RAMBLE - Feminism, news, google, anti-racism
Out of curiosity I looked up the more detailed Chinese Zodiac. I am a Yin Wood Rabbit. According to traditional Chinese astrology, the Rabbit is quiet, reserved, retrospective, thoughtful and lucky. In Chinese astrological thought, a "rabbit person" is graceful, cultured and well-mannered. Although Rabbit people get along well with many people, at heart they are considered to be basically reserved creatures, and are only truly happy when engrossed in some sort of scholarly or intellectual activity.
In Chinese thought, Wood attributes are considered to be strength and flexibility, as with bamboo. It is also associated with qualities of warmth, generosity, co-operation and idealism. The Wood person will be expansive, outgoing and socially conscious. The wood element is one that seeks always to grow and expand. Wood heralds the beginning of life, springtime and buds, sensuality and fecundity. Wood needs moisture to thrive.
In other news, I really need a critical thinking course, though I am getting better at gradually unpicking why an argument is irritating me. Still, it helps to be exposed to those of others:
Chris Matthews just said that this federal contraceptive money sounds like China's policy to limit the number of children and has no place in an economic package.
Now, of course one's immediate response to this tends to be 'Chris Matthews is a collosal moron', but it was picked apart better by Echidne of the Snakes. This is not a stupid comparison, this is a direct attempt to correlate forced contraception for those who do not want it (and given some places in China, forced abortion) with available contraception for those who do want it. In short, you cannot trust women to control their fertility - in any way at all. I have seen a lot of frothing hysteria out of the Neo-Cons since Obama won, but it is fascinating to see them attempting to adopt in small ways the language of choice and responsibility with intent to limit the availability of either for groups they do not like. You can see an echo of this in the whole 'abortion and contraception hurts the black community' meme that goes around - because one need not address the desire for self-determination or racism if one thinks one can get a quick few points in Who Wants To Control Fertility, Physical Challenge.
Echidne also took on this:
In a study of 6,621 Australian children over 15 years, researchers found that those who were breast-fed were far less likely to be neglected or abused by their mothers. Babies who weren't breast-fed were more than 2½ times as likely to be maltreated by their mothers as those who were nursed for four months or more, the study shows. There was no link between breast-feeding and the risk of maltreatment by fathers or others.
Which is more sensible? That or...
"researchers found that those who were neglected or abused by their mothers were far less likely to be breast-fed"
At least, somewhat in my mind, that puts it around to a more sensible framing, and begins coming somewhere close to avoiding claiming that women who cannot for one reason or another breast feed are abusers.
There is a discussion here with relevancy to transplants discussing the fact that women tend to receive fewer despite having the same or greater successes in transplant outcomes. It rambles around quite a lot, but is fairly interesting, and is worth keeping in mind for those of us who have a female partner or parent - you may have to fight harder than you think to get decent treatment, but it is possible. It is also worth knowing about if one ends up caring for someone non-white:
"Most of the research is done on white men, and just assumed to work for women/POC the exact same way. For example, liver transplants are extremely regulated with a standardized score that has been researched. (I'm sure it’s possible to abuse the system, but it’s harder). However, all the standards to get the transplants are based on numbers from mostly white men, which the others don't fit, even if they are the same level of sick. So then white men have higher scores and get the transplants."
I suppose it reminds me of how surprised I was to find out that women present with different heart attack symptoms than men and that this was only fairly recently made public knowledge.
In other news, for the love of God. Yes, I do believe whaling is wrong, and perhaps it is because I am squeamish about it and a damned hippy, but frankly the oceans are fragile enough right now. At least farmed organic meat is humanely killed, but destroying whales is akin to killing off members of an elephant herd in the distress and disruption and loss of knowledge for the pod. I can't work out if a reduction in quota is worth a compromise.
Harmony Day has high levels of support. March 21 is a day to consider ways to reduce racism. Also, interestingly:
The review said the new program name was also effective in conveying a move away from Living in Harmony, which was associated with "just tolerance", to a more positive focus on respect and fair treatment.
The US's Global Gag Rule was bad enough - but Australia's IS more restrictive. Thankyou, Howard:
Under the US gag rule, the United Nations Population Fund lost its funding in 2001. Government funding for family planning could not be given to overseas organisations that provided abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother. US-based agencies are, however, exempt from the prohibition if their abortion services are kept separate from family planning.
In contrast, the Australian ban on funding is absolute, even in countries where abortion is legal. Our guidelines have delivered a massive reduction in funds for family planning - by 2005 it was down to two-thirds of 1996 levels.
People in East Timor and other places deserve quality of life, and we can help. If we tear down this rule.
And, lastly, what the fuck is it with going through a financial crisis...and murdering your children and wife? There seems to be at least one of these every week. Is your pride and even your panic really more important than your family?
Why end on a sour note? From eselgeist - Google maps street view captures chance occurrence of a
Pittsburgh mad scientist firing his diabolical Love Ray!!!!!!!!!!! As pointed out, look up and down the street - they knew the Google Van was coming.
In Chinese thought, Wood attributes are considered to be strength and flexibility, as with bamboo. It is also associated with qualities of warmth, generosity, co-operation and idealism. The Wood person will be expansive, outgoing and socially conscious. The wood element is one that seeks always to grow and expand. Wood heralds the beginning of life, springtime and buds, sensuality and fecundity. Wood needs moisture to thrive.
In other news, I really need a critical thinking course, though I am getting better at gradually unpicking why an argument is irritating me. Still, it helps to be exposed to those of others:
Chris Matthews just said that this federal contraceptive money sounds like China's policy to limit the number of children and has no place in an economic package.
Now, of course one's immediate response to this tends to be 'Chris Matthews is a collosal moron', but it was picked apart better by Echidne of the Snakes. This is not a stupid comparison, this is a direct attempt to correlate forced contraception for those who do not want it (and given some places in China, forced abortion) with available contraception for those who do want it. In short, you cannot trust women to control their fertility - in any way at all. I have seen a lot of frothing hysteria out of the Neo-Cons since Obama won, but it is fascinating to see them attempting to adopt in small ways the language of choice and responsibility with intent to limit the availability of either for groups they do not like. You can see an echo of this in the whole 'abortion and contraception hurts the black community' meme that goes around - because one need not address the desire for self-determination or racism if one thinks one can get a quick few points in Who Wants To Control Fertility, Physical Challenge.
Echidne also took on this:
In a study of 6,621 Australian children over 15 years, researchers found that those who were breast-fed were far less likely to be neglected or abused by their mothers. Babies who weren't breast-fed were more than 2½ times as likely to be maltreated by their mothers as those who were nursed for four months or more, the study shows. There was no link between breast-feeding and the risk of maltreatment by fathers or others.
Which is more sensible? That or...
"researchers found that those who were neglected or abused by their mothers were far less likely to be breast-fed"
At least, somewhat in my mind, that puts it around to a more sensible framing, and begins coming somewhere close to avoiding claiming that women who cannot for one reason or another breast feed are abusers.
There is a discussion here with relevancy to transplants discussing the fact that women tend to receive fewer despite having the same or greater successes in transplant outcomes. It rambles around quite a lot, but is fairly interesting, and is worth keeping in mind for those of us who have a female partner or parent - you may have to fight harder than you think to get decent treatment, but it is possible. It is also worth knowing about if one ends up caring for someone non-white:
"Most of the research is done on white men, and just assumed to work for women/POC the exact same way. For example, liver transplants are extremely regulated with a standardized score that has been researched. (I'm sure it’s possible to abuse the system, but it’s harder). However, all the standards to get the transplants are based on numbers from mostly white men, which the others don't fit, even if they are the same level of sick. So then white men have higher scores and get the transplants."
I suppose it reminds me of how surprised I was to find out that women present with different heart attack symptoms than men and that this was only fairly recently made public knowledge.
In other news, for the love of God. Yes, I do believe whaling is wrong, and perhaps it is because I am squeamish about it and a damned hippy, but frankly the oceans are fragile enough right now. At least farmed organic meat is humanely killed, but destroying whales is akin to killing off members of an elephant herd in the distress and disruption and loss of knowledge for the pod. I can't work out if a reduction in quota is worth a compromise.
Harmony Day has high levels of support. March 21 is a day to consider ways to reduce racism. Also, interestingly:
The review said the new program name was also effective in conveying a move away from Living in Harmony, which was associated with "just tolerance", to a more positive focus on respect and fair treatment.
The US's Global Gag Rule was bad enough - but Australia's IS more restrictive. Thankyou, Howard:
Under the US gag rule, the United Nations Population Fund lost its funding in 2001. Government funding for family planning could not be given to overseas organisations that provided abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother. US-based agencies are, however, exempt from the prohibition if their abortion services are kept separate from family planning.
In contrast, the Australian ban on funding is absolute, even in countries where abortion is legal. Our guidelines have delivered a massive reduction in funds for family planning - by 2005 it was down to two-thirds of 1996 levels.
People in East Timor and other places deserve quality of life, and we can help. If we tear down this rule.
And, lastly, what the fuck is it with going through a financial crisis...and murdering your children and wife? There seems to be at least one of these every week. Is your pride and even your panic really more important than your family?
Why end on a sour note? From eselgeist - Google maps street view captures chance occurrence of a
Pittsburgh mad scientist firing his diabolical Love Ray!!!!!!!!!!! As pointed out, look up and down the street - they knew the Google Van was coming.