Charlie Kiss

I must admit I’m a bit shocked by the naiviety of blogs I’ve read that say it’s ‘unfeminist’ to say that a woman shouldn’t be able to choose her husbands name when marrying. This isn’t the point at all. This denies all the relevant history and politics of such an act.

What feminists are arguing and quite rightly in my view is that when a woman gives up her name she is giving up her history and everything that has connected her to her name.

Unfortunatley no matter how romantic it might seeem to totally envelop one’s loves idenity, a woman’s name is still considered less important.

It’s not really an issue as to how famous a woman is. though clearly the women who change their name would have to work harder to ‘make a name’ for themselves with a brand new last name

Marriage was historically about a woman becoming the property of her husband. All her property automatically became the property of her husband until around 1880.

Yes of course feminism is about a women’s right to choose but it’s important to bear in mind where the tradition of losing your name comes from.

As someone who’s looked at family trees, it’s clear it’s much harder to trace the history of women.

The problem generally arises with children. I see absolutely no reason to change last names if there are no children. It’s just more complicated.

But We need to have a change. I like the Icelandic idea, mentioned earlier whereby boys take on their fathers name and girls their mothers. At least in South America, names are double barrelled so the Women’s name lives on for one generation at least.

Claire Dwyer of The Independents view on it

Watched this film today at Inspiral Lounge in camden town- which I highly recommend by the way- Lovely vegan/vegetarian food and free wi-fi. Music is very relaxing. often pop in for lunch.

The film- A Time Comes

The Local Greenpeace group showed the film.. What I wonder is why all these people who evidentally are aware and intelligent people haven’t joined The Green Party- At least I hadn’t seen them before.

It just makes sense to me. That the political avenue needs to be taken. Yes pressure groups can make help and time is a factor BUT we need to use all routes.

Saw this film last night at the Curzon cinema in Mayfair. This was incidentally the first time I’d been to this cinema. Enormous Screen which I just loved. I hate the cinemas with screens barely 4 times larger than my TV.
Comfy seats as well. But back to the film…

Katyn is a forest in Poland where the Russians shot Polish army officers in a massacre and buried them in a mass pit. (This scene brought back images of Bosnia- Of course there are many incidents of this worldwide) Apparently it was only in 1990 that the Russians admitted that they had carried out this atrocity. (The under valued Gorbachev agreed this). When watching the film , you think that once they’ve been shot that it’s all over but what’s clever about this film is the effects it has on those living who are unable to remember their dead truthfully. As the Nazi- Soviet pact finished in 1941 and Russia joined the allies.. in the fight against the Nazis, Russia refused to allow the Polish people to reveal the truth and propagated the lie that the Germans had carried out the attack. So no one could mention it and gravestones had to have the wrong date on them or not mention Katyn at all.

At the beginning of the show, a historian spoke- Adam Zamoyski- He talked of the film director, Andrzej Wajda, whose own father was shot at Katyn.
The one saddening moment for me was when the historian compared Katyn to the holocaust! why do people do this? it doesn’t make sense to me. He even said that Katyn could be considered worse that the holocaust which I think was a stupid thing to say. It was different in tactics in that the Russians wanted to eliminate the ‘intelligentsia’ of Poland, but in scale, object and tactics there is no comparison. I was pleased that there was no evidence in the film of torture- I mean I hope that there wasn’t. In Auschwitz, people were experimented on. I know I would rather be shot in the head. However, I’m comparing now. It’s not helpful. But I’m inclined to as the historian made that claim.

Other than that it’s a good film- the atmosphere of the times is well reproduced.

They or their administrators don’t seem to have any common sense.. Well it’s clear for everyone to see:

1p phone bill for Jeremy Hunt MP

Look on page 63

I would like to know how these MPs have any idea as to what it’s to live on £65 per week where you have to pay for every light bulb, and every piece of bed linen food and clothing out of £65- never mind such luxuries as insurance and transport.

here was the person all the climate change deniers gleefully quoted.. sayind ahh but not all scientists believe that climate change is due to human behavoiur.

Now finally he is quoted in The Guardian:

A majority of people now believe – incorrectly – that global warming is not even caused by humans. In the United Kingdom, 40% believe that global warming is exaggerated and 60% doubt that it is man-made.

In this article, he rants that we should stop scaring people and exagerating.

Trouble is we under exagerating!
We need more exagerating and then we might get some where near the truth, We do need people to be worried about it.. so that they will change their behaviour.. not for the planets sake but for humans sake..

Watched Simon Schamas History Of America DVD last night. I was impressed-very good, interestingly done.

I certainly didn’t expect a very good account of how America has grown up in the belief of the land of the plenty and that now in the west of the country they are now suffering acute water shortages due to global warming..

Historians give their views on the BNP getting in.

It’s reassuring this stuff. I think most of them have got a good perspective. If only we had more history experts in the House of Parliament.

The views of Historians

Iv’e lost count of the number of times I’ve heard people say. what’s the point of me turning my TV/computer standby off etc. when the Chinese are going full steam ahead on Coal burning stations.. Well this news.. is welcome news:

China and other developing countries going Green

People are angry about the expenses scandal but the truth is that in many other countries people are amazed at the uproar over the piddley amounts involved. The really sad and frustrating thing is that as a result of this anger many people didn’t vote.

But what short sightedness is that? as a result we now have two. Yes TWO bloody BNP people representing the British in the European Parliament. I’m disgusted to the core.

People say politics doesn’t matter. What absolute Tosh! Politics is the job you don’t have, the wages you might have, the clothes you’d like to wear, the price of a pint of a beer, how you get about, how easy it is to get about, the rent you pay, the quality of life, the playground, the parks, the things you learn at school, the things you should learn, it even affects your personal life- who you can associate with ( in some countries of course, women can’t associate with men, unless they’re married to them) Politics is so intrinsic to our lives, that politics evern affects what sex you have, who with and what type of sex, yes even in this country people have been sent to jail for adult consensual sex. ( yes the laws were made by politicians) And politics can dictate whether you live or not, if you’re human or if you’re an animal.

I feel so angry at peoples dissillusionment. All it takes is peoples involvement. All you have to do is vote. The more you vote the more you take part the more, you will affect change. Yes one vote every four years isn’t enought, but then vote for the people who want more change and more say.

Sometimes change can be fast other times very slow but as Alice Walker says’

‘The most common way people give up power is by thinking they don’t have any’

The BNP sadly now have recourse to massive public funds. They’ll be able to link up with other Hitler fans in Hungary and Poland who enjoy beating up Jews and Gays and the Romany people for starters. I read today that somone was going to bring out his yellow star and wear it. It brought a lump to my throat. Yes the good news is that the BNP didn’t increase their vote. However there are still too many people voting for them. We need to challenge their ideas head on. Without pathetically borrowing their slogans As Gordon Brown so stupidly did with his ‘British Jobs for British Workers’ slogan.

Politics Matters
Facts about BNP members

Although it is legitimised by regular parliamentary elections, Britain’s organisation of government is essentially monarchical

The constitutional story is that the crown dissolves Parliament at will because it is her Parliament; in reality, the power becomes the prime minister’s. Similarly, and for the same reasons, the prime minister can create and dismantle departments of state at will. He or she can appoint anybody to the House of Lords to become a minister with zero process. Patronage abounds.

Two snippets from the excellent article by Will Hutton in The Observer today.

It’s sometimes difficult trying to explain to people the fact that we have a consitutional monarch means that it gives our PM too much power. but this article explains it very well.

The PM clearly does have too much power.. and this is embarrassing when he doesn’t have someone to calm him down.. witness the ridiculous appointment of Alan Sugar!!

As Andrew Rawnsley writes.. ‘Giving a peerage to the gruesome Alan Sugar is the sort of misconceived stunt that is Gordon Brown at his very worst’