Following tepidly on the heels of 2006’s Dirty Blonde, a book consisting of Love’s photos and diary entries comes Love’s autobiography. Love’s publishers, Harper Collins, say,

 “Although Love is often associated with deceased husband, music legend and front man of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, she has had an incredible artistic career of her own crisscrossing into music, film, popular culture, and fashion…The as yet untitled memoir will offer a no-holds-barred look into Love's life from childhood to the present day.”

It's going to be juicy. I for one would like to hear Courtney’s side of the story about when she punched Kathleen Hanna and how she managed to persuade Kim Gordon to produce Hole’s debut album Pretty on the Inside. I for one would not like to edit Ms. Love. Whoever has the job of editing Courtney Love, outside of XOjane.com where she has an occasional column, should get a big bonus and be invited on to the code breaker circuit. If there is one. Is there? MI5 et al should forget Cambridge, Courtney Love’s proof readers are who you want. 

Kate

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has overturned the sentence of 10 lashes for a woman arrested for driving. The news was revealed via a tweet by Princess Ameera, "Thank God, the lashing of Shema is cancelled. Thanks to our beloved king."

The severe sentence followed shortly after Saudi women receiving the vote, raising suspicions the lashes were in retaliation from the ruling class. Another woman arrested for driving was released when she agreed to leave the Saudi Women’s group Women2Drive. The group was formed to protest the 35 year ban on women driving; you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton only recently broke her silence on the subject; keep pushing for our politicians to do more. Don’t do your victory lap just yet. 

Kate

The 40 Days for Life people are back in the UK. Funnily enough I am not going to link to them. For those who need filling in these people hold vigil for 40 days outside clinics where abortions are performed in the hope of deterring people going in. Pro-Choicers have had a rather marvellous idea.  Instead of holding debates or protesting the pro-life vigil, Pro-Choice people have organised their own 40 days.

Apparently coming out of nowhere, a Tumblr has been set up urging people to take treats in a show of support for those working at BPAS and other such charities. Squeamish Bikini thinks this is just bloody lovely and will cheer those who are just trying to do their job.

If you want to take part you can find out where your nearest clinic is at here and go deliver them a treat to brighten their day.

The 40 Days of Treats begins now.  Pass it on.   


Kate

A new method involving bacteria has been created by science to work as a living invisible ink. Sadly too late for Enid Blyton to incorporate a crude homemade version into one of her many Famous Five, Secret Seven or Five Find-Outers books as she did with ordinary invisible ink (it involves an orange and an iron).

Researchers at Tufts University, US, have decided an orange and an iron isn’t good enough for them to use for secret communication. Instead seven different strains of E. Coli were genetically engineered to produce protein. The protein colonies, when placed under the correct wavelength of light, glow fluorescently.

By printing the different colonies of protein into a grid this method could be used to convey messages which are called SPAM, (Steganography by Printed Arrays of Microbes). As well as secret communications, the microbes could also be used for anti-counterfeiting.

Enid also taught me how, should this ever happen to me, to escape from a locked room. Provided I had paper, the room had floor boards, a gap under the door and the key was left in the lock. Thanks Enid.

Kate

That cappuccino, that café au lait, that miniature steaming caldera (I am under the impression we aren’t really to say ‘coffee’ any more) you drink every morning could stave off depression. Studies recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine have found that women who drink coffee regularly are less likely to develop depression. The study took place from 1996 to 2006 and involved over 50, 000 US female nurses who recorded their coffee consumption over this time.

2600 of these women developed depression, the majority of which drank either no or little coffee. Those who drank 2 to 3 cups a day reduced their risk of depression by 15% and those who drank an inhuman amount reduced their risk by 20%

Regular coffee drinkers were also more likely to drink alcohol, smoke and be wicked cool.

Although scientists say it is too soon to start encouraging women to drink more coffee, you’ll take my mug of black coffee from my cold dead jittery hands.

Kate

Women in Saudi Arabia will get the right to vote and run in municipal elections.

Municipal elections (the only public polls in Saudi) take place in the country on Thursday and will be the last set where women are banned from participating. The next set will take place in 4 years' time. Admittedly, in an absolute monarchy it's questionable what immediate effect the reforms will have.

Activist Wajeha al-Huwaider said that King Abdullah's announcement was "great news" adding, "now is the time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars."

The right to drive is the focus of ongoing campaigns in Saudi Arabia, and while many of the activists greeted yesterday's announcement with happiness, the focus on new rights remains.

I am in love with a new website: nerdaydaytrips.com.

I’m one of those people who follow the brown signs off motorways because they sound vaguely interesting. I will happily go to any museum, the more obscure and special interest the better. I’m interested in other people’s passions and interests, and I love nosing around out of the way places and learning odd facts I can recite at a later date. So this is pretty much my perfect site.

The site was conceived by Ben Goldacre (of Bad Science), and Jo Brodie, and anyone can submit ideas for day trips, anywhere in the world.

The site has only been live for 4 days, and it already has hundreds (possibly thousands) of ideas mapped out. I spent a good hour or so earlier happily investigating new places to visit, and adding a few of my own. If you want to do something different, take a look – I'll be checking it every time I go away.

The winners of the fifth set of the Scottish Widows & Dods Women in Public Life Awards were announced last night. The awards aim to “celebrate women leaders in society and seek to recognise and promote the work of women in politics, business, the civil service and community leadership.”

There are 12 categories, recognising businesswomen and sportswomen as well as public servants and politicians.

Here are the winners - follow the links to read more about them on the awards website:

Businesswoman of the Year Laura Tenison MBE, Founder and Managing Director, Jojo Maman Bebe

Devolved Parliament or Assembly Member of the Year Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, Scottish Government

Journalist of the Year Anne McElvoy, Public Policy Editor, The Economist and BBC broadcaster

Local Government Personality of the Year Cllr Mary Mears, Leader, Brighton and Hove City Council

MP of the Year Caroline Lucas, Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion

Peer of the Year Baroness Shirley Williams

Public Affairs Achiever of the Year Ros Altmann, Director General, Saga.

Public Servant of the Year Michelle Stoops, Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, NHS Liverpool Community Health

Sportswoman or Team of the Year Victoria Pendleton MBE

Voluntary Sector Achiever of the Year Sophie Andrews, Chair of Samaritans, The Samaritans

People's Choice Award Justine Greening MP

Lifetime Achievement Award Baroness Shirley Williams

Every year the Texas State Fair includes the Big Tex Choice Awards competition to find the most creative and best-tasting new, unique food. It doesn't actually say on the website this food HAS to be fried, but it appears to be a requirement. Previous winners include the fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich, and fried beer. This year’s winner? Deep-fried bubblegum.

No, stick with it, it’s not as gross as you think.

It’s actually pink marshmallow infused with bubblegum extract, dipped in pink batter and then deep-fried. According to this video, the chef spent 2 months perfecting the recipe, based on an employee's suggestion.

I have to say, I’m certainly intrigued. What could be next year’s hit? Deep-fried refried beans? How about a fried chocolate cake?

So. A former London School of Economics Masters student is suing the university  for “breach of contract, misleading advertising, misrepresentation, and breach of the Gender Equality Duty Act.”

Tom Martin was studying for an Msc in Gender, Media and Culture. He’s quoted in the Evening Standard as saying that:

"The core texts we had to read before each class were typically packed with anti-male discrimination and bias - heavily focusing on, exaggerating, and falsifying women's issues perspectives, whilst blaming men, to justify ignoring men's issues. There was no warning of this sexist agenda in the prospectus."

Does this seem a little... odd to anyone else?