A Little Bad Taste

Day by day by day

2008-09-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

I think that I need to blog more to attempt to remind myself that my interests extend beyond finishing my latest reading assignment. During the last month I have done little other than read, write (office memos and case briefs), and freak out about reading and writing. On Mondays I watch the Hills on demand and hate/love it more and more each episode. On Sundays I watch True Blood. Sadly, most of my breaks are television oriented. Or I work out. I figure those two activities maybe average themselves out somehow? But, then again, sometimes I watch TV on my ipod while I work out. I need new hobbies.
I have always wanted to be one of those people who get really into something, like music or knitting or calligraphy or chess. My brother can go for hours without speaking to anyone, as long as he has his guitar. In high school, he was the same way with sports. I like to do a whole lot of different things but none of them has ever turned into an obsession. Maybe I should try something totally new, like conducting awesome science experiments.
Anyway, I just found a Starbuck (from Battlestar Gallactica) Halloween costume. It is pretty awful but makes me wish i had a real Battlestar outfit. Although, really, what she is wearing here looks a lot like my grade ten style when everyone shopped at Army Surplus.

2008-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

So I am in Legal Writing class but am quite bored and am looking up stuff about Sarah Palin. Did you know that she engages in aerial wolf hunting?

Badass Barack!!

2008-08-10T23:47:00.001-07:00

So awesome...

Super Depressing The View

2008-07-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was watching TV at the gym and I caught part of a View episode.
Yes, I watch television when I am working out because, for me, cardio is impossibly boring without an episode of Lost or (if I don't feel like downloading shows onto my ipod) CNN or ABC stuff on Gold's Gym's giant television screens.
So, this particular episode focused on plastic surgery and in one particular segment they brought in a girl who had gotten breast reduction and liposuction at 15!
I understand the breast reduction was necessary because people gave her so much hell for her DDs and she couldn't jog and everything but a TUMMY TUCK?
When asked why, the girl said that no matter how much she exercised, she could never get rid of her belly. Her mother added that it was partially because her daughter was beginning to show signs of an eating disorder AND IT WAS A PREVENTATIVE PROCEDURE TO STOP IT FROM GETTING WORSE.
Jezebel has a clip of all this.
There are so many things wrong with this. First off, when someone shows signs of an eating disorder, they need a psychologist, not PLASTIC SURGERY!
Second, in my experience (and I know that I cannot speak for all people who have had eating disorders but I think that this is a pretty universally agreed-upon statement) eating disorders, in most cases, have very little to do with what your body actually looks like. Shrinking one part of your body is not going to make your issues go away. If that was the case, anorectics and bulimics would stop dieting and purging once they reached their "goal" weight.
I am not against plastic surgery, although I have no plans to get it myself, but I am anti liposuction, just like I am against extreme dieting, unless it is for medical reasons. I understand that there are crazy beauty standards out there and they are very difficult to deal with- after therapy I still struggle and cave to this shit sometimes- but shouldn't we be fighting against these standards instead of just acceptig that they are going to get more and more unhealthy? They are just going to get crazier.
This is just too depressing for me, I am signing off.

Shane & Carmen 4ever

2008-07-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, watching the L Word is one of greatest joys in life. So today I was missing it so much (since the new season doesn't start for quite a while) that I looked it up on youtube to see if there were any weird clip mashups/music videos and I found some decent ones.

Shane and Carmen

I like this one except I wanted it to show the whole leaving Carmen at the altar thing.
I liked this one better, I think...

The crazy thing is that these are all made by the same person, username shaneycarmenforever.
I would like them to get back together but this is kind nuts.
And pretty awesome.

HERE IS MY FAVOURITE!!!
FYI: This one was made by user iluvshane

Badass Bikini Kill+Shane=awesome.

Sunday Pride post

2008-06-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, once again, I haven't written in quite a while. The thing is that, ever since I got fired from my last shitty admin job and started working making coffee for a living (again), I haven't really been online too much.
But anyway.
I am blogging on the last night of SF pride because instead of going out like a lot of people in the city I am staying in since I have to wake up early to get to work at 6:15. A little annoying, particularly since there are two major leather bars outside my window where people are super stoked on being out, but whatever.
This weekend was pretty awesome. Rex, my friend/housemate from my first year at UCSC came up for the festivities and to host a party at the Mezzanine, which I attended on Friday. On Saturday I hung out at and around Dolores Park for the whole pre-dyke march thing and then watched it from my friend Conor's apartment on the corner on Guerrero and 18th. It was pretty weird to watch a whole bunch of gay guys throwing Mardi Gras beads at queer women flashing their tits. I guess some sexualized gender interactions exist independent of sexuality. It was a pretty fun party though.
Today I met up with some people for the parade/festival after recovering from a mini meltdown.
Bisexuality is complicated sometimes. Shows like Tila Tequila enforce the idea that bisexuality is more of crossroads than a state of being. Not that people can't change their mind, but I have known I am attracted to men and women since I was in elementary school and, in my opinion, queer is queer. Sometimes though I worry that people think I say I am bi for street cred, or that I am a "college bisexual" who makes out with girls purely to turn men on at parties.
I understand that, as a woman who lives with a man, I have a lot of straight privilege but I still struggle with a lot of internal craziness resulting from years of confusion and shame and everyone once in a while I need some validation.
Anyway, this is a rant. The point is that, when I called my friend Seth, he told me to get some pink and blue beads and meet him and his girlfriend at the civic center. We had a great time. I saw Margaret Cho and Peter Paige and got a badass shirt from the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP). Then I went to visit my boyfriend who was working at Dog-Eared Books on Valencia and collapsed on the couch reading Michelle Tea in fishnets and a giant purple boa. No one seemed to mind.
Happy Pride!

2008-06-03T00:55:00.001-07:00

I haven't written in so long but this made me really mad.
Absinence gear for pre-teens at Kmart marketed as "bold abstinence screen print." Walmart has pissed me off big time before but this is ridiculous...

Top Gun the Musical

2008-03-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Step for Mental Health Care?

2008-03-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

So FINALLY, according to the New York Times the House has passed a bill that requires insurance companies to provide mental health insurance parity, meaning that mental illness must be treated on par with physical illness. And the insurance companies, obviously, are PISSED!
This, in my opinion, represents a huge step in US mental health rights. Even with good insurance (which I lack, but whatever) being less than totally sane is extremely expensive in this country. So, good going!

The bill would ban insurance companies from setting lower limits on treatment for mental health problems than on treatment for physical problems, including doctor visits and hospital stays. It would also disallow higher co-payments.

I mean, obviously, I am still waiting until there is national health care but till then, I am pleased with this in principle.

I guess the Senate passed a more limited version of this sort of bill last fall, which Mr. Bush prefers because he thinks the new one includes too broad a list of disorders.

The House bill would require insurance companies that offer mental health benefits to cover treatment for the hundreds of diagnoses included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, from paranoid schizophrenia to stuttering to insomnia to chronic melancholy, or dysthymia.
The Bush administration and other opponents say the list of disorders is far too broad. That leads from parity to another, parallel morass in the fields of psychiatry and pharmacology. Both fields are accused of over-diagnosis and of seizing on fashionable diagnoses — bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, for example — for financial gain or through highly subjective assessments.

Mental illnesses are over diagnosed. Old fucking news. This does not mean that people who ACTUALLY live with these diseases do not deserve care.

2008-03-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Feministing's Samhita has a great post about the prison industrial complex at The Nation. Check it out.

"Girls Rock" Looks Super Bad Ass!!!

2008-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness. I wish I could have gone to this camp when I was 11. To think of the years of therapy I could have been spared...

No, seriously though. this documentary looks amazing. Basically, a rock camp for girls (of a pretty large age range) that seems to focus on bringing their self esteem up instead of pushing it down and encourages individuality instead if conformity and general mundaneness.

Furthermore, it seems to be pushing for music that is actually cool, based on the soundtrack and samples from the girls' music.

I am so excited. I can't wait. When I have daughters, they are definitely going to this camp.

This trailer totally made me tear up. I think I am going to watch it five more times now.

2008-03-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

I was always under the impression that stupid, idiot, offensive people were usually under the impression that they are actually smarter than everyone else.

Not Charlotte Allen.

In her article, published in the Washington Post last Sunday, Allen writes about how maybe we should just give up on this who feminism thing and relinquish the brains to the men. She also says that she neither add two and two nor count the shoes in her closet.

"I can't help it, but reading about such episodes of screaming, gushing and swooning makes me wonder whether women -- I should say, "we women," of course -- aren't the weaker sex after all. Or even the stupid sex, our brains permanently occluded by random emotions, psychosomatic flailings and distraction by the superficial. Women "are only children of a larger growth," wrote the 18th-century Earl of Chesterfield. Could he have been right?"

Oh, and here is another gem.

The theory that women are the dumber sex -- or at least the sex that gets into more car accidents -- is amply supported by neurological and standardized-testing evidence. Men's and women's brains not only look different, but men's brains are bigger than women's (even adjusting for men's generally bigger body size). The important difference is in the parietal cortex, which is associated with space perception. Visuospatial skills, the capacity to rotate three-dimensional objects in the mind, at which men tend to excel over women, are in turn related to a capacity for abstract thinking and reasoning, the grounding for mathematics, science and philosophy. While the two sexes seem to have the same IQ on average (although even here, at least one recent study gives males a slight edge), there are proportionally more men than women at the extremes of very, very smart and very, very stupid.

She later said the article was tongue in cheek.

Hella Cuteness!

2008-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

I wish this was my kid

Thanks Feministing

You Wanna Be On Top?

2008-02-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, seeing as this is the first time I have ever actually watched America's Next Top Model in proper weekly fashion I have decided to live blog this episode. Especially since all my pretentious friends refused to watch it with me and let me to drink by myself. Thanks by the way...

So to get started....

I got super stoned and a little drunk. I watched two episodes of Bad Girl Club and about a half hour of the film version my favourite musical, Rent. I texted my boyfriend some cryptic messages (which were actually just lyrics from Rent/the ANTM theme song, “you Wanna Be on Top”.) I think he though that either he was on acid, I was on acid or I was a big dork. I am pretty sure he just assumed the third option.

So. About the episode...

Several points:

1.) The school girl outfits– totally ridiculous. So infantalizing. Aren’t these women mostly over 20?

2.) Really liked Marvita... until she was totally insensitive to the subject of FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

3.) I super like Lauren’s look. Like of like Sarah Polley or someone Canadian. Also I love that she said she’s be perfectly happy at home watching home watching zombie movies

Oh!!! Crazy former ANTM cheerleaders!!!!!! So excited to see the twins!!!! Although I hated the uniforms, was super bored with the tired school girl fetish and I wished that Heather was there. Although she probably has cooler things to do. Like be cool and shit.

Tyra as the “homecoming queen” disturbing and creepy and homicidal. Like Carrie. She said she slept with all their boyfriends. Cougar. Just kidding

So much fighting. I have never seen so much fighting on a first episode.

Also, an aspiring lap dancer

So now for the serious stuff...

Fatima went though female genital mutilation. She said that winning the competition will give her a voice.

Even though ANTMs never really get anywhere....

But at least she might get to talk about it on the show. She was mutilated when she was seven.

Holy fucking hell.

Oh my God! One of the women is actually drinking her own breast milk!!!!!! So that her baby will be able to continue feeding when she comes home. Super bizarre!!! Kind of sweet but kind of weird!!!!

Curse of the Bro

2008-02-05T15:31:00.001-08:00

Ok, first off, I cannot believe I am about to blog about sports.

So, those of you who watched the Superbowl on Sunday (or heard about it) know that people are generally ecstatic or depressed about Tom Brady's poor performance. What I am personally annoyed at is the fact that people are attributing it to the Curse of the Babe, the fact that Giselle Bundchen is super hot. Just like Jessica Simpson caused the Cowboys to lose by the simple fact of her presence. Eva Longoria dealt with the same thing.

I think this "theory" carries over to other scenarios as well. Rarely are my paired-off guy friends completely blamed for their actions- their girlfriends usually get the rap for whatever they have done to piss other people off (go home early, go to bed early, not get totally shit faced drunk.)

Because it isn't possible that a man could ever be responsible for any failure without the help of a woman- how else would have Adam gotten hold of the apple?

SUPER SEXIST MOVIE ALERT!!!

2008-02-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

This one stars Paris Hilton.
First: since when does she act?
Second: super sexist/ridiculous movie
Third: WTF is the world coming to? Oh right... general dickheadery... as usual.

UPDATE!

2008-02-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

Wait, now the Afgan senate has withdrawn the death sentence confirmation. You can also sign a petition to save him here.

Guy Sentenced to Death for Reading About Feminism

2008-02-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

This is just terrible.

A 23 year old Afghani journalism student who had the gall to download literature from a Farsi site stating that fundamentalists skewed the teaching of the Koran to oppress women has been sentenced to death.

Mr Kambaksh, 23, distributed the tract to fellow students and teachers at Balkh University with the aim, he said, of provoking a debate on the matter. But a complaint was made against him and he was arrested, tried by religious judges without – say his friends and family – being allowed legal representation and sentenced to death.

Fucking hell.

I Don't Know What to Think About This...

2008-02-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

How much do you actually hate your period? Soon, you might not have to deal with it.
A new pill called Lybrel promises to eliminate your period ALL TOGETHER.

According to an article at Salon:

The pink pill, tag-lined "Fewer Periods. More Possibilities," was promoted as a lifestyle choice. The drug's current Web site offers a period planner allowing women to schedule their cycle around "vacations, business travel, romantic encounters, and family reunions." In other words, there is no need for public premenstrual breakdowns, missing a meeting because of debilitating cramps or dampening a sexual flame by having to bashfully explain it's "that time of the month." The take-away marketing message: A woman in control has menstruation under control.

On one hand, it sounds awesome. I could definitely do with less "public premenstrual breakdowns" myself. On the other, I like to know I am not pregnant. What do you think?

Thanks to Jezebel for the link

Things that have happened in the past few days

2008-01-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

I am finally coming out of a horrible migraine attack that last five days. FIVE days! During the process, mostly consisting of me lying on the couch watching America's Next Top Model reruns, a Queer as Folk marathon (thank you, James), random action movies (thank you, John and Danny) and finally some super badass (meaning kind of ridiculous) Tudors episodes (thank you, Amity).
In the process, I have learned the following:

1.) The Passion of the Christ was not Mel Gibson's first totally gory movie (believe it or not, I had never seen Braveheart).

2.) At one point, Mel Gibson was (kind of) okay looking.

3.) Janice Dickenson doesn't think that blindness should be a problem for runway models. I mean, I am all for equal opportunity, but wouldn't they fall off the runway? Tyra also made legally blind Amanda on cycle 3 do a rollerskating shoot (although Amanda kicked ass on the shoot).

4.) Ms. Dickenson also thinks that it is totally fine to pick on a girls weight after she comes out about being bulimic. Furthermore, shouldn't the girl have been eliminated (so that she could seek treatment) once she told Tyra she had an eating disorder. No. Of course not.

5.) The actress who plays Anne Boleyn on The Tudors is super, SUPER smug.

6.) The plague was hella crazy and super sad.

7.) The last season of Queer as Folk is so much worse than the others (I knew that, but had forgotten)

8.) Trader Joe's stuffed poblano peppers are really yummy.

7.) Oh, and I will probably have migraines for the rest of my life because my hormones are out of whack. Great.

Well, at least I, unlike Ted on Queer as Folk, am not about to undergo major plastic surgery for no apparent reason. That would probably hurt even more.

Guess who has a terrible migraine today... again

2008-01-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah, me

Vagina Dentata to the Max!!

2008-01-25T09:40:00.001-08:00

I have yet to see the movie Teeth (although I kind of want to) but, in honor of the film, New York magazine has released a list of the top ten scariest vagina dentatas ever!!
I personally think that Videodrome is the creepiest, although I don't really see the dentata part. Mostly just the vagina part.
Anyway, for those interested, here is a clip of the first five minutes of Teeth

The Is A Light That Never Goes Out- the Smiths

2008-01-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

Something so beautifully melancholy and bittersweet about this one. It makes me feel insanely love and terribly sad at the same time.

America's Next Top Model New Contestants Revealed!!!

2008-01-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

I was beginning to get a little antsy about this one. Since the last season of ANTM I have begun watching Canada's Next Top Model to fuel my addiction but the problem with CNTM is that the contestants are just so much nicer (still not necessarily nice but nicer than in the US).
I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the Top Model shows. On one hand, the shows makes girls to want to be models. Furthermore, contestants in the show (one of CNTM's winners) have suffered from eating disorders and dealt with a great deal of trauma resulting from their experiences on the show. So I recognize how ridiculous the show is.

That said, I am sorry but I am addicted.

Here are next season's contestants

Once again, the "plus sized" model (like Sarah from season 9) is not plus sized. She looks like about a size 6. I wonder if she will be voted off for being too "normal sized," like Sarah.

You can see profiles of all the women on CW's site. Remember Marvita from the final cut at the beginning of the last season? The called her back for this one. I liked her because she called Ebony out when she wanted to play a game called "guess who has an eating disorder."

The Long Awaited Reunion (if, by a long time, you mean a week)

2008-01-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Last night something very exciting happened... the Real World Sydney Reunion Episode.
After about two hours of cleaning my house for the event (maybe secretly imagining that some crazy Real World Sydney enthusiast party would show up at my house), I watched it with my sweetie and several MAJOR (actually not too major) items were revealed about the course of the series.

1.) People got really drunk a lot, threw up a lot and fell over a lot.

2.) Parisa doesn't hate Trisha and would totally have lattes with her.

3.) Parisa got lots of sex while in the house. This was probably the only thing that was a bit of a suprise. Not because Parisa isn't gorgeous but because it only showed her kissing one person through the whole season.

4.) Dunbar's girlfriend took him back even though he cheated on her with Ashli. Also it seems like he has chilled out a lot and is less likely to scream at people like this:

5.) KellyAnne and Cohutta are still together. Kind of. It was a little unclear.

6.) Isaac had lots of sex in the bathroom and cupboards with random people.

7.) After Shauvon quit the show to be with her ex, they broke up.

8.) Trisha says she isn't homophobic (because she wouldn't go to gay pride) or racist (because she yelled at this woman in a McDonald's because she couldn't speak english).
PS: What she actually said was:

“I’m like, well I’d take the f….n’ Crunchie one but I don’t know what it tastes like because you wouldn’t give me a sample. I’m like, you know what, keep the money, maybe take some English lessons - I’m leaving cause you don’t know how to speak English.”

Then Dunbat pretended like he was going to propose to Ashli but didn't really, since he has a girlfriend whom he lives with. I hope his gf dumps him because of that, if not for the fact that he cheated on her with Ashli.

Sexism, sexism, sexism

2008-01-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

If I hear ONE more person talk shit about the women voters in New Hampshire I will puke. I can't vote- I am Canadian. And if I could I would likely vote for Obama, since I am not particularly fond of political aristocracy and I like his stance on the war.
But Judas Priest people, smarten up! If I have to read one more post about Hilary crying and how that is the only reason why she got the vote last night and how it is because too many women in New Hampshire voted I will have to start getting medieval on people's asses!
After both Bush elections, people blamed the outcome on the fact that too few women voted. Now too many voted?
Also, first Hilary was too "hard" and now she is too soft? WTF?
Most of all, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of having EVERYTHING about Hilary being attributed to that fact that she is a woman. Maybe people voted for her because they liked her. And does anyone ever think about how many presidents the US has elected based on their masculinity?
Even Jezebel is getting all sexist on our asses:

New Hampshire women, after telling pollster after pollster they were ready for change, went inside the booths and had a little cry. Maybe they felt bad for Hillary for sticking it out in that humiliating, mirth-free marriage of hers only to vote against her now. Maybe it reminded them of the time they stuck it out in an emotionally abusive situation and only got through it because somehow, somewhere, they still held out hope that karma would make it all right in the end. Well, that is not an audacious hope. That is a STUPID hope.

And, has anyone ever considered that even if people are voting for Hilary because she is a woman, SO MANY OTHERS that I KNOW are voting for Obama because he is hot?
Like I said, I would vote for Obama. But this is just immature and sexist bullshit.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!!
Jezebel poster Moe explains what she said. I guess.

2008 Updates

2008-01-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Some things that have happened (to me directly) since 01/01/08 at 12:00 a.m.

1.) I got incredibly stomach sick (and not from alcohol!)

2.) I fainted at the Civic Center BART station

3.) I finally wrote a full blog post

4.) I thought a lot about the rest of my law school applications

5.) I FINALLY paid off the minimum on my credit card and, let me tell you, it wasn't pretty

6.) I got called a "Newfie" at Club 93 by an elderly gentleman whose son fought a boxer from Newfoundland

7.) I had a lasagna mini dinner party

8.) I contemplated several tattoo designs

9.) I saw the Tila Tequila Reunion espisode

10.) I started hoping really hard that Dov Charney gets in a lot of trouble at trial tomorrow

I guess that's it

Dov Charney to Go To Trial Tomorrow For being a General Idiot Sexist Dick

2008-01-08T10:29:00.001-08:00

This guy had it fucking COMING to him!!

After an three employees filed a suits against the founder of American Apparel, he is finally going to trial for sexual harassment, according to the New York Post:

Dov Charney walks around his office in his underwear, sleeps with employees, and calls women bitches, sluts, whores and the c-word - and that's the stuff he admits to.
In her civil case, which is slated to begin in Los Angeles tomorrow, former employee Mary Nelson charges the eccentric Charney, 39, once had a meeting with her wearing only a fragment of clothing called a "c- - k sock," invited her to masturbate with him, and then fired her when he learned she planned to meet with a lawyer.

First off, he "admits to" parts of his charges:

Asked in a deposition whether he'd ever referred to women as "sluts" at work, he said, "In private conversations, where such language was generally welcome."
Asked whether he considered the word "derogatory," he said, "There are some of us that love sluts . . . It could be also be an endearing term."
Asked whether he'd ever used the c-word for female genitalia at work, he said, "Absolutely."
He also acknowledged traipsing around his company wearing only his American Apparel-made underwear.
"There is no evidence to say that you can't walk around in your underwear all day anywhere in the United States of America," he testified.

He walked around wearing NOTHING BUT A COCK SOCK!! Not only harassment but a horrible image in my head.

Yes, but there is evidence that you can't (let alone shouldn't) harrass employees in a sexual manner. Duh, fucking duh. Please God, let him get charged.

From Jezebel: Awesome Video

2008-01-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

An awesome video by some of the ladies at Jezebel about the effects of badly designed American Apparel clothing.
Also, Jezebel writers are HOT!

Happy New Year and Slightly Different Blog!

2008-01-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

So, in case anyone has noticed, this blog has begun to trickle down to, well, pretty much nothing. I have decided to shift my focus a little and broaden this into a more general blog, rather than just a feminists news commentary (not that reviews of The Hills were ever really a feminist news item... although they COULD be).
So, hopefully, there will be more posts to come.
love,
Sarah

PS: Speaking of The Hills, this picture is ridiculous!

Happy New Years!

2008-01-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Once again, no posts for a while. Sorry. Carpal tunnel sucks

Reality TV Hangover? Not yet

2007-12-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I adore trash- trashy music, trashy magazines, trashy movies and, most of all, trashy television. I am one of those who spends Sunday afternoons watching America's Next Top Model Marathons rather than say, reading in the sun (although it is way too cold to do that right now anyway, so I don't feel so bad).
So honestly, my confession is that one of the reasons I have updated my blog so rarely lately is my vigilance to celebrity gossip blogs. Particularly those focusing on ANTM and The Hills. So I apologize to the few of you who read Femivix. I will post again soon.
That said, The Hills has me wondering whether I stare emptily at people when they are talking to me as much as LC does.

Day of Remembrance.

2007-12-06T11:05:00.002-08:00

Today is the 18th anniversary of the "Montreal Massacre", a horrific shooting that took place at the Ecole Poytechnique in Montreal, Quebec. Mark Lepine walked into an engineering school classroom, separated the men from the women, told the men to leave, yelled "I hate feminists," opened fire, and shot the nine women, killing six and injuring the rest. Then he moved onto other parts of the school, By the time he turned his gun on himself, Lepine had killed a total of 14 women:

Geneviève Bergeron (b. 1968), civil engineering student.
Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967) mechanical engineering student.
Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student.
Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student.
Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student.
Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student.
Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student.
Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student.
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student.

While I do not generally condone posting suicide notes, here is Lepine's.

I have decided to send the feminists, who have always ruined my life, to their Maker. For seven years life has brought me no joy and being totally blasé, I have decided to put an end to those viragos.... Even if the Mad Killer epithet will be attributed to me by the media, I consider myself a rational erudite that only the arrival of the Grim Reaper has forced to take extreme acts. For why persevere to exist if it is only to please the government. Being rather backward-looking by nature (except for science), the feminists have always enraged me. They want to keep the advantages of women (e.g. cheaper insurance, extended maternity leave preceded by a preventative leave, etc.) while seizing for themselves those of men.

In Canada, today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action On Violence Against Women.

It's been a long time...

2007-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so while I still have carpal tunnel, it has significantly improved since the last time I wrote and I think it may be time to start this thing up again. I just did my LSATs and finally have time to do activities other than logic games and logical reasoning problems. So, I am back.

Carpal Tunnel Sucks!

2007-11-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry no posts in a while. I am trying to minimize my typing to avoid horrible pain. Hope to post soon!

Back in the day...

2007-10-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I was looking at this Tori Amos bio and remembered what a tremendous effect the singer/pianist had on my teenage years. I wanted to honor some of my teenage idols who not only kept me (kind of) sane during high school, but beckoned me to a clearer feminist consciusness.

Tori Amos

I remember treking to the Avalon Mall in St. John's, Newfoundland to purchase her albums the day they came out. I horded bootleg albums, posters and paraphrenalia featuring the feminist fairy queen.

Not only was (and is) Tori's music beautiful and incredibly complex musically, it really spoke to my personal and political concerns regarding gender and sexuality. Whether Amos sang about rape (Me and a Gun), breakups (Putting the Damage On, among so many others), female circumcision (Cornflake Girl) or sex and religion (Icicle and the infamous God), she was always spot on.

Courtney Love

Yes, I know Love's status as a feminist has been highly debated (and that she has gone a little more than nuts lately), but I have to admit, Courtney Love (and Hole) was probably the single greatest influence on my musical taste and personal style. She just didn't give a FUCK (or at least she pretended not to). Her baby doll, overly girly dresses contrasted so sharply with her growly voice and in your face attitude and I, as an insecure ninth grader, wanted, more than anything, to achieve that level of what I percieved as independance and confidence. So maybe for her it came partially from drugs. Besides all the drugs, fighting, etc. back then she was still an embodiment of my personal goals and helped me to stop caring so much what others thought and believe that women could seriously ROCK!

7 Year Bitch

Super fierce grrrl band from Seattle screaming about everything I was feeling during junior high and high school. Need I say more?

Anna Rexia- because eating disorders are sexy

2007-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I though I had seen some of the most offensive Halloween costumes ever, but this one really takes the cake.

As someone who has dealt on and off for most of her life with various eating disorders (or as someone who has watched others cope) I am completely disgusted and offended by this costume. It would be one thing if someone were to wear a costume commenting on the prevelence of eating disorders or bizarreness of body image issues in society, but to wear or sell one that sexifies a death threatening desease is just plain sickening.

Oh, and just in case you haven't had your fill of costume that make mental illness sexy, check out Ella Mental.

Thank You Courtney!!

2007-10-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a great list of things you can do to love your body from Courtney Martin at Feministing.
I think that my favorite is probably:

1. Make the radical choice to commit to healing your relationship with your body.

Thank you!

Stupid, offensive article alert!!!

2007-10-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, once again, I have found an infuriating story on yahoo. In the article "Is Your Image Hurting Your Career", Penelope Trusk states the following:
1.) The heavier you are, the less money you make.
2.) The less attractive you are, the les money you make
3.) Your employers may be right and thin people might actually be scientifically smarter

"Before you get up in arms over how unfair it is to discriminate against people who are overweight, consider that there may be some rationale behind it. If you're overweight, you're probably not
exercising every day. But regular exercise increases peoples' ability to cope with difficult situations in the workplace and, according to University of Illinois
kinesiology professor Charles Hillman, might even make people smarter. " (links her her own, pasted from the page)

First off, size does not necessarily have anything to do with exercise. Some people have lower metabolism and, therefore, can exercise a few times a week and still be larger than people who never exercise at all.

Second, not only is this article a waste of space, it is offensive, disgusting and one of the worst displays of fatphobia I have ever witnessed!

Yay Portland, Maine! Boo Bush & Orr!!!

2007-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

If this hadn't passed, it may have been the final straw for my sanity.

This week has been a little les than cheerful on the reproductive rights front, with Bush appointing Dr. Susan Orr as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services family planning program.

According to Orr, contraception is part of a culture of death.

"It's not about choice. It's not about health care. It's about making everyone
collaborators with the culture of death."

Thank you, George Bush for providing this fucking nutcase with a platform. How the hell are these things ok? The last time I checked, abstinence is not part of my or any of my friend's', or anyone I know's "family planning strategies". To those who choose abstinence, cool. But the key word is CHOOSE. I am just so angry.

But, back to my original point, middle school students in Portland, Maine now have access to contraceptives without parental notification! And STD counselling!! All at a convenient, on-site medical clinic.

And then, there is Kansas.

New Job

2007-10-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I have (finally) switched jobs. While it is surely too early to judge (still have 58 minutes left of my first day), the new place seems pretty great. People being generally nice and polite in a nice change and, so far, I have heard few, if any, catty remarks.
Thumbs up, new work place!

According to science, feminism does not = man hating!

2007-10-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, another post I found via Feministing. I didn't, however, have much time today since I was training at my new job (yay!).
So, as if we didn't know already, an article in Science Daily has announced:

"feminism and romance are not incompatible and feminism may actually improve
the quality of heterosexual relationships, according to Laurie Rudman and
Julie Phelan, from Rutgers University in the US. Their study* also shows
that unflattering feminist stereotypes, that tend to stigmatize feminists as
unattractive and sexually unappealing, are unsupported."

Rent

2007-10-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

I wanted to apologize for having written so little in the past while. I have been pretty sick on and off for the past while and have a hard enough time performing mundane tasks, let alone being creative.
So, due to my feverish condition, I will write about something I love. Rent is an amazing musical. See it. If you can't go see it on stage, watch the film version and memorize all the songs. Then when you see it on stage it will be even more exciting.
Warning: You might cry. I did... a lot. As in I was still in tears half an hour after the performance ended.
Here is the proof:

Rape in the Congo

2007-10-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

There isn't too much to say about the content of this New York Times article except that it is terrifying and very upsetting.

No one — doctors, aid workers, Congolese and Western researchers — can explain exactly why this is happening.
“That is the question,” said André Bourque, a Canadian consultant who works with aid groups in eastern Congo. “Sexual violence in Congo reaches a level never reached anywhere else. It is even worse than in Rwanda during the genocide.”

Super Cutie!

2007-10-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry, another baby post.
I think watching this video may have just gotten me pregnant

As if we didn't need ANOTHER reason to hate Wal-Mart...

2007-10-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Funny?

But, in Wal-Mart's opinion, yes. They have recently begun to sell this shirt in their stores. A stalking survivor noticed the shirt and reported it to the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence who contacted Wal-Mart. No response as of yet.
According to the woman who reported the shirt:

"People don't realize how serious stalking is," she said. "You constantly live in fear, look over your shoulder and suffer from psychological and physical symptoms due to the stress of the stalker."
She wondered aloud: What's next?

"Some say it's rape, I call it hot sex"? Or: "Some call it domestic violence, I say I'm just teaching her a lesson"?

Bizarre. But maybe not so unexpected, considering that Wal-Mart once removed this shirt off it's shelves, deeming it too offensive and incompatible with the company values.

via Feministing

Folsom Street Fair

2007-10-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Some people are just completely nuts.
And no, I am not talking about the Folsom Street Fair participants.
I am talking about the protesters.

When attending the fair last Saturday, I heard some noise about anti-Miller beer (one of the fair sponsers) groups. While I did not actually see any of these groups, I later found one of them online.

Supposedly they are angry about this:

And the, there is another total nut, Frank Pastore, who wants to thank the Fair for reminding us how horrible gays and liberals actually are.

I’d like to thank the organizers of these types of events for reminding Americans what’s at stake in our culture war, why politics is important and what it means to be a San Francisco liberal. Each of us can now more easily think of our town, our school or our local park being the site of one of these obscene events. Of course they have the right to project their deviance—within the parameters of the law—as an expression of their free speech. But, every other American also has the right to protest and say, “Oh no. Not here. Not in our community!”
And thanks again for reminding the whole world, and especially Christians, why the words “homosexual” and “anti-Christian” are—in practical terms—synonyms.

Well thanks all you guys for reminding me why I, myself, enjoyed the fair. It is probably (unless you are raving like a crazy person protesting at the barriers) the last place I would see people like you.

2007-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

So I have not seen the new Jodi Foster movie yet and likely won't until it comes out on video, simply because I don't always have the money to do that kind of thing. But, even if the revenge genre is getting a little predictable, the Brave One, a story about a woman taking revenge on her (and her partner, who was killed) attackers, could be interesting (and hopefully empowering) sort of film,

Brian Hughes from the independent University of Georgia publication, RedBlack.com, doesn't think so. In his opinion, it is a "steaming pile of feminist justice".

First off, the phrase "steaming pile" is usually following by the term "shit" and Hughes is likely referencing feminism as such. Furthermore, the film aside, what the hell is the problematic about feminist justice? In my head, the term could refer to the following:

1.) Prosecuting rapists and making them stay in jail for a long time
2.) Helping women get safe and affordable access to abortion
3.) Fighting back when attacked
4.) Getting George Bush out of office.

Ok, the last one was a little bit silly (although, in my opinion completely true) but the point is that these were the first thoughts that the term "feminist justice" raised in my mind and I cannot imagine any of them to be lumped into the category of this supposed "steaming pile".

Anyway, sorry this post isn't too organized but I am very angry right now.

I don't care one way or another about the film, honestly, but the comment was completely offensive and honestly, disgusting.

To be fair, Hughes has a point when he writes

"What does it say about our culture that we've had two films in less than a month claiming the only route to revenge is through the barrel of a gun?"

Ok, I tried, but one redeeming line in a sexist article does not make it ok.

Fuck you, Hughes.

Bikini Kill Awesomeness

2007-09-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty cool video of various Bikini Kill interviews and footage. Just watch and listen.

Some of My Favorites

2007-09-19T15:20:00.001-07:00

Just a short (and incomplete) list of some of my favorite people (that I don't know personally).

Kathleen Hanna: Front woman of riot grrrl band Bikini Kill and member of Le Tigre, another awesome feminist band.

"I don't need to convince men that feminism is important, that just isn't a goal of mine. I can't even have that conversation, of whether or not it's important, because if someone asks me that they're my mortal enemy and I don't want to have a conversation with them until they grow up."

Margaret Atwood: Brilliant writer of works such as The Edible Woman, Oryx and Crake and The Blind Assassin. Also one of the first authors my mum and I could agree on

"We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly."

Patti Smith: Basically just about the the most awesome singer/songwriter/badass ever. Even if she doesn't usually call herself a feminist, she has certainly help others identify as such.

"Let's just say that I think any person who aspires, presumes, or feels the calling to be an artist has a built-in sense of duty."

Dorothy Parker: Despite all Mrs. Parker's (and I say Mrs. because that was how she liked it) faults, she wore her sexuality on her sleeve, talked shit to those who disrespected her and somehow managed to outlive ( and out-talk) almost all the members of the Vicious Circle.

"Men don't like nobility in woman. Not any men. I suppose it is because the men like to have the copyrights on nobility -- if there is going to be anything like that in a relationship."

There are so many more. Maybe this will be a weekly column.

Are We Ready?!

2007-09-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so, just in case anyone hasn't noticed, there is a woman running for president.
Just kidding! how could anyone NOT notice considering all the flack that, not only Hilary, but all women are getting as a blacklash from the candidacy.
I actually cannot vote, as I am not an American citizen (American resident, Canadian citizen) so it is not likely I really get to choose a candidate and I personally thinking that either Clinton or Obama would be fine. But the angry words thrown at towards not only Hilary, but the very idea of a woman president are out of control.
This Daily Show segment sums it up pretty well, in an ironically sex in the city type of way.

I have many friend who will not vote for Hilary (I just love how all the men running are referred to by their last names while, even for me, Hilary Clinton is just "Hilary". Like she is a friendly, nonthreatening neighbor or something) because they think she will be a bad president. I disagree with these people but that is besides the point. Whether Clinton is a good or not so good choice for the democratic party should have nothing to do with whether she is a woman.

Reclaim the Day

2007-09-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a name I haven't heard in a while. Since graduating from my feminist studies department where we discussed the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas case at some point in most courses, Hill hasn't really crossed my mind.
Today I came across a commentary Professor Hill wrote for the Women's Media Center. Recalling being called "nutty" and "slutty" by author David Brock, Hill writes about the constant debasement of women for monetary gain. After selling millions of dollars worth of books, Brock apologized to Hill, explaining that he has been blinded by financial ambition.
For Hill, apologizing for blatant sexism is not enough.

According to Hill:

Because the debasement of women continues to sell and derogatory terms for women have become part of popular discourse, I’m convinced that we need more than Brock recanting or Imus being fired. We need a movement to counter the verbal assaults on women that flow freely in modern media outlets and that have now crept into our workplaces and are increasing in our schools. In addition to our efforts to “Take Back the Night,” we need to “Reclaim the Day!”
I’m not talking about censoring artists or comics. What I want is positive entertainment and educational programming that replaces or, at the very least, balances the negative.

I like Hill's idea and think that she is going at it from a good angle. She also wants your feedback on organizing this event/day.

Cute Little Singing Girl

2007-09-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

So, I saw this on Feministing a while ago but it is so cute, I just had to post it (besides writing angry rants, I also like to look at cute videos of babies online)

Skills Every Man Should Know

2007-09-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

According to Popular Mechanics Magazine, men are losing their skills. Every man, according to this articles, should know how to do the following tasks:

1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who as capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
6. Back up a trailer
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
13. Fillet a fish
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil andfilter
21. Hook up an HDTV
22. Bleed brakes
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network

OK, so fair enough, people do seem to be losing their drive to learn how to cope with day to day situations. Many of my friends, for instance, have no idea how to change a tire (I learned after running over a brick the first day I got my license).

But 25 skills every MAN should know?

I just don't know where to begin!

First off, woman are just as capable to learn such the above mention skills as men and some perform many of these tasks on a daily basis. The article is sexist and outdated. Duh.

But then there is the assumption that the ability to complete these tasks is essential to one's masculinity. Is a guy who lacks these skills not a man? While some of the listed items are definitely important, they do not apply to everyone (not everyone, for example can afford a high definition television or wants to use a gun, for instance).

Furthermore, what does the list leave out? Once the man fillets a fish, how does he cook it? Does his wife cook it? What if he is gay? OK, I know that is going a little of topic, but seriously, there are very few mentions of anything involving basic needs in the article- necessities that mens' female (heteronomativity anyone?) significant others should supposedly provide.

I am not saying that many of these skills are not important. I would like to know how to fix a dead outlet, for example. And (hopefully) this article was supposed to be a little tongue in cheek.

But come on. Necessary DIY skills extend far beyond rifle maintenance.

The Most Fucking Fucked Up Thing I Have Heard in a While

2007-09-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

This shouldn't be anything too new since I have heard about it in newscasts and blogs all over the place, but still, this is truly awful.

A young, black woman was found beaten, raped and horribly tortured by six white people in West Virginia. Reported by the Associated Press, they

choked her with a cable cord and stabbed her in the leg while calling her a racial slur, poured hot water over her, made her drink from a toilet and made her eat dog feces and rat droppings. She was also beaten and sexually assaulted during a span of about a week, according to the complaints.
At one point, an assailant cut the woman's ankle with a knife and used the N-word in telling her she was victimized because she is black, according to the criminal complaints.

She survived, amazingly enough.
What the hell do people have going on in their minds?

Remedios Varo

2007-09-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Though I had seen her work before, I didn't know her by name until I saw Remedios Varo's paintings at the Modern Art Museum in Chapultepec Park, Mexico City a couple of summers ago. Though the Kahlo's were exciting to see in person, I stared at Varo's for the longest. Afterward, I forgot her name and have been disparately trying to remember it ever since. I just did.

About Varo

Mamarama!

2007-09-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mamarama: A Memoir of Sex, Kids and Rock 'n' Roll is a must-read for, well, I think everyone. I originally started reading the book after my boyfriend bought it for me at the bookshop where he works (Dog Eared Books in San Francisco) because he noticed the author had an affinity for Rent, my current obsession.

Author Evelyn McDonnell, co-editor of the books Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop and Rap and Stars Don’t Stand Still in the Sky: Music and Myth and author of Army of She: Icelandic, Iconoclastic, Irrepressible Bjork and Rent by Jonathan Larson, writes about her life in relation to the cultural and feminist (or not so feminist) scenes of her high school years in the mid-west, a struggling writer in Bohemian New York, the riot grrrl explosion of the early nineties, her experiences in two marriages, as a stepmother, a hip hop critic and a mother.

The current pop culture writer of the Miami Herald, McDonnell describes her struggle to add motherhood to her constantly growing list of identities without compromising her career, her beliefs, or herself.
She writes:

“I have moments, even days, of pure despondency when I’m not sure I’m cut out for this parenting stuff. … I worry I’m becoming everything I didn’t want to be: a frumpy, grumpy housewife who, two weeks after it came out, still hasn’t heard the new Strokes CD.

“Then I remember: I don’t like the Strokes.”

Besides being an excellent feminist and cultural memoir and a totally fun read, Mamarama struck a strong chord with me (and I am sure many others) personally. Currently occupying the space between a degree in feminist studies, and some combination of career, marriage and motherhood in the next five or so years, I often wonder (and worry, and obsess!) over whether I will continue to uphold and enact the values I feel to be so important now once I am overrun with motherly responsibilities.

Mamarama made me realize the answer is yes.

Link

Britney Rant

2007-09-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

While somewhat sad, I acquire a great deal for my news from the yahoo web page, namely my celebrity news (to which I have a slight addiction). Yesterday the main topic of interest, as with many websites, was Britney Spear's performance at the VMAs.
But really, mostly about her supposed "paunch".
Spear's performance was not particularly good-- it was actually fairly bad-- and she obviously knew it. She seemed nervous, frustrated with the way her act was going and, generally, out of it.
I am not a huge Spear's fan (although i have often been caught crooning her tunes at Karaoke and, at one time, even had a slight crush on the lady) and there was no doubt her act was one of the worst of hers that I have seen.
But the media focused far less on her out of step dance moves than they did her dreaded belly.
First off, besides the fact Spear's mid-section is actually quite close to the ideal to which so many women strive, the attention to her abs just points once again to the infuriating (and honestly tired) issue that much of society continues to view (and critique, judge and belittle) women as ornaments rather than instruments or actors.

Today, Yahoo News posted a second, follow- up piece asking whether too much attention was paid to Spear's tummy or if "she asking for it by choosing that unforgiving black-sequined bikini".
many just thought she should have avoided exposing the "bulging" spectacle of her body by wearing her outfit- a black, sequined bikini. According to Janice Min, editor of US Weekly:

"In that ensemble, you just can't have an ounce of anything extra.
Many women wouldn't eat for days if they were wearing that... "Did she look better than 99 percent of women? Yes. But compared to her earlier form, she probably didn't look as good."

I am just so sick of this. Goddamn this body image bullshit.

Link

First Post

2007-09-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

I think I may have been the last person I know to know what a blog actually was. It was only after months of reading about debates regarding the legitimacy and worthiness of the tings that I finally asks someone what the word actually meant.
And now I am addicted.
Unless I am traveling or in the middle of a desert (i.e Burning Man), I read Feministing everyday. Sometimes, during a slow day at work i will cruise Metafilter or Boing Boing every hour, looking for some tidbit of information to make the day less painfully dull. Then I started linking to other pages and other pages and the web grew and grew.
And finally, I started a blog because I thought it would be un-feminist (not that people sans blogs are by any means, un-feminist, it was just a personal judgment) with all my resources and time, not to.
There are few outlets that allow people (at least those with the luxuries of computers and time) to comment publicly on sexist, racist or homophobic nonsense so often bypassed or ignored my mainstream or even "alternative" mediums.
So, for me, blogging can be a feminist practice and I intend to use it as such.