In the Name of Honour - Mukhtar Mai **/*

Mukhtar Mai came to prominence in June 2002, when journalists in Pakistan first learned of her gang rape, punishment for an 'honour crime' allegedly committed by her brother, an offence for which there was never any proof.

After the horrific rape, custom dictated that she would kill herself. But Mai defied custom. In an unprecedented act if courage, she took her rapists to court.

In this rousing and moving account, Mai describes her experiences and readers get a rare look inside a world of ancient tribal justice, rampant illiteracy, poverty, and economic and sexual bondage.

Mukhtar Mai pitted herself against the system with extraordinary courage and strength of purpose. Timely and topical, In the Name of Honour is the inspirational true story of a woman who continues to fight against exceptional odds; since the trial some of the convictions have been overturned, leaving Mai in a decidedly dangerous situation.

Nevertheless, Mukhtar Mai remains in her village where she runs the first ever school for girls- seeded with money awarded to her by the Pakistani government in her historic settlement - and is a eager pupil there herself.

"It is because of the support of the world that I feel brave" Mukhtar Mai

This was good, but not as good as Shame. I feel this is most likely because the story has been verbally passed on, then translated twice whereas Sanghera in Shame was able to write her story herself, as a native English speaker. It lacks the extreme determination and enormously inspirational feeling that Shame had. If I had read them the other way around it may have been different but I would still highly recommend Shame over this.

2.5 / 5

Moronic thought of the year, #472

"I wonder if we'll ever progress to our computers being mini ATM's...... when we do our online banking we could withdraw money from say the disk drive......that would require the machine being filled quite regularly though.....which would mean your computer would have money just sitting in it.....you could just bust it open anytime.....*~*~*~*...... right.......thats why we'll never have ATM's in our homes.....moron...."

We all knew work was bad for us.....

Click on strip to see better

Blog.....

funnies

Corset-ed funness

I disagree with the fug girls on this post in all but one, the bottom of the skirt does look a little like a miniature theatre. BUT I can forgive her for it, as I think she looks great and I love the corset on her. Remembewr when corsets were really in and Neve campbell was really popular and everyone still wore their bra under them, ina constrasting colour?
*sigh* I miss those early nineties.....

weird and wonderful

This thing I think revolutionises travel for women. Its a thing you slide into your fly, and allows you to pee standing up!!! And they're only $20!!!! For more info, WhizBiz.

These X-ray images show the leg of a chair embedded into the eye socket of a Melbourne teenager who miraculously survived a random attack outside a city nightclub earlier this year.

Tell the Truth Telstra.
An interesting venture to promote High speed broadband in Australia. Take a look, I'd recommend it for enlightening reading.

A Fear of Heaven is known as uranophobia.
A fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth is known as arachibutyrophobia.
A fear of knees is known as genuphobia.

Persuader - Lee Child ***/*

Never forgive, Never forget. That's Jack Reacher's standard operating procedure. And Francis Xavier Quinn was the worst guy he had ever met. He had done truly unforgiveable things. So Reacher was glad to know he was dead. Until the day he saw him, alive and well, riding in a limousine outside Boston's Symphony Hall.

Never apologise, Never explain. When Reacher witnesses a brutal attempt to kidnap a terrified young student on a New England campus, he takes the law into his own hands. That's his way, after all. Only this time, a cop dies, and Reacher doesn't stick around to explain. Has he lost his sense of right and right? Just because this time, it's personal?

Lee Child writes good books. I ended up in bed for six hours or something Saturday morning to finish it. I'd recommend reading earlier Reacher stuff first though, this would be a bit of a full on introduction to a good character.

3.5 / 5

New Tolkien? Oh wait.....right.....

'New' Tolkien book hits the market

By Vivien Cuttle. ABC's Articulate.

All those millions of J R R Tolkien fans out there suffering withdrawal symptoms from a lack of new films or books can now breathe easy.

Tolkien, the world-famous author of The Lord of the Rings, may have died more than 30 years ago, but that hasn't stopped his son (who is also his literary executor) from publishing his stories.

Children of Hurin already makes an appearance in The Silmarillion but this version pulls together parts from other, unpublished manuscripts.

The story follows Turin and his sister, Nienor, who are cursed by a dark lord called Morgoth.

It is set long before hobbits walked Middle Earth and is reportedly much darker than any of Tolkien's offerings so far.

I heard this on the radio this morning and had to txt Re to check he was dead. And yes, he is, thoroughly. I don't understand post-humous Publication of books, or release of music. Seems a bit weird.

Gahhhh

So incredibly busy at work atm. Need to decompress~!!!!
We're operating a two man show atm, half capacity, and our system's gone down, our massive shipment arrived (so everyone wanted their stock), just a madhouse I swear.
*breathe*

In other news, I have photos to upload soon, but can't make the cd work so not quite yet, and life is good. Had a good easter, don't think I ate too too much, just some too much. I've walked each work day this week and I was able to load some songs onto my new-ish shuffle so I am more entertained along the way, and I'm trying to get the gym a few days a week still too. I hope it all lasts and doesn't get too boring too soon.....
:(

Salut everyone : )

Soul - Tobsha Learner ***

In 1860, twenty-year-old Lavinia Huntington is transported from her Irish village to start a new life in Mayfair, London, as the wife of a gentleman anthropologist thirty years her senior. One year later she is standing trial for his murder.

In modern-day Los Angeles, forty-year-old Professor Julia Huntington, geneticist, returns from a field trip to Afghanistan. She has received a prestigious commission from the US Defence Department to research a genetic propensity to kill without remorse.

Soul is the story of two women, across two eras, and their struggle with obsessive love and revenge. Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, part commentary on genetics and human behaviour, sexual jealousy and betrayal, it is both provocative and unputdownable.

Firstly I am going to kick off saying I honestly think unputdownable should be banned from books. It isn't a word. Secondly, this is good, but nothing to write home about. It reads as one 1860 chapter, one modern, and there isn't enough time to really get into either story before it changes again, which makes it difficult to empathise with the characters.

3 / 5

Killing for Pleasure; the definitive story of the Snowtown Serial Murders - Debi Marshall ***/*

"Keep your friends close.

Keep your enemies closer.
A simple philosophy that John Bunting-the sadistic mastermind behind Australia's worst serial killings-used to fool everyone, from his lovers and friends to his victims and police.

Five years in the research, investigative journalist Debi Marshall takes you deep inside thew sinister world of the killers and the veil of secrecy that shrouds Adelaide society. A stark account of the story that would come to be known as the "bodies -in-barrels" murders, Killing for Pleasure presents material never before seen-a harrowing interview with Buntings' last lover and her son, key eye witness Jamie Vlassakis, Marshall's conclusions will haunt you long after you turn the last page. In a subculture where abuse and revenge intertwine, John Bunting and his accomplices were indeed, Killing for Pleasure.

Twelve bodies, three killers, one accomplice and a maniacal murder spree that went undetected for seven years, Killing for Pleasure examines the systematic abuse endured by both victims and killers. It is a chilling tapestry of torture, dismemberment, ritual fantasy and cannibalism, a no-holds barred investigation that asks : Why? And why Adelaide, South Australia once admired as the City of Churches, now known as the City of Corpses? Is twelve the final body count?"

Hmm Creepy. Good, but a bit of a slog if you're not into it, I was into it and it still took me a week. A very interesting look into the fabric of lower class Australia, that I think middle class Oz pretends doesn't exist. That's the feeling I get anyway. Lots of child abuse and paedophilia assosciated with the killers (as young victims) and their victims (at the hands of others). It is almost a way of life in their class. Hmm....

**btw-photo pages in the middle**

3.5 / 5

Environmental Myths *busted*

1. Water from a rainwater tank is not fit to drink
2. I can't go solar because I'm already connected to the electricity grid
3. Recycling is a waste of time
4. I refuse to drink recycled water
5. Conservation is something that should happen only in national parks
6. Calling a product organic means it is organic. Right?
7. Most environmental damage was done by our colonising forebears
8. Our economy was built on the sheep's back
9. You need lots of space to grow food

To read more on each of these points, check out this article in the SMH, the first in a new series called Eco, which I for one, am looking forward to.