Finally, Harper Does Something We Agree With!

From CBC News:
Abortion Debate Will Not Be Reopened
The Prime Minister's Office has reaffirmed its position that the government has no intention of reopening the abortion debate following a Conservative MP's comments that the issue needs to be addressed.

"Throughout his political career, the prime minister has been clear on this issue," Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for the prime minister, told the National Post. "We will not introduce or support legislation on abortion."

Although the issue has come up during election campaigns, Harper has insisted that it will not part of a Conservative government agenda. While he has not been specific about his own views, Harper has said they fall somewhere "between the two extremes."

Click here to read the full article.

Two Anti-Feminist Peas in a Pod

From the blog Jezebel:
Ann Coulter Names Sarah Palin "Conservative of the Year"
Well lookie here! Two of your least favorite people in one post: Ann Coulter has named Sarah Palin as "Conservative of the Year," noting Palin's "genius at annoying all the right people." Ann would know!
Read the full article here.

And speaking of Sarah Palin, she's going to be on The Hour (the CBC show with George Stroumboulopoulos) on New Year's Eve. Should be a gooder'. That woman is like a train wreck - I don't want to watch cos she's so utterly horrible... but I can't help being sucked in by her!

Feminist Quotes for the Holidays

Happy Holidays to all you fine folks out there! Here is our Christmas present to you - a few of our favourite quotes by some feisty women.

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute.
- Rebecca West, 1913

A feminist is a woman who does not allow anyone to think in her place.
- Michele Le Doeuff

There are very few jobs that actually require a penis or vagina. All other jobs should be open to everybody.
- Florynce Kennedy

Mon Dec 22 - Can Men be Feminists?

Have you ever wondered if men can be feminists?
If so, be sure to tune in to our show on Monday Dec 22 from 8:30 to 9:00pm on CJSW 90.9 fm.
We'll be interviewing a male student at the University of Calgary who is majoring in Women's Studies.

Tip: You can listen to our radio program on-line - just follow this link.

Bush Stirs Shit Up in His Last Month

From the Wall Street Journal:

The Bush administration, in its final days, has issued a federal rule reinforcing protections for doctors and other health care workers who refuse to participate in abortions and other procedures because of religious or moral objections.

Critics of the rule say the protections are so broad that they limit a patient's right to get care and accurate information. For example, they fear the rule could make it possible for a pharmacy clerk to refuse to sell birth control pills and face no ramifications from an employer.

Mon Dec 15 - Interview with a young feminist authour

When we found out that a 17 year old high school student in Calgary recently wrote (and published!) a feminist-themed book, we knew she had to come on the show!

Join us on Monday December 15th for our interview with Megan Ryland, author of Beauty and the Beast: Ending the Love/Hate Relationship Between Girls and Their Bodies.

We think it's pretty rad that such a young author has written a book about a major issue facing young women in North America today. It's wonderful to see that the feminist movement is still relevant and exciting to young girls today!

To learn more about Megan and her book, visit her website: Beauty and the Beast.

This is what Christmas looks like at Playboy

Just in time for Christmas, the Mexican issue of Playboy features a nude "virgin Mary." I'm not even religious and I'm offended by this!

From an article in The Sun:

The December issue features model Maria Florencia Onori posing as the Virgin wearing nothing but an angelic white cloth.

The release was timed for the day before Mexico's traditional Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a celebration of an apparition of the Virgin in the town.

Its headline reads in Spanish: "We adore you, Mary."

*Sigh* I hate our culture's obsession with female virginity.

The Real Housewives of Orange County - WTF?

So, last night I shamelessly watched The Real Housewives of Orange County. Wow. It's really hard to believe that such consumer driven, beauty-obsessed, self-involved, plastic-botox-peroxide princesses really exist. I felt a little ashamed to be a human being while watching it.

It seems that their biggest concern in life is "who is the hottest housewife?"

Anybody else seen this show? What do you think about it?

Dec 8 Show - Remembering December 6th

On the sixth of December every year there are services across Canada to remember what happened in Montreal in 1989.
Fourteen women (mostly engineering students) were shot and killed by a gunman who said he was "fighting feminism" because feminism ruined his life. It was an act of gender-based violence that shocked Canadians and the world.

Tonight we are going to discuss the events of December 6th, 1989, and share some information about violence against women in Canada.
We will also play a clip from a male University of Calgary Professor in the Faculty of Engineering who considers himself a feminist.

Pro-abortion is a dirty word!

This is a random post, and kind of late considering it was inspired by some comments John McCain said during the final presidential debate. During this debate, McCain kept using the word "pro-abortion" instead of pro-choice.

This really pissed me off because I hate the inference that being pro-choice means being pro-abortion. I think there are very few people out there that would actually fall under the category of "pro-abortion." I don't know anybody who actually WANTS to have an abortion and thinks they're fantastic. Nobody wants to go through that, but for many women, it's a necessary procedure.

Also, a lot of people don't understand that you can actually be against abortion for your own personal self, but be pro-choice when it comes to other women's lives. That's what being pro-choice is all about - it's about respecting the choices that other women make, and not judging them for it.

Fuck the term "pro-abortion." I hope pro-life folks will stop using it because its unfair and misleading.

Tonight: "Mr. Right" (Monday Dec 1, 2008 8:30pm MST)

On tonight's show we'll be airing a discussion between Jennie and I along with our guest volunteers, Casey and Morgan. The four of us sat down to talk about the idea of the alleged "Mr. Right".

Is the notion of finding one's "Mr. Right" a fictional, socially constructed figment of our imagination, or is it a valid basis on which to form our standards in terms of relationships? What kind of role has this image played in our past? In current pop-culture? We'll ask some of these questions and look at how this idea is presented in the media on shows like Sex and The City and in film; particularly, Disney' s Snow White.

This is the last of two contributions to the show by Casey and Morgan over the past few weeks, so a special thanks goes out to them for their hard work!

Tune in Monday Dec 1, 2008 at 8:30 PM (MST) on CJSW 90.9 FM or listen online @ www.cjsw.com

The worst airbrushing ever

From the Daily Mail in the UK comes this little gem...

Remember Mel B from the Spice Girls? Well, she posed for Ultimo's new line of undies, and there is some SERIOUS airbrushing going on. Look at her hips! They have been totally "scraped off."

I am totally against this type of airbrushing which sets up unrealistic beauty standards for women... but if you're going to air-brush, at least make it look somewhat realistic!

Click here for the full article.

Prostitution - to legalize or not?

Tonight on Yeah, What She Said we will have our first interactive show! We will be discussing the issue of prostitution - in particular, to legalize it or not?

New Zealand and the Netherlands are two Western countries where prostitution is currently legal. Should we follow in their footsteps?

Listeners are able to call in and share their thoughts tonight. The number to call is 403-220-3991.

Tune in on CJSW 90.9 FM (or stream it live from cjsw.com) from 8:30 to 9:00pm MST.

Sick of diet ads on Facebook?

I just read a neat post on my favourite feminist blog, Feministing. The blogger was saying how she deleted the reference to her gender on her Facebook profile, because she was sick of all the diet ads that target women.

I'm sick of these ads too! Especially the "celebrity diet" ads. I'm tired of being bombarded with messages that inform me that "You too can have a flat stomach like Jessica Alba!" Well, yeah, maybe I can if I work out every day, have a personal trainer and a chef, on top of chowing down on nasty diet pills that are probably gonna give me wicked-bad diarrhea.

The image I've included here is an example of a Facebook ad that is targeted towards women. I especially like how it advertises hair colour for the "hair down there." First of all, wake up people! We're in a world-wide financial crisis. Who's buying hair dye for their vagina in tough times like these? Second of all, I wouldn't want those chemical dyes anywhere near my vagina, thank-you-very-much.

So if you want to get rid of these annoying ads on your Facebook too, go gender-neutral!

Good Bye to Miriam Makeba (March 4, 1932-November 9, 2008)

It is with great sadness that I inform all of you about the death of Miriam Makeba. The music of Miriam Makeba was a staple in my household as I was growing up; she was also a testament and a symbol of what black - particularly African - women are capable of in terms of contribution to cultural history. She carried the torch for many women of many different backgrounds having endured an era of darkness during the reign of apartheid and gained recognition for both her struggles and her accomplishments throughout her life.

She was one of those icons whose legacy I never thought I would live to see the curtains drawn upon. That being said, may the symbol of what she has meant to so many of us live on in our hearts infinitely.



Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Shopping For Electronics, The "Womanly" Way...?

I came across the following post just a few minutes ago on a Tech Blog I sometimes like to check out. I need some help with this one; my instincts tell me that this is a ridiculous idea, but I worry that maybe in my fury, I'm neglecting the demographic of women that might seek solace and recognition in such a project.

Follow the link below for the whole story and share your response(s)!

Best Buy Opens Female Friendly Store, Whatever That Means

CJSW Funding Drive Edition of Yeah, What She Said!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight, Jennie and I hosted the CJSW Funding Drive Edition of Yeah, What She Said. CJSW Funding Drive is a very special time of year for both Jennie and I as well as all of the other members of the station. It's the one time in the year that we take time out to ask for donations from our loyal (and much appreciated) listeners. It's also an opportunity to reflect on some of the memorable episodes of the show that we've aired, some of the guests we've interviewed and its also a chance for you, the community, to call into the station and make a pledge in exchange for awesome swag and the continuation of quality alternative radio programming.

So Jennie and I would like to take this time to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who called in to make a pledge for the show tonight! Funding Drive will continue until this coming Friday so you can continue making donations until then. You may also make pledges throughout the year, however, in order to get hooked up with the goodies, be sure to join us for Funding Drive next year!!

Cheers and Thank You!

Bee