For many people, life partnership has spiritual as well as personal dimensions, and civil partnership isn’t enough - new piece on Comment is free
Self-respect and dignity are values that characterise Togolese women, who were very active in the struggle for independence. And yet those same values are now being trampled by the political masters of Togo, who see vocal women as threats who can be abused at will. To go on a “sex strike” is therefore a way to freely vote against dictatorship, in the secrecy of one’s bedroom. The Let’s Save Togo Women’s Collective on why a sex strike is Togolese women’s best weapon against dictatorship (via Comment is Free)
The inclusion of the attempted rape scene raises some difficult questions. If the scene is playable, what exactly happens should the player fail? If it is not, why show it at all? Lara is already going through a lot – shipwreck, major injury, a friend’s kidnapping, the threat of death – and adding sexual assault to the mix might just be over-egging the pudding. Mary hamilton writes for Comment is free asking, ‘Does Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft really have to be a survivor of a rape attempt?’
In the past week I’ve been to the cinema twice (The Artist, and The Descendants – both fairly good), stocked up my fridge (meatballs and pizza on the menu this week) and arranged to catch up with friends. Oh and I’ve been called “an irate woman”, “a daft woman”, a “silly, silly woman” told I…
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It seems that people find the idea that language can affect others a bizarre concept and that it is “just political correctness gone mad” (that gem came up a few times). Much of the coverage and comments paints me as some angry woman who should be grateful for the apparent compliment. I didn’t make it a gender issue; the coverage and comments did.
Photograph: Peter Jordan/Time Life Pictures/Getty
“Thatcher wasn’t a “great leader”. She was the most socially destructive prime minister of modern times.” - Seumas Milne on The Iron Lady
Great read from Comment is Free on “Thatcher revisionism”, which we spotted thanks the new Comment is Free Tumblr - check it out
Everyone knows they’ll turn into a reactionary when they get older. It’s just what happens, along with varicose veins and a corrugated front. Thing is, though, I fully expected to turn into a conservative reactionary. I thought that’s the way the script ran.
Why then am I getting more leftwing as I get older? Nostalgia. It’s an emotional filter.
Ian Martin writes on the Britain of compassion and public ownership on comment is free
There are three factors at work with how we believe: the clarity and comprehensiveness of the belief; the conviction we currently have of its truth, and our willingness to contemplate its potential falsity. And it’s the third factor that is most important when it comes to identifying what constitutes militant or aggressive belief. Julian Baggini on ‘How not to be a dogmatic fundamentalist’
Photograph: Alamy
As Comment is free turns five, let’s see how much you’ve been paying attention over the years…
A selection of stories, photos, quotes, video and audio from guardian.co.uk, curated by James Walsh, Hannah Waldram, Carmen Fishwick and the Guardian's editorial team. We are also editors of the news tag.
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Flickr has had a re-boot and, as a result, it has released all of the photos of mine it previously had locked up...
