Book Review: Like One of the Family by Alice Childress

Like One of the Family by Childress

I loved this book because of its breakdown. Mildred and Marge are domestic workers; Mildred creates a counter public in Marge who listens to every story Mildred has to tell. Mildred shares are exploits of sticking it to the man or woman as it is usually. Some of Mildred's stories are embellished, but there is a truth to them. Mildred tells her employers the things all domestic workers want to say, and Marge appreciates that. The end of the novel is interesting because Mildred trades in one employer for another. She decides to marry Eddie so she can leave domestic work, but Eddie will begin telling her what to do, and the dreams she mentions in one of the stories when she is defending domestic worker will go unfulfilled. View all my reviews >>

"We'd Strip You Naked and Make you March Your McCain Loving Ass Back to Connecticut You Fucking Turncoat"

Oh, Joe, I'm at loss for words when dealing with you, but that pretty much sums up my feelings about you.   First you screw around during the presidential election and now with health care.  You're lucky your body wasn't found in Lake Michigan.  We should just let the Republicans have you so you leave us the hell alone.  You're the kid no one likes.

 

The good news, Lieberman recognizes he has colleagues he will have to work with for the next few years, and he is regretful that the health care debates have been difficult.  Naturally, he still doesn't like the health care bill, but is hopeful that balance will help more people.  Here, I thought most people wanted a public option.  Silly me. 

 

Live it up Liberman, if I have to go campaign against you in Connecticut, I will. 

 

The title was taken from this SNL skit, http://www.hulu.com/watch/45817/saturday-night-live-rahm-emanuel.

Everyone Else is Doing It

Yep, it is that special time of year to buy things for loved one, like a teen's virginity. Ok, so the girl pulled the offer before the auction closed so she wasn't legally liable for anything. 

 

This teenage girl in Hong Kong attempted to auction her virginity to the highest bidder, which coincidentally was $7,800.  The girl never disclosed her age on the site, but gave all the other necessary information such as weight and height.  One hundred people responded to the ad.  The police are naturally investigating and replaced the ad with a warning not "to sell your body for money."  The ad went on to say, "One should value morals highly and respect self-esteem."

 

Recently in Hong Kong there is an increase of teenage girls going on "compensated"  dates with old men.  Some of these dates include sex for money.  The article attributes this to the 22 year old US woman who auctioned off her virginity to pay for her college education; her offer received bids up to $3.7 million. 

 

I go back and forth on this; naturally prostitution is not an easy subject.  The auctioning off of the virginity of minor is wrong, note the value judgement.  Because minors lack legal rights and protections.  However, the selling of sex isn't wrong, which is the value judgement placed on it by the police "investigating."  I also, enjoyed the footnote about the US woman; I have my issues with her as well.  This article doesn't note that the woman was studying prostitution, and equated her experience with other prostitutes...because it is exactly the same.  Selling sex for education is the same as selling sex for survival.   Please note sarcasm.  

Save the Children

I think I've mentioned this before, Aston Kutcher wants to get in on the end trafficking movement; I haven't been too critical of him even though he and Demi flaked on the Nomi Network because I like to believe people want the best for others, and I haven't seen a lot of what he has said on the subject. 

However, I try my hardest to stay away from Lindsey Lohan recognizing the amount of baggage this woman has, but then she decides to save children in India from hunger and trafficking.  This could be admirable or this could be an attempt to be Angelina Jolie, but let's look at the text, thank you twitter, "Going to make one of my lifelong dreams on my list of things to do in this lifetime! Wish me luck! Over 40 children saved so far . . . Within one day's work . . . This is what life is about . . . Doing THIS is a life worth living!!! Oh, and I'm talking about being in India." My concern here is the "saving" of children and the ramifications of using that language, which reinforces the ideas about persons in nations outside the U.S. that need saving and that these children have no agency.  I'm anti-trafficking too, but this doesn't seem like she gave sex trafficking or hunger a lot of thought outside of it being trendy.  It is also something to note that an anonymous "friend" claims Lindsey is in danger because of her celebrity.  Think any of these children care much about her celebrity? 

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/lohan_mission_nXbQzLPq5LEokh5vEZBOwJ#ixzz0ZIWDjOMW
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/12/exclusive-lindsay-lohan-freaked-out-india

The D-O-GG strikes again

This is just too funny to pass up. Snoop Dogg has created his own skin for the Tom Tom GPS system where his voice will tell you where and when to turn and so on. I just saw this on Conan a minute ago and it seems pretty great. He adds little catch phrases:

Directions include "Come on man, let's get this thing cranked up" and a suggestion to play Snoop Dogg music while going "round and round" at a roundabout.

Seems worth it to me.

It only takes one person to make a difference...

I was watching the local news earlier today and there was a really great story. I wish I could find the story online, but it was about a 2 minute feature segment so I doubt I will. Anyway, about 6 months to a year ago, a man went into a convenient store and attempted to rob it, but in the middle of the robbery he started sobbing about how he couldn't afford to feed his family and the shop owner took pity on him. The shop owner gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread and wished him luck.

Earlier this week, the shop owner received $50 in cash and a letter from the man thanking him for helping when he needed it most. The guy now has a good job and can feed his family and they're not losing their house, etc.

This is the first thing that's actually put me into the Christmas spirit this year. :)

Neil Patrick Harris is my god

An Emasculating Truth

I'm excited about this film!  I've been pretty interested in male development, from Guyland to God Save the Males.  This appears to be an honest look at what is like for a male to come to terms with what it means to be a man in U.S. society.  Interestingly a friend and I were talking about this last week.  

No, it is not ironic.

I'm working on a presentation on the elements of a poem for a class and I was looking through Google image search to find an example of irony, and guess what? No one knows what irony is.


No, it is not ironic that you happen to be standing on train tracks as a train comes by. That's called stupidity.



No, you can't has irony because there is nothing ironic happening in the personification of pickles and hot dogs.

No, you do not detect a hint of irony, you detect a hint of of sarcasm. These are different.

Damn you, internet.

Comso, Feminist Zine?

This was pointed out on the Feministing Community page, and I couldn't help but get all excited about it.  Comso Magazine's website has a brief article, more a call to arms, about health care reform siting that women's rights are in jeopardy!  They want their readers to fight down the Stupak-Pitts amendment!  Loving it! 

I'm usually pretty hard on Cosmo, and found the article kind of funny to because it assumes their readers have no idea what is going on with health care reform.  But regardless, damn right!  They call for their readers to sign a petition and contact their representatives to let them know women's rights shouldn't be up for debate, left out of health care reform, or hindered.  Hot damn ladies! 

I love men support groups...

Really, I mean clearly men need support groups specifically for being men, because men are oppressed by the social constructions of society.  I'm actually being serious, but something tells me these groups aren't discussing the negative effects of patriarchy.  My guess is they are discussing the negative effects of feminism, liberalism, and equality movements.  

An article in the Guardian this morning pointed out the rise of men's support groups on British universities' campuses.  I'm all for examining gender roles and stereotyping, but I'm afraid these groups aren't about that.  My educated guess based on those in the U.S. are these groups are trying to alienate women and minority groups, because they feel these groups somehow threaten their rights...through equality.  

Kat Wall, the Oxford University's student union vice president for women, welcomed Alex Linsley, the founder of the Man Collective--Oxford, to participate in the discussion of masculinity with the women's group.  The article doesn't say if Linsley will come to the metaphorical table be claims men are being left out of.  

This whole thing bothers me because I welcome men in my feminism, as long as they are looking for equality and betterment of peoples everywhere.  This sounds like a bunch of privileged white men who feel like their power is being usurped.  Ridiculous...

Some news on men's rights groups in the U.S.:

Jezebel featured their misguided message on the subject of domestic violence here or Salon's take here.  They focus entirely on their rights and what they want regardless of what is best for the children in divorce cases.  

Fuckin patriarchy

Ok, so my employer is actually offering health insurance to part-time employees in 2010 (this is the good part) and I took the time to get my husband and I all signed up. Today in the mail comes a letter addressed to my husband about the insurance... even though it's coming out of MY pay from MY employer. How does this make any sense!? Also, over the summer when I realized I would be losing my insurance by moving to a part-time position, I tried setting us up for Kaiser and spent about 30 minutes going through their arduous online application, adding myself as the main contact and when I needed to cancel the application, they would not even return my calls. Finally, they call MY cell phone and ask for my husband, so I hand him the phone and ask him to cancel it, he says the word and immediately it's done.

So frustrating.

What the hell...Health Care Reform

According to the Huffington Post the House passed the Health Care bill at the expense of abortion rights.  I never said federally funded abortions, and I love the idea of a public option.  However, it is my understanding that this anti-abortion amendment added to the bill does not only limit funding for abortions from a public option, but also from all private companies operating in the exchange.  

And just to be sure the we won't be doing this again for another 40 years or so.  Not good enough!

Way to Go Cleveland!

So, after the 10th body was taken from Anthony Sowell's home I thought it was time to call my mom.   I noticed a girl I grew up with claimed this serial killer lived in our neighborhood, but I couldn't corroborate this because no one is saying what neighborhood in Cleveland.  According to my mother Anthony Sowell is about twenty minutes from her on East 123th and Imperial Ave.

As of this evening we have a total of 1o bodies and pleas to the community to come forward with information about missing girls from the neighborhood.  The charges Sowell is facing are kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder.  

The bodies were discovered when officers served warrants for another attempted rape and sexual assault.  Sowell is described as a professional scrapper, which for those who don't know is someone who makes a living by selling scrap metal to scrap yards.  

There is a Day to Celebrate Awkward Moments! We Need to Get on This.

At work today, I was putting together a calendar for our magazine and website.  Sometimes I try to slip something to see if anyone reads anything we put in print.  I found the most wonderful holiday ever: March 18, Awkward Moments Day.

Jim get ready.  Really, these shouldn't be planned, but I can't help but get excited about this.  Also, it is the day after St. Patrick's Day.  Because whoever created this day knew the walk of shame well.  

Obviously More Women Should be Prostitutes...

Authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics, are putting out a new book entitled Superfreakonomics.  This new book takes an look at prostitution but in the excerpt available thus far profiles two women.  The first works the street in Chicago's South Side making $350 per week.  The second works 15 hours a week in a pretty bedroom for $500 an hour.  This second woman is credited with developing entrepreneurial skills.  These gentlemen never mention race, but this could be interpreted as a story of race and class.  They provide physical descriptions of both women:  "straightened hair" vs. blonde.  The first woman doesn't get much of a background, but the second grew up in a middle class dysfunction family.  

The authors ignore the differences in the backgrounds of the women.  They claim that there is nothing to be concerned about in the "kind" of prostitution practiced by the second woman, but they have cited her dysfunctional family without further discussion, but using the information we know about sex workers most have severely troublesome upbringings.  I am pretty concerned about this book.

Jezebel and The Times Online both looked at this book.

Pre-Existing Condition: Woman?

Broadsheet had this lovely video, and I couldn't help but post it. In light of domestic violence being named a pre-existing condition, and the neglect of women's health concerns in the health care reform bill I thought it was necessary.

Abortion Anyone?

The Broadsheet over at Salon made a nice list of why abortion should be included by health insurance. The argument is that abortion is a medical procedure and should be covered by insurance, but some, and I won't point fingers, would have abortion not covered. Many people agree that abortion should be covered by health insurance because health care should dictate coverage not politics. Anyway this is the list from Salon:

1. Abortion is legal medical care.

2. Abortion is common, mainstream medical care. It is one of the most common surgical procedures in America.

3. Abortion is already broadly covered. Between 50 and 85 percent of women who have private insurance, including employer-sponsored plans, have coverage for abortion care.

4. Covering abortion does not raise the abortion rate.

5. Covering abortion makes abortion safer.

6. Covering abortion is what the people want. [More people agree that abortion should remain legal now than when Roe v. Wade was passed by the Supreme Court.]

7. Excluding abortion from coverage sends us down a slippery "moral" slope.

8. And about that "elective" business. Kissling: "Let's have insurance companies hold an annual poll of subscribers and decide on a majority basis what gets covered. Let's especially ask if they want their premiums to pay for obesity-related diseases, smoking-related diseases, STDs, neonatal intensive care where the life expectancy is less than 5 percent and put a cap on care for people over 80."

9. Without coverage, there is no "choice." Sex -- a natural human drive for most -- entails risks. Even with the best prevention measures, there will be unintended pregnancies. Jacobson: "Women must be able to make the choice of whether or not to bear children because unintended pregnancy entails emotional, financial and psychic costs that will be borne only or largely by the woman."

10. Megan Carpentier, former Jezebel writer and current editor of News and Politics of Air America Radio, sums it up thusly: "Why should abortion be covered? Because sometimes abortion is medically necessary, and the government shouldn't be writing regulations from Washington that tell a woman in Kansas when that is. Because exempting cases of rape and incest, as the Hyde Amendment does, means that women who are victims of rape and incest don't get the coverage they're supposed to have anyway, because there's no way to police whether their pregnancies are the result of government-approved circumstances. Because there's no actual government money that's going to get spent on the so-called public option, so it's a question of whether you, with your own money, can get insurance that covers what you choose to have it cover. And because eliminating coverage that currently exists through federal law is just another back-door way for the antiabortion movement to make it more difficult and expensive for women to get a legal medical procedure, since they can't convince women not to have abortions on the 'merits' of their arguments."

I slimmed down the earlier portion of the list because it was massive, but the later ones need a little more explanation.

I Heart Joss Whedon!

I love Joss Whedon. I love his characters; I love the comics he wrote. This is from his speech at Equality Now.

Obvious Child, a pregger movie long over due

Obvious Child from Gillian Robespierre on Vimeo.

I loved this when I saw it a last week, but unfortunately between papers and presentations I've been having trouble updating with regular frequency.  Well, all enjoy the film...

Daily on Al Franken

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but didn't have the time.  Thankfully, Jon Stewart is there.  Please note, that most of the Republicans who voted for the amendment were women.

Cupcakes for Life?

So, I'm having a little trouble believing this is a site.  I mean really?  Of course there is a good message here, after all it is way more important to give out what I'm going to call the "Awkward Cupcake."  I imagine the exchange would go something like this:

 

Pro-Lifer: Want a cupcake?

Me: Of course! Better question what kind of evil person wouldn't?!?

Pro-Lifer: [hands me the cupcake, which reads "I love babies"] They're pro-life, because abortion is murder.

Me:...k...Thanks [I was raised to be polite].

Pro-Lifer: You're welcome go with God.

Me: Nope still pro-choice and not a believer, but the cupcake is awesome. [Maybe a thumbs up].

Then I imagine this turning into some kind of debate between myself with my logic and distribution of information verses someone who believes giving out cupcakes will help bring down the number of people receiving abortions.  It doesn't really seem fair. 

 

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this logic in the first place because cupcakes are being made for the aborted babies, but doesn't this feel like a waste of money.  It feels very like a attention grabbing gimmick. 

 

So they have a question and answer section on their website, and this was my favorite:

Q.) What if my school won't allow me to bring in cup cakes?

A1.) Give them out before or after school!
A2.) Do it anyway and be quick about it! Also be very apologetic and kind if you get caught.
A3.) Ask for permission to bring in pre-packaged cupcakes from a bakery!
A4.) Just pass out flyers and make cupcakes after school and hand them out to your neighbors in the name of life. Whatever you do, don't give up when confronted by opposition!
A5.) Just hand them out somewhere besides school.
A6.) Ask to set up a table at your local grocery store.

I can't decide if I like A2.  or not.  I mean I like civil disobedience, and my kids would give a Pro-Lifer something to think about if he/she tried to push him/her beliefs off on my metaphorical child. However, the do it quickly seems to negate any implication of civil disobedience.  I'd encourage my kid to hand out "pro-murder" cupcakes (the pro-choice version) establishment be damned.  

100% Fool Proof Tips to Prevent Rape

So preventing rape is pretty important, and too often the burden falls on women to protect ourselves.  Essentially promoting rape culture: women who aren't being safe enough deserve what they get.  Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti address this in their book, Yes Means Yes, and Friedman also discusses the topic in an article, "Combating the Campus Rape Crisis," in the American Prospect.

To keep with this theme, Lynn Harris, posted on the Broadsheet a few suggests to prevent rape.  I thought they were brilliant and couldn't help but share them:

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime--no matter how “into it” others appear to be.

Who wants to guess what is wrong with this t-shirt?

This has been fodder on Jezebel for a few days; the photo was sent to the Feminist Law Professors.  Of course, the media in Texas got a hold of this, and the feminist reaction.  Jezebel reminded us of several constants about feminists such as we lack a sense of humor or what I like to call the "black friend effect" one woman likes it so it can't be offensive.  

Regardless, I'd like to point out the shirt is two horses performing sex acts on a cheerleader from the opposing school.  The language on the shirt implies violence.  It is important to note the shirt is to show support for the football team, which is typically male dominated.  It depicts the mascots violating the female cheerleader of the rival school.  The importance here is that it is the female that is being violated for laughs during a male rivalry.  

Book Review: Madams

The Madams by Zukiswa Wanner



I found this book delightful! I mean it is not much of a labor women's studies book if you are looking for something heavy in the labor area. This is why I liked this book because I like themes in my books being subtle. This book examines three South African women's lives, all madams, all women who work and employ maids.
This book demonstrated what it means to live in a society which heavily values class and race, and it also shows that they are not the same thing. At times the book takes the reader too far into the lives of the madams, and the reader is wondering how realistic it actually is. However, the depiction of the maids is wonderfully accurate...the thankful maid who loves her madam and is honored to be like "one of the family," the maid who is abused by her madam and still keeps the family secrets, and the maid who has an affair with the mister of the house.
The class issues in the book are portrayed by the madams; the reader experiences the race issues and conflicts of having a maid of a different race. They are quick to discuss how lucky the maids are for having the opportunity to work for them regardless of the abuses they suffer or how they are spoken down to. I think it is a wonderful representation, and these madams could very well be in New York, London, or Hong Kong. I give it a 4/5.

View all my reviews >>

Book Review: Missing:Youth, Citizenship, and Empire after 9/11

Missing: Youth, Citizenship, and Empire after 9/11 by Sunaina Maira



This book was rather interesting to me, but nothing I didn't know before except the specific details of the lives of the youths interviewed.
I found the relationships between the students if particular interest because often they demonstrate the issues the students face daily through the lens of children. The reader gets to see the issues Muslim immigrants deal with, but through the eyes of children who don't always understand what they are being subjected to. Thus, there is a certain amount of innocence to the book.
The book at times is very repetitive, and as a result can become tedious. I'd give it a 3/5.

View all my reviews >>

I think I've neglected you long enough...

This has been one hell of a crazy summer. My husband (weird) got laid off in May, I decided to go back to school about a week before that, then we got married, went on a honeymoon, came back and I quit my job for something part-time and started school the week before last. Needless to say, I've got about a million things I would like to catch you all up on, but now there is no time! So, let's take care of the highlights:

The wedding was beautiful, easily the best day of my life, if anyone was wondering, but I'm sure no one was.

I've read a few novels since my last posts (which were regretfully not even as recent as May I realize). I recently finished Brave New World as part of my continuing effort to read all the books I should have read in high school and enjoyed it very much. I also finished American Psycho and just started The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami, which is already fantastic just 7 chapters in. I would give American Psycho a 4/5, it was a great story and seriously grossed me out. I think soon I'll re-watch the movie and write a double review. Brave New World gets a 4.5/5 from me. I liked it a lot, but I think I liked 1984 just a tiny bit better. Although I do feel that the themes of Brave New World were much more developed. Once I've read Fahrenheit 451 I will do an entry on all three I think.

I also watched a TON of movies... Mammoth is probably my favorite of the movies that I've seen recently. I really love Michelle Williams. This is Lukas Moodysson's first movie in English and you should go see it. 4.5/5. This is a great story about mothers and their daughters and the things they do for them to give them lives they couldn't have. He is an amazing story teller and if you like Mammoth, you should immediately see Show Me Love (or Fucking Amal, which is the Sweedish title) and Lilya 4-Ever.

Ok, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully I'll be back with more frequency and be able to speak with more depth about the billions of things I do in a week.

Fornicating Feminist

Sorry, one occasional reader. It appears the fates have aligned and allowed both Cari and myself to go back to school resulting in my inability to blog. I can assure you that we will be back, and be better about frequency in the future.

It has been a pretty exciting time for women in the news too. Apparently, McDonnell (the GOP nominee in Virginia for Governor) hates gays, women, and fornicators just to name a few. He work a thesis in his thirty's which is coming back to bit him in the ass right now. I don't know about you, but anyone in the DC area who wants to join a fornicating feminist who is bringing about the end of traditional families and go to one his rallies let me know.

Movie Review: Teeth

This was an incredible movie. I'm still kind of shocked about how many times one person can be violated, but still it has a great twist at the end.

Teeth is a story of a girl who practices and preaches abstinence. You follow her through awkward adolescence, and see what happens when misinformation about sexuality is spread for example, "women are naturally modest" which is our heroine's excuse for schools to not use pictures when teaching about female genitalia. She wrestles with her purity pledge while most people around her are kind of pervy...really pervy.

The first time she is sexually assaulted (yes, this happens more than once) she discovers that she is special, and her vagina is mutated. It contains teeth like many mythological characters. Eventually, she becomes empowered by this, and takes control of her surroundings.

I give it a solid 4/5. It is creepy and sadistic in the right ways, but I don't know how I feel about the constant sexual assaults in the film...and no, our heroine isn't only on the receiving end of them.

Book Review: Sisterhood Interrupted: From Radical Women to GRRLs Gone Wild

Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Girls Gone Wild by Deborah Siegel


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I like this book, but for me it wasn't anything new. It is a wonderful book for a quick look at the contemporary women's movement particularly the second wave and the third. I take a little issue with the depiction of the second wave only because of the brevity. Most of the book discusses the second wave, which is fine that history is longer and richer, but still more could have been put into the second wave.
Also, I'm wary and just tired of the notions of dueling waves. I love second wave feminism, and yeah at times I feel the expectations set for my generation are a bit high. Then again no one said we have to meet them. It puts me in mind of another books MidLife Crisis at 30. This book also wrestles with the idea that the second wave set expectations too high and instead of saying young women can do anything the message became young women should do everything. Not that this is the argument in this book, but it is touched upon in the second section.
The argument in this book I found of interest was post-feminist verses third wave feminists. Of course these post-feminists are a group I regularly take shots at for better or worse.
In the end this is a good introduction to feminism and feminist history.

View all my reviews >>

Book Review: Women's Labor in the Global Economy: Speaking in Multiple Voices

Women's Labor in the Global Economy: Speaking in Multiple Voices by Sharon Harley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Yeah, I'm the kid that reads all my books before the semester starts.
This book is for my seminar on women and global labor. Anyone want to guess how excited I am about this course? The book itself is a collection of essays on various subjects with the common theme of women in global economy. The book is broken down into three sections; each section represents a specific issue which is found in respect to global labor.
The first section, "Laboring in Transnational Public Spheres," looks at women's experiences as labor activists. One particularly pointed essay, "Of Poetics and Politics: The Border Journeys of Luisa Moreno," discussed Moreno's life as an activist, and gave a particularly disturbing look at the casualties of her lifestyle.
The second section, "The Global Politics of Labor," takes a look at globalization and the legal ramifications of it. The final section, "Surviving the Global Economy," looks at the results of globalization and how it affects women. These essays ranged from depictions of traders to sex workers, and globalization has push these women into these various roles.

View all my reviews >>

Health Care and Getting Somewhere

I've been concerned for a while about national health coverage which leaves out women. Women's bodies are a highly contested subject...usually by those without a vagina. Women's health care is marginalized and usually left on the sidelines. However, last week it was announced that the national health care plan is going to cover some abortions (in the case of rape and incest). It isn't much, but it is something.

Now, lets talk about birth control, an extended maternity stay after labor, breast cancer care, the HPV vaccine for all students before entering high school (boys, too...vaccinate two generations and stop the spread of HPV and lower the rates of cervical cancer), and a serious medical look at many women's inability to organism. Then maybe we can talk. Having been a proponent of a national health care system for a long time doesn't change the fact I'm going to urge my representatives not to vote for a federal health care plan if it neglects women. I hope all women do the same.

Safer Sex

Scientists have invented a gel for women which will prevent the spread of HIV; it is being called a molecular condom. This could have huge consequences for women in Africa and other populations heavily affected by HIV. Yeah team! The basic concept is that a woman will insert the gel in her vagina before sex, and when semen is present it turns into a semisolid preventing the vaginal cells from being infected. The gel could be tested on humans in the next three to five years if everything goes well.

The next wave of spermicide is here.

Abstinence is Sexy, and by Sexy we mean in the non-sexual way...Buy this Shirt Just Don't Have Sex

This annoys me for a number of reasons. Abstinence is a perfectly acceptable and responsible decision if it is right for you. But why hyper-sexualize girls and then insist they don't have sex? How is this effective? Where is my shirt, "I bought this shirt and a box of condoms, and safe sex is sexy."

"Sexy enough to keep you waiting" shirts are some how supposed to promote abstinence. Keep in mind that abstinence only education has been so wildly effective. The Candies corporation is pushing these shirts in an advertising deal with Seventeen Magazine. I remember the Candies ads in Seventeen when I was young, and there was nothing sex about Jenny McCarthy on a bathroom floor in stilettos or in a bathtub. Apparently, Bristol Palin is going to be the spokesperson for this campaign. I'm going to leave Bristol Palin alone, and hope the rest of the world will too so this family finally exits stage left. Every family has issues, but most of us deal with them in private...Palin family take a hint.

It is truly obnoxious that women and girls are expected to carry the responsibility and the burden alone when discussing sex. There are no males wearing this shirt, and why the hell not? I know a few men waiting for marriage, but men aren't expected to wait, and are definitely not responsible for being sexy at all times are risk failing as men. Nope this fails squarely on women. Girls have sex, get pregnant, and it is all over for you. But in consumer America, this shirt will protect you from all that.

Movie Review: Stripped

The film, Stripped, is a documentary about exotic dancing , which can be discerned from the title. I wasn't a particular fan of the film, but at the same time I didn't hate it. The film did a very good job of representing the real ramifications of stripping and the sex trade...because yes, strippers/dancers are part of the sex trade. The scenes where the women tried to rationalize what they were doing was particularly interesting. As was the scene where the creator, Jill Morley, of the film's roommate considers dancing one night. The roommate didn't want to do it, but struggled with coming up with a reason not to while surrounded by women who dance for a living. When the women got together to discuss dancing it felt like they were working on to come up with reasons for it to be ok. Often, they were pushing feminist ideals, but then would turn back.

The film discussed money and men by far more than sex. Many of the women demonized and were disgusted by the men they danced for leading into a discussion about the psychological issues many of them have. Also, many of the girls tried to get out of the industry, but were unsuccessful for one reason or another.

I give it a 2/5. The film felt like it was rushed when put together, and many of the scenes came from what appeared to be one or two interviews. The end was particularly sad when reading what had happened to most of the girls with a few bright lights.

Movie Review: Fat Girl

Sometimes I really don't think I'm cultured enough...I watched a documentary series which mentioned this film a half dozen times or so, and I though "hey Netflicks." Catherine Breillat is pushing the boundaries of film making in numerous ways, perhaps the most well known is her use of sex in films, and Fat Girl is no different.

The film, Fat Girl, is about sisters that much is certain, love and loss. To be more specific loss of virginity, and the expectations set by those involved. The older sister becomes involved with an older man who spends a great deal of time trying to sleep with her; she has lofty expectations about sex and love. However, the younger sister sees through him, but doesn't have these expectations going as far as suggesting sex with a stranger will save you the trouble and attachment issues from sleeping with someone you think you love only to be disappointed in the end.

Pretty progressive for a girl of 13; she is the voice of reason for her older sister through much of the film, yet she is riddled with insecurities stemming from issues with her weight and being the second born. The film takes a shocking turn; I literally never saw it coming in the end. Leaving you to ponder whether losing your virginity to someone who lies to you is better than a stranger or not...

The subject of rape is brought up in several way, and the view can't help but wrestle with the ramifications of these situations. Though the "boyfriend" keeps his promise not to force her, he still coerces her into sex. I found it interesting too that despite her love for him, she never trusted him.

I give it a 4/5. I really don't know what to make of the end. Worth a watch though. If you do watch this film pay close attention to the younger girl's hand motions; I found these to be very telling during the sex scenes.

Just Dance

You all saw this video, especially if you were at a certain someone's nuptials last week. We were greatly disturbed we didn't think of a dancing entrance!

Apparently, this video has increased the downloads of Chris Brown's song "Forever," and as a result the couple, Jill and Kevin, decided to set up a website where you can make donates to a foundation to combat domestic violence, the Shelia Wellstone Institute. Well done Jill and Kevin! They are collecting nothing from the views of the videos, but want something good to come from their celebrity.

Stupidity Spotted: Spike for Men

I hate Spike TV and their website, actually anything they put their name on can be considered idiotic. Just the idea a "network for men" because most networks aren't already run and marketed to men with random women thrown in to please the masses or for objectification.

So a melting bikini...my guess is the men who purchase this also have no idea of why they were dumped. Any guesses? Apparently, this is being marketed as the perfect revenge for men who are dumped. A German company has developed this product, but it is garbage.

I'm also disturbed for a whole new reason, yeah this product is offensive, but what can we expect, really? I'm more concerned that they are finding a market for this...these guys are willing to but crap like this?

The Terminator Alright

Governor Arnold Schwarzengger (R-CA) slashed funding for many programs which benefited the lives of those within California. These cuts total $489 million, and many were a surprise to those working on balancing the budget in the state legislature. The cuts included health clinics, AIDs prevention, education, and treatment programs, impoverished children's insurance, in-home care, and domestic violence resources.

The domestic violence community in California was expecting a 20% cut in their funding, but were completely shocked that 100% of their funding was actually cut. The cuts to all of these programs could have dire consequences, but the cut to the domestic violence funding will cost lives. These groups are already speculating on which centers will have to be closed.

This is disgusting; hopefully the state legislature will be bale to fight these cuts and protect the women and children in these situations.

Feminists Hate Men Don't They?

A new study is out about feminists and non-feminists (or rather people who identify as one or the other) asking whether feminists hate men. The answer is no, feminist have a better view of men on a whole than non-feminists who have a more negative view of men...

The real issue behind this study for me is why this myth, feminists hate men, persists into contemporary society. This myth continues the to damage the feminist movement because they are easily written off as women who just hate men and want to ruin everything. In reality, feminists believe in equally for everyone...not just women. It is of particular interest that those who consider themselves to be non-feminists are more likely to have a negative opinion of men. I am curious to see if a study will be done to understand why that resulted from the study.

Why is Feminist a dirty word?

Elle Macpherson is doing her part to remind us why we need feminism, and people who call themselves feminists, which Macpherson is not.

This reminded me of a blog post I read a while back about dating men who refuse to call themselves feminists. I'd go out a limb and say most of the men in my past were feminists even if they didn't want to use the word, and a good friend of mine adamantly refused to call himself a feminist because he didn't want to co-opt the word. However, I think I'm done dating men who won't own up to being a feminist.

I am of the persuasion that we need all the help we can get, and with so many people running from the word for fear of connotation we need them.

Feminism and the word feminist has a negative connotation, and people refuse to redefine these words. I had a different upbringing where feminist wasn't a dirty words, but as long as we let people participate in this passive definition than it will always be.

Rape Culture:Sports Edition

This may be a segment...

One more reason to hate the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger is accused of raping a woman, Andrea McNulty, and ESPN executives decided ESPN was not going to report on it, so ESPN being the go getting journalist they are didn't.

McNulty claims she was raped by Roethlisberger while working at Lake Tahoe Harrah's. She attempted to report the rape to a supervisor, but was told that Roethlisberger was friends with the owner of the hotel. McNutly was then told that she should feel lucky lots of women would like to be her...Yeah you read that right.

Jaclyn Friedman wrote an amazing piece on rape culture discussing what actually constitutes as rape culture, and no it isn't just rape. Rape culture tells women who flirt they deserve it, that women have to walk with keys in their hands, if they drink too much then what else can they expect, or really engage in any activity Puritanical culture frowns upon. It is particularly horrifying to think that we're all just supposed to go with it.

Disgusting...

I like to shun as much as the next person...

Those of you who had the privilege of my company this weekend know I love to shun people; I channel Dwight K Schrute. This however is wildly inappropriate.

A young girl, 8, was raped by four boys, ages ranging from 9 to 14, and after the girl is being shunned by her family. The family and the accused boys are Liberian; sadly, this reaction while being protested around the globe is not shocking. Many women face reactions like this after being sexually assaulted. The girl is now in foster care.

The 14 year old boy is being charged as an adult with sexual assault and kidnapping. The other boys are being charged as juveniles with sexual assault, and the 10 and 13 year olds are being charged with kidnapping as well.

Got to Love the Dems!

I'm so proud...This wouldn't happen if HRod was in office.

Ukraine Vs. Pornography

The Ukraine has outlawed pornography. As I've stated several times before I believe pornography hurts people. However, the Ukraine has decided to outlaw it. I don't know whether pornography should be outlawed; I know it hurts people, but I wonder who gets to decide what is pornography and what is art.

Possession of pornography can result in a fine or three years in jail. The article doesn't define pornography, which is an issue on it's own. The legislation does stipulate that pornography can be used for medicinal purposes. This statement is important because it means that masturbation can be used for medicinal purposes. This is pretty exciting...check pun here.

Harry Potter Count Down!

Alright, I was trying not to do this, but I can't help it. We have tickets for Thursday, because on some level I feel too old to ditch work for a movie. I saw photos of the premiere, and I loved this picture because I love Dame Maggie Smith and Ron Weasley!

Massachusetts Sue Federal Government

The state of Massachusetts is suing the United States government claiming the Feds are discriminating against the married gay couples of Mass. This is kind of awesome! Yeah, Mass!

Massachusetts claims the Defense of Marriage Act violates the rights of the gay married couples in Massachusetts. The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Several other lawsuits have been brought against the U.S. government on this subject, but this is the first time a state has. The positive of this case is the obvious; that the Supreme Court could find in favor of Mass, and that the Defences of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. The negative is that the Supreme Court could find in favor of the Feds or that this is a state issue. This isn't a state issue because the issue isn't marriage, which is, but civil liberties and rights.

Book Review: The Film Club: A True Story of a Father and Son by David Gilmour

The Film Club: A True Story of a Father and Son by David Gilmour

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
David Gilmour depicts his life with his son after they decided the son could drop out of high school. Gilmour put restrictions on the arrangement requiring his son to watch films with him, and stay away from alcohol and drugs.

I was excited about this at the beginning when I thought it was a father/son bonding experience over films, and those who know about my unhealthy relationship with Netflicks would understand my glee. However, the book started down a unfortunate path when Gilmour began depicting his son's relationships.

I expected more than a cute interpretation of failed relationships. I found the commentary on the films to be enjoyable and my Netflicks queue has seriously grown in size.

View all my reviews.

Couldn't Help But Post This...

In case you can't read it one sign is for a Vegan support group and the other is for Carnivores. The Carnivores' reads "Chances are you dont need some wimpy support group. Keep being AWESOME. Note this is stolen from the Dating While Feminist Blog.

Animal Rights VS. Women

I feel like we see this all the time. Animal rights' activists going for shock value by exploiting women. Aside, from this starting with a strip scene, and of course who doesn't connect stripping with fishing, it ends in a brutally violent scene. Violence against women is not the same as animal abuse. They are both wrong, but really not the same...not even close. Animals Awake is the Dutch group responsible for the ad.

WalMart Supports Workers' Right to Health Insurance Now

Walmart now supports workers' right to health insurance. This is a pretty drastic change for a corporation which used to hand our federal assistance forms to new employees.

Specifically, Walmart has come out in support of requiring companies to provide health insurance/coverage to their employees. The mandate requiring health coverage and benefits is largely contested by just about every business association in DC, including, but not limited to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business.

Walmart wrote a joint letter with SEIU and the Center for American Progress...yeah, you read that right. This could mean a variety of things, and trust me I'm running through all the devious scenarios that Walmart could be up to. The article implies, Walmart could be attempting to mend fences with the liberals and make friends in Washington. Walmart has expanded benefits for workers in the recent past, but it has also been successfully fighting and winning lawsuits on the state evel which would have required companies to provide insurance.

The typical arguments apply on each side for and against the mandate: it is essential for health care reform and it is an unnecessary burden for small businesses. The letter composed by Walmart, SEIU, and the Center for American Progress calls for varying degrees of contributions by different size companies.

I'm still scratching my head over this one...

Book Review: Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood

Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I'm not a fan of this Margaret Atwood novel. Overall, I love her work, but I was disappointed. At the end the book redeemed itself, but still it wasn't very good.

Life Before Man examines the difficulties people face in their relationships: cheating, divorce, beginning a relationship when one person has kids. In respect to these situations, the novel does well to show how people fall in and out of love. However, the novel also demonstrates how selfish these characters are; they have little concern for the children involved. Of course, I'm not implying that people should stay together for the sake of children, but there was a disconnect.

The novel ended in a particularly interesting way when three women have the opportunity to tell their interpretation of their individual relationship with the same man. One is his ex-wife who feels abandoned, but too proud and guilty herself of infidelity to say anything. His mistress turned live in lover who is jealous of his ex and children, and feels like his moving in is a mistake and now she is stuck. Also, his former mistress, who feels a great deal of pity for the man and women bound to him.

The novel is written in chapters jumping form character to character's point of view. This is interesting, but at times becomes boring particularly when the point of view is a character who the read is not interested in.


View all my reviews.

News for my one reader...

I know Cari and I have been lacking in the blog lately, but let me assure you this will not continue.

Allow me to begin by explaining the reasons the blog has taken a back seat:
1. work has been hellish
2. I've been looking for a job and prepping for grad school
3. over all super busy

Why the blog is going to be better?
1. grad school! Cari and I are both going back to school where we will be learning all kinds of things we'll want to discuss
2. Cari's wedding...we'll have a disaster segment
3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I am officially suspending all of my reading and focusing on the Harry Potter series again. For those of you who know me this is not shocking. I've already read them once this year, but because the film is coming out I feel compelled to read them again.

I had an interesting experience last week. I went to the Choice USA Celebration. This was awesome, but nothing I can really write extensively about. I had the opportunity to meet a variety of people, which was exciting.

This week I have the opportunity to go to a focus group on domestic violence at George Washington University. I'll be sure to post that night.

Movie Review: Indie Sex Series

I watched three out of the four in this film series. The topics cover all the basics: Censored, Teens, Extremes, and Taboos. I didn't watch the one on taboos because you can't just stream it, and I didn't want to wait.

I watched Censored first. This was particularly interesting to me because the documentarian showed the origins of sex and the film industry including "stag films." "Stag films" are the predecessors of pornography. Those interviewed in the film explained that much of what we see in pornography today. The film then addresses the changes in the film industry, governmental regulations, and censorship. Governmental regulations resulted in films being censored where the writers and directors had to be more creative to get sexual scene across to their audience; a few such creative ways the directors did this was with a slap or cigarette. Then they discuss the self-regulation of the industry by themselves; this was a response the particularly experimental and crude films. The best example of this is the commercial success of films like American Pie giving way to the wildly popular Princess Diaries where sex is non-existent.

The film on Teens discusses the changes in how teen sexuality is portrayed on film. We travel from beach films to the film KIDS, which is a faux-documentary on young people. I've heard really god things about the film KIDS, but it was interesting to hear the reviews of fellow film makers who thought the film dances the line of child pornography. The Teens episode focus a lot on how teens are portrayed by media and there was a long discussion about child pornography, which of course I'm always a fan of hating on porn.

Extremes took on the public's fixation S&M and other fetishes. Also, films interest in these topics. Bondage and fetishes have become more mainstream in recent history, but only enough to make the terminology commonplace. People now know the definition of auto erotic asphyxiation, but people are reluctant to express interest other than a morbid fixation. But this film also took on the pushing of limits in the film industry. One great example is "unsimulated sex," which is actual sex between the actors during filming. The directors and actors specify how and why this isn't pornography. There was a long discussion about pornography and if/why "unsimulated sex" is interesting to the public.

I give these films 3/5. They were good, but became long after a while. Also, you can't watch them all in one sitting.

MTV's Safe Sex

I don't like any of these advertisements for safe sex. I am one-hundred percent behind safe sex, but really texts from last night said it best, "he said he didn't have a condom and I told him it was ok I am ready to be a mom, and he found a condom."

The idea that sex, even unprotected sex, between two consenting adults is like having sex with a gun is ridiculous. To begin with, the idea that the responsibility of safe sex lies with the woman involved just sucks. And of course any parallels between sex and violence is disgusting.

Theater Review: Cut to Pieces

Despite what the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism video suggests, living in Cleveland can sometimes be pretty awesome.

Last night I saw a play called "Cut to Pieces" at the Cleveland Public Theatre and was absolutely amazed. This play was co-written by Cleveland authors, Raymond Bobgan and Chris Seibert(Chris plays every part in the play as well). Probably my favorite thing about this play was that it mixed different genres and media in order to reach the final product. It opens with C.C. Birdie, the playwrite who addresses the audience and notes that we will have to participate. I immediately groaned and shifted in my seat, worried that she was going to call volunteers, but our participation required us to imagine things and that is something I'm more than okay with. She plays 11 different roles in the play, each with his/her own inflection, stance, etc. To be able to do this is amazing in itself, and I've only seen it done well two other times, but that is not where this play's innovation ends.

The entire play takes place in front of a screen. Imgaes are sometimes projected on to the screen, sometimes the images are happening in real time, and sometimes (most of the time actually) they are pre-recorded. The choreography that must have gone in to this play simply blows my mind.

In this picture from the Cleveland Public Theatre's website, you can see C. C. Birdie (stage) interacting with the Private Investigator (screen) but both parts are played by Seibert.


At one point, what's happening in the play becomes too real for C.C. and she has to stop and apologize to the audience, breaking character(s). She hides in a large cabinet at the side of the stage and her image is projected on the screen where she is crying and inconsolable.

So, all of this is enough to go see the play alone, but the story is great as well. It's a "who dun it" tale where 7 "strangers" meet at an old man's house, oh, and he just happens to be Hades. Thus, the myths of Hades and Persephone are intertwined with the story as well.

Raymond Bobgan has been noted (I believe because of this play) as one of the top 25 people in America who will change the face of theater and after seeing this, I must say, I whole heartedly agree.

5/5

Edit: I forgot to mention, this will be running for two more days (tonight and tomorrow) so if you're in Cleveland, you should definitely make the trip. Tickets can be bought CPT's Website.

Book Review: The Waves

The Waves by Virginia Woolf is the story of 6 people, told during completely using dialogue. Each character speaks in monologue, they do not speak to each other, they strictly speak what they are thinking. At first, it was a little bit difficult to follow, but then I remembered it was Woolf so I tried to be patient and I absolutely loved it.

The characters' stories range from day to night, from childhood to death, and it is not only the story of these 6 men and women, but rather thes story of all men and women. They deal with love, friendship, homosexuality (wouldn't be Woolf without it!), etc and each chapter is a different time in their lives.

The chapters are separated by one page descriptions of a beach and the waves reaching the shore and there are constant reminders of waves throughout the book. When the characters are speaking, it almost sounds as if their words are rising and falling like waves crashing on the shore.

5/5

Yes, we are living in the future.

This is absolutely amazing. I read on Gizmodo this morning that some scientists are currently working on contact lenses with stem cells in them that are showing results in correcting poor eyesight. According to the article:

Of the three patients, two were legally blind but can now read the big letters on an eye chart, while the third, who could previously read the top few rows of the chart, is now able to pass the vision test for a driver's license.

This completely blows my mind. I've got TERRIBLE vision and have always been nervous about lazer eye corrective surgery, but I could really get behind some super contacts!

Book Review: Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Schlosser. Also, I think it is important to note how much better the book is than the poor excuse for the film.

Schlosser does a good job of depicting the series of horrors associated with the fast food industry, and I'm not only taking about the disgusting ways the animals are slaughtered or the sci-fi ingredients added to the food produced. The aspects of the book the most compelling for me were about the workers and the corporations responsible for this potential new world order. The corporations treat their workers as expendable, and thus the companies they purchase ingredients can also abuse their workers. All of these abuses amount to an impressive amount of union busting.

I really enjoyed Schlosser's explanation for how fast food and transportation have shaped the United States. It is equally as interesting as the the way these corporations are influencing the rest of the world.

Schlosser address his critics in the epilogue, and the most interesting counter argument/criticism was his depiction of the Republican party. Schlosser defends his position and takes his critics to task. After all, they are rarely criticizing the content of the book, but just why he is saying them.

View all my reviews.

This Made Me Giggle: Bible Definition of Marriage

Well, at Least PETA is Consistent by Keeping the Disappointment Coming

Oh, PETA...really this is weak even for you. I hate the "I'd rather go naked" campaign because I'm not willing to objectify and exploit women for the sake of animal rights. But now, PETA is branching out and exploiting the murder of DR. Tiller and equating Pro-Choice views with being vegetarian. I'm a vegetarian, and I can tell the difference between eating chicken nuggets and aborting fetuses.

I think this is wildly inappropriate and disrespectful to the memory of Dr. Tiller.

I read about this on Choice USA.

An Open Letter to Pixar: Hold the Princess Please

This is an interesting open letter to Pixar; the author, Linda Holmes, asks that Pixar to create a film with a strong female lead, not just a princess.

I am 100% behind this...because my favorite movies as a kid: Newies, Dark Crystal, The Legend of Billie Jean, and Peter Pan. I am sick of the Princess craze brought back to us by Disney; not because I hate the idea of princesses, but because these princesses are traditionally helpless. Jasmine from Aladdin might be the exception, but even she has to be saved in the end...

I guess I'm concerned about what we are telling out children, and no I don't just mean out daughters. What are we telling girls about being passive and desperate for affection, attention, and aid? More so, what are we telling our sons about women, femininity, and masculinity?

I'm looking desperately for the film/cartoon staring a woman/girl who does things and has consequences. I want a strong female lead with scrapped knees and dirty finger nails...

Trafficked Babies Brides

In China, the one child rule and the subsequent value placed on male children resulted in a huge gender imbalance. The truly horrifying thing isn't that there are by far more males in China than women, but actually the consequences of this.

There is the possibility of these males waging war because they have nothing better to do, revolution, in addition to a nation of the sexually frustrated. The trafficking of very young women and female children into China. Gangs are kidnapping baby girls and selling them to farm families hoping to provide their sons with brides.

As usual this is awful. The article didn't provide much information on how the girls were taken or specifics of their fate, but still. The numbers range form 2,000 to 20,000 missing girls.

Cheney Supports Gay Marriage?

Anyone else scratching their heads over this one? Essentially, Cheney thinks gay people have to right to marry as long as it comes from the states and not the federal government. My favorite part is when he starts talking about historically because this hasn't gone badly in the past interracial marriage, cough, cough. This isn't the first time Cheney has come out in a vague support of gay marriage.



Well, he can't always be wrong. I believe this is a federal issue because the state governments are denying civil rights to a specific part of the population.