The Blood is the Life!

Fresh Squeezings From the veins of the Internet

• My fellow Yorkshireman Judith Brooksbank has a very good post on the meaning of the word "man"


• Gaby Hinsliff quits work to spend more time with her son. And, you know, good for her. I'm glad she's made a decision she's happy with. But I really, REALLY wish she wouldn't try and extrapolate HER experience to ALL women. We are all individuals, and in assuming that all women would really like to do this too she is guilty of this:
  
  
  
  When I had amazing_holly, Ian really wanted to stay home and be a househusband, and I couldn't wait to go back to work. The fact of the way that maternity benefits are structured to make this impossible for anyone who isn't a high earner (women get paid maternity leave for far, far longer than the two week's paternity leave men get) was probably a contributing factor to the breakup of our relationship. There was simmering resentment on both our parts - mine that I had to stay at home going witless with someone who was incapable of conversation, and his that I got to spend so much time with his daughter while he was working very long hours.
  
  So yes, lots of women probably WOULD love to give up work and spend time with their children; but lots of men probably would too, and it should be equally possible for BOTH scenarios to happen; one gender should not be automatically assumed to be the default, and choices should be available to all gender identities, not outcomes engineered for each.


• You can now preorder Dolltopia. Click here to find out what it is about.


• Tip to get girls interested in something: stop being so patronising.


• Costume Competition suffers from misogyny shock. In other news, the pope shits in the woods, and bears are catholic.

And today's meme is for the boys (so they don't feel left out)

It's Movember! Grow a moustache and raise money for prostate cancer research!

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Today has been a tech support day

... unpaid, sadly.

I have been and sorted out some stuff on my mum's computer, and I have been and sorted out some stuff on my auntie Susan's computer. This means that I am behind with the stuff I was going to do on MY computer...

Ah well. It's all good karma points, right?

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MP's Salaries

Poll #1590 MPs Salaries

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14

View Respondents

How much should MPs be paid (in thousands of pounds per year)

View Answers
Mean: 87.86 Median: 85 Std. Dev 42.12

10	0 (0.0%)
20	0 (0.0%)
30	1 (7.1%)
40	1 (7.1%)
50	1 (7.1%)
60	2 (14.3%)
70	2 (14.3%)
80	0 (0.0%)
90	0 (0.0%)
100	3 (21.4%)
110	1 (7.1%)
120	2 (14.3%)
130	0 (0.0%)
140	0 (0.0%)
150	0 (0.0%)
160	0 (0.0%)
170	0 (0.0%)
180	0 (0.0%)
190	0 (0.0%)
200	1 (7.1%)

Should this amount have expenses on top?

View Answers

No, that should be enough for everything
0 (0.0%)

No, but MPs should have staff paid for by parliament - caseworkers and researchers - rather than having to pay for them themselves and then claim for it
3 (21.4%)

Yes, but MPs should only be able to claim for travel and accomodation.
2 (14.3%)

Yes, MPs should be able to claim for anything defined as expenses under HMRC rules.
8 (57.1%)

Yes, MPs should be allowed to claim for whatever they deem necessary as expenses.
1 (7.1%)

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