Letter to my MP

26th September 2011

Dear Mr Heald,

I am sad to be writing to you with a bee in my bonnet. I have seen much of your work lately in the Comet and heard tell of your involvement in Letchworth through friends and felt that you would provide the listening ear (and hopefully representative voice) that I am looking for. It is a very simple one, but no less shocking for that.

I am not a Daily Mail reader, but working in PR, my team and I read all the newspapers every morning, flagging interesting articles. I suppose you could say that reading The Daily Mail is our cross to bear. This morning my team flagged the following article: "At last, statistics that prove a sexist stereotype... Women are worse at parking", by Emily Andrews: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041741/Sexist-stereotypes-Statistics-prove-women-worse-parking.html#ixzz1Z2iazMGQ. I have pasted below the offending article in case the Daily Mail sees sense and removes it from their site.

Upon reading the article, it is evident that the gender information that damns more than 50% of the population of this country was released by the Driving Standards Authority; a part of the Department for Transport.

And here is my complaint. The Department of Transport is paid by the people of of this country to provide services. At no point in its remit should it be attempting any sort of unnecessary PR - and certainly not engaging in stories that are so fundamentally prejudiced to a proportion of the population. If you are in any doubt as to the appropriateness of this data analysis, I would advise re-reading the piece, removing the gender delineations and replacing them with ethnic groups. I am sure you can see that that would be wholly inappropriate and something that while the Daily Mail might not hesitate to cover I believe the government would think twice about releasing or commenting upon.

I have a bit of an interest in feminist discussions, and so know of the multiple psychological research programmes that have discovered conclusively that women DO underperform in "male" classified tasks (maths, driving, spatial tests), but that this underperformance is entirely cancelled out (in fact reversed) when women are not subjected to the often only implied societal belief that they are expected to do worse.

To be explicit - it is exactly the perpetration of stories such as this that create the gender imbalance (and implicit female under achievement) of which they report.

As my MP I would very much value your taking this matter seriously and raising a debate in the appropriate government forums about the responsible analysis and presentation of government data, specifically with regard to continuing societal prejudices - whether gender-based or otherwise.

In the 21st century this article should have galled every reader, and the comments (often by women) beneath the article only serve to reinforce the importance of educating - both through classrooms and the mainstream media - women of their inherent ability to succeed, not fail.

Yours faithfully in anticipation of a response,

Emily Wearmouth

Things I made #4

Courgette Jam (w/ginger and lemon), Courgette Chutney and Tomato Chutney

Things I made #3

Apple and walnut bread

Things I made #2

Wholemeal flatbreads, veggie curry and mango raitha

Things I made #1

Beetroot Brownies.

A new home

Hello everyone,

I have sussed it. I don't rant anymore (hence nothing here for a long while), instead I just cheat and take pictures, or find stuff on the internet I like to share.

Hence my love of twitter.

So I have set myself up a Posterous. If you want to keep up with banal nonsense from me (and let's face it, that's what you were getting here), feel free to check me out here.

Love,

Em

2010 projects

I am rather embarrassed to notice that I haven't blogged at all this year. Ahem.

It's because, frankly, I got writers block. Then I realised I had writers block because I wasn't really doing anything that I cared to blog about. Plus I can get away with shoddy blogging while Luke covers off the main stuff.

Anyway I am currently brewing a project. A side effect of the project, should it go ahead, will be excessive amounts of blog-worthy things I can talk about.

Will keep you posted.

2009 - a recap

I realised today that 2009 could possibly have been my best year ever.
So before we kick the year to the kerb I thought it deserved a quick
recap.

I kick started the year with a trip; Alice Springs, Uluru, the Olgas,
Kings Canyon, Coober Pedy and Adelaide, the Barossa, Grampians, Great
Ocean Road and Melbourne.

The V festival, cocktails with pals, sunny days in Bondi. Brunches.

I met two great friends at a chocolate making class just as 2008 ended
and spent 2009 getting to know them even better (while auditioning the
chocolate cafes of Sydney).

My first Australia Day celebrations saw me kitted out in full Aussie
flag and wash-off tattoos.

Then I got into gym-going. My personal trainer Daniel got me fit and
lythe and in March I bought proper running shoes. I felt healthier
than I can remember ever feeling before.

I got into feminism.

Professionally I learnt how to network, created a PR networking group
in Sydney and really began to use Twitter socially (making some of my
best friends through Twitter networking and even my boyfriend!)

Fell in love. First with luke, then his family.

Did the soppy things you do when in love, like driving for an hour to
have breakfast by a beach... When you live 10 mins walk away from
breakfast places by Bondi beach. Also went to Canberra. Less soppy.

I went a month without drinking (kinda) for my mate's charity
fundraiser Dry July which frankly spelt the beginning of the end for
my excessive boozing.

I took a holiday to magnetic island off the coast of Queensland -
stunning and empty.

I learnt to knit.

Got a fab new job back in the uk.

Went to an old friend's wedding on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays.

Headed out for my big travel adventure; Perth, the west coast
including Karajini and the Ningaloo reef, Broome, the Kimberley,
Darwin, Lichfield and Kakadu, Fraser Island and all over Tassie.

'Emigrated' home to the UK with boy in tow. Bought new car, rented
cute house, started great job...

... Slowly began to catch up with friends, old and new.

And here we are at the end of the year. My weekends involve trips
around the UK and next year Venice and Paris are to come (Luke and I
think alike for Xmas pressies!).

Gosh I lived this year.

Kate Miller-Heidke sings Tim Minchin

Last night Luke and I went to see Kate Miller-Heidke at Borderline and along with her own songs, she sang Tim Minchin's Christmas song; White Wine In The Sun. I loved every moment and Luke, standing next to me, listening to his favourite singer singing a song by his favourite comedian, looked like he might die of joy.

I did cry (as I tend to with his song) because it reminds me of what Luke and I left behind in Australia. Here it is for you. I filmed it on my iPhone but found someone else's upload before mine got up.

The haunting

On Saturday morning I went downstairs and then decided to take a christmas tree chocolate back upstairs for Luke. So I started the Christmas tree chocolate (CTC) hunt - you know the one... where you scan the branches in a systematic manner, helped by landmarks such as the red angel, or blown fairy light bulb, to locate the precious chocolate decorations.

But a short scan later (its not a massive tree) it became apparent that there were no xmas chocolates left. Just seven little gold strings hanging over seven branches.

I went upstairs, ready to accuse; "Did you eat all the Christmas tree chocolates? I have had two and there are at least seven missing from the tree..."

But Luke denied pinching any.

We both headed downstairs to look and there were indeed no CTCs left on the tree. We counted; Luke had had one, and I had had two. We looked under the tree in case they had fallen, leaving their strings hanging. Nothing.

We looked all around the room. Nothing. Thoughts of chocolate stealing burglars occured to me. Even this story came to mind.

We even got to the point of considering the possibility that our old cottage might be haunted by the ghost of a chocolate lover... then Luke found a wrapper.

Hiding behind the curtain, this wrapper was remarkably undamaged. Until you looked closer. And then you could see lots of pinprick holes. Luke still looked confused but I needed no help from Jonathan Creek at this point.

A quick peer down the radiator pipe hole in the floor showed bits of foil glinting back at me, and I knew I was right.

We have no other signs of mice, but I have no doubts that one or more have been sneaking into our lounge, climbing our tree, tugging the chocolates down and taking them home for tea.

I feel quite inspired to write a children's Christmas book. But have also dispatched Luke to buy traps....