A fatal shooting in Maryland:

A Bel Air woman was shot dead during an argument on Wednesday, according to court documents.

According to charging documents, the incident happened on Churchill Road Wednesday in Bel Air, where Brian Delen, 47, was delivering food. The documents said Delen asked Meghan Lewis, 52: “Are you waiting for a food delivery, sir”

As per Delen’s account described in the documents, Lewis was offended and believed Delen had misgendered her, and yelled at him.

In other words this is yet more dishonest reporting. A man was shot dead, not a woman.

The filing says Delen drove away, and Lewis followed on foot; Delen stopped driving and the two ‘engaged in a physical altercation.”

Presumably … Read the rest

That one little word…

Happy New Year, dear siblings all, from a cis woman who helped draft the Equality Act 2010. A gentle reminder that when EA2010 speaks of women it means ALL women. The word cis is absent from the act; there are NO cis-specific rights. Oh, and ‘sex based rights’ don’t exist.

— Teresa Clark (@teresamaryclark) December 31, 2023

What this driveling fool is trying to make us believe is that “ALL women” includes men who call themselves women, and that if the word “cis” isn’t used then the word “women” means men as well as women.

It’s such a spectacle, watching apparently fully-adult women with serious jobs eagerly giving away women’s rights while patting themselves on the … Read the rest

Just imagine if women had that kind of clout…

A London council has demanded that companies in its supply chain prove their commitment to approved LGBT inclusion values. Labour-run Camden Council has introduced a range of measures to ensure that its internal policies and processes are inclusive.

But of course by “inclusive” in “LGBT” terms they mean mostly non-inclusive of women. The tiny tiny barely visible minority made up of people who claim to be the opposite sex is being “empowered” to demolish women’s rights. Why is that tiny minority, made up of people suffering from a trendy delusion, so important that they get to take away the rights of half of all humans?

According to information from the

Nicaragua v the Church:

Pope Francis used his New Year’s Day address to highlight concern over the worsening situation of the Roman Catholic Church in Nicaragua as a result of a protracted crackdown by the government of President Daniel Ortega, which has detained clerics, expelled missionaries, closed Catholic radio stations and limited religious celebrations.

Of course the church itself has a long long history of doing all that to others. It has detained people, expelled people, closed libraries and burned books, and limited non-religious celebrations. It’s a very coercive organization.

Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional New Year’s Angelus prayer and blessing, Francis said he was “following with concern what is happening in

There are a lot of links worth following up in that piece by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela. One is University of Alberta fires Sexual Assault Centre director for signing letter questioning Hamas rape reports:

The University of Alberta fired its Sexual Assault Centre director for signing an open letter questioning sexual assault and rape claims against Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

Samantha Pearson’s use of the centre’s name was “improper and unauthorized” and “raised understandable concerns from members of our community and the public,” U of A president Bill Flanagan said in a statement Saturday.

Pretty much the last category of person who should endorse such an open letter, you’d think. “Bitches be lyin’,” said the … Read the rest

No solidarity for women:

So why, then, in a moment when statements of solidarity fly fast and furious, have feminists and their progressive allies not been more outspoken about the grotesque sexual violence visited upon Israeli women on Oct. 7?

Many feminist organizations rushed to express support for the Palestinian cause while eliding the plight of Israeli victims. The organization UN Women issued a four-page report last month exclusively addressing the impact of the war on women and girls in Gaza but made only a brief condemnation of the Oct. 7 attack that made no mention of the sexual violence that had been reported. A group of prominent scholars circulated a letter under the title “Feminists for a Free

Grrrrr. Now we’re “non-trans women” – a subset of ourselves.

1. The Equality Act allows “places where it is reasonable for” non-trans “women only to have access”. The designation of a non-TW space must be a “proportionate & legitimate response” to need, but the Courts have not held any private & separate spaces eg toilet stalls, or … https://t.co/Q4wimsyHOk

— Prof. Stephen Whittle OBE, PhD, DLaws, FAcSS, (@stephenwhittle) December 31, 2023

Sneak sneak sneak. Sneak in the “non-trans” bit as if it needs to be spelled out that women are not men who call themselves women. No thank you, that is surplus to requirements; we are women; men who pretend to be women are men.… Read the rest

Peter Tatchell tries to school women on who can be a woman and Rosie Duffield reminds him that we don’t need him to tell us who can be a woman. Go school yourself Peter.

Thanks Peter, but we (the majority of the population) don't need you to explain our own biology back to us, or tell us who may opt in if they feel like it. The use of spurious pseudo-science-speak to #mansplain and patronise makes your biological sex pretty clear… #NoThankYou.

— Rosie Duffield MP (@RosieDuffield1) December 30, 2023

… Read the rest

Tim Harris’s mention of Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireland has prompted me to summon the book from the library and to read the Guardian review by Fara Dabhoiwala.

In the endless catalogue of British imperial atrocities, the unprovoked invasion of Tibet in 1903 was a minor but fairly typical episode. Tibetans, explained the expedition’s cultural expert, were savages, “more like hideous gnomes than human beings”. Thousands of them were massacred defending their homeland, “knocked over like skittles” by the invaders’ state-of-the-art machine guns. “I got so sick of the slaughter that I ceased fire,” wrote a British lieutenant, “though the General’s order was to make as big a bag as possible.” As big a bag as possible – killing inferior people

Originally a comment by Tim Harris on Signals.

To return to the question of ‘indigenous’ religious artefacts in museums, it should surely be pointed out that a great bone of contention is that a great many, if not most, of such artefacts were looted in the course of colonial wars, etc., and it is hardly surprising that the descendants of those peoples should not be happy about it, and the lack of respect shown to them then and now, a lack of respect that – forgive me for saying this – appears in at least one of the comments here.

There was the Younghusband invasion of Tibet in 1903, in which monasteries were sacked and plundered, and the man, … Read the rest

“Labour losing women” is trending.

As long as these @UKLabour MPs keep calling women fighting for our sex based rights “Tories & far right”@UKLabour will lose#WeToldYouSo#LabourLosingWomen https://t.co/g3KptdWvpC

— Sonya Douglas (@SonyaDouglas) December 31, 2023

A single tweet from a female politician suggesting women’s single sex spaces aren’t men’s to give away is bringing all the misogynistic Labour boys to the yard…#LabourLosingWomen https://t.co/4pG6L2LDpW pic.twitter.com/om43IoW60i

— Le_Sorelle_Arduino KPSS (@Sorelle_Arduino) December 30, 2023

Never forget what they had the nerve to say. #LabourLosingWomen https://t.co/TqEXdq3AZR

— Paola Diana (@paoladiana_) December 31, 2023

… Read the rest

Notice anything missing?

We must resist the divisive war on woke that Tories & far right want to drag us into, keeping us fighting each other to distract from their chaos & corruption

From workers, migrants, unemployed, LGBTQ particularly trans ppl – we must stand up for their rights not join the attack

— Kate Osborne MP (@KateOsborneMP) December 31, 2023

Women. She doesn’t include women. Apparently there’s no need to stand up for our rights.… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Artymorty on Signals.

I think the term “virtue signalling” can be susceptible to overuse in something like the way “critical race theory” is. Signalling virtue in itself isn’t a bad thing, because virtue isn’t a bad thing; “virtue signalling” as a pejorative is meant to refer to a cynical or vacuous performance of a kind of artificial morality. Likewise, critical academic analysis of race in itself isn’t a bad thing, but “critical race theory” is a specific strand of academic theory which is a hot mess. The terms’ lack of clarity make them susceptible to being co-opted or misunderstood.

Nevertheless, I like the term “virtue signalling.” I like the juxtaposition of the two words. Virtue … Read the rest

Apparently there is no number of daughters sufficient to convince men of the need to take women seriously.

Donald Trump has daughters. Ditto Vladimir Putin. David Cameron, with two, maintained a primitive preference for male colleagues/banter. George Osborne’s daughter couldn’t inoculate him against airing psychopathic fantasies about Theresa May. That Boris Johnson was the parent as prime minister of two, then three girls, similarly confirms that hiring only men who have daughters cannot, sadly, be the solution to misogyny in Westminster, the City or the Metropolitan police.

Admittedly, since spawning another girl, Johnson has apologised to the female colleague known to his old WhatsApp pals as “that cunt”.

Baby steps. Plus lots of daughters. This is going to take … Read the rest

I’m reading a piece by Elizabeth Weiss about science museums and how they should respond to controversies. I’ve paused to follow up a sidetrack.

In the past two decades, science institutions have faced challenges from another source: indigenous religions. Unlike Christian fundamentalist beliefs, these indigenous beliefs often receive enthusiastic support from academics, scholars, and mainstream media journalists. This support might stem from a desire to oppose Western civilization and align with the “victims” of modernity as part of an effort to “decolonize” museums. Alternatively, it may also be linked to a trend of virtue signaling, which has allowed the misconception that “indigenous knowledge is science” to take root in academic circles.

It’s the virtue signaling bit that caused me to … Read the rest

Daily Mail:

USA Boxing to allow transgender women to compete against female boxers under certain conditions from 2024 after introducing new policy

That is, USA Boxing to allow men to punch women.

USA Boxing has adopted a ‘Transgender Policy’, which will allow male boxers who transition to fight in the female category from 2024.

One, it’s unfair, and two, it’s dangerous.

But it’s only unfair to women and dangerous to women, so it doesn’t matter.

USA Boxing announced the policy on Friday, saying in a statement: ‘The purpose of this policy is to provide fairness and safety for all boxers.’

Bullshit. That policy can’t possibly provide either fairness or safety for women boxers.… Read the rest

Stop cheating or lose your funding.

Parkrun must protect women runners from transgender rivals – or risk losing their funding, says a report backed by Olympians.

The research paper by Policy Exchange, a think tank, found that at least three Parkrun female records were held by biological men as a result of its policy of allowing entrants to self-identify their gender.

The report – backed by Olympic medallists Sharron Davies and Daley Thompson and tennis player Martina Navratilova – warned that female athletes risk being alienated unless grassroots sports from cricket and rowing to football and tennis could provide fair and safe play.

That is, the report warned that there’s a risk that female athletes will be alienated. The … Read the rest

Blah blah blah Peter.

Trans women aren't same as other women but equally valid

Some people are women based on their chromosomal sex

Trans are women based on other biological markers & gender identity

Both types of women are victims of sexism, rape & violence

Fight the misogyny that harms them all pic.twitter.com/vMnkHv19V8

— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) December 28, 2023

Rabbits aren’t same as other women but equally valid.

Shovels aren’t same as other women but equally valid.

Sailboats aren’t same as other women but equally valid.

In short, that doesn’t mean anything. It’s hurbleburble meant to cover up the absurdity of claiming that men are women. Men aren’t the same as women how? In the sense of being the … Read the rest

Still racing toward the cliff.

The hottest year in recorded history casts doubts on humanity’s ability to deal with a climate crisis of its own making, senior scientists have said.

As historically high temperatures continued to be registered in many parts of the world in late December, the former Nasa scientist James Hansen told the Guardian that 2023 would be remembered as the moment when failures became apparent.

“When our children and grandchildren look back at the history of human-made climate change, this year and next will be seen as the turning point at which the futility of governments in dealing with climate change was finally exposed,” he said. “Not only did governments fail to stem global warming, the

Who ya gonna believe, Trump or pretty much anyone else?

Donald Trump has angrily denied claims by the director of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York that he bullied his way into a now famous cameo. The former president made a brief appearance in the 1992 film in a scene filmed at the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time.

Director Chris Columbus said Mr Trump insisted on appearing in the film if they used the hotel as a location. But Mr Trump said the filmmakers were “begging” him to appear.

“I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all, persistent,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform on