promise. Plus it's almost Christmas, so can you blame me? =)

Singapore Hits Back

An interesting article I found in the SMH - Singapore's media seems to be speaking up, however bias it appears to be. Their main English-language paper, the Straits Times, has criticised the Australian media on its contradictory coverage of the recent racial riots and Nguyen's hanging a few weeks back. Just so you know, the Straits Times has close links to Singapore's ruling People's Action Party and is broadly supportive of government policy, or what local officials call nation-building (AAP, 2005).

Now I would directly link the article in question to this post but I have to register all my details including interests, income earnings all this crazy payment details in order to read anything off the site- I have to subscribe (it's not free) in other words, which brings another issue into the picture. Is this a case of press freedom? Or rather the fact that anonymous users are not allowed to access their online archive/site without having to register? Insightful, in terms of their media processes in my opinion..

Girlie Eggheads Conquer

It's that time of the year again - approximately 65 800 students who sat their HSC exams this year received their marks and UAI yesterday and today. Geez, I remember it was only a year ago when I got my results - oh the pressure and anxiety. I think the waiting is worse than actually sitting the examination!

Anyhoo, it seems this year the lasses have performed better than the lads with five girls topping all the science subjects, a branch of study that has typically been dominated by boys. So it's got me wondering, are the tables turning? It's the same story in maths - this year a girl managed to top Maths Extension I (although Maths 2 unit and Maths Extension II were topped by boys again). Girls made up about 60% of those who sat the HSC as opposed to the 40% of boys. I'm not trying to make any sweeping generalisations here or anything, just that its interesting to see that girls have managed to conquer the subjects that were originally male-dominated. Also Hornsby Girls High school has climbed to second place in the state ranking of HSC school performance this year - just behind James Ruse of course - higher from last year's third ranking. This article, along with another one I unearthed at the tres confusing site that is the Daily Telegraph, makes a whole bunch of references to the heightened academic performance of girls. But then again, this is not to say boys aren't trying - its been reported that boys' performance overall has increased this year despite girls making up the majority of the high achievers in this years HSC.

'The Shire' Riots

I'll give a candy cane to anyone who hasn't heard about the Cronulla riots these last couple of days.. Most of the papers - and many commentators and the public also - have labelled it as a 'racially driven' as a result of the increasing violence on the Middle Eastern beach-goers behalf.. A retaliation against the Middle Eastern 'Lebs'. I understand their motive, but what idiot serves alcohol to a bunch of youths shouting 'Aussie Pride' and what losers rip scarves off the heads of Muslim girls?

Predominantly, the violence seems to be racially triggered - courtesy of the Middle Eastern-appearance dudes who abused the lifeguards last week - but the incident with the whole 'let's her scarf off' pulls all sorts of issues into the picture. The 'hijab' scarf is worn by many Muslim women 'as a sign of their faith and submission to Allah (not to men), and so that all Muslim women are respected equally rather than for their appearance, and as a matter of social responsibility' (Wikipedia 2005). The fact that the Anglo-Celts at Cronulla - white Aussies, in other words - targetted this high school girl and her 'khimer' is a sign that this event was somewhat gendered; or it could merely be a response to the gendered aspects of the Muslim religion as a whole.

Another thing I found was that soon after the second wave of riots, the mothers of these Middle-Eastern men were encouraged to exercise some discipline over their young teenage sons in an attempt to curb the violence between these two groups. This article dictates that mothers (a gendered role) played a significant role in the Lebanese family and that 'in Islam, paradise lies at the feet of your mother, so to disobey your mother is to disobey God'. So it seems, that these violent events bring all sorts of issues into the picture- not just race.

Scarier still, some commentators (Damien Murphy, primarily) have even traced on the subject of 'mateship' - a term laced in masculinity - and the breadth that it has been taken to in light of these riots. It's an interesting term, considering that in this case it seems to apply to both sides of the conflict. Anglo mates looking out for fellow Anglo mates, and Arabs looking out for other Arabs. Pity they're not looking out for eachother, regardless of race and religion.

What scares me is the fact that these events have been broadcasted all over the world and that we're no longer seen as the 'peaceful and lucky' country that we always have been. Laid-back and go with the flow coolio. Multiculturally cool and all that. Far from it, it seems. Apparently, this was going to happen sooner or later, but the fact that it happened so violently and almost so suddenly really irks me. And our divine PM says Australians aren't racist.. Pfft. Everyone does it. It's just that nobody talks about it.

Sex Education

A case of sex education gone too far. The New York Times (happy snaps to fellow summer schoolie Thao for this) has just reported the outcome of the case of Sandra Beth Giesel, who was convicted to a mere six months in jail for having sex with her 16 year old student. The article questions the abuse inflicted onto the teenager by these women and enlists the comments of various players in the issue, such as educators and members of education departments as well as psychological researchers. What I'd like to comment on is the impact of these relations between female teachers and their male students. The article sheds light on the litter of cases such as Lisa Lynette Clark, the 37 year-old teacher who married her 15 y/o student soon after finding out she was pregnant to him, and Silvia Johnson, a 40 y/o mother who gave her high school son's friends drugs and alcohol in an attempt to 'be cool' and in doing so, ending up boinking them too, and the apparent 'women having sex with teenage boys' is nothing new. Isn't it only in the last couple of months that these cases have been brought to light? Or has it always happened, and it's only now that they're being reported?

Not new? Scary, I have to admit. Especially when the issue of consent is brought into the picture. And the fact that most 15 year old boys are nearing their sexual peak at about the same time as most women nearing the age of 30. And then comes laws and ethics and morals and so on and so forth. This is why it's such a controversy - sexual relations between women up to 20 years older than the man (or is that boy?); its almost incestuous. Add the fact that she's his teacher and we've got a great storyline for the next episode of the Bold and the Beautiful. This was the case in the infamous relationship between Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau, where Letourneau became obsessed with Fualaau while he was in the second grade at the school she was teaching. Their relationship became sexual before his 13th birthday and Letourneau became pregnant with his child, one which was born in jail while she was serving her sentence for apparent 'statutory rape' with Fualaau.

Gender-wise, these relationships seem to be a tad less controversial, according to anonymous sources in Wikipedia (see above, Mary Kay Letourneau), than that if it were between a male teacher and much younger female student. Is this because our patriarchical society is paradoxically hardened towards those committing the offence (the male teacher to the teenage girl) and those who are victimised by it (the teenage boy by the female teacher)? Notice how Giesel only received six months jail, whereas most paedophiles receive about five years or more - doesn't this say something? And why are paedophiles socially defined as male? Aren't these women paedophiles too?

What disturbs me is that these things don't just happen in America as we'd all like to think, but they're also home-grown. Who can forget the case of Jeff Sinclair, English teacher from Baulkham Hills High and 33 years older than his young female student, Nicole Shackle, developing a relationship before later ‘shacking up’ (pun intended) with her a few years after? And more recently, Karen Ellis, a PE teacher who was convicted of having sex on six counts with teenage boys under the consensual age of 16? Then there’s the question of profit in this article on Ellis – ‘Ellis and her victim, former student Benjamin Dunbar, will appear on Channel 9's 60 Minutes tomorrow in a $40,000 deal. It is believed Ben will receive the fee but the Herald Sun believes police will monitor the arrangement to ensure Ellis does not profit’. Is it because the offender is a full-fledged adult and henceforth should know what is right and wrong? Lack of profit plus jail term equals punishment, I believe.

This issue throws up a whole multitude of questions and ideas. This is a bit *cough* longer than usual, and no way can I squeeze it all these ponderings into one blog entry. Meanwhile, I look forward to six hours of sleep – work tomorrow. Oh the dramas of opening up shop! A plus side though - fingers crossed I get tickets to U2's April 1 show.. altogether now: 'Hello hello... I'm at a place called vertigo!'

Oscars swings that way

Here's a sweet article - 'Gay cowboys flirt with Oscar' (that is a great headline, I have to say). Talk about controversial; all the hype that's surrounded this film. It's one thing to be filming a sex scene between two women in it (Muholland Drive and Monster, anyone?) but its another to be filming sex scenes between to young male actors. Why? Because we're not exposed to gay issues and explicit in-your-face gay relations like this (or so I've been reading up on in regards to this film 'Brokeback Mountain'. I think this is a breakthrough in film and a right and proper commentary on the issues surrounding gay sexualities.

This article is only informative in that Oscar talk for the film has heightened, but there is one statement, that I really like - '[Heath] Ledger and co-star Jake Gyllenhaal are two of Hollywood's hottest leading men, but they risk alienating fans and sending their stars plummeting if, after watching the pair have sex on screen, audiences cannot see them any other way than gay.' My question is why is this so? Simple, and I'll say it again - people are simply just not accustomed to being exposed to this sort of gay issue. Those who have are most likely closet-viewers/commentators. I'm not saying that we shouldn't, definitely not. I'm all for freedom of expression. The thing is that in pornographic terms, there are nowhere near as many male-male sex romps as there are female-female sex romps and this is purely because of the dominating male audience in the commercial porn industry and the stigma attached with gay sex. Sure we have the Mardi-Gras but is that an expression of gay culture or just an excuse to don as much make-up and costume as possible to parade down Oxford Street? The point is that, we know its out there, we just don't talk about it.

This film is a milestone and the fact that its based in the cowboy-yeehaww Western era is bound to make a statement. And the fact that these two actors are notoriously linked in hetereosexual relationships is bound to have fans and their partners alike question their tendencies. But that's just me speculating. Personally, I admire them for pushing themselves.

I hope this thing posts. iMacs are cruddy.

Gender-roles and the 70s

Someone was watching commercial television again.. Today Tonight showed a report on 'What Women Want' in today's society. Some interesting commentary, I admit, and backed up by some legitimate evidence (such as Professor Lee, a scholar who has studied Australian women over the last 10 years and case studies on various women in Australia).

Gender-wise, this commentary is a mere wrap-up of what most of us would have probably realised in the last couple of years - women have more opportunities and are allowed more interest in their own education and training. I've italicised (is that a word? Hmm..) 'allowed' because I think it wasn't as totally socially acceptable for women to take charge of their interests, say, 30-50 years ago.

Reporting-wise – it’s quite good. They’ve balanced everything out more or less – they have the woman who has it all (career AND family) and the woman who has just the career – although, maybe they could have thrown in a male perspective as well as the female professor/scholar to stir up the report a bit. What they could've also done in terms of examples, they could have thrown in the full-time family woman to represent those who choose family over career and asked her opinion on the matter. Other than that, I’d say its done none-to-badly.

This is another example. It’s from about 2 weeks ago, but I thought it seems mighty relevant. CNN announces the release of a New York Times columnist’s new book, ‘Are Men Necessary?’ (Here’s the book link, and the report link). Controversial, definitely, considering the stats of this fine example of American commentary and clearly angry and close-minded feminist (or is that ‘femi-Nazi?). This article is particularly good, I have to say – it’s got plenty of sources (e.g. readers, reviewers) as well as branching to all responses and commentary across all mediums (‘American Morning’ TV program, and the New York Times newspaper), as well as from the lady herself, something I reckon is pretty admirable for an internet article. It covers all grounds and look, SUB-HEADINGS!! It’s a balanced piece of journalism – much better than the Today Tonight report, but then again, you have to take into account the medium – and comments nicely on the issue of gender and sexuality.

Gosh it’s late. Five minutes into ‘That 70s Show’ and I’m still here embracing the inner nerd. *SHOCK* I chose uni over Steven Hyde? Noooooo…

First NCA Blog

Testing...

This is a blog for my summer elective course News and Current Affairs focusing mainly on gender and sexuality in current affairs. The normal thing to do would be to check if this works. Oh the dramas of being computer-illiterate!

So far, we're just browsing the internet databases for some uber-interesting articles on this topic. I got the SMH today and there was this article on how this group of uni bums (such as myself) decided to make a calender based on the erotic bits of the Bible (not like myself, thankfully). Luckily, I managed to find a link to it via the SMH website. I think this particular commentary on the issue of gender and sexuality in NCA is great - it challenges the basic ideals surrounding the Bible and the values imbedded in these beliefs. Of course, this overlaps with the issue of religion, but I'll just focus on the role of sexuality in both commercialism and the ways in which it affects news and current affairs.

In this regard (now I'm speaking like an essay), the sexuality in the presentation of this issue, especially in the SMH is obvious - HELLO long-haired topless chick in full colour photograph. No wonder its one of today's most viewed articles.

That's all I can physically comment on for now - iMacs and Netscape rate highly on my list of all things rad. Not.