Kimberly White/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize

Our thanks to Mike P for this. The article in Business Insider starts:

In 2014, blood-testing startup Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, were on top of the world.

Back then, Theranos was a revolutionary idea thought up by a woman hailed as a genius who styled herself as a female Steve Jobs. [J4MB emphasis] Holmes was the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire, and Theranos was one of Silicon Valley’s unicorn startups.

Then it all came crashing down.

The shortcomings and inaccuracies of Theranos’s technology were exposed, along with the role Holmes played in covering it all up. Theranos and Holmes were charged with massive fraud, and the company was forced to close its labs and testing centers.

In June, Theranos announced Holmes was stepping down as CEO,and the Justice Department announced that a grand jury had indicted Holmes and former Theranos president and COO Sunny Balwani for “alleged wire fraud schemes.” Now, Theranos will shut down for good after it finishes repaying its creditors over the coming months.

Mike writes:

We need more female CEOs.

Two articles on our associated website Campaign for Merit in Business, posted in 2017:

August Lovenskiolds: ‘Women hate being CEOs – and they suck at it’

August Lovenskiolds: Do men make better CEOs than women?

Evidence of a causal link between increasing female representation on boards, and corporate financial decline, is here.

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Our thanks to Ian for this. He writes:

Of course making a male figure into a female figure on traffic lights is obviously OK and stops offence, but turning a female figure into a male figure on a parking bay is met with derision and comments of “get a life”.

Well done Aldi!!!

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Our thanks to James for this piece in The Guardian. It starts with this:

Sexual abuse of boys is “barely addressed” by the laws in many countries, according to a global study that warns of a lack of support for young male survivors.

The study, which examined child rape laws in 40 countries, found that just under half of jurisdictions lacked legal protections for boys. In many cases, laws were specific to girls and did not recognise boys as victims.

Researchers also identified a tendency for support services, including shelters and legal aid, to be geared towards women and girls.

“Often this is bundled up into an issue of violence against women, and therefore it is catering to girls rather than boys,” said Katherine Stewart, a consultant for Economist Intelligence Unit, which produced the report.

Countries are catering to women and girls, rather than men and boys? I’m tempted to respond, “No shit, Sherlock!” Maybe the Economist “Intelligence” Unit should be renamed? Suggestions invited.

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If everyone who read this gave us £10.00 – or even better, £10.00 or more, monthly – we could change the world. Click here to make a difference. Thanks.

Our thanks to Sean for this (video, 4:16).

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Our thanks to Nick for this (video, 6:47).

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Sad news.

Windsor Davies will best (and most fondly) be remembered as the sergeant major in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, broadcast by the BBC between 1974 and 1981.

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A 2016 Gillette Venus advert (0:34) shows women kickboxing. It’s empowering for our kind, see, just don’t any of you men (or boys) get the same idea!

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In the final months of 2015 we were still seeking a suitable venue for the 2016 conference, and were made aware of the conference facilities offered by Amnesty International at their HQ in London. They seemed perfect, and the cost was modest, so we sought to engage with the organization.

Long story short, they not only wouldn’t consider allowing us to book the venue, they declined to meet with us, or even have a phone conversation. The communication was limited to emails. In the final one they explained we couldn’t hire their facilities because we’re an explicitly anti-feminist organization, and Amnesty International is an explicitly pro-feminist organization (in plain English, they care not a jot for the human rights of men and boys as a class.) Our blog piece on the matter is here. Paul Elam’s excellent video (5:31) is here.

Which brings me to Amnesty International’s response on Twitter, to the “upset” concerning the recent Gillette TV adverts. A screensave is here. The full text of their tweet:

People are upset about the #GilletteAd? (loudhailer symbol)
Repeat after me (loudhailer symbol)
We want a world without #ToxicMaculinity.
We want a world without #ToxicMaculinity.
We want a world without #ToxicMaculinity.
We want a world without #ToxicMaculinity.
We want a world without #ToxicMaculinity.

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Carol Vorderman and Martin Daubney defend men against the bigoted assumptions put forward in the Gillette advert on Good Morning Britain. Video (4:55).

If everyone who read this gave us £10.00 – or even better, £10.00 or more, monthly – we could change the world. Click here to make a difference. Thanks.