“Where are all the female bloggers?” HERE, in my weekly “top ten” – all women bloggers who are new to me. Why “femmes fatales?” Because these are killer posts, selected for great ideas and great writing, general interest and variety.

First up, staying local, and I can’t imagine how I’ve missed this blog for so long, Annie Mole on Going Underground reports on how financial scandal and public figures have been going together for a long time. The post above that has a great collection of fashion victims spotted in the London “metro” system.

Staying with history, Mapletree7 on Book of the Day reviews Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

Stopping in to the modern era, the Era of The Blog, Maxine on Petrona looks at what they can, and can’t do. She has great hopes for Web 3.0 though, and describes the current state of the blogoverse as “cornucopia”, which brings me to On Letting Me Be, with a reflection on the difficulty of making choices.

Now I was talking to a journalist this week about blogging as a political organising tool. I know of a couple of prominent examples, but not as many as I like. Unfortunately I’ve only just found this great post on Muse and Fury in which Actiongirls, a student and community group based out of the University of Windsor in Southwestern Ontario, Canada expresses their anger, and calls for action against, media violence against women.

Sthreeling on Speaking Feminism in India is meanwhile reflecting on the long-term prevalence of “Eve-teasing”, and what needs to be done to finally deal with it. She’s speaking at a general level, but Annie on Known Turf, in an enormously powerful post, sets out exactly what the rules of behaviours should be, and the punishments.

Turning theoretical, Joida on Buried Voices reflects on the nature of a patriarchal society and what a truly equal society might look like.

On the personal-practical side, on My Red Passion, Single Mom finds inspiration in a book about women getting serious about money. Nice girls don’t get rich, she decides.

Finally, perhaps I should lighten up to finish: “It” on The Golden Notebooks reports what happened when she tried to give away some furniture in New York.

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If you missed last week’s edition, it is here.

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Please: In the next week if you read, or write, a post by a woman blogger and think “that deserves a wider audience” (particularly someone who doesn’t yet get many hits), drop a comment here.

And don’t forget, the 11th Carnival of Feminists is coming up next Wedesday on Angry for a Reason. “The themes, if you should choose to accept one of them, are Radical Feminism OR International Feminism.” Nominations should be sent to burrowtheklown AT gmail dot com.

“Where are all the female bloggers?” HERE, in my weekly “top ten” – all women bloggers who are new to me. Why “femmes fatales?” Because these are killer posts, selected for great ideas and great writing, general interest and variety.

Those being picky might note that today is Saturday, but instead of writing this last night I was out at a very enjoyable dinner with the Women’s History Seminar from the Institute for Historical Research – sorry!

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To begin this week, a powerful, personal piece about domestic violence from Amrita Rajan on Desicritics.

And from the same source, a piece about more casual, but persistent and probably ultimately equally damaging harassment and abuse of women on the streets of India. Sujatha Bagal asks “why?” It strikes me, from travel in India and other parts of Asia and the Middle East, that women have to, in the older western formulation “reclaim the streets”. A lot of this is a conscious or unconscious attempt to drive them from public spaces.

But “public space issues” aren’t restricted to the developing world. Travelling Punk is spreading the word about a petition against human trafficking during the (Football) World Cup, which is being held in Germany later this year. I’ve heard horrific reports about brothels being set up in shipping containers around the stadiums …

Turning more personal, but still eminently political, on Girl, Uninterrupted, a Blog Against Sexism Day post (try a Technorati search if you want a great collection), about all of the ridiculous things that I have done in my life so far as a result of being born female.

On to other issues: On The Bipolar View, spotted elephant tells the story of Luna, an orca who humans failed to protect.

And the more you hear about American politics, the more you realise just how deeply corrupt and twisted the “democracy” is. Betsy Devine has been following the case of James Tobin, phone-jammer, part 1 and part 2.

Okay, time for something more cheerful, a short but sweet political joke from The Bumblebee Blog seems a good way to change the tone.

Then Laurie on Body Impolitic reflects on a radio programme in which she participated on honoring our female friends who have been with us through the years of our lives.

On International Marriage, a post with which I sympathise, being also someone who turns beet-red with exercise. The writer isoff to the gym in Japan and find herself a bit on the conspicuous side….

And finally, on Enter the Laughter, a story about a bad day in being a mother.

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If you missed last week’s edition, it is here.

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Please: In the next week if you read, or write, a post by a woman blogger and think “that deserves a wider audience” (particularly someone who doesn’t yet get many hits), drop a comment here.

“Where are all the female bloggers?” HERE, in my weekly “top ten”. Why “femmes fatales”? Because these are killer posts, selected for great ideas and great writing, general interest and variety.

On The Art of Jane Tomlinson, the eponymous blogger doesn’t want much – just some decent pants. Oh, and an end to “raunch culture”. On similar lines, the Vegan Vixen on The Charioteers worries about how to react to women’s fictional and real “rampant sexscapades.

Turning to little political issues, like monarchy v republic, Pomgirl, who lives in Australia with a monarchist, celebrates the fact that the Australian anthem, not ‘God Save the Queen’ will be played at the Commonwealth Games opening.

Fed up that no one ever surveys you? Well StressQueen even got paid for a day of being a research subject, although she did end up feeling a little like a corporate whore.

The Feel-good Librarian reports that lots of things make a story, and it doesn’t have to be told by a raconteur. Also in the true life category, Abi on The Bitch Troll is back at work after a holiday, and her temporary replacement was using her email!

And in the less-than-everyday category, Clare’s sidebar says she’s in Kent, but given she’s talking about the tsetse fly man, I think I can deduce she’s travelling in Africa. And she has some great tales. And Kate Allen is reporting on the camels of Oman.

Now this is a bit of a London post, but I enjoyed it… The Bourgeois Wife managed to get thrown out of the Ivy. (For non-Brit readers The Ivy is THE celebrity restaurant in London, and slightly louche, because the general class of “celebrity” is not very high.) I’d consider that a badge of honour.

And finally, a painting called “Song”, that just sings of spring on a gorgeous art blog, Chillies and Chocolate.

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If you missed last week’s edition, it is here.

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Please: In the next week if you read, or write, a post by a woman blogger and think “that deserves a wider audience” (particularly someone who doesn’t yet get many hits), drop a comment here.

Working on the final century of a collection of 500 female bloggers. Where are they? HERE!

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Who could resist a blog called “Granny Gets a Vibrator”? Not me, and there’s some great reading there, including an account of how Liz is starting a weightlifting revolution.

After that, it seems appropriate to point to – I think – the youngest-ever blogger on FFF: On My Life As A Vegan, 13-year-old Allie from Vermont sets out her anger at the use of pets as fashion accessories.

Turning political Agnostic Mom explains very clearly how Intelligent Design is philosophy, not science, but it is a philosophy that aims to destroy science. Meanwhile in Australia, Miss Eagle on Volunteer sets out how demands on parents for involvement in schools are growing.

On the professional side, Satellite Heart sets out why she doesn’t like 18th-century British literature, but has to mark 33 under-graduate essays on the subject. Sounds like something close to hell … She might not want to read Mary V. on OneWomanWreckingCrew, who is away from her blog at the moment, since she’s set out to live her dream – life in a private wilderness.

But Chick with a Gun is enjoying a thousand-year-old Iranian story about the dangers of deceit. Gillian Pollack is meanwhile contemplating historic chapbooks, and helping children to write about wizards.

Then an interesting idea: Barbara Bellissimo, on Creating an Ideal Life Wearing a Tiara, was fed up that “experts” presented to us always seemed to be male. So she’s creating podcasts of female experts. It’s a commercial proposition – there’s a small payment for the full podcast, but you can listen to a preview.

Then for something completely different: knitting is not my thing, but if you could knit a whale … that’s what the author of Raptures of the Deep, appropriately enough, has done.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Working on the final century of a collection of 500 female bloggers. Where are they? HERE!

(Apologies for missing an edition last week – the over-commitment to various projects got a little out of control. And yes I am a day late this week; will do better!)

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First, the post of the week, from Stella on Where the Cornflakes Are. It is an account of her visit to the gynaecologist. Stella uses a wheelchair. So how is that relevant to the gyno? Well you wouldn’t think it was.

But a close runner-up is from The Perorations of Lady Bracknell. The post is setting out her very firm views on grammar. “Should an individual say that he is “feeling down”, he should be aware that what he is actually saying is that he is currently enjoying a somewhat intimate relationship with a duck.”

And for a nuanced, sophisticated view of the still-raging cartoon controversy, on Nzingha’s Soapbox of the moral dilemma in buying butter to bake cookies.

Inevitably there have been quite a few Valentine’s Day posts this week. (Call me unromantic – because I am – but I’ve never got it: what is the point, except to sell lots of ridiculous expensive pieces of cardboard?)

A few women bloggers might be joining me in that view:
* On Turtle’s Page of Joy that “what are you doing?” phone call turns awkward.
* Foto Fox on I am, Therefore I Date, doesn’t believe the ‘why I didn’t call” story
* The Trail Guide on The Organ Trail, meanwhile, has another reason to call it V-day, although she’s got some thoughts on the traditional celebration as well.

But lest I be accused of being a total cynic, I guess I’d better bring you one “good” V-day story, even if one from the past: On Testing the Cultural Divide, an account of “How a Red Commie hooked up with a True-Blue American”.

In the “people abroad” category, Miss Prism, a Scot in the United States, might surprise local readers by finding good things to say about the American education system. (Well at least the higher education sector.) Have to agree with her, as someone who went to university to study science when I definitely should have been in the humanities. Had I started out with a bit of each, it would have been a lot easier to switch.

On Fumbling Towards Geekdom, meanwhile, StyleyGeek is wondering if anyone is actually born in the Australian town where she is now living, giving the stock set of “meet and greet” questions. (I reckon I could narrow it to at least a state, having spent some time in various Australian backblocks, but given the interests of pseudonymousness, I won’t.)

Then, finally, the writer’s/blogger’s dilemma. A Wandering Woman on People Become Stories muses on how how to define work if you are an artist.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

****
Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Working on the final century of a collection of 500 female bloggers. Where are they? HERE!

On The Feminist Spectator, Jill Dolan looks at the position
of the critic, particularly in theatre, and particularly community-based
theatre. As a critic myself (on My London Your London and alsewhere,
I’ve wrestled with similar questions. I’ve never written a real slam review,
but guess I’ll have to one day.

Also on the artistic side, on The Hathor Project, BetaCandy wonders is romance really for guys. If men and women are watching the same TV show, are they seeing the same show?

Then for something really different, a collection of amazing pictures can be found on Decksitter’s Photoblog. You’ll have to really look at this. Or perhpas you’d like this, Friday cat blogging with a difference from Alison Ashwell, a children’s illustrator.

On The Accidental Hedonist, an explanation of the case against Coca-Cola. Although I doubt any other soft drink is much better; guess I’m lucky that I’ve never liked the stuff – makes me feel like my stomach is a balloon. Then, and yes the linkage is intentional, a reminder from Meryl’s Notes that heart attacks are the No 1 killer of women in the US (and I’d suspect most of the Western world).

Turning to traditional politics, on BlogAmy a “blood-boiling review of the US State of the Union Address. Amy on Shameless Agitator couldn’t bear to watch.

Turning personal, Mz Smarty Pants reflects on the realities of dating in your late-40s to 50s. “If my sweetie and I ever break up again, I will become a Buddha priest or something,” she says.

After that it must be time for a bit of light relief. On You Knit What, punk rock knitter wonders what one designer was thinking.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

****
Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?