Women in Saudi Arabia have been openly driving cars in defiance of an official ban on female drivers in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

The direct action has been organised on social network sites, where women have been posting images and videos of themselves behind the wheel.

The Women2Drive Facebook page said the direct action would continue until a royal decree reversed the ban.

Last month, a woman was arrested after uploading a video of herself driving.

Manal al-Sherif was accused of “besmirching the kingdom’s reputation abroad and stirring up public opinion”, but was released after 10 days having promised not to drive again. BBC.

How ridiculous is that? And why can’t women drive:

The motoring ban is not enforced by law, but is a religious fatwa imposed by conservative Muslim clerics. It is one of a number of severe restrictions on women in the country.

Supporters of the ban say it protects women and relieves them of the obligation to driver, while also preventing them from leaving home unescorted or travelling with an unrelated male. BBC.

It’s all about control – control of women – without mobility they’re handicapped.

Roseanne Barr, better known to many of us as the star of the US sit-com Roseanne, which I freely admit to rather enjoying, Barr’s also seen as a pretty controversial figure who often appeared more than a little unstable, if not mentally unstable and perhaps that’s unsurprising when you understand what she was up against in Hollywood.

It didn’t take long for me to get a taste of the staggering sexism and class bigotry that would make the first season of Roseanne god-awful. It was at the premiere party when I learned that my stories and ideas—and the ideas of my sister and my first husband, Bill—had been stolen. The pilot was screened, and I saw the opening credits for the first time, which included this: CREATED BY MATT WILLIAMS. I was devastated and felt so betrayed that I stood up and left the party. Roseanne Bar, New York Magazine.

Now I’m no fan of the rampant consumerism that seems to typify much of America, however Barr’s ire is understandable as she writes:

When the show went to No. 1 in December 1988, ABC sent a chocolate “1” to congratulate me. Guess they figured that would keep the fat lady happy—or maybe they thought I hadn’t heard (along with the world) that male stars with No. 1 shows were given Bentleys and Porsches. So me and George Clooney [who played Roseanne Conner’s boss for the first season] took my chocolate prize outside, where I snapped a picture of him hitting it with a baseball bat. I sent that to ABC. Roseanne Bar, New York Magazine.

I wouldn’t particularly hold up Rosanne show as real or truthful but Barr’s points about Charlie Sheen’s show Two and a Half Men is a damning indictment of what many watch on TV.

Nothing real or truthful makes its way to TV unless you are smart and know how to sneak it in, and I would tell you how I did it, but then I would have to kill you. Based on Two and a Half Men’s success, it seems viewers now prefer their comedy dumb and sexist. Charlie Sheen was the world’s most famous john, and a sitcom was written around him. That just says it all. Doing tons of drugs, smacking prostitutes around, holding a knife up to the head of your wife—sure, that sounds like a dream come true for so many guys out there, but that doesn’t make it right! People do what they can get away with (or figure they can), and Sheen is, in fact, a product of what we call politely the “culture.” Where I can relate to the Charlie stuff is his undisguised contempt for certain people in his work environment and his unwillingness to play a role that’s expected of him on his own time. Roseanne Bar, New York Magazine.

Yep dumb and sexist that’s all too many people – read the rest of Barr’s article on the New York Magazine’s website – it’s worth your time!

Owen Barder comes up with some surprising answers to the question what’s the best way to use $1 million to tackle climate change.

Makes you think doesn’t it? Confirms my belief that sexism is stupid.

Christina Hendricks in New York Magazine

“Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous,” says Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone, who held up Hendricks’ outline as an ideal shape for women.

Highlighting the “overexposure” of skinny models and the impact they have on body image among young people, Ms Featherstone went on: “We need more of these role models. There is such a sensation when there is a curvy role model. It shouldn’t be so unusual.” BBC.

What utter bollocks are we to only judge women on whether they fit a perfect figure or not – madness – it’s time we judged women for who they are not what fucking size they are – Christ we’re all different shapes and sizes it’s pointless trying to be a shape we aren’t – what’s the point of replacing one unattainable image with another?

Diane Abbott Labour’s first female leadership candidate

Australia has its first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, after Kevin Rudd stepped down as Labor party leader, avoiding a ballot he was certain to lose. Ellen Connolly, The Guardian.

Which leaves me wondering when will the UK next see a female prime minister? It seems the election of Margret Thatcher has made the likelihood of another female prime minster less not more likely.

As for government apart from a few exceptions the Con-Dems cabinet is stuffed full of Oxbridge educated white males.

Labour with the largest number of woman MP’s – in fact more than all the other parties put together has surely is surely best placed to provide a female leader although Labour has only just had its first female leadership candidate Diane Abbott – realistically Diane has little chance of success.

It’s high time this inequality was addressed – Harriet Harman’s call for 50-50 gender spilt in Labour cabinet is surely a start.

Diane Abbott Labour’s first female leadership candidate

What’s so special about that – Oh woman is 43 and the man is 19 – wouldn’t make the news if it was the other way round.

There’s been some controversy over the Marie Stopes advert for abortion services.

What is controversial over this advert is it will not be aired by Channel 4 in Northern Ireland because abortion is still illegal in the province. Where’s the outcry over the suppression of women’s rights in part of the UK?

I read The Guardian and other websites via Google Reader which allows me to keep up with websites without having to visit them individually it’s really good and you should give it a try.

However back to my point what is this advert doing on The Guardian’s feed attached to a post on Thailand’s protests? It’s something I’d expect of pretty much every other national news paper – not the Guardian. Find your soul mate? Looks anything but soul mates. I don’t want to see this and I certainly don’t want my children to see it either.

Of course you won’t actually see this advert on The Guardian website – I guess The Guardian believes users of Google Reader are all men – and don’t try to tell me this advert is trying to appeal to women – it doesn’t

Bottom right hand of page 136 in this month’s Uncut

The music magazine Uncut has these chat lines adverts – why? It’s not something I want to see and certainly not in a music magazine – let alone the fact that they have women reading their magazine – I know it might come as a surprise to Uncut but women like music too.

Planet Rock advertisment in Music Magazine Mojo

We’ve rightfully had an outcry over Danny Dyer’s advice in his agony column for Zoo to slash his ex-girlfriends face – but why doesn’t this offensive advert in music magazine Mojo for Planet Rock generate a similar outcry? I’m not ready sodding Playboy – don’t get me started on Playboy how they’ve managed to get so many women and young girls to wear their logo is beyond me – don’t they realise it’s a bloody porn mag? And for anyone in any doubts about the acceptability of porn I refer you to rmott62 and Surviving Prostitution – they’ll put you right.

Mojo needs to stop accepting such sexist advertisements.