A tech conference meant to be the largest gathering of female technologists faced backlash when biological men identifying as "nonbinary" were seen attending the event.

Don't know about you, but I had a pretty rough week so I'm indulging myself with Jinjer and Spiritbox, starting with one of the greatest collabs of the current millenium: Spiritbox - Circle With Me ft. Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer

Megan Thee Stallion - TYG (feat. Spiritbox) Jinjer - Who Is Gonna Be The One - Live Spiritbox - The Mara Effect - live Jinjer - Pisces - Live Spiritbox - The Mara Effect - live Jinjer - Just Another We will return to more varied programming next week, probably.

How do women who mud wrestle or take regular mud baths (esp. naked, say at a spa) avoid getting mud in their, er, orifices—or do they avoid it? Would tampons be useful in preventing such an occurrence? Or is that even necessary?

And if mud is allowed into the vagina or anus, does that lead to an increased incidence of infection (whether by yeast or bacteria)? How would one go about (or, ladies, how have you gone about) preventing such resultant infections? And do spas have problems with the transmission of such infections in their mud baths?

I've found an abstract from a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found a greater incidence of pustular follicular dermatitis outbreaks among mud-wrestling college students (no joke) at the University of Washington in Seattle—but that doesn't speak to the question of vaginal, anal or urethral irritation stemming from prolonged mud exposure.

(And yes, this is a serious question, I promise—the topic came up during a conversation I was party to a while back about, well, vaginal irritation/infections. Fun stuff, huh?)

In a place where an act as simple as reading the Quran can be an act of defiance, the Taliban has banned women from hearing other women's voices in its latest attempt to impose their version of Islamic law on Afghanistan, including mandating that women refrain from performing Takbir—an Islamic expression of faith—and from reciting the Quran aloud, even in the presence of other women.

The UN and Amnesty have stated that the oppression of Afghan women, made prisoners in their homes, unable to speak, has erased women from all spheres of life. Girls born in the 20 years free of Taliban rule went to school and learned of their mothers' experience of repression, only to lose the ability to attend school with the Taliban's return in 2021. Women lost their ability to work, learn, travel alone, or receive healthcare and became "faceless, voiceless shadows" in a brutal apartheid against women.

What makes the Taliban's ideology so uniquely repressive of women?

"What sets the Taliban apart from other Islamic groups," Moheq added, "are the tribal codes of Afghanistan also embedded in the Taliban's ideology." A fundamental part of the tribal codes is defining a narrow place for women: They exists as the property of men and for the honor of men. For example, Moheq explained, "the rape of a woman is not seen as wrong because she was raped, but because she represents the honor of a man," and that is what was violated.

The Taliban's ideology was strong enough to draw manpower from the country's tribal areas for long enough to outlast the United States and the Western-backed government in Kabul. In return, as the primary manpower of the Taliban comes from tribal areas of the country, they further reinforce the Taliban's conservative culture, including the continued exclusion of women.

Among more than 7,500 Afghans living in the country with access to mobile and internet services, the survey found, 66% said they agreed or strongly agreed that human rights for women were a top priority for the future of Afghanistan. Nearly half, or 45% of those, strongly supported the Taliban's control of the country.

Audity Music, LLC is seeking strong pop and R&B music for the Korean pop music market. Audity has close relationships with the major record labels and music publishers in Korea, including S.M. Entertainment, JYP, YG. We receive high value and exclusive leads in the Korean market and have direct access to top A&Rs and decision-makers. If we like your song(s), they will make it to the right hands.

We are pitching music currently for urgent projects, including Girls Generation, SHINee, EXO, f(x), Lee Hi, Taeyeon, Taemin, Super Junior and many more. We offer prime access to these opportunities for our writers and producers as well as co-write opportunities with writers and producers with previous success in the K-pop market.

Please note: Although this DropBox will remain open for a while, we have urgent song leads monthly, so please do not hesitate to submit.

Audity Music, LLC is a progressive and forward-thinking songwriting/production, music publishing, music management and music consulting company. We currently operate out of Los Angeles, California, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.

Audity Music, LLC is seeking strong pop and R&B-leaning music for the J-Pop music market. Japanese is the second largest music market in the world, and not far behind America in terms of annual revenue. It is a unique and complex market that Audity has been able to explore thanks to our having been on the ground living there and in neighboring Korea. Audity has close relationships with the major record labels and music publishers in Japan, including AVEX, Sony, Fuji Pacific, and others. We receive high value and not easily accessible leads in the Japanese market and have direct access to top A&Rs and decision-makers. If we like your song(s), they will make it to the right hands.

We are pitching music currently for major projects in Japan. We offer prime access to these opportunities for our writers and producers as well as co-write opportunities with writers and producers with previous and current success in the J-pop market. Also, for the right writers/producers with the right credentials and talent, we have access to the largest J-Pop camp in the world which takes place in Sweden. We are looking to hear the best of the best in pop music. And, we are looking to hear your grasp of the J-Pop sound, which many Western writers find difficult to achieve. If you have undeniable Western pop music, it can be adapted for the J-Pop market. So, please just send your best! If we like it, we can discuss next steps and also help you develop your "J-Pop ear".

Note: Although this DropBox will remain open for a while, we have song leads monthly, so do not hesitate to submit through Music Xray. Please do not contact Audity Music directly.

Audity Music, LLC is a progressive and forward-thinking songwriting/production, music publishing, music management and music consulting company. We currently operate out of Los Angeles, California, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.

Seeking anthemic female vocal pop songs. Tracks with a drive, energy, epic chorus - think Florence, Goldfrapp, Adele, Feist, Lorde, Sia, HAIM.

The songs must be 100% owned by the writer/writers. Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate. We look forward to your submissions - many thanks.

- Mark Garfield / Pop-Up Music Uk Limited

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: We are the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: $500+ / TBD based on placement
Song Quality: Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Florence , Goldfrapp , Adele, Feist, Lorde, Sia, HAIM

We are seeking indie rock/pop female vocal songs. A good reference would be in the style of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Big powerful vocals with 'that something really special' quality.

The songs must be 100% owned by the writer/writers.

Pop-Up Music is a PRS registered music library and publisher located in London. We pride ourselves in providing undiscovered music and bespoke music for advertising, film, TV, gaming and corporate.

Thanks, Pop-Up Music.

Deal Type: Catalog Inclusion
Decision Maker: I'm the final decision maker
Deal Structure: Non-Exclusive
Compensation: Negotiable
Song Quality: Rough Mixes, Fully mastered, Broadcast ready
Similar Sounding Artists: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Panelistas consideran que el gobierno no escucha y termina estigmatizante. Otros creen que quienes lideran las marchas lo hacen por el miedo a perder privilegios.

La ONG Sinergia Animal Colombia afirma tener evidencias de que los animales están siendo maltratados a la hora de transporte. 

En Caracol Radio de 6 AM Hoy por Hoy, se conecta la senadora Andrea Padilla, quien habló sobre cuáles son las inconsistencias en la construcción de una obra destinada a proteger perros y gatos en situación de maltrato o abandono.

Dumek Turbay, alcalde de Cartagena, habló sobre el Gran Malecón del Mar y de los retos que represento su construcción.

In 1919, Canadian artist Mary Riter Hamilton embarked on a solo mission to paint the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium. A century later, documentary maker Alisa Siegel speaks to the artist's biographer, historians, and art historians to resuscitate Mary Riter Hamilton's art, life, and legacy.

Twelve of the island’s top female sports administrators were honoured at the Bermuda Olympic Association’s Women in Sports Leadership [WISL] Awards on Sunday [November 10]. Judy Simons, the former BOA president who died in January aged 71, was among those recognised at the ceremony organised by the BOA’s Gender Diversity & Inclusion Committee at the […]

It's gonna be mosh central.

[Updated: The police confirm the shooting victim has died] There was a shooting in Warwick this evening [Nov 21] and the police have confirmed that a male was shot and was transported to KEMH “for treatment for his injuries which are considered life threatening.” A police spokesperson said, “Around 8:50 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21st, […]

A female motorcyclist was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst impaired following a collision last night [Aug 13] in Hamilton parish. A police spokesperson said, “A female motorcyclist sustained minor injuries in collision with a motorcar on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish just east of the junction with Fractious Street. “The female bike rider was […]

[Updated] A female has died following a shooting, the police have confirmed, A police spokesperson said, “Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Friday, June 7, 2024, police and other first responders were dispatched to a residence on South Terrace, Pembroke following a report of a female having been found with a gunshot wound. “Upon their arrival, […]

[Updated] Police and EMTs are “currently dealing with an incident” in the west end. This morning [July 10], a police spokesperson said, “Police and EMTs are currently dealing with an incident on Somerset Road in the vicinity of Scaur Hill. Traffic is currently being diverted single lane through the railway trail between SoundView Road and Lantana, […]

Several top Bermudian female athletes will share their inspiring stories during the Girls Sport Symposium at the HSBC Bank on Front Street next Friday [November 8]. The event, which runs from 6 pm to 8 pm, is dedicated to supporting and inspiring the next generation of sportswomen on the island. The panellists will be Natasha […]

The Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association’s National Championships held at the National Sports Center is swirling in controversy, with questions raised as to the gender of an Indian national competing in a female race It all came during the girls 13 & over 50m breaststroke race, when India’s Priyanka Priydrshni [pictured] clocked a blistering 30.88. Following […]

Police are appealing for assistance in locating a female who, in what was apparently an intoxicated state, walked away from a taxi driver in the early hours of Saturday morning. A police spokesperson said, “Police responded to an incident that took place at 1am on Saturday February 14th on Harbour Road in the area of […]

Following his recent victory in a 5K, Ryan Outerbridge has been named the Male Athlete of the Week by the Northeast-10 Conference. The Bermudian runner competes for Franklin Pierce University, and their report said, “The Northeast-10 Conference released its week one honors Tuesday and senior runner Ryan Outerbridge [Paget, Bermuda] earned Male Athlete of the […]

[Written by Dale Butler] The Vernon Temple A.M.E. Church at 6 Hawthorn Lane, Middle Road, Southampton held a first-class Male Voice Gospel Concert on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in honour of distinguished patrons John and Marilyn Smith, who will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary on October 9. The church building was filled to capacity with […]

The police have confirmed that a 19-year-old male has died following a collision. A police spokesperson said, “Around 8:10 this morning, Friday, November 1, 2024, police officers were dispatched to a two vehicle road traffic collision involving a truck and a motorcycle, near the junction of Harrington Sound Road and Lolly’s Well Road, Smith’s. “It was […]

[Updated with video] A female “sustained multiple gunshot wounds” and was taken to hospital for “treatment of her injuries which are considered life-threatening,” the police have confirmed. A police spokesperson said, “Around 11:10 p.m. on Monday, July 29, 2024, police and other first responders were dispatched to a confirmed firearms incident on the South Shore […]

[Updated] 17-year-old Ethan Arruda has died following a stabbing incident, the police have confirmed. A police spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Police Service [BPS], is seeking the public’s assistance with the investigation into a stabbing incident which occurred at a residence on Devonshire Bay Road, Devonshire, shortly after 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 27, 2024. “The […]

Being a relatively visible public Witch, I get plenty of requests for spells, which I politely decline to do. I tell people two things: One is that it's best to create one's own spells rather than have someone else cast them. The other is a caution against performing any magic that would interfere with the free will of another. The exception to that would be a binding of someone else, making them unable to do further harm.

If you believe someone has put a negative spell on you (usually called a hex), here are a few things you can do to protect yourself, and possibly reverse the spell.

First, purify your person. Take a shower, or better yet, soak for a while in hot water containing sea salt, bath salts, or Epsom salts. Allow the salt and water to neutralize any negativity within yourself; think of this as you soak. Let any contamination be washed away with the water spiraling down the drain, out of your house and out of your life. Drink lots of water to wash out your insides. Wash your hair, brush your teeth, put on clean clothes. You may also wish to drink mint tea or another tea that you find refreshing.

Second, purify your dwelling. Dust, sweep, vacuum, tidy up, polish. Air out the rooms. Wash the windows with a mild solution of vinegar and water. This allows purifying sunlight and moonlight to illuminate the room as well as making the glass more reflective to deflect unwanted energies.[1]

Circulate through the rooms where you live with sage or other purifying incense, making sure to fumigate everywhere -- stairways, closets, underneath stairways, basement, attic, garage if attached. If your dwelling is one that you can circumnavigate, you may wish to walk all around the outside of the building wafting this smoke.

Then mix salt and water and sprinkle it around the house. As with the incense, do this around the outside of the home, too, if you can. Be sure to cense and sprinkle all openings to the outside -- doors and windows, of course, but also skylights, electrical outlets, heating vents, chimneys, ventilator hoods, toilets, and sink, tub and shower drains. Also do this to mirrors.

While you're doing these things, speak the words, "With Earth and Water I purify this space," and "with Fire and Air I consecrate this space," because that's exactly what you're doing.[2]

Third, ward your space. If you're the witchy sort, trace a protective pentacle with the salt water on all doors, windows and mirrors. Rosemary grows in abundance where I live, so I like to use a sprig of it to sprinkle the salt water. Then I like to leave rosemary sprigs on all the window sills.

When you've done all these things, take a step back, be very quiet, look around, listen and note how different your space feels to you now.

You may also wish to perform these acts at other places where you spend a lot of time, such as work, if you can.

One last thing you may want to do, although it's not as easy and practical as the rest. You may wish to hang little mirrors in the windows or on the outside of the building to reflect away negativity. The mirrors aren't really necessary; they're just extra insurance, if you will. You should be fine just doing the other things I've recommended.

Now envision yourself within a bubble. Project this bubble around you and around your home. Nothing can pass through the membrane that has not been invited by you. Anything unwelcome bounces off the bubble. Build a strong image of this bubble in your mind. If you have a small object, maybe a clear quartz crystal or a piece of rosemary, that reminds you of this visualization, carry it in your pocket or keep it someplace handy. You can't be expected to hold this image in your consciousness all the time. But if you have this object, then at times when the image has faded and you feel you need to reinforce your working, take it out and look at it and touch it to reawaken your sense of your protective bubble.

As with all magic spells, you needn't stick with the formula offered here. If other ingredients call to you or other actions spring from you, trust your intuition and go with them.

These are my recommendations. For another approach, here's a Lemon UncrossingSpell (to break a curse). I have never tried this so I can offer no assurance of its efficacy.

[1] For a super-duper heavy cleansing of a home, say if you're just moving in after someone else has been living there, and if you have the time, get some dragon's blood incense and burn it on a piece of charcoal in a container left in the bathtub or shower. As soon as you light it, leave and let it fumigate the entire house. You don't want to breathe much of this stuff. Then return a few hours later and open all the windows to let out the dragon's blood fumes.

[2] Some additional things you can do to cleanse a new or dirty home: Walk throughout the rooms with noisemakers, rattles, a drum to frighten off unwanted spirits. Do this before censing and sprinkling. After censing and sprinkling, ring a little bell at the windows and mirrors.

An examination of diversity in senior leadership roles at America’s top companies Diversity is more than just a buzzword, it’s a recipe for corporate success. Multiple studies have shown that a more diverse workforce in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, as well as veteran, disability, and LGBTQIA+ status can bolster innovation.i A more diverse corporate talent pool is […]

The post We Know Diversity is Good for Business, So Why Do Corporate Leaders Remain Predominantly White and Male? appeared first on DiversityJobs.com.

The number of Black men enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is the lowest it’s been since 1976.

Meet McLaren's first female development driver, Bianca Bustamante, who says she shares her hopes and ambitions to become a professional Formula 1 driver.

Dainya Ebanks says she is not surprised more than one in 10 women sleep rough when they leave prison.

Trailblazing referee Rebecca Welch says she hopes "somebody else picks up the legacy" as she is inducted into the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame.

Financial Realities for Single Female Home Buyers

By Cynthia Farahat On Friday 27th, 2023 at 11:00 am EST, my sweet dear younger brother Amir Farahat passed away. Amir was the most loving father I have ever seen, a great brother, son, husband, and brother-in-law. My little Miró, my little prince, my soul is shattered by your loss. I will forever mourn your […]

Beijing briefing: Party power remains a male preserve The World Today mhiggins.drupal 27 September 2022

Yu Jie explores why so few women have won leadership roles in Communist China.

UPDATE: Since this article was published at the end of September, the incoming members of the Politburo and the Standing Committee were announced at the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress on October 22. The party broke more than two decades of convention by not appointing any women to the Politburo or its Standing Committee. The sole woman among the outgoing 19th CCP Politburo, Sun Chunlan, will retire. Only 33 women rank among the 376 members of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which elects the Politburo - less than one in 10.

As the curtain of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress gets ready to rise, the lack of female representation in Beijing’s corridors of power attracts international attention once again.

Female participation in Chinese finance, science, sports or other aspects of society is relatively healthy. Yet there has never been a single woman at the apex of power in the party nor any who has held a seat on the Politburo Standing Committee, the supreme decision-making body for the party and the state.

Historically, China has been run by a number of powerful women starting in 307BC during the first imperial era of the Middle Kingdom. In the Qin Dynasty the Queen Dowager Xuan held de facto power for 35 years during the Warring States period.

More than 2,000 years later, Empress Dowager Cixi wined and dined her European visitors at the Imperial Summer Palace. She was also responsible for the demise of the late Qing Dynasty. Their legacies continue to fascinate and inspire stories in contemporary China.

In modern times, Mao Zedong, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, proclaimed that ‘women hold up half of the sky’. While Chinese law states that women and men should have equal rights in all aspects of political life, the reality is that women remain marginalized in politics, even after the economic and social transformation seen in the past few decades. Chinese men continue to dominate political power.

The top three party, military or state leadership positions have never been filled by a woman and none of China’s 26 ministers is female. There is only one woman among the 31 party bosses that control China’s provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and only one woman among the 25 members of the all-powerful Politburo, and she oversaw the government’s response to the Covid pandemic. She is Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, a former party boss of Fujian Province. Among the 371 members of the Central Committee, which elects the Politburo, there are only 30 women, which is less than one in 10.

Women are less likely to join the Communist Party

It is difficult to explain why female participation in the Chinese elite politics is so low but social convention certainly plays its part. Despite increasing financial independence and much improved career prospects, Chinese women are still expected to run the household and look after the children while holding down a full-time job. This surely reduces opportunities to seek public offices.

Although unspoken, China’s experience of handing power to a woman may be another reason why the party is hesitant to put a female in charge. Jiang Qing, better known to the outside world as Madame Mao, was China’s de-facto First Lady until 1976. She was one of the architects of the ‘Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution’, which ushered in a decade of chaos and political upheaval and brought the country to a standstill.

Successive leaders have been determined to prevent a repeat of this misfortune so no woman has been chosen for a top leadership role. But perhaps the main reason for the absence of women in top positions is the way people move up the party ranks.

Women make up around 49 per cent of China’s 1.4 billion population, yet they account for only about 30 per cent of the Chinese Communist Party membership. Once inside the party they are often handed less competitive positions. Rising through the ranks requires party members to achieve certain career breakthroughs. Such success makes them eligible to participate in high politics.

The majority of China’s top leaders have served as a party chief of a province or municipality, a position women rarely achieve. Consequently, few female candidates are considered eligible for more senior roles.

By the time they qualify for Politburo membership, too often they are fast approaching the retirement age for Chinese women politicians: 55. As it is rare to secure a spot on the Politburo under that age, women are virtually ruled out from joining this exclusive group of 25 people.

The Iron Lady of China

There has been one exception since the early 2000s. Vice-Premier Wu Yi, who is known as the Iron Lady of China, was described by Forbes magazine as the third most powerful woman in the world. She led China into the World Trade Organization and successfully bid for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. However, her success has been an exception, not a rule.

While Chinese women have been given a nominal egalitarian status with female astronauts, female Olympic champions and female Nobel Prize laureates in place, beneath the surface older practices of patriarchy still hold firm. Liberated or not, the quest for a Chinese female leader under the Communist Party is a long way off.

Nicholas D. LeBlond
Dec 1, 2020; 61:1697-1706
Research Articles

The dysregulation of myeloid-derived cell metabolism can drive atherosclerosis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) controls various aspects of macrophage dynamics and lipid homeostasis, which are important during atherogenesis. Using LysM-Cre to drive the deletion of both the α1 and α2 catalytic subunits (MacKO), we aimed to clarify the role of myeloid-specific AMPK signaling in male and female mice made acutely atherosclerotic by injection of AAV vector encoding a gain-of-function mutant PCSK9 (PCSK9-AAV) and WD feeding. After 6 weeks of WD feeding, mice received a daily injection of either the AMPK activator A-769662 or a vehicle control for an additional 6 weeks. Following this (12 weeks total), we assessed myeloid cell populations and differences between genotype or sex were not observed. Similarly, aortic sinus plaque size, lipid staining, and necrotic area did not differ in male and female MacKO mice compared with their littermate floxed controls. Moreover, therapeutic intervention with A-769662 showed no treatment effect. There were also no observable differences in the amount of circulating total cholesterol or triglyceride, and only minor differences in the levels of inflammatory cytokines between groups. Finally, CD68+ area and markers of autophagy showed no effect of either lacking AMPK signaling or AMPK activation. Our data suggest that while defined roles for each catalytic AMPK subunit have been identified, complete deletion of myeloid AMPK signaling does not significantly impact atherosclerosis. Additionally, these findings suggest that intervention with the first-generation AMPK activator A-769662 is not able to stem the progression of atherosclerosis.

Dwayne Johnson sings a female empowerment song, titled "Can I Get a Chee Hoo?" in the upcoming "Moana" sequel.

In a case involving a transgender track athlete, the Trump administration says female transgender athletes are seeking "special treatment" to compete in girls' or women's sports.