15 posts tagged “tidbits”
Check out the LA Times article here.
In a 4-3 ruling, the justices rule that state marriage laws are unconstitutional.
SAN FRANCISCO — – The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.
The state high court’s 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both.
Finally, some decisive action on this!
Here's a quote from our shitty, shitty Governor, Mr. Schwarzenegger, that makes me feel a little more secure in today's ruling:
"I respect the Court's decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling. Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."
Courtesy of the Broadsheet, when being interview by a female reporter, Sen. Obama responded to her question by saying, “Hold on, one second, sweetie.”
This isn’t the first time Sen. Obama has made sexist remarks towards or about women that he’s had to go back and apologize for. Better yet, there’s a video clip of the sexist comment.
Sen. Obama, of course, apologized for the comment in order to avoid any additional negative press. He claimed “sweetie” was a term he used out of habit. Sorry, still not buying it.
Hi Peggy. This is Barack Obama. I’m calling to apologize on two fronts. […]
Second apology is for using the word ’sweetie.’ That’s a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front.
So, where is the video of Sen. Obama calling a man “sweetie?” Right, that’s what I thought, there isn’t one.
If you’re going to make an endorsement because you’re trying to help a candidate win an election, that’s fine with me. But when you make an endorsement, make it clear why you’re selecting candidate A in favor of candidate B, don’t just simply state that you’re endorsing candidate A.
My favorite part of the endorsement had to be when Nancy Keenan said the following two sentences in the same paragraph:
Further, I believe Sen. Obama is going to be the Democratic nominee.
Sen. Obama will be our next president.
It’s nice to know that you aren’t letting your personal beliefs cloud your judgment and make endorsements on behalf of an entire agency. Why didn’t she just say “I like Obama better than Clinton, ne-ner-ne-ner-neeee-ner!” - because that’s what it sounds like.
It occurred to me that I have been neglecting my poor little vox lately. So instead of swamping my neighborhood with all of my posts from the past few months, I have them all collectively linked here for your clicking pleasure. They are listed in reverse order, from oldest to newest.
I vote we just abolish the silly feminism thing right here and now
Published by Liz on February 20, 2008 12:26 am
under equality, feminist thought, ridiculous
Ultimately, I am a feminist because I believe in two things: equality
and choice. Equality for all people, regardless of what labels are
applied to them by themselves and society, and choice for all people,
so they are able to live their lives as close to their dream as
possible. I don’t expect everyone to be
feminists, but I do believe that feminism can benefit the world as a
whole.
Censorship at the Grammy Awards: Somehow I'm not surprised
Published by Liz on February 20, 2008 04:51 pm
under feminist thought, pop culture, sexuality, tv
By now I’m sure everyone knows about Amy Winehouse being asked by the Grammy Awards producers to cover up her tattoo’s nipples for her performance, but can we just pause a moment and reflect on how this is being reported to media outlets?
Reason #389 why I love Bill Clinton
Published by Liz on February 21, 2008 09:08 pm
under abortion, anti-choice, anti-contraception, clintons, reproductive health, tidbits
When verbally assaulted at a rally by anti-choicers, Bill responded,
and I have to say, I am impressed by his response… and not just because
he’s Bill, but because it’s an awesome response. Yes, he got angry, and
yes, he may have yelled more than a little… but he did get his point
across and (I hope) filled the anti-choicers present at this rally with
a more than a little embarrassment.
The usual bull shit: sexism in the media and Hillary Clinton
Published by Liz on February 28, 2008 04:53 pm
under 2008 election, clintons, dollymix.tv, feminist thought, gender, media, politics, pop culture, ridiculous
Sexism in media is kind of a big topic. A lot of people research it for
a living, and quite a few people have gone to painstaking efforts to
observe the sexism that is occurring in the Democratic presidential
election and all the publicity that surrounds it.
Rejoice! Pregnancy can give you a pass for the carpool lane!
Published by Liz on February 28, 2008 11:12 pm
under abortion, anti-choice, children, christian right, feminist thought, ignorance, politics, reproductive health, ridiculous
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, aka Reagan 2.0, has just recently endorsed an amendment to the Colorado constitution that would consider a fetus a person.
Aside from the whole ridiculousness surrounding when a fetus becomes a person, this is a dangerous line to cross.
Where in the world is Prince Harry fighting?
Published by Liz on February 29, 2008 04:59 pm
under media, opinion, politics
Yesterday I was browsing through CNN’s front page when I saw the
headline “Prince Harry sent to Afghanistan”. Now, how is that safe? How
is that ok?
Happy Sadie Hawkins Day! PROPOSE WHILE YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!
Published by Liz on February 29, 2008 05:31 pm
under dollymix.tv, feminist thought, gender, marriage, ridiculous
Not only is today Leap Year (and another lame excuse for things to be
one sale in stores), but today is also Sadie Hawkins Day. Which means,
for you ladies who are so inclined, today is the one day every four years where a woman can propose to a man and get away with it.
Female artist of the moment: Missy Higgins
Published by Liz on March 4, 2008 07:54 pm
under music, pop culture, the usual
I thought I would take a moment to step off my soap box and blog about Missy Higgins,
an awesome musician from Australia who has a lot to say about life,
love, and all the other miscellany things going on in her world.
Stick to what you're good at: housemaking, swooning, etc
Published by Liz on March 4, 2008 11:18 pm
under feminist thought, gender, ignorance, media, pop culture, rant, ridiculous
I think every single feminist blog I read has picked up on Charlotte Allen’s sexist “women are idiots” piece already, but it’s my turn now.
Single sex education versus gender based education
Published by Liz on March 5, 2008 06:19 pm
under children, feminist thought, gender, opinion
The doctor has become an advocate of single-sex education (not same-sex
education, because that would be GAY) because during his years as a
family practitioner (not a child therapist, not a
psychologist, not anything remotely related to early childhood
educational and mental development) he realized that boys and girls
“learn differently”. Now, in psychology, gender is one of those big
categories that they use to look for differences because it is
(usually) easy to identify. However, many studies have come to the same
conclusion: the differences within each gender are greater than those between genders.
LOL of the day: a resume full of "hopes and plans"
Published by Liz on March 5, 2008 07:53 pm
under 2008 election, lol of the day, media, politics, tidbits
All these years I’ve been creating accomplishments and
gathering experience to list on my resume. From now on, I’ll just list
my hopes and plans. All that work was so unnecessary.
Who cares about your career? Have a baby now!
Published by Liz on March 5, 2008 11:59 pm
under american traditions, children, feminist thought, life stuff, rant, reproductive health, ridiculous
“Want to have a baby? Now’s the time women eager to have children need to direct career drive toward mating.”
For an extremely short article, it is riddled with tons of sexist “facts” from various fields of research.
The top 10 things men lie about
Published by Liz on March 6, 2008 06:44 pm
under gender, ignorance, media, opinion, pop culture, ridiculous
If the NY Post can be completely sexist when it comes to lying,
then so can I. The piece was published over the weekend and it uses a
book written by a woman (whose credentials - or lack thereof - are
completely ignored) to claim that women are lies. Well, it’s my turn now. So I present you with the Top 10 Things Men Lie About.
Tid bits: Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics used "sexual experimentation"
Published by Liz on March 6, 2008 11:11 pm
under lgbtqi, media, pop culture, sexuality, tidbits, tv
I caught an article on the New York Times about Issue #12 and
Buffy’s lesbian “experimentation”. This isn’t the first time Joss
Whedon has included lesbianism in his series. For those not familiar with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television
series, Willow - a witch and Buffy’s best friend - develops a lesbian
relationship with a fellow witch, Tara, during college. After Tara’s
death, Willow begins dating a potential slayer.
Life Lesson #7: If you wear a skirt in public, it is 100% legal for people to take pictures of your naughty bits
Published by Liz on March 17, 2008 05:52 pm
under body image, gender, life lessons, politics, ridiculous, tidbits
A man in Oklahoma was found not guilty under a “Peeping Tom” statute for putting his camera up a 16 year old girl’s skirt (without her consent, obviously) and taking photos. Don’t go commando in Oklahoma!
Tid bits: Dolores Huerta's speech canceled at Catholic school due to her public pro-choice stance
Published by Liz on March 17, 2008 06:18 pm
under abortion, anti-choice, children, feminist thought, ignorance, opinion, reproductive health, ridiculous, tidbits
Ridiculous! I am not that shocked that a Catholic school would cancel
Dolores Huerta’s speaking engagement, but at the same time, I thought
they would have enough intelligence to understand that the talk was
about “her founding role in the United Farm Workers and the importance
of public service” and not abortion.
"Horton Hears A Who!" Not "Horton Hears An Anti-Choice Protest!"
Published by Liz on March 18, 2008 03:43 pm
under abortion, anti-choice, children, christian right, feminist thought, gender, ignorance, media, movies, opinion, pop culture, religion, reproductive health, ridiculous
STOP RUINING MY CHILDHOOD, ANTI-CHOICERS! And more importantly, stop ruining the childhoods of the millions of children going to see this movie. I understand that they are trying to make their point in as public a venue as possible, but it is a children’s movie: the primary audience is children (and families)… not exactly the kind of people that need to be converted to their cause.
Celebrity blow up dolls: there are no words
Published by Liz on March 18, 2008 08:05 pm under body image, gender, pop culture, rant, ridiculous, sexuality
Apparently, a company called Pipedream Products (google at your own risk) produces celebrity blow up sex dolls as part of their “Super Star Series”. They have dolls of: Eva Longoria: she’s your whore next door!
LOL of the day: the 105-pound mystery
Published by Liz on March 19, 2008 03:18 pm
under lol of the day, tidbits
While I’d rather not discuss the whole Elliot Spitzer thing, I found this absolutely hilarious: Most of the focus was on “Kristen”, the prostitute he
met at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC and booked for $1,000 an
hour. She was described as, “American, petite, very pretty, brunette, 5
feet 5 inches, and 105 pounds”.
Oh, Catholicism, how you humor me
Published by Liz on March 19, 2008 04:11 pm
under american traditions, anti-choice, anti-contraception, christian right, religion, reproductive health
I guess today is the day for humor! As I’m sure everyone knows, the Vatican has just recently released new sins.
Yes, much like a summer blockbuster or a new fashion line, the Vatican
decided to get hip with the times and tell everyone that there are more things they need to not do in order to get into heaven.
Back Up Your Birth Control: EC Day of Action, March 25, 2008
Published by Liz on March 20, 2008 03:46 pm
under abortion, birth control, feminist thought, reproductive health, sexuality
As a woman who falls into the 18-24 and sexually active statistic, it
should come as no surprise that I have used emergency contraception at
least once in my life. I am lucky enough to live in a liberal town
where access to Plan B (and other emergency contraceptives) is readily
available without scrutiny.
How exactly is the blue dress relevant to this presidential election?
Published by Liz on March 20, 2008 08:02 pm
under 2008 election, clintons, feminist thought, media, opinion, politics, rant, ridiculous
I have to say that I am completely shocked that ABC would even consider this as news. This story was published to embarrass Senator Clinton, plain and simple. This is not news!
In now way, shape, or form is this news! I also like how they call her
“Hillary” in the header: almost as if it doesn’t matter that she’s a
Senator or a Democratic presidential candidate.
Senate hearing on rape as a weapon of war
Published by Liz on April 3, 2008 08:44 pm
under feminist thought, politics, rape, reproductive health
We’ve all heard the gruesome stories of female military personnel going
off to war and being raped, kidnapped, mutilated, and tortured, whether
by the enemy or by their fellow soldiers. The United States Senate has
finally caught up with the use of rape as a weapon of war and the
Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law held a hearing in regards
to this monstrous tactic.
The beginning of the end of abstinence-only education programs
Published by Liz on April 3, 2008 09:00 pm
under anti-choice, anti-contraception, birth control, christian right, feminist thought, gw bush, ignorance, politics, religion, reproductive health, sexuality
Our lovely lawmakers have finally gotten up the nerve to tackle Bush’s
abstinence-only sex education funding. It’s no surprise that it took a
Democrat controlled House and Senate to allow this challenge to happen,
but the question is, why didn’t it happen sooner? Despite years of
outcry and criticism, it took our lawmakers seven years into Bush’s term as President to put any concentrated energy towards the removal of abstinence-only sex education in schools.
Tid bits: admitted rapist and murderer convicted to 5 years
Published by Liz on April 7, 2008 03:50 pm
under politics, rant, rape, tidbits
A man who admitted giving a woman a fatal dose of “date rape” drug
during his alleged drive to have sex with 100 women was sentenced
Friday to five years in prison during a hearing that exposed the stark
emotions of his victim’s family.
Virginia 1st state to mandate internet safety lessons
Published by Liz on April 8, 2008 03:43 pm
under internet, pop culture, social networking
All I have to say is GOOD, and maybe FINALLY. With so many kids using sites like MySpace, I’m sure that percentage of internet users 10-17 who have received unwanted sexual solicitations has gone up. Is it just me, or does this make you feel old? Do you remember back in the day when you would go into the Yahoo! Chat rooms and someone would send you a message asking what you’re wearing or if you were in the mood to get frisky? I know chat rooms aren’t the thing anymore - and good thing, too, because they were kind of creepy - but places like MySpace are just as bad, if not worse. Innocent unaware teens are posting pictures of themselves with their friends at the beach, school, or wherever else, and someone is using those pictures and the information in their profiles to stalk them.
Life lesson #8: being raped is the same as being force-fed chocolate
Published by Liz on April 10, 2008 08:02 pm under dollymix.tv, feminist thought, gender, life lessons, politics, rape, reproductive health, ridiculous
I read this on DollyMix last week, and I thought I posted it already, but apparently not. The incident which state-side feminist blogs have only now just gotten wind of actually occurred early last week, but we’ll let them pretend they were the first to blog it even though they’re presenting the facts inaccurately.
A much needed reality check for the anti-Hillary camp
Published by Liz on April 23, 2008 04:26 pm
under 2008 election, clintons, media, opinion, politics
With Hillary winning last night’s primary in Pennsylvania, I think the
naysayers who told Hillary to leave the race should be feeling a little
more than stupid right now. While I’m sure their decision to ask her to
remove herself from the race was based on their opinion that Barack is
a better candidate, I feel it’s unfair (and immature) to ask someone to
remove themself from a Democratic process just because you don’t like
them. Maybe there is even a little fear in them asking Hillary to
remove herself - maybe, just maybe they’re afraid she might win and
that their golden boy will have lost.
Just another day int he media: using scandal to degrade victims
Published by Liz on April 23, 2008 04:42 pm
under feminist thought, media, pop culture, rant, rape, reproductive health, ridiculous
This headline is absolutely grotesque and inexcusable: Victim ‘had sex with captor willingly’. While the contents of the article are a little more divulging with the details than the headline, it’s obvious that the headline was created purely to attract attention and raise a shock factor. Which, congratulations, it has. However, I don’t think it’s the kind of attention any paper wants: degrading a victim’s suffering and her exploiting her experiences while being held captive to get more attention. That’s not ok.
How the Democratic party "front runner" managed to lose all the major states, I'll never know
Published by Liz on April 29, 2008 02:57 pm under 2008 election, clintons, opinion, politics
Me, personally, I don’t understand why everyone is so eager to declare Obama as the Democratic party “front runner.” I don’t want the Democratic presidential candidate for 2008 to be weak in California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania… need I go on? That just spells yet another recipe for disaster for the Democratic party, and success for McCain.
I'll take a side of forced vaginal penetration with my abortion, thanks!
Published by Liz on May 1, 2008 08:07 pm
under abortion, anti-choice, christian right, feminist thought, ignorance, opinion, politics, rant, rape, reproductive health
The feminist blogosphere has been up in arms lately (rightfully so)
about an Oklahoma bill that requires a woman to get an ultrasound, and
look at the images, one hour before she gets an abortion. The bill
says that the woman will be required to get either an vaginal or
abdominal ultrasound, whichever shows the best picture. Aside from this
being a completely pointless and unwarranted medical procedure, most women in early pregnancy will have to get a vaginal ultrasound, since that provides the best picture.
From Alternet/Huffington Post:
Obama, grave-faced and sympathetic in tone, opined that when Senator Clinton was ‘feeling down,’ she went on the attack to make herself feel better; that is, she committed an error in judgment because she was in a bad mood. That was the moment when I, and other women of a certain age, all over the country, winced.
The change candidate had embraced one of the oldest clichés in the book — that women are held hostage by emotion, that we can’t be trusted with the big decisions because, depending on our age, we’re either on the rag or having a hot flash. The overtly sexist position used to be that you didn’t want to entrust the red phone to a woman because women are unpredictable and irrational; a fit of hormonal pique and kaboom, we all glow in the radioactive dark. The ones who aren’t instantly vaporized, that is.
The kinder, gentler version? A soft-spoken observation about what a female candidate does when she’s “feeling down,” the implication being that Hillary’s distress over the delegate count had impaired her judgment, and that someone who loses her way like that is not strong enough to withstand the rigors of the presidency. If you think that I and the indignant gal friends I’ve polled are overreacting, try the acid test: Imagine any major candidate making that kind of subtle put-down about a man’s psychological fortitude. In 1972, Thomas Eagleton had to have shock treatment to get us to raise a national eyebrow about his mental health, ending his brief tenure as George McGovern’s running mate. Short of that, we tend to assume that the boys are steady enough to handle the job.
[…] If it wasn’t a spontaneous comment — if someone in Senator Obama’s camp thinks it’s wise to use code to address and exploit our primitive fears about whether women can cope — then whoever came up with it ought to be ashamed of himself, and the man who uttered it needs to rethink the strength of his opponent and her supporters. Beat her on better ideas, or oratory, beat her with passion and energy, but beat her fair and square, if you can. Don’t talk about change and then quote from a 1950s playbook on the battle between the sexes. (Emphasis mine)
Now I’m sure everyone has heard about this but now, but I couldn’t agree more. It was a ridiculous comment to make. While it is not my goal to analyze every single thing that comes out of someone’s mouth in regards to Clinton, this is pretty ridiculous. Relying on the accepted idea that women are out of control and can’t be trusted to make sane decisions, especially if they’re upset. Heaven forbid the leader of our country get emotional or have a menstrual cycle! Maybe, just maybe emotions are what our country needs to fix all of its ridiculous problems.
I don’t feel that this is a personal attack on Barack - although more than one person has told me that my past posts are “personal attacks” rather than legitimate questions regarding his politics and abilities. He said something, he made a mistake, and he’s being scrutinized for it. The same thing has happened time and time again with Hillary - the key difference being her getting “emotional” is suddenly described as a tear-fest and Barack’s words and actions being taken as they are and for what they mean.
How amazing would it be if I could yell at someone and not get the response “geeze, are you PMS-ing” or “it must be that time of the month”?! How delightfully wonderful would it be if I could cry, be in an irritable mood, or just be downright irritated and not have to answer questions regarding my menstrual cycle? I think it would be downright wonderful. But, apparently, Obama does not.
I love Ellen Page. I have a huge, gigantic, unreasonably large amount of love for her. In the words of Juno, “she is the macaroni to my cheese”. This only makes me love her more.
Is “Juno” a pro-life movie?
Not in the slightest, and if you knew me and if you knew the writer and the director, no one would ever say that. It happens to be a film about a girl who has a baby and gives it to a yuppie couple. That’s what the movie’s about. Like, I’m really sorry to everyone that she doesn’t have an abortion, but that’s not what the film is about. She goes to an abortion clinic and she completely examines all the opportunities and all the choices allowed her and that’s obviously the most crucial thing. It’s as simple as that.
I call myself a feminist when people ask me if I am, and of course I am ’cause it’s about equality, so I hope everyone is. You know you’re working in a patriarchal society when the word feminist has a weird connotation. “Hippie” has a weird connotation. “Liberal” has a weird connotation.
How sick are you of these questions?
Well, because I very much am pro-choice, I don’t really get it. People are always going to project. It’s kind of amazing, though, that a movie that’s caused this much controversy has done really well in America.
Yay!
Now I know why I never went ivy. A group of Zeta Psi pledges gathered up outside the Yale Women’s Center with a derogatory sign were completely blocking entrance to the center. Do you think you would be able to break through a group of 12 fraternity boys to get into the Women’s Center for your rape counseling? I’m doubtful I would take on that challenge, even if I needed to go to the bathroom and the YWC was the only bathroom within 10 miles walking distance.
Following a frat stunt picturing twelve alleged Zeta Psis with a sign reading WE LOVE YALE SLUTS by the Yale Women’s Center, the Women’s Center is threatening to sue. From the Women’s Center directly:
The gentlemen of Zeta Psi have apologized to “YALE SLUTS” — but only for what they thought they’d been caught for. They didn’t apologize for chanting “dick” outside the Women’s Center before their photo-op, and intimidating a female student from entering the Center (which, by the way, services rape victims — roughly 25 percent of women). They didn’t apologize for using the word “slut,” and being proud of it. They didn’t apologize for committing premeditated hate speech, for documenting that hate speech with pride, or for exalting it on Facebook.
And they didn’t apologize at all until we threatened legal action. The bigotry of Zeta Psi is unexceptional. It is pervasive, at Yale and around the world. This sort of behavior has to change, everywhere, here, and right now.
Of course, their apology was ridiculously lame. No word from the national front, which is no surprised if you ask me.
Although, I guess, if you were single and desperate for a boyfriend, you could always knock on the door of the Zeta Psi house and say “hey! I’m a slut! I go to the Yale Women’s Center! Date me!”
Right…
When I moved last August, the boyfriend told me that I had too many books. I had to buy the biggest bookshelf at IKEA in order to accommodate them all, and I’ve already run out of room. I can’t fit another bookshelf in my room, but I keep trying to cram more books onto the shelf and into my room. But despite the fact that my bookshelf is overflowing and my room is stock full of yarn and books to the point that I can barely move without stepping on one of the three cats I live with, I keep buying books.
Now, I don’t buy all of my books brand new. I buy most of them used from independent sellers at various online marketplaces or Powells. I do purchase the occasional book new if I know it will be essential to my future graduate school studies, or if I just really really want it. And I have a membership at Audible, so I do download some of my books and listen to them rather than actually purchasing them. But this doesn’t seem to be easing the burden on my bookshelf.
The problem isn’t the money I’m spending. The problem is the space I have officially run out of. Another, slightly larger, problem might be the fact that the boyfriend, father, and brother may refuse to help me move this coming August if I have acquired too many books. All they did last time was complain about how many boxes full of books I had. In my defense, I did put as many books as possible in each box… therefore making it too heavy for me to carry, and forcing the responsibility onto those with much more upper body strength. This was not some coy plan to make everyone but me do the heavy lifting, it was a genuine concern that I may run out of boxes.
But the big, glaring, obvious thing is: I have a problem, I am addicted to books. I pick them up, start them, and finish them months later. I think right now I’m reading 5 books and listening to 1. I used to be the kind of girl who would salivate thinking about finishing my latest book. It’s not that I’m uninterested in my current reading selections, everything I’m reading is fabulous. I’m just so distracted by my knitting that it makes it difficult to find time to read.
And seeing as how I just got 24 balls of yarn yesterday, I find it highly unlikely I’ll be quitting knitting any time soon…
Cutest baby ever, wearing the World’s Tiniest Feminist baby t-shirt.
Courtesy of “Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning”:
The quintessential liberal fascist isn’t an SS storm trooper; it is a female grade-school teacher with an education degree from Brown or Swarthmore.
You can tell Goldberg was dying to say “black female grade-school teacher”, but couldn’t quite find an excuse to. And possibly, the second best thing: Goldberg stole his cover graphic from Prussian Blue.
Even better: Nazis were animal rights activists, and therefore, Nazis weren’t bad people.
Apparently the goal of his book was to link everything liberals do (have done, or will do) with Hitler and other fascists in order to point out how awesome conservatives are. Genius, really!
[via Sadly, No]
