Some news you might have missed
I wanted to write about so many different blogs and new stories that I read this week, but just didn’t get to do it—so I thought I would make a quick list to share with you. Some of these are quite thought-provoking, and some might even make you mad—but they’re all definitely food for thought.
AIDS Cure
We might have a cure for AIDS soon! Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research may have a breakthrough on their hands that will help us cure the disease. I really have my fingers crossed on this one. Go, team science!
The Best and Worst Countries in Which to Be a Woman
The TrustLaw team came up with this list of G20 nations ranking which ones were best in which to be a woman—and which are worst. You might be surprised to learn that Canada is considered the best (followed by Germany, then the UK, then Australia, and France—the United States doesn’t make the list until #6). India was listed as the worst, with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and South Africa close behind. Be sure to read the report to see the reasons why—we have much work to do together to improve these conditions.
Where have all the Black sitcoms gone?
Have you noticed the lack of Black sitcoms on television? We have a few token black characters here and there—even a black couple in a few TV shows—but what happened to A Different World, Living Single, The Cosby Show? Some of these were may favorites growing up, as was Family Matters. (Remember when Jaleel White played a cool dude instead of Urkel in that one episode? He made some kind of machine that made him un-nerdy. I wanted to take him to prom. Of course, I was like, nine, or something.) There used to be so many, and now I can’t think of one.
Profiling White Men
People are pointing this out, and I have to say, it’s true: if all of these mass shooters were women, or black men, or Asians or Muslim or any other similar background, we’d be crying foul over women, black men, Asians, Muslims, etc. But all of these shooters are white men and nobody is considering that there might be something to study here on that single basis…
Being Fat is Not a “Death Sentence”
In fact, research now proves that people who are slightly overweight—whatever that means, as it seems to be a relative concept—live longer than their underweight or “normal weight” counterparts. So when you look at someone who is fat, all you can tell is that they are fat—and nothing else. No more “concerned for your health” spiels necessary! Isn’t that freeing, no matter who you are?
Reasons to buy Girl Scout cookies
It’s cookie sales time in the Girl Scout world, which means that you’re bound to be asked by a little girl in a be-patched uniform (my daughter included) to buy a box of cookies, please. Maybe you made a resolution to not eat sweets this year, or you don’t even like the cookies much. They’re only $3.50 a box, however, and they’re for such a good cause. They fund camps, Girl Scouts programs, programs for Scouts whose mothers are in jail, and so many more worthy endeavors. If you need a reason to buy cookies this cookie season, here are a few you might want to consider.
You can cook with them. There are tons of Girl Scout cookie recipes all over the web. Just google the type of cookie you have alongside the term “recipes” and you will find dozens of ways to use them.
They freeze. So if you want to skip them now and enjoy them down the road or serve them at a spring party, you can do just that without feeling guilty.
They make great gifts. You are bound to know a cookie fanatic in your family or friends; buy a few boxes for him or her to support the cause. Again, they freeze, so if you need to save them for a surprise down the road like a birthday celebration, feel free.
They’re great to share. You can take them to work and put them out for folks to enjoy at office parties or just because. Help increase the camaraderie between people using the copy machine! Maybe you’ll make a new friend or two.
They teach kids great skills. Tell moms and dads that you’ll only buy from the kids (with parent present, of course) so the kids can learn about business skills, communication, entrepreneurship, money handling, and more. The Girl Scouts is the largest organization that teaches these skills for girls in the world.
Help the young girls in your life attain their goals. My daughter selected a goal that’s not completely undoable, but that’s still challenging. I’m pretty proud of her for picking this level—even though it’s mostly because she wants a stuffed dolphin. Ask your scout about her goals and offer tips for how she might be able to make the goal.
They support female leadership, friendship, citizenship and so many other worthwhile concepts. The Girl Scouts is one of the best places where girls can become strong, independent people who grow into community leaders. Your support helps makes this happen!
Click some links and take some names
These petitions and letters are so easy to take part in. Just click and sign. Of course, you can also read more information at each website before signing so you make sure you don’t give away your soul or something on accident. Always read that fine print!
Save Koalas. We all love koalas, right? They’re so cute and admit it, you’ve wanted one for a pet since you were a kid? No… Well, you’re the only one who didn’t, then. Anyway, koalas are facing a horrible epidemic of Chlamydia right now, rendering almost half their female population infertile. I never would have thought something like this could happen, but it’s real—and it’s something we can help stop if we give koalas endangered animal status right away. Click here to ask Australia’s Federal Environment Minister to do just that and help save koalas from extinction.
Ask the Missouri House to Expand Medicaid. Since SCOTUS ruled that Obama’s healthcare plan was constitutional, but then said requiring states to expand Medicare—a key component—was not, we are all left scrambling for insurance that would be much easier to obtain if the expansion did occur. You can click here to ask legislators in Missouri to approve of this expansion, and be sure to ask the lawmakers of your own state if necessary as well.
Support Aaron’s Law: The death of Aaron Swartz last week was a sobering moment for us all. Demand Progress is asking for an inquiry to be made into Swartz’s inquisition—I mean prosecution—and to start a law in his name known as Aaron’s Law that would make authorities have to back off of their ruthless dogging of people facing jail time for victimless crimes. Read about it and add your voice if you want to support Aaron’s Law.
Yell at Rush. Admit it—you want to. We all want to. Emily’s List is giving you a platform to give Limbaugh a piece of your mind. After all, he has no problem getting paid to give us a piece of his day after day, spreading the hatred of women (and any non-white cisgender male, for that matter) with his vile garbage. Visit Emily’s List to send Rush your message.
Stand Up for Sasquatch. Okay, this one is just funny. I had to show it to you. Even though I love cryptozoology in all its fun, I had to laugh over this petition to get the White House to confirm the identity of Big Foot—and ensure its protection. Enjoy.
One last serious note here—I wanted to link to this guide on how to handle and prevent cyber stalking. These tips are great; pass them on to friends, especially teens and youth who use the internet.
“Accept God or else!” say Arizona lawmakers
Oh, those cute political pundits in Arizona are at it again! It’s not enough to limit cultural studies, make “show us your papes!” laws, question science and generally make our nation look like a bunch of buffoons on the nightly news, making countries that already laugh at us tired of the same old joke about those stupid Americans again; now they want to add a little religious twist in all of their shenanigans.
Arizona lawmakers are now trying to pass a law that states that in order to graduate from high school, students have to take this super creepy nationalistic oath that ends with “so help me God.” Apparently pledging allegiance to a tiny classroom flag every day for 12 years wasn’t enough for these sheep herders; now you have to declare it loud and proud—or else. Click the link to read the whole zombified language of the oath and see if you’d want to take it yourself.
Oh, Arizona republicans! You make me smile. I have to wonder how lovely your state must be that you are able to focus on all of these ideas rather than any real problems you may be facing. You must have absolutely no poverty, no debt, no rape, no environmental issues, no education issues, or anything if you have the time to sit around dreaming this kind of thing up! I’m impressed. Where can my state sign up?
Babies don’t need perfume
I read that not only is Dolce & Gabbana manufacturing a new perfume for babies (unisex so all babies can be covered in the chemicals!), but apparently lots of perfume manufacturers already make these perfumes as well. Along with a bunch of designers I’ve never heard, of, Johnson & Johnson are also apparently making baby perfume. (I’m guessing this is separate from their normal perfumes, which I used to wear as a teen.)
Do I even have to state how wrong this is? I am wondering if this is a by-product of all of this Honey Boo Boo nightmare stuff on TLC (why is it called that, again? I haven’t learned anything from the network in years—except maybe the fact that I want to bleach my eyes after accidently seeing it). Since when do babies need to smell like perfume—and since when did parents buy chemicals to pour on their babies?
I’m just sickened by this. Talk about not giving your kids a choice. It’s not bad enough that parents are piercing ears before a kid can utter goo-goo, ga-ga; now they’re spraying them down with perfume before they can even crawl away in haste.
Babies smell awesome the way they are. Just ask Claire from Modern Family.
Super Bowl -- 49'ers by 21?
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Colin Kaepernick has already locked down the MTP award. ... has there ever been a good player in the NFL, NBA, or MLB with as many tats?
In my generation, we still tend to see this kind of ink as making a statement of rebellion, to some extent. I'm an open-minded guy, but tattoos don't mean nothing. Try and become CEO of Boeing with this much ink, or with a Brian Wilson beard. Never happen. It's America, there's no law and there shouldn't be. But there are plusses and minuses to a presentation like this.
In your generation -- you 20-somethings -- what does this say to you, if anything? I'm simply curious. I'm color-blind as to what Kaepernick is saying, to people his own age. I'd like to know.
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John Dewan, at BJOL, has a Super Bowl Prediction System that is 16-6 over the past 22 years. (For those who just joined us, Dewan is one of baseball's ten most notable sabermetricians, especially noted for his cutting-edge work on fielding metrics.)
Here are the 12 simple indicators that he uses to predict the winner:
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| Category | Win% | Team with Advantage |
| Points Scored | .543 | Ravens |
| Points Allowed | .630 | 49ers |
| Point Differential | .630 | 49ers |
| Fewer Net Passing Yards | .609 | 49ers |
| Rushing Yards | .543 | 49ers |
| Rushing Yards/Carry | .565 | 49ers |
| Opponent Net Passing Yards | .565 | 49ers |
| Opponent Rushing Yards | .609 | 49ers |
| Opponent Rushing Yards/Carry | .587 | 49ers |
| Opponent Total Yards/Game | .652 | 49ers |
| Turnover Differential | .587 | Tie |
| Regular Season Record | .543 | 49ers |
In Super Bowl history, ten times it's been true that one team had the edge in 10+ of the 12 categories; those teams have played .900. Last time, the Steelers vs Cardinals, 2008.
The only exception was the 1970 Vikings, but ... how do you compare NFL and AFL stats? Maybe there's never been a time when such a complete team, like the 49'ers, blew it in the Super Bowl. I don't bet, but I'd sure be taking that -3.5 line.
I completely agree that the 49'ers should be much more heavily favored than they are. I'm thinking 10, 12, points :- ) ... wanna try for -14.5, maybe?
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Dr. D has always had the sense that the superior team wins the Super Bowl more often than in other games -- and that much superior teams win blowouts more often.
If so, it could be because it's a game in which both teams load for bear, and play close to their maximum abilities, so that "noise" decreases as a factor.
Suspect that the Super Bowl is one of the "purest" contests in sports, in terms of finding out who's the best team. Just an impression.
But if that's accurate, it would explain why this prediction system is more accurate than experts would expect that it would be. You're really just asking who's the better team, and then leaning more heavily than usual on that identification.
Or not :- )
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That was IDIOTIC, if the Falcons hit those two last passes because the safeties were protecting the long ball. Matt Ryan would never have been able to come off the script he set in those huddles. Why weren't they jumping in front, denying the 15-yarders?
Two passes Ryan had to hit, or we'd a been in the NFC championship playing for the right to detonate the Baltimore Ravens.
Bah humbug,
Dr D
Passing the Hawkeye test
Holy sardines, Batgirl! Have you heard about the Hawkeye Initiative? It’s this really cool way people are pointing out sexism in comic book art. They take any pose struck by a female superhero (or villain, I suppose) in any comic that seems like it might be sexist and they place Hawkeye (of Avengers fame) in her place, usually with a drawing or other artwork. If it looks okay, it’s not sexist anymore—but if it looks ridiculous (as it usually does), we’ve got ourselves a case of sexist comic media!
This is actually a really funny take at pointing out these really ridiculous covers and comic art in general, and I love it. I remember drawing impossible poses of Black Cat, Psyclocke, and Rogue as a tween and my fifth grade teacher correcting me, asking, “Could they really pose like that? Do you really think their bodies look like that?” She would show me how to make them more realistic, but at 10 I really didn’t care about that. I wanted my art to look just like the comic creators that I loved so much.
Now that I’m older I totally get it—and I remember wishing my body looked as impossible as their bodies looked. I wanted to be strong like them, yes—but there’s no way anyone’s waist can be the thickness of their wrist, let alone while sporting a triple-D bra. You couldn’t be strong; you’d be falling over.
In addition to the Hawkeye Initiative, there is the project being conducted by fantasy author Jim Hines, who actually mocks these poses—in costume!—himself. He says that the way women are posed on the covers of books and other media is so ridiculous that we would easily point it out if it were a man posing instead—which is why he decided to do it himself. These poses actually get the author the most hits on his blog—and if you click the link, you will definitely see why. As soon as you see these poses, I think you’ll have to admit that there’s some pretty funky physics going on, to say the least—and some sexism afoot, too.
Jim, total props to you for having the guts to not only point this out but to actually do these poses yourself! I hope it makes a difference. In the meantime, I’m super excited about the new X-Men comic featuring an all-female team—though I wonder if it will pass the Hawkeye test…
Planned Parenthood: No more pro-choice message?
Remember what the so-called pro-lifers did when they found a message that might or might not have been attributed to Susan B. Anthony (most sources concur that she never signed her name that way) that might or might not have denounced abortion (the statement itself is rather ambiguous when taken into full context)? They created an entire anti-abortion society based on her name. She’s one of my heroes and I really hope she’s not rolling over in her grave over this crap.
Now that Planned Parenthood has decided to stop using a pro-choice slogan, I worry that the same thing could happen as so-called pro-lifers (I’m sorry, anyone who’s against a woman’s right to health and life in favor of the rights of a potential life just isn’t “pro-life” to me) point at Planned Parenthood and shriek, “See, they’re not for abortion anymore!” even as the country is finally more pro-choice than “pro-life.”
Of course, the goal behind this removal of the term is much more serious and important, a cause for national discussion about how many women do not have a choice at all—something that political pundits seem to forget. We have all of these people crying for “life” or choice while they forget that it’s ultimately about women and women’s actual lives. You can see the video that Planned Parenthood released regarding this decision here. It makes a lot of sense—and may help the cause eventually—but right now, I just don’t feel very well about it. If we can’t claim the right to choose, after all, how can we expect anyone else to?
The analogy between the concept of gun control being moved to the term gun safety has been used to rationalize this—but so far I’ve only seen more people become rabid about not having their guns taken away and even more livid with people who want gun control. People who were previously peaceniks are now declaring themselves proud gun supporters. What if that reverse support effect happens in the case of Planned Parenthood now? Then again, I think the majority of people do want something done to promote “gun safety,” and many protestors are simply fringe folks who are also afraid of death camps… After all, how unreasonable is it to ask that gun owners get classes and permits?
How unreasonable is it to ask that women’s medical decisions be left to women?
What if we limited mens’ rights in response to female assault?
When women get assaulted by men, they are blamed for it. They are told, “You shouldn’t have been wearing a short skirt/ drinking/ jogging alone/ insert normal behavior here.” Rather than blame rapists for committing crimes, victim blaming—and shaming—runs rampant in this world and I, for one, am absolutely sick of it.
At Wronging Rights, Amanda Taub recently wrote a post considered controversial and even offensive by men about how we can stop rape by limiting men’s freedom instead of women’s—since men, after all, are the rapists (in these cases). It’s almost hilarious when you read it, since some of the ideas call for blindfolding men in public since they can’t control themselves when they see a woman in skimpy clothing (which is not the cause of rape, by the way—only a part of rape culture). These ideas reduce men and women into caricatures—men as violent animals who are helpless and unable to restrain themselves from raping when they see skin, and women as evil temptresses when they show any to begin with. These are also false ideas, which both men and women ought to be outraged by.
Statistics, such as that 6% of men will likely commit sexual assault in their lifetimes, are used in the blog to justify advice such as men not going out at night unless accompanied by a female friend or relative to prevent them from raping women, since rapists usually commit the crime alone or in groups with other men. A quote I particularly like says something about how men’s rights groups are concerned that this will interfere with men’s daily socializing, work, and life in general—but religious rights groups respond that the minor inconvenience is nothing against the horrors of actual rape that victims experience. Could you imagine if society really handled sexual assault this way? It’s true, by the way—though I’m not advocating adopting “rules” like these, merely insisting that they are even more ridiculous when demanded of women to prevent attacks against themselves!
Give the blog a read and keep in mind that each of these statements, as outrageous as they seem, are a direct refutation of what religious leaders, lawmakers, and cops all demand of women when women are assaulted—only instead, they are asking these things of men instead. I hope the post helps make men aware of the ridiculous blame that is often placed on women as well as demonstrates how ridiculous any response to assault is unless it’s the simple compassion for victims and arrest and prosecution of rapists. Period.
No men in the family room!
When my husband is off work, he often takes my daughter to the rec center to swim or run around in the gym while I work. It’s a wonderful solution since we are members with unlimited access to the rec center, and it helps get her some physical activity in while it’s too cold to go play outside.
That said, today they had an unpleasant experience with a few moms in the family room—specifically, one mom, who complained loudly about having to share a family locker room with men. “They should have separate family locker rooms if they’re going to let men in!” she huffed.
My husband turned to her and said, “Excuse me?” She, of course, said, “Nothing,” but he said, “No, I heard you. You and your partner have two little girls. I’m a father with my little girl. I have to use this room because she’s not allowed in the men’s locker room for good reason. Why don’t you take your daughters into the women’s locker room if you don’t want to share the family room with me?”
She huffed again but her partner gently pulled her along and said, “He’s right. Besides, you don’t want to get us banned from another place.”
Well! My husband was right, by the way—that’s why we have a family room, so families can use it when there are mixed genders present. (The door also has glass over it, so you can clearly see into it from the pool. Separate rooms are inside the family room—with doors that lock—to give families privacy as they change. It’s totally appropriate.) I am inclined to think that she may encounter discrimination often, which may make her defensive—I empathize and fight for equal rights as often as I can—but this just seemed silly. The sign even indicates that the room is for all families.
The woman’s partner made it seem as if she regularly likes to complain about things and get them “kicked out,” but here their daughters had just been playing with my daughter moments earlier in the pool. My husband is a white, cisgender privileged male who doesn’t encounter discrimination pretty much ever, so I’m not complaining—he wasn’t discriminated against, after all—but I do wonder what she had hoped to achieve or found so offensive. Maybe she found it irritating that accommodations are so readily available for men with children? I’m really open if someone wants to explain it to me. I honestly think there are not enough bathroom options in most places, since trans people often have a hard time finding facilities to use. I’m just not sure I see the issue in this case, since this locker room is openly for everyone.