Linkety-Linkety
The Vatican may have forgiven the Beatles over the weekend for their "satanic" messages -- but Ringo Starr, the legendary band's drummer, says he couldn't care less.
Where to get degree in death, anime or psychic abilities
9 Muppets Kicked Off Sesame Street
‘Firefly: Still Flying’ On The Way With New Stories, Images & Artwork
‘Caprica’ Actor Patton Oswalt To Write ‘Firefly’ Comic About Wash
UPDATED! Geeks In Space: NASA Astronauts Wake Up To ‘Firefly’ Theme Song
Natural family planning as a birth control option: a Reproductive Wellness column -- under the right circumstances, and especially when other forms of birth control are problematic (due to allergies, reactions, etc), knowledge of NPF can be very beneficial. It's not simple, and it requires dedication and organization, but it can be quite effective when it's done fully (including checking cervical mucus, etc). I'm glad to know physicians are getting training in how to do it right, at least. The more options patients have, the better.
Postal Service as a Giant Battery? A Plan for Cashing In
The U.S. Postal Service may earn millions by storing and stabilizing some of the nation's energy supply in its trucks. -- nifty idea; I wonder how likely it is to actually happen.
Obama Administration Officials Thwarted a Terrifying Terrorist Plot. Why Don't We Hear About That?
The church drops its defense posture, edits its guidelines to read that church leaders should report clerical sex abuse to civil authorities. -- it may only have happened under massive pressure, but at least it's an official policy change, finally. It's a small step forward. The final quote doesn't do much for my confidence, though: Today, the official Vatican newspaper published an editorial that praised the church for being "the only institution to address this problem that concerns all of society in an exemplary manner." -- Yeah, guys. You just tell yourself that.
Gaga went on to encourage her fans to have sex only when they feel ready - and to take advantage of the condoms handed out at her concerts, if and when they do. She also reminded them that "you don't have to have sex to feel good about yourself," a valuable message in a time when women so often feel like their self-worth is determined by how many people want to have sex with them.
Get serious about your sexual health, protect yourself, don't have sex until you're ready, you are not your sex life. These are all great messages, and both Gaga and Lauper are to be commended for putting their considerable influence as celebrities behind such a worthy cause (and for advocating for sexual health in a realistic and respectful way, unlike some other celebrities). But Gaga lost me when she said this:
'I remember the cool girls when I was growing up. Everyone started to have sex. But it's not really cool any more to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent.'
Having sex and being "strong and independent." Since when are the two mutually exclusive? And why do I have a sneaking suspicion that no man is ever going to be told that he has to make this choice? For a man, having sex "all the time" doesn't affect anyone's perceptions of his strength or independence.
Guest Post: How Suffragist Postcards Got Out the Vote -- includes actual images of the postcards. Fascinating stuff.
Leaked Confidential Document Reveals Obama's Climate Strategy
Uninformed Limbaugh Wonders ‘Where Was The Union’ At Non-Union Mine Disaster -- if it weren't about such a fucking obscene tragedy and crime, this'd be thoroughly chuckle-worthy. Relatedly: A coalition of NGOs say Don Blankenship is "as criminally culpable as any mass murderer" for the mine disaster because he had systematically worked to avoid safety regulations.
Because publicly shaming airlines seems to be the only way to accomplish things anymore, have a truly hideous story about United Airlines' treatment of a disabled passenger (and the body_impolitic post about it)
The Working Families Party is currently running a campaign to pass a law in New York state to prohibit the charging of rent in homeless shelters.
On problems with the Green Jobs training programs
A bit of good news for transgender inmates in Wisconsin, but also a reminder of just how many issues face incarcerated trans people
Should Child Obesity Be Considered Child Abuse? -- thankfully at least this particular writer doesn't think jailing parents or taking away their kids is an appropriate reaction. Don't read the comment section unless you're in the mood to break things. However, this is becoming an issue on a legal level. One more reason for me not to have kids; I have the audacity to be fat, and it's more than likely, given the high heritability of body size, that any children of mine would be as well. And the odds I'd be willing to put a child on a calorie-restricted diet, given what we know about the damage they cause, are extremely low, so I'd count as "non-compliant" too. Guess that means I'd be an unfit parent, pretty much by definition. Why don't I feel safe reproducing in this country? Let me count the ways...
Relatedly: Is Our Obsession with Weight Misguided? Here's What Really Matters When It Comes to Good Health
A popular author says that fitness, nutrition and socioeconomic status are far more important than weight in determining health risks. -- No shit, sherlock. It's what the science has been saying for years. It's so much easier to use the "health" veil to hide one's fatphobia, though.
7 Biggest Environmental Disasters -- Where Are They Now?
Man Requests Restraining Order Against Police So He Can Attack Abortion Clinic -- Hooboy. It'd be much funnier if it weren't a death threat.
Think You're Too Fat or Too Skinny? You're More Likely to Engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors -- The study is specific to teens, but I wouldn't be surprised if further study finds the results to generalize to adult women as well. It seems likely that the less confident you are of your attractiveness to other people (which includes your perception and judgments of your body), the more likely you may be to agree to non-ideal situations or partners. On a personal and anecdotal level, I can say that I feel much more confident about stating and maintaining my boundaries than I did when I was young, and worried I'd never find another person who might find me attractive, yadda-yadda. I'm substantially fatter these days, but I wouldn't say I'm "too fat", because it's not the way I think anymore. And I don't feel my partners are "settling" by ending up in bed with my fat body, so I feel confident negotiating more clearly. Of course, it's not like a decade or two of growing up hasn't helped immensely too, but I can see how this could be a factor to examine.
It feels especially likely when you consider how often abusers use that same path to keep their victims in line; the victim's body and attractiveness is often a target of shaming and insults, and it's not uncommon to hear variations of "no one else would want you" as part of systematic self-esteem destruction. (Hmmm; causality question -- in the above study, did they control for abusive histories? If not, that could be seriously confounding, and really mess with the assumption of causality in the article -- victims of abuse might be more likely to have body image issues and to engage in riskier behaviors, because both are likely sequelae to abuse)
Stop False Advertising by Crisis Pregnancy Centers (includes petition info)
Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) deceptively advertise as comprehensive women’s health clinics, often listed under “abortion services,” to lure women to their facilities, where they are pressured to choose pregnancy or adoption in lieu of abortion or birth control.
Of the 3,500 CPCs nationwide, a Congressional study found that 87% provide false and misleading information about birth control and abortion.
The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and the World Health Organization all dispell fake clinics’ false claims that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, suicide, and that condoms are ineffective.
The Hatch Amendment, which reinstates $250 million in federal funding, over 5 years, for failed abstinence-only Title V programs, slipped under the radar and made its way into the new Health Care Reform Bill. States can choose to opt into this funding and millions of these federal dollars will be funneled to fake clinics.
We urge you to tell Congress to support legislation that would stop CPCs’ deceptive advertising practices, require that accurate medical information is provided, and eliminate ALL federal funding for CPCs!
You know you’re kind of a jerk when you write a blog post basically mocking rape survivors.
Continuations of the conversation about men's studies vs male studies
Sounds like this book on the history of childbirth could be interesting
Where to get degree in death, anime or psychic abilities
9 Muppets Kicked Off Sesame Street
‘Firefly: Still Flying’ On The Way With New Stories, Images & Artwork
‘Caprica’ Actor Patton Oswalt To Write ‘Firefly’ Comic About Wash
UPDATED! Geeks In Space: NASA Astronauts Wake Up To ‘Firefly’ Theme Song
Natural family planning as a birth control option: a Reproductive Wellness column -- under the right circumstances, and especially when other forms of birth control are problematic (due to allergies, reactions, etc), knowledge of NPF can be very beneficial. It's not simple, and it requires dedication and organization, but it can be quite effective when it's done fully (including checking cervical mucus, etc). I'm glad to know physicians are getting training in how to do it right, at least. The more options patients have, the better.
Postal Service as a Giant Battery? A Plan for Cashing In
The U.S. Postal Service may earn millions by storing and stabilizing some of the nation's energy supply in its trucks. -- nifty idea; I wonder how likely it is to actually happen.
Obama Administration Officials Thwarted a Terrifying Terrorist Plot. Why Don't We Hear About That?
The church drops its defense posture, edits its guidelines to read that church leaders should report clerical sex abuse to civil authorities. -- it may only have happened under massive pressure, but at least it's an official policy change, finally. It's a small step forward. The final quote doesn't do much for my confidence, though: Today, the official Vatican newspaper published an editorial that praised the church for being "the only institution to address this problem that concerns all of society in an exemplary manner." -- Yeah, guys. You just tell yourself that.
Gaga went on to encourage her fans to have sex only when they feel ready - and to take advantage of the condoms handed out at her concerts, if and when they do. She also reminded them that "you don't have to have sex to feel good about yourself," a valuable message in a time when women so often feel like their self-worth is determined by how many people want to have sex with them.
Get serious about your sexual health, protect yourself, don't have sex until you're ready, you are not your sex life. These are all great messages, and both Gaga and Lauper are to be commended for putting their considerable influence as celebrities behind such a worthy cause (and for advocating for sexual health in a realistic and respectful way, unlike some other celebrities). But Gaga lost me when she said this:
'I remember the cool girls when I was growing up. Everyone started to have sex. But it's not really cool any more to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent.'
Having sex and being "strong and independent." Since when are the two mutually exclusive? And why do I have a sneaking suspicion that no man is ever going to be told that he has to make this choice? For a man, having sex "all the time" doesn't affect anyone's perceptions of his strength or independence.
Guest Post: How Suffragist Postcards Got Out the Vote -- includes actual images of the postcards. Fascinating stuff.
Leaked Confidential Document Reveals Obama's Climate Strategy
Uninformed Limbaugh Wonders ‘Where Was The Union’ At Non-Union Mine Disaster -- if it weren't about such a fucking obscene tragedy and crime, this'd be thoroughly chuckle-worthy. Relatedly: A coalition of NGOs say Don Blankenship is "as criminally culpable as any mass murderer" for the mine disaster because he had systematically worked to avoid safety regulations.
Because publicly shaming airlines seems to be the only way to accomplish things anymore, have a truly hideous story about United Airlines' treatment of a disabled passenger (and the body_impolitic post about it)
The Working Families Party is currently running a campaign to pass a law in New York state to prohibit the charging of rent in homeless shelters.
On problems with the Green Jobs training programs
A bit of good news for transgender inmates in Wisconsin, but also a reminder of just how many issues face incarcerated trans people
Should Child Obesity Be Considered Child Abuse? -- thankfully at least this particular writer doesn't think jailing parents or taking away their kids is an appropriate reaction. Don't read the comment section unless you're in the mood to break things. However, this is becoming an issue on a legal level. One more reason for me not to have kids; I have the audacity to be fat, and it's more than likely, given the high heritability of body size, that any children of mine would be as well. And the odds I'd be willing to put a child on a calorie-restricted diet, given what we know about the damage they cause, are extremely low, so I'd count as "non-compliant" too. Guess that means I'd be an unfit parent, pretty much by definition. Why don't I feel safe reproducing in this country? Let me count the ways...
Relatedly: Is Our Obsession with Weight Misguided? Here's What Really Matters When It Comes to Good Health
A popular author says that fitness, nutrition and socioeconomic status are far more important than weight in determining health risks. -- No shit, sherlock. It's what the science has been saying for years. It's so much easier to use the "health" veil to hide one's fatphobia, though.
7 Biggest Environmental Disasters -- Where Are They Now?
Man Requests Restraining Order Against Police So He Can Attack Abortion Clinic -- Hooboy. It'd be much funnier if it weren't a death threat.
Think You're Too Fat or Too Skinny? You're More Likely to Engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors -- The study is specific to teens, but I wouldn't be surprised if further study finds the results to generalize to adult women as well. It seems likely that the less confident you are of your attractiveness to other people (which includes your perception and judgments of your body), the more likely you may be to agree to non-ideal situations or partners. On a personal and anecdotal level, I can say that I feel much more confident about stating and maintaining my boundaries than I did when I was young, and worried I'd never find another person who might find me attractive, yadda-yadda. I'm substantially fatter these days, but I wouldn't say I'm "too fat", because it's not the way I think anymore. And I don't feel my partners are "settling" by ending up in bed with my fat body, so I feel confident negotiating more clearly. Of course, it's not like a decade or two of growing up hasn't helped immensely too, but I can see how this could be a factor to examine.
It feels especially likely when you consider how often abusers use that same path to keep their victims in line; the victim's body and attractiveness is often a target of shaming and insults, and it's not uncommon to hear variations of "no one else would want you" as part of systematic self-esteem destruction. (Hmmm; causality question -- in the above study, did they control for abusive histories? If not, that could be seriously confounding, and really mess with the assumption of causality in the article -- victims of abuse might be more likely to have body image issues and to engage in riskier behaviors, because both are likely sequelae to abuse)
Stop False Advertising by Crisis Pregnancy Centers (includes petition info)
Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) deceptively advertise as comprehensive women’s health clinics, often listed under “abortion services,” to lure women to their facilities, where they are pressured to choose pregnancy or adoption in lieu of abortion or birth control.
Of the 3,500 CPCs nationwide, a Congressional study found that 87% provide false and misleading information about birth control and abortion.
The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and the World Health Organization all dispell fake clinics’ false claims that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, suicide, and that condoms are ineffective.
The Hatch Amendment, which reinstates $250 million in federal funding, over 5 years, for failed abstinence-only Title V programs, slipped under the radar and made its way into the new Health Care Reform Bill. States can choose to opt into this funding and millions of these federal dollars will be funneled to fake clinics.
We urge you to tell Congress to support legislation that would stop CPCs’ deceptive advertising practices, require that accurate medical information is provided, and eliminate ALL federal funding for CPCs!
You know you’re kind of a jerk when you write a blog post basically mocking rape survivors.
Continuations of the conversation about men's studies vs male studies
Sounds like this book on the history of childbirth could be interesting