Cambridge University’s lacking equality
Cambridge – bastion of male dominance – still! So I’ve referred the buggers to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission for investigation.
It’s because of the appallingly wide gap between what the university pays men and women. The university’s own Equal Pay Report shows that men are paid on average nearly a third more than women – £37,157 compared to £28,247.
There are two reasons for the gap.
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Top Stories –
Nationwide
Commons in uproar over Mail sell-off
Fight against terror ‘spells end of privacy’
Jack Straw hit by internet fraudsters
Army is fighting British jihadists in Afghanistan
International
3rd rescue would give US 40% of Citigroup
Obama: U.S. will emerge stronger than ever
Sri Lankan troops in last Tiger-held town
Holocaust-denial bishop heads for Britain
DAILY BLOG REVIEW / by Aaron Murin-Heath
Unsurprisingly numerous blogs have posted their sympathies for the Cameron family, as Unity has done so on behalf of LC and its readers. It’s heart-warming to see that our common humanity trumps our political differences.
Elsewhere…
New Humanist blog – Homophobic nutters picket the Oscars. World rolls eyes.
The Thinking Liberal – On why Jack Straw’s excuses for blocking the release of the Iraq cabinet minutes just don’t cut it.
Chicken Yoghurt – Justin points out the spectacular hypocrisy.
Nuclear Reaction – Justin again, this time writing at NR, begins introduces “No to Nuclear Power 101″.
Dolphin Hotel – On sourcing English-language books in the Baltic. Amen brother. I suggest a train to Tallinn, and investigating the third floor of the Viru Keskus mall.
Finally, Anton has a few links FYI.
Watch: Wilders, ‘Europeans are cowards’
What do Gordon Brown and Nadine Dorries have in common?
So, Gordon Brown has taken heed of my rants and launched an Obama style website to focus on jobs – Real Help Now, launched today. More seriously, while this is a positive step, it would help if we also had a serious and thought-out stimulus plan. And I cannot reiterate enough that the messages from this government on the economy have been rubbish. They should stop talking about banks and focus only on two messages: creating jobs, and exposing the fact that the Tories have no plan. Right now,
Saying that, the website is awfully cluttered; aren’t there any good design bods at the government?
And guess who else has been taking tips from Obama? Yes, Nadine Dorries MP, who has written an ecstatic article for her local paper telling us how she marshalled her troops online, Obama style, and stopped the government from building housing!! So now you can not only blame her for jumping on the bandwagon, but also the for the lack of housing across the UK.
Obama: Troops out of Iraq by next year
President Barack Obama plans to remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by August of next year, administration officials said Tuesday, ending the war that helped define his upstart presidential campaign _ although a little more slowly than he promised.
The withdrawal plan _ an announcement could come as early as this week _ could help Obama turn his attention to another campaign pledge: Deploying more troops to Afghanistan, a region he calls the central front in the war on terrorism.
The timetable is a compromise. Removing so many people and tons of equipment presents logistical difficulties. Some commanders and advisers worry that security gains could backslide in Iraq if troops are brought out too soon, while others think the bulk of U.S. combat work is long since done.
…
Obama expects to leave a large contingent of troops in Iraq, between 30,000 and 50,000 troops, after August, 2010 to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests, according to two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public. The contingent will include intelligence and surveillance specialists and their equipment, such as unmanned aircraft.
Bankers taking the piss
Senior City bankers are demanding pay rises of up to 10 per cent this year to make up for the clampdown on the bonus culture, a senior City head-hunter has told The Independent.
So when they fuck up and can’t get ‘performance related’ bonuses they then want more on their salary? So what happened to all the free market arguments about competition, rewarding ability etc etc.
Seems they want to get paid well regardless of how well they perform. Now what would they say of that was the public sector?
Alan Sugar to sue The Sun
The Media Guardian reports today that Alan Sugar is suing The Sun newspaper for its recent front-page story that Muslims had issued a ‘Jewish hit-list’ targeting him among others. The story was, of course, pure rubbish. He
…yesterday issued a writ at the high court in London against the Sun’s publisher and News International subsidiary, News Group Newspapers, and its editor, Rebekah Wade. The businessman and TV star is understood to have been angry at the story, which he felt risked his personal security.
Woohoo! There are two issues here.
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Should lone parents work?
Laurie Penny is keeping up her attack on James Purnell’s Welfare Reform Bill, and in particular the plan to get single mothers back into work.
She has a point. If we look at the DWP’s own figures (big pdf), the returns to work for low-skilled lone parents are small. Table 1.2f suggests that a mother of one child who works 30 hours a week on the minimum wage is £56.87 better off in work than out. This is an effective wage of just £1.90 an hour.
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Top Stories and Blog Review – 24th February
Nationwide
Brown dragging Labour vote down, poll
Pro-nuclear Green candidate faces axe
Young. Gay. Proud. Battered to death
Taxpayer may get £500bn liability
International
Report: Gitmo detainees treated humanely
Survey reveals broad support for President Obama
Israeli coalition faces more blocks
DAILY BLOG REVIEW / by Sarah Ismail
Moazzam Begg/CIF: Reminds us of a Guantanamo inmate that the media has forgotten.
Victoria Brignell/New Statesman: On assisted death after sudden physical disability.
Feministing: US university crowns it’s first male Homecoming Queen.
Rahila Gupta/CIF: On women fighting fundamentalism
Bartholomew’s Notes: Turned 5 on February 23rd. Happy Birthday!
Paul Rogers/Open Democracy: What will Obama do about Afghanistan and Pakistan?
I was interviewed at Mars Hill for the ‘Twenty Questions To A Fellow Blogger‘ series last weekend. And, previous Netcasts if you’d like a look.
Don’t blame the children!
I’m deeply shocked by news reports that DisAbled CBeebies presenter about Cerrie Burnell. Despite already having had small roles in Eastenders, The Bill and Grange Hill, the BBC has received an unbelievable nine formal complaints about Miss Burnell recently.
Why? Simply because Miss Burnell was born with one arm! What difference does that make? Any sensible person living in 21st century England would instantly ask.
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» Revealed: govt to restrict abortion counselling despite Nadine Dorries vote
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