Here’s mine today: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – What Will You Do Today?
Stuff I’ve written this week: I’d like a glue gun, some acrylic paint, and some birth control : On the denial by a federal judge of Hobby Lobby’s appeal to refuse to provide health insurance which covers birth control based on the owners’ religious beliefs Your own kind of closeness : Some Thanksgiving thoughts on families, expectations, and the traditions that arise from them, and how those aren’t necessarily so bad, really
I just released a sketch comedy music video this week, and I’m very excited about it. I’m doing three things for the first time in this video: Writing, Producing, and Singing!! Since Disney bought LucasFilm, the video imagines what Star Wars: Episode V would’ve looked like if Disney had been at the helm of the film. It’s a “what if” deleted song that would’ve broken out after Han kisses Princess Leia for the first time. Disney Princess Leia: Part of Han’s World http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMkDnyMzJmk&hd=1 Hope you enjoy it!
This week I blogged about: Outing Creeps: I just think it’s very important, when talking about exposing people online, that we be very careful we don’t get so caught up in outing someone that it no longer matters who we out. Women At Gaming Expos: Telling women what to wear under the guise of being against female objectification is not a positive action. There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about the role of ‘booth babes’ and ‘sexy’ cosplayers, their treatment by fans, and how game expos can help.
An excellent Kickstarter needs your help! Only 3 days and the goal is so close: “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry is the first feature documentary about the birth of women’s liberation in the 1960’s. We have been working on this film for several years, and have filmed women all over the US. Now after years of effort, we can make it to the finish line – if we can count on your support!” http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1299423713/shes-beautiful-when-shes-angry
On the colonial mentality and Femen’s activities in Paris: http://clarissasblog.com/2012/11/25/when-colonial-and-soviet-mentalities-mesh-femen-in-paris/ Is feminism a tough badge to wear? http://clarissasblog.com/2012/11/24/is-feminism-a-tough-badge-to-wear/ I don’t know if there are any gamers on this blog, but in case there are, I started a raffle for a free copy of a popular video game on my blog, so feel free to participate: http://clarissasblog.com/2012/11/22/gamer-raffle-call-of-duty-black-ops-ii-free/
My last NaNoWriMo update. Plus I wrote a brief response to Sasha Frere-Jones’s New Yorker piece about Kathleen Hanna.
This week I wrote about the upsides of feminism for men: http://canbebitter.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/a-feminist-value-proposition-for-dudes/ It was picked up by The Good Men Project too! http://canbebitter.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/a-feminist-value-proposition-for-dudes/
Post/linkage fail. Sorry! http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/fifteen-things-feminism-has-done-for-men/
This week I wrote about the upsides of feminism for men: http://canbebitter.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/a-feminist-value-proposition-for-dudes/ It was picked up by The Good Men Project later, so… validation!
Two posts this week! In the first, the Feminist Batwoman steals my blog to talk about her thoughts on the recent American election (you really can’t trust anti-oppression superheroes, STEALING BLOGS AND EVERYTHING). In My Grandmother’s Body, meanwhile, I explain how bodily autonomy goes beyond abortion by telling the story of how doctors lied to my grandmother about her terminal illness.
The death of Savita reveals a cultural problem, not a legal one. On the difference between working for a Small Charity, and an actually small charity. And a rant on the failure to properly acknowledge the work of women of colour – in this case Flavia Dzodan, who was plagiarised by the New Statesman.
In celebration of the holiday, I offer up my favorite-ever holiday film: Holly Hunter in the Jodie Foster-directed “Home for the Holidays”, and often-forgotten gem. The holidays. Winter. It all requires some serious self-medication to get through. So I offer 6 solutions to the darkness of the season — foods, films, music — to get through. And in case that medicine isn’t strong enough, I also think that the new film “Silver Linings Playbook” offers up some good stuff too.
In the vein of promoting others, I love and want to share this author, who writes here about her frustration of at being “such an inspiration.”
I talk about the death of Valerie Eliot, T.S. Eliot’s widow, and how we think about the wives and widows of “great men”: http://goldennotebooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-secret-lives-of-wives-and-widows.html
“I Can’t Hate My Chin Anymore“- I used to scrutinize every picture of myself and note how awful my chin was, then it turned up on my daughter’s face, and I had to re-think things. “Is Public Shame the Best Way to Deal with Bigotry“- Jezebel and some other popular sites have been making a habit of exposing people for being awful. Then we all share it. Is this the best way to deal with bigotry? It probably depends on what our goal is.
I wrote about the language used by advocates of women’s ordination, and how that language may be heard by those who resist it, in Progress, or Promise? I reviewed How Jesus Became God which includes a feminist note. And while poring over translations of ancient documents relevant to Christology, I came across what seems to me to be a vaccination theory of the atonement.
I looked at the Guilty Witness episode of the old TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which seems to use domestic violence as a plot premise when convenient but to dispose of it when not. I recounted a pushy colleague’s food policing in Eating Inquisition. And Empty, how I felt the first time I saw my childhood backyard with the swing set torn down.
Uganda’s ‘Kill the Gays Law’ American Evangelists find a fertile mission field for hate in Africa–a test ground for how far they can go. A New Normal in Japan After Fukushima Cute cartoons for the kiddies on how to avoid radioactive hazards– don’t play outdoors or breathe the air.
My piece on Autostraddle: “Please Don’t Volunteer On Thanksgiving: A Former Shelter Worker Tells All” http://www.autostraddle.com/please-dont-volunteer-on-thanksgiving-a-former-shelter-worker-tells-all-150182/
After what turned out to be a long hiatus, I wrote on State of Formation about my cat’s impending death and my associated reflections on whether I am morally permitted to believe irrational things for the sake of my psychological comfort: Worthy is the Cat: Reflections on Feline Mortality and Psychological Mercy
I kissed a boy (and I liked it) – Thoughts from a trans woman on her first sexual experience with a man I owe the Windy City Times an apology, but they’re still not perfect – WCT is Chicago’s biggest LGBT paper and is doing an imperfect piece on LGBT youth in Chicago Chicago: Things I’ve Never Done – What touristy things have you never done, even though you’ve lived in a city for years?
Got back to writing in Fromage. Showtime describes the lead-up to what might be Lisa’s Hotcakes’ last show of the year (our first year of existence). In Whither V-dizzle?, I realize I really have to focus on music as I never have before (and always should have). And The beauty of age? is about the difficulties of being an older woman in the music business (or fashion business).
Review of The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga : In this review you will learn why the latest installment adds nothing to the story. Black is for More Than Mourning : looking at the high rate of death in the last two weeks in urban fantasy based television. Review and recap of American Horror Story, Season 2, Episode 6: Origins of Monstrosity Giveaway of Kept by Shawntelle Madison Book 2 of Coveted Series
Syphilis has a fascinating history as one of the worst sexually transmitted diseases out there — but since the invention of penicillin, we’ve been treating it successfully for decades. Sometimes, however, health care providers choose to treat this infection with alternative antibiotics, and syphilis has been evolving resistance to those drugs. Read about these new antibiotic-resistant strains of syphilis and learn why correct antibiotic usage is so important!
I have a blog: http://christinamcclintock.blogspot.com/ Most recent post is historically inclined and looks at the awesome women of early Nantucket. Inspired by In the Heart of the Sea http://christinamcclintock.blogspot.com/2012/11/nantuckets-influential-women-in.html thanks!
I wrote about: My body is not heartbreaking: more fun with microaggressions Global pandemics? Usually a bad idea. and a Plus size holiday dress round up.
This week at Feminist Ire I published my essay Taking Ideology to the Streets: Sex Work and How to Make Bad Things Worse.
My most recent post is, you guessed it, on giving thanks. I actually thought it was one of my better posts, but only one comment so far. I’m not actually wanting to self-promote, I’m wanting some advice from other bloggers — how do I get more readers, and how do I get more comments? I often think I’m writing just the thing to start a great conversation, and get 3 comments, if that.
Comment on lots of blogs, and take time writing the comments so they’re interesting. Liberally link back to your older posts. Use the heck out of Twitter. Find blogs similar to yours and see if you can guest post or otherwise cross-promote. Respond to other people’s blog posts, and let them know that you responded. End each post with direct, complex questions.
Yep, what Clarisse said! We can’t comment if we don’t know that you’re writing, so you pretty much have to put yourself where people can see you. Blogging is all about communication and connections, so build yours by getting to know people and getting them knowing you too. This is a great place to start. I see that you’re on WordPress yourself. One nifty thing you have there is that you can get suggestions from the site on related posts. Most of them won’t be as related as you think, but I find that it’s a great way to get to know other blogs I might otherwise never have come across. But mainly just comment, and link, and comment some more, and respond, and talk to people. Good luck!
This week I wrote two items that would interest you folks. Commentary on updates on the Mazoltuv Borukhova trial and impact on her daughter: http://freudenthal.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/women-and-children-in-court/ Commentary on that 5-year abortion study comparing people who get abortions to those demographically equivalent who are turned away. I’m especially proud of this one because it spurred a really long and thoughtful exchange in comments with a Catholic priest. I’ll reply to him again tomorrow, but in the meantime, I’d love for some feminists to dig in to his speculations. I’m most proud of the exchange because it has stayed civil and respectful, despite some powerful (and personal) disagreements. I think he’s as invested in this as I am: http://freudenthal.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/could-women-actually-know-what-theyre-doing/
I’m super late, but my blog is co-hosting a book event in DC tomorrow (11/26) with Baratunde Thurston, formerly of the Onion and author of “How to Be Black”. Here the FB link. Should be cool 🙂
**testing** Not self-promoting, but having something seriously weird happen to me when I try commenting on the Greatest Hits post – three times in a row my comment has completely disappeared. No mod or anything, just gone. Trying to see if it’s localized to that post somehow.
Well that’s just odd then. Can a mod check out if any of my comments on the Greatest hits post somehow sunk into the spam abyss?
I made a Top 10 of the most riveting documentaries: http://film-nut.tumblr.com/post/36507881286/the-weekend-5 and chose 5 excellent links that I read this week: http://film-nut.tumblr.com/post/36507881286/the-weekend-5
I just finished writing step eighteen in a hundred baby steps to zero waste; re-evaluate your paper products. Save money, save the earth, what’s not to like?
I shared some thoughts on Dido in book four of Virgil’s Aeneid, from a feminist point of view. And pondered feminism in classical studies and ancient history generally.
My article on Ukrainian feminist activists Femen, who were physically attacked by anti-gay demonstrators in Paris last Sunday. Never okay! http://disciplineandanarchy.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/anti-gay-bullies-show-their-true-colours-and-its-no-rainbow/
This week I reviewed The Age of Ra, which does some pretty interesting worldbuilding but lets its one decent female character fall into some pretty dull tropes. Last week when I was busy was Darkfever. It starts out like puff-piece urban fantasy but then gets into really convincing grief and consent issues in a way that’s more respectful to the protagonist than almost anything I’ve seen in this genre except for a few bits of Patricia Briggs.
This week I welcomed fantastic guest poster Seonaid to the Tea Cosy, for a post debunking the idea that Savita Hallapavanar didn’t, in fact, need an abortion and explaining the medical side of situations like hers. She is wonderful, and she knows her stuff. On Another Trans* Day of Remembrance, my fears for the people I love, and the depth of what is denied people in hate crimes like transphobic violence. TW. Letter to my Uterus is a tongue-in-cheek and it’s annoyed at that (&$%&^% organ that won’t quit looking for attention. Because there are times when a uterus-haver just needs to have a rant. Sick of the same old same old. We have the same damn conversations about so many different areas where people’s rights are being denied. Sometimes it feels like we could just copy and paste our arguments and keep bashing our heads off a brick wall. And finally: Are you Irish or in Ireland? Pro-choice and willing to have your face plastered all over the internet? I’ve got something fun for you.
This week on the Secret Histories Project, meet: Percy Grainger, problematic but fascinating BDSM practitioner from the early twentieth century, and Bayard Rustin, secretary to Dr Martin Luther King, key organiser of the 1963 March on Washington – and openly gay man who was arrested and persecuted for his sexuality in the 1950s.
As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, Women Living Under Muslim Laws is highlighting the work of women and girls around the world who struggle for social justice and gender equality. We will be posting a new narrative every day from November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10th, Human Rights Day. To kick off the series, we start with a spotlight on Samira Ibrahim, a brave young Egyptian activist, and the woman who took the military to court over ‘virginity testing’. Please see our series and learn more about these women here and here
There were no deep thoughts this week. However, for CyberMonday, I have a list of sales, mostly from female-owned companies, female authors and very small businesses. One GLBT press is offering 25% their books. http://valarltd.livejournal.com/1682095.html
Hooray for the decline in sexist language: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/hooray-for-decline-in-sexist-language.html
I put a short story with strong feminist themes into a fiction contest. Please spread the word, and click “recommend” at the bottom if you like it! Also, a piece on my blog: Cat Marnell & “Fifty Shades”: Why I Can Be A Kinky Feminist and a Messy Human Being
Ethical Gift Guide: I compiled profiles of a number of sustainable, eco-friendly, and handmade goods (clothing, accessories, and art). Includes discount codes for Cyber Monday and Fair Tuesday. What Christian Feminism Is and Isn’t: To clear up the misinformation and misunderstandings about faith and feminism. Life on the Balancing Beam (aka Being an INTJ): Reflections on being both analytical and creative, and how my writing style and voice is affected by my Myers-Briggs personality type. Team Heals Some Wounds, but Not All: A poem on healing from trauma and pushing back against easy-fix phrases like “time heals all wounds.” What I Learned from Josh Harris’ Books: A response to blogger friends who disagreed with one another on lessons learned from conservative evangelical leader in the purity movement.
If you guys are into all things feminsm check out Eve Ensler website and get informed on V-Day and the Vagina Monologues. I would also recommed Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus’s documentary Sexy Baby which follows three women lives and observes the impact social networking and the internet have in their lives. hope you enjoy!
I put a free eBook (pdf) up on my website. It’s called “6 steps to gender equality, and other essays on how universities can get more women to the top and why they should.” It might be this year’s runaway Christmas gift 🙂 http://curt-rice.com download it all you want 😉