An even older sister remembers the Yippies.

By the end of the 60s, I was married with two little kids and living in the rural town where my husband was teaching. I protested in what meager ways I could, but my heart was with the Yippies. Who were the Yippies? They're somewhat documented here, and what follows is excerpted from that piece.

The Yippies, who came up with the name first and the acronym "Youth International Party" later, pulled their first famous act at the New York Stock Exchange. They floated down dollar bills and then laughed hysterically as millionaire stockbrokers scrambled madly after the money. They wanted to celebrate the "death of money" and expose the greediness of American society. From then on, the Yippies would put soot bombs at Con Edison Headquarters to warn about pollution, plaster SEE CANADA NOW signs on Army Recruiting Booths and mail 3,000 marijuana joints to random strangers from the phone book. Abbie's antics made him a media celebrity along with the Yippies' other leader, Jerry Rubin, best known for dressing in a Revolutionary War outfit and blowing bubbles at a House Un-American Committee hearing. Many groups in the sixties were so earnest and self-righteous that the Yippies provided some of the only examples of radicals with a sense of humor.

Contrary to Abbie often being portrayed as a comic buffoon, ... he was a very serious, committed activist who gave away more money than he made. She had met him in New York, when Abbie had opened a "Free Store" for low-income people and set up a place for the homeless to come. He sold goods from cooperatives in the South who were trying to escape poverty.

As the Yippies gained more attention, however, the focus shifted towards pulling off even more outrageous activities rather than setting up "counter institutions" like the Free Store. Media dependency and addiction were setting in. Some began accusing the Yippies of provoking violent confrontations with the police, though others believed the police unleashed the violence. In October of 1967, in what would become one of the most important protests of the 60s, the March on the Pentagon mobilized 100,000 various anti-war activists.

At the protest, the Yippies had declared their intention to "levitate" the Pentagon, and to exorcise it of all the evil spirits that were killing Americans and Vietnamese women and children thousands of miles away. Roz put on the footage of the levitation and I could hear through the phone the chanting of "Ommmmmm." US marshals surrounding the Pentagon moved in and started arresting demonstrators. One famous photo shows a protester putting a daisy into the gun of a policeman. The March was only the prologue to what would become increasingly more violent confrontations with the police.

I think perhaps that, as much as we enjoyed the efforts of the early Yippies to draw attention to important issues through humor and satire, it became pretty apparent that those tactics were not going to result in real change happening. Frustration led to more confrontational behavior, as is also happening today.

As I sit here watching Baghdad being violently destroyed , live, before of the eyes of the whole world of television, I can't help see that the confrontation in which the anti-war protestors are engaging to make their points heard is nothing compared to the violence that we are inflicting upon the innocents of Iraq. As an American, I am ashamed of what my country's leaders are doing in my name.

(double posted here. And go here to read George Dubya Bush's War Prayer (a little satire in the Yippie spirit).

A grandma's question for young mothers

This is not the kind of issue I usually bring up here at Blog Sisters, but I need some input/advice/reassurance.

Have any of you done the "attachment parenting/co-sleeping/sleep-time ritual/baby-genius accoutrements" thing advocated by so many of the new books on baby-care and practiced by my daughter? I just don't remember caring for a baby being so complicated. I fed them when they were hungry and put them down to sleep when they got tired during the day. Sometimes I played with them and sometimes they amused themselves in their playpens. Bed-time rituals evolved according to what they seemed to need -- story time, lullabyes, stroking, etc. etc. while they lay in their cribs. I sometimes left them with baby-sitters and went out with my husband.

My daughter says she's read all the books and she knows what she's doing. Meanwhile, my grandson has a really hard time falling asleep and refuses to be separated from her (he's only 8 months and I understand that it's normal for him to have separation anxiety). She and her husband don't go anywhere; their lives revolve around the schedule she tries to set for the baby; she's tired and anxious and frustrated, and he's being a saint.

Have any of you young mothers gone through the same thing? If so, how long does it last? Do the kids eventually come through this and become independent self-calming sleepers and autonomous self-amusing kids?

She's pissed at me for suggesting that there are other less self-sacrificing ways to care for and nurture a baby. So, while my mouth is shut now, my mind is still wondering what experiences others have had using her modern baby-care methods. I figured that some of you modern mothers might be able to clue me in. I certainly am no longer going to butt in.

Gender and Achievement

My classes are focused on sociology of education at the moment, and one area we talk about that generates a lot of interest is gender and education. From literature, including 1991's Failing at Fairness: How Schools Cheat Girls and the more recent AAUW's Gender Gaps, we know that girls' learning problems are not identified, boys get more attention in classrooms, and girls start school testing higher in academic subjects but wind up achieving 50 points less on SATs. Finally, middle school is particularly troublesome.

At the same time, U.S. Department of Education data indicates that more girls than boys graduate high school, more women than men receive a bachelor's degree, and women now outnumber men in master's degree programs.

There is a dynamic in education, that achievement is impacted by social group, because while the returns to education are measurable across class, race, ethnicity and gender, as the outcome some groups benefit less than others, and as a result, are not as motivated to complete and excel. But this dynamic does not hold up between men and women. For example, compensation is not equitable between the genders. Yet females are high achievers. So why do women do so well when they receive fewer rewards? Some hypotheses are that women:

-are aware of the discrepancy but don't care
-are focused on the gains of feminism and so ignore the discrepancy
-have a traditionally dependent role which means economic returns are not the motivating factor (i.e. making a "good match")
-are socialized into specific roles in the early years
-value a private motivation (domestic life/home and family/community) more than a public one (economic/polity)

A complicating factor is that boys are disproportionately labeled as having special needs, perhaps because boys more often exhibit developmental delays, or are more likely to have their problems get attention, or because girls are more likely to display rewarded classroom behaviors (sitting quietly, raising her hand in turn).

Personally, I guess I do value private motivation, but at the same time, I see a lot of women in their 30s and 40s returning to college, and many are motived by economic reasons. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this fascinating subject?

Which side of the fence?

Unless you took this picture, or you happen to be the bird, you don't really know which side of the fence the bird is over. In other words, it's possible, and in all likelihood probable that we (blogsisters) don't all feel the same way about the impending war.

So what?
It would make me "unhappy" if this blog turned into a war blog, or should I say anti-war blog, but then that's me, and as I said we all don't feel the same even though we've got similar genitals.

in light of it all..

i posted the following in my weblog last night.

in light of it all.. being called idealistic, and a fantasizer. being told that i am not patriotic and i hate my country. having people say that i don't support the people that this government has sent to iraq. reading the comments placed here recently in an attempt to engage me in argument over war vs. peace. in spite of it all, i refuse to give up on my belief in peace and non-violence.

there are times when to let go and there are times when to hang on, this is one of those times when i choose to hang on to something i have believed in all my life.

i used to say that i wished i'd been around during the 60's, during the peace movement. i've got my own now. i've got a president who is off his rocker, a man who believes in holy wars, a man who claims to be the leader of this great country but chooses to forget the very tenants which he has been elected to move forward. i've got a country full of people who tell me how anti-american i am because i won't tow the line. i've got people who go for the quick fix of violence all around me. i don't need the 60's anymore, i've got the 00's. this is my time in the line and i will walk it proudly until the day i am told the line has finally reached the end.

there were hopes last week amongst the peace community. leaders of other countries saying that for once the world is not waging war, instead it is waging peace. there were reports that the father of this president, a former president himself, had joined with a bunch of plutocrats to say that this was bad. i was told that tony blair is under such scrutiny by his populace that if he supports this war he will be out of office in a millisecond.

but tonight the hopes have died down. the hopes of the millions who's voices people refuse to hear have been crushed. i found myself near tears. i found myself seeking out comfort, where comfort couldn't be found.

but i will tow this line. i won't let it go. in light of it all, everything i have known all my life, everything i have believed in, everything i have clung to and made a part of my heart-- that each life is a miracle, that no human being is worth more than another, that we should strive to love even our enemies-- has not left me. tonight, in light of it all, i refuse to give up my belief that peace and non-violence are the only answers.

Too Close for Comfort

I took these photos at a candlelight peace vigil that in which I participated tonight. It took place at the busiest intersection in the Albany area, less than 3 miles from where I live, and it was too close for me to be comfortable if I didn’t go over there. I sent the photos I took to moveon.org.

I stood between an elderly Quaker woman whose spiritual beliefs bring her to every peace rally in the area and a woman about my age who is a member of the Women For Peace effort. Next to her stood a distinguished sexagenarian in his old military uniform waving a large flag with the image of planet Earth from space. We lined up along the raised curb -- toddlers, students, dedicated activists, people like me who talk the talk and reached that point of discomfort where we felt we had to do more.

We were all handed a flyer:


War looms too close for comfort.

On Supporting the Troops

[an excerpt]

My friend Becky's eyes fill with light whenever she talks about her fiancé. Michael is a soldier, a new recruit (God only knows why) who just finished basic training. But now, Becky's eyes are filled with tears: Because the couple have yet to make their relationship legal -- thank heaven they are heterosexuals and have that right, although, thanks to the Shrub's rush to war, they lack the time -- Becky was not allowed to attend her beau's recent graduation. She was not even permitted to see him. And, she tells me, she won't get that chance, because Michael is being shipped out to goddess knows where to fight a war that even he questions. The last time we talked, a devastated Becky moaned that it will be at least two years before she sees her love again -- all because of a piece of paper and Bush's murderous grab for power and greed. How do we support Michael? Send him home to Becky's arms. NOW.

More of this commentary can be found at All Facts & Opinions.

War on Women

March is supposed to be Women's History Month. You wouldn't know that in the US Senate, which seems determined to do women harm. The Washington Post reports that senators rejected a proposal that would have expanded government health care for low-income pregnant women and would have forced private health-insurance companies to make contraceptives more widely available. Tuesday's 49-47 vote -- it was 11 short of the 60 needed -- came during debate on legislation to ban a procedure that critics call partial-birth abortion. The same vote also turned back a proposal to make emergency contraceptives (the morning-after pill) available in hospital emergency rooms for victims of sexual assault.

While we're busy trying to impeach the Shrub, we should seriously think about throwing some of the bastards on Capitol Hill out on their keisters.

hope for humanity

in his article the world after 9/11 arun gandhi, the grandson of m.k. gandhi, writes:

To begin with the communities in the United States can start a "Hope for Humanity Fund" - saving a coin every day to help a community in a Third World country. The reason why we need to save a coin everyday is because we must be conscious every day of the need to help someone, somewhere in the world. Writing a check at the end of the year does not create the consciousness that is necessary to build a relationship. Saving a coin everyday also gets children involved in the process and they learn early that life is about giving and helping and not just about amassing and consuming.

read more about hope for humanity in his article: hope for humanity: a new millennium role for the us?

so shrub spoke...

... and everything I wrote yesterday still applies -- you have to laugh or you'll end up bawling like a baby.

George W. Bush needs some new ideas, some new inspiration, perhaps a new job. In last night's televised press conference, a listless Commander-in-Thief gave us the same old-same old: that Iraq's a "direct threat" (which even many conservatives don't buy); that Saddam Hussein is delaying, "not disarming -- that's a fact" (let's see what Blix says); that Iraq's leader is thumbing his nose at the United Nations' authority; that the UN must support war; that the US doesn't need the UN's permission to attack anyway. Shrub says all of this twaddle makes his case, but last night, he did not appear convinced -- and he did not look particularly interested either.

But read this story of an encounter between a US military veteran and another man, chemist-activist Albert A. Hambidge Jr. Here is an excerpt from Hambidge's "The Wall," which chronicles a conversation between the author and the vet as they stand before the Vietnam Veterans' memorial in Washington, DC:

There weren't many people there; few visit during weather like this. As I walked by the panels, relishing the stillness, I came upon a man in fatigues. Though one of those floppy green hats covered his head, he seemed under dressed considering the cold. The area around him was devoid of wind and snow, as if the Wall created a sheltered harbor from the storm. He was staring at one panel, at a spot about chest high. Upon my approach, he said to no one in particular, "Goddamn bastards are doing it again." The sound of his voice startled me; I flinched, and stopped. He turned to look at me.

"We never learn, do we?" he asked. My quizzical look made him chuckle, and he continued as he turned back toward the Wall: "It never ceases to amaze me what we let ourselves be turned into cannon fodder for. We let ourselves get talked into all sorts of horror, and only after the body bags start piling up do we begin to wonder why."

We both knew he had my attention now. "Know how many names are here?" he asked. "Something like 50,000," I replied. "You make it sound like a goddamn statistic" he said, "There's Fifty Eight Thousand Two Hundred And Twenty Nine names on this Wall." He said the words slowly, enunciating each one. "Fifty Eight Thousand Two Hundred And Twenty Nine. Every one of them a son; a brother, or a father, a husband, a cousin, a lover, a neighbor, a friend. Fifty Eight Thousand Two Hundred And Twenty Nine boys brought home in boxes. For what? For fuckin' nothing. And now the bastards are gonna do it again."

A stronger case, n'est-ce pas? Read the piece in its entirety on the market-anarchy-themed site Strike the Root.

While you're at it, cyberpal and activist Lisa T. sent along a must-see op-ed that you, um, must see. Dig this bit about Bush:

He's clearly delusional.

The man who, through the country's apathy, ignorance, and blind trust, now wields the greatest power ever known to humankind, sees reality as a field of play where he is the biggest kid out there, or at least has the biggest stone to throw.

And part of the nightmare is that he is and he does.

Read the entire editorial by J. Rex Bounds & Lisa Walsh Thomas at resistance site America Held Hostile.

More ranting about the supposedly greatest nation in the world at All Facts and Opinions.

salem witch trials

there was a movie about the salem witch trials on cbs, here in the states, last night and sunday night. i've done some reading on the trials prior to the movie. the following is part of what i posted in my blog yesterday night:
i've done some reading about the trials. there are various theories about why what happened in salem, mass back then happened. the most plausible to me is ergotism poisioning. from the article by linda caporael:

Ergotism, or long-term ergot poisoning, was once a common condition resulting from eating contaminated rye bred.  In some epidemics it appears that females were more liable to the disease than males (19).  Children and pregnant women are most likely to be affected by the condition, and individual susceptibility varies widely.  It takes 2 years for ergot in powdered form to reach 50 percent deterioration, and the effects are cumulative (18, 20).  There are two types of ergotism--gangrenous and convulsive.  As the name implies, gangrenous ergotism is characterized by dry gangrene of the extremities followed by the falling away of the affected portions of the body.  The condition occurred in epidemic proportions in the Middle Ages and was known by a number of names, including ignis sacer, the holy fire.
        Convulsive ergotism is characterized by a number of symptoms.  These include crawling sensations in the skin, tingling in the fingers, vertigo, tinnitus aurium, headaches, disturbances in sensation, hallucination, painful muscular contractions leading to epileptiform convulsions, vomiting, and diarrhea (16, 18, 21).  The involuntary muscular fibers such as the myocardium and gastric and intestinal muscular coat are stimulated.  There are mental disturbances such as mania, melancholia, psychosis, and delirium.  All of these symptoms are alluded to in the Salem witchcraft records.
----------
It is one thing to suggest convulsive ergot poisoning as an initiating factor in the witchcraft episode, and quite another to generate convincing evidence that it is more that a mere possibility.  A jigsaw of details pertinent to growing conditions, the timing of events in Salem, and symptomology must fit together to create a reasonable case.  From these details, a picture emerges of a community stricken with an unrecognized physiological disorder affecting their minds as well as their bodies.
        1) Growing conditions.  The common grass along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to Newfoundland was and is wild rye, a host plant for ergot.  Early colonists were dissatisfied with it as forage for their cattle and reported that it often made the cattle ill with unknown diseases (22).  Presumably, then, ergot grew in the New World before the Puritans arrived.  The potential source for infection was already present, regardless of the possibility that it was imported with the English rye.
        Rye was the most reliable of the Old World grains (22) and by the 1640's ot was a well-established New England crop.  Spring sowing was the rule; the bitter winters made fall sowing less successful.  Seed time for the rye was April and the harvesting took place in August (23).  However, the grain was stored in barns and often waited months before being threshed when the weather turned cold.  The timing of Salem events fits this cycle.  Threshing probably occurred shortly before Thanksgiving, the only holiday the Puritans observed.  The children's symptoms appeared in December 1691.  Late the next fall, 1692, the witchcraft crisis ended abruptly and there is no further mention of the girls or anyone else in Salem being afflicted (4, 9).

the article goes on to talk about the geography salem and how there were more affected in one part of salem than the other. it is all quite interesting.

i personally am not that thrilled with this movie. witchcraft and witches are still misunderstood in this country, in fact bush himself does not recognize the practice of wicca or paganism as real religions. people who identify as witches still have to hide in this country under which "freedom of religion" was one of the tenants that we were founded. it is all very disturbing.

btw, one site that i've found to be pretty good as far as the facts of the trials, as they were then, is: salem witch trials page

Anita Roddick: We Need More Like Her

Well, I did get myself out in the rain and over to Russell Sage College in Troy, where Blogsister (and socially responsible corporate entrepreneur/founder of The Body Shop) Anita Roddick was signing her new book (as well as her other books) at the college's "Social Responsibility Fair." She is in residence there this week as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. (I signed a few petitions and picked up some info about the local "Women Against War" group that I've been trying to catch up with.

Anita Roddick is as impressive in person as she is in her tireless work on behalf of human rights, fair trade, the environment, peace, and any number of issues that specifically affect women. Luckily, I arrived early enough to catch her before the throngs beseiged her for photo ops and further discussions of questions that she stirred in her presentation earlier in the day. She welcomed me as a Blogsister, and I commandeered a passerby to take this photo.



Next to Anita, I look like something that just came in from the rain (which is exactly what I was.) I think I need to trek over to my neighborhood Body Shop and see what she's got there to help spruce me up. I did wear my Blogsister's t-shirt, though. My thanks to Anita's colleague, Blogsister Brooks Shelby Biggs, whom I finally thought to email in hopes that she would mention to Anita that I was going to show up -- which she was happy to do.

women call for peace in yachats, oregon

The letters SOS are understood worldwide as a call of distress. These letters, the O turned into the symbol of the peace movement, are composed of women who shed their clothing Saturday [22 February 03] in a grassy field near Waldport [Ore.] to express their views against war. Organizers of the event arranged for a chartered plane to fly over and photograph the peace message.

read more about the action, that i participated in, at women send SOS call for peace. and see even more pictures of women all over the world at baring witness.

Sign Emergency Petition to U.N.

Once, there was a bogus fwd-the-email petition going around that purported to be aimed at the United Nations. It was fake, false nonsense. Now, thanks to MoveOn.org, here's the real thing.

The emergency petition's going to be delivered to the 15 member states of the Security Council on THURSDAY, MARCH 6.

If hundreds of thousands of us sign, it could be an enormously important and powerful message -- people from all over the world joining in a single call for a peaceful solution. But we really need everyone who agrees to sign up today. You can do so easily and quickly at:

http://www.moveon.org/emergency/

The stakes couldn't really be much higher. A war with Iraq could kill tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and inflame the Middle East. According to current plans, it would require an American occupation of the country for years to come. And it could escalate in ways that are horrifying to imagine.

We can stop this tragedy from unfolding. But we need to speak together, and we need to do so now. Let's show the Security Council what world citizens think. Sign the emergency petition to the U.N.

Speaking of Anita Roddick!

So, I log onto Blog Sisters to sing the praises of Blog Sister Anita Roddick, and there she is, posting (below) about the virtual march that she is organizing for London. But I'm mentioning her for another reason. She's in my locality this week.

Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and international activist, is spending this week at Russell Sage College in Troy as this year's Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. She's here to show her support for the new bachelor's degree program created by Brownell and Ingraham -- business and organizational management with a focus on social responsibility.

For those of you who don't know about Anita Roddick, the local newspaper article goes on to say:

She opened the first Body Shop in Brighton, England, in 1976. Today, the skin and hair care company has nearly 2,000 stores in 50 countries and is a leader in the social responsibility movement. Calling itself a "corporation with a conscience," The Body Shop uses ethical, environmental and socially responsible methods to produce its products and conduct business. For example, the company promotes fair trade by working cooperatively with small producers and protects the environment by using minimal and recyclable packaging.

The corporation encourages these values outside the company's framework by campaigning for the protection of the environment and against animal testing within the cosmetics industry. The Body Shop supports human and civil rights actions -- from fair employment practices worldwide to volunteerism within local communities.

Roddick's activism isn't limited to business, however, or to one area of the globe. It extends to women's business cooperatives in Ghana, to safe sex initiatives in India and to London, where she is speaking out against a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq. (And organizing a virutal march, as her post below explains.)

I buy my cosmetics at our local Body Shop. If you never tried them, you should. Not only are they great products, but I love the fact that a company like Anita's is behind them and that she's a Blog Sister!!

I wonder if I show up wearing my Blog Sisters t-shirt at one of the events at which she's featured, if it will get me a personal intro.

My dialogue with a warrior.

I've been having an e-mail dialogue with a former military man whom I don't personally know. He is articulate and sincere. This is some of what he just wrote:
As my son prepares to go to war in the national guard as a helicopter pilot, I read your prose and remember the invective that spewed forth from the mouths of protesters during Viet Nam. Those protesters that ran to Canada, exercised their deferments in college or wrangled other ways to beat the draft. While the common soldier took the brunt of their abuse on their backs, truly innocent of all charges, most doing only what they were told as their responsibility as a citizen.

Go here to read more and my latest response to him.

He's in Our Corner

He’s new blogger Jim Culleny, who links a “thanks to blogsisters” from his new weblog post that refers to Betsy post below. He emailed me to see if we might include him in our blogroll, and of course, I had to inform him that our blogroll only links to member Blogsisters. BUT, I replied, I would be more than happy to give him some play here.

Jim lives surrounded by women he loves, including two natural daughters, one stepdaughter and three granddaughters and, he says “(as you must suspect) I can’t get away with even the slightest slip into the overbearing mandom.” No wonder he likes the likes of Blogsisters!

Jim writes commentary for the Greenfield Recorder in Greenfield, Ma. And does frequent radio commentary for wfcf.fm public radio in Amherst. He’s also had work aired over National Public Radio's All Things Considered .

If Blogsisters had an honorary membership category, he would be a prime candidate. However, since we don’t, I’m going to list his weblog, www.noutopia.com in my blogroll and invite my sistahs to consider doing the same.

He says on his new blog: I'm open to new info, odd info, funny info, perplexing links, new angles on political mendacity, the tortured logic of big heads, and reports of high & low-level public screwups (for example, the loose lips of Trent Lott)...anything good citizens ought to be made aware of. Send anything you'd like. If I can use it I will.

Sure sounds like our kinda guy. And what really sold me was linking, up front, to the following poem:

Utopia
by Wislawa Szymborska

Island where all becomes clear.

Solid ground beneath your feet.

The only roads are those that offer access.

Bushes bend beneath the weight of proofs.

The Tree of Valid Supposition grows here
with branches disentangled since time immemorial.

The Tree of Understanding, dazzlingly straight and simple,
sprouts by the spring called Now I Get It.

The thicker the woods, the vaster the vista:
the valley of Obviously.

If any doubts arise, the wind dispels them instantly.

Echoes stir unsummoned
and eagerly explain the secrets of the worlds.

On the right a cave where Meaning lies.

On the left the Lake of Deep Conviction.
Truth breaks from the bottom and bobs to the surface.

Unshakable Confidence towers over the valley.
Its peak offers an excellent view of the Essence of Things.

For all its charms, the island is uninhabited,
and the faint footsteps scattered on its beaches
turn without exception to the sea.

As if all you can do here is leave
and plunge, never to return, into the depths.

Into unfathonable life.

Welcome to the blogiverse, Jim.

An occasional brute, I have found myself unable to tolerate complaints by fellow humans that they are 'bored'. Should a foolhardy subject complain of boredom within my radius, I would punish them with wayward if lavishly smug pronouncements that amounted to : It's All Your Own Fault, Shiftless Dotard, The World Is An Intriguing Place.
Due to a deft act of Karmic renovation, today, I too, find myself Bored.
This may be due, in part, to my - ahem - Sabbatical. (An instance that might be less politely read as a protracted period of low-to-no employment). The Busy are terminally Interested in everything. I, by conrtast, have a great deal of time at present that will not be adequately spak filled by domestic clutter. However, as one who is (a) incorrigibly vain and (b) has enough time to concoct more elaborate theories, I have Other Ideas.
I choose to blame The War On Terror for my boredom. Boredom is the by-product of congestion, confusion and doubt. Further, it can be engendered when there is no goal or meaning in site. So, as many of us concur: 'meaning' is the first casualty of a war fought on television. The conflict, bloody as it might become in the 'real', is reduced to a flat all-commercial-free nothing. The representation of the war says nothing about actual folks or events or catastrophe and much about television itself. So it reflects itself, its own medium, endlessly. And we can see and feel nothing beyond it.
All old electronic media behave in this fashion. That is, the only real reference is to the medium itself. Which is not really a problem if someone is, for example, burbling on about the benefits of ayurvedic soap and how it has improved Nicole Kidman's skin. Or whatever. I don't necessarily crave nor pay attention to that kind of bombardment because it isn't essential or fatal. Unlike war.
It's damn dangerous when we begin to trivialise the serious. And then it just gets boring.

Leader of the future...

This is my daughter at the podium at the Guilford County Commissioner's meeting Feb. 6th. My daughter and I are walking in the MS Walk this April in honor of my mother, who has Multiple Sclerosis. At the commissioners' meeting, I gave a speech about MS, announced our walk team, and collected donations. Here are my experiences that night and having a family member with MS at my blog, More than Expression. Click on the side link, "Walking for MS". - Jennifer

Hello, goils...
My name is natalie, i'm a mom and a journalist, and my blog is All Facts and Opinions, a compendium of progressive news, opinionizing, protest music, the occasional recipe, and near-continual bird-flipping at the US government. Being new here, I wondered how best to say hello. My mom suggested offering trinkets. Feel free to keep, use, print out, slap on a web site, what-have-you:





Hi Betsy. In answer to your question, when dealing with "who am i," I tend to focus on the vocational and avocational as they are applicable to the theme of my site. That way you can decide how much of your personal (avocational?) info you wish to make available to the entire world. Just one solution... hope it helps.

I love all this pro-peace stuff! Blog Sisters looks to be very activist, which is WAY cool...

So glad to meet you all!

natalie r. davis
the armchair activist
all facts & opinions

blog for peace

http://stopbush.crimsonblog.com

Btw, for any blogger blogskin users, they are struggling for $. I just found out and decided to put my money where my mouth is. I purchased an ad .20 per tenthousand impressions(=2.00 buck). I bought a text ad for my blog page. Still its a great resource for free blog template options. just an fyi!!!

Oppose Bush's War on American Women

This has definitely been lost in the war news and I thought it worth knowing.

Whether you're Right or Left on the issue of women's reproductive rights, please consider the following...

President Bush has announced his plan to appoint Dr. W. David Hager to head up the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. This position does not require Congressional approval. The FDA's Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee makes crucial decisions on matters relating to drugs used in the practice of obstetrics, gynecology and related specialties, including hormone therapy, contraception, treatment for infertility, and medical alternatives to surgical procedures for sterilization and pregnancy termination.

The committee has not met for more than two years, during which time its charter has lapsed. As a result, the Bush Administration is tasked with filling all eleven positions with new members.

Dr. Hager's views of reproductive health care are far outside the mainstream of setback for reproductive technology. Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women.

Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager's practice. In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body," he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying. As an editor and contributing author of "The Reproduction Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality, Reproductive Technologies and the Family," Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient.

Hagar's mission is religiously motivated. He has an ardent interest in revoking approval for mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486) as a safe and early form of medical abortion.

Hagar recently assisted the Christian Medical Association in a "citizen's petition" which calls upon the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone in the name of women's health. Hager's desire to overturn mifepristone's approval on religious grounds rather than scientific merit would halt the development of mifepristone as a treatment for numerous medical conditions disproportionately affecting women, including breast cancer, uterine cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, psychotic depression, bipolar depression and Cushing's syndrome. Women rely on the FDA to ensure their access to safe and effective drugs for reproductive health care including products that prevent pregnancy. For some women, such as those with certain types of diabetes and those undergoing treatment for cancer pregnancy can be a life-threatening condition.

There is widespread concern that Dr. Hager's strong religious beliefs may color his assessment of technologies that are necessary to protect women's lives or to preserve and promote women's health. Hager's track record of using religious beliefs to guide his medical decision-making makes him a dangerous and inappropriate candidate to serve as chair of this committee.

Critical drug public policy and research must not be held hostage by antiabortion politics. Members of this important panel should be appointed on the basis of science and medicine, rather than politics and religion.

American women deserve no less.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERY PERSON WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT WOMEN'S RIGHTS.

2. OPPOSE THE PLACEMENT OF THIS MAN BY CONTACTING THE WHITE HOUSE AND TELL THEM HE IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE ON ANY LEVEL.

Please email President Bush at president@Whitehouse.gov or call the White House at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414 and say:

"I oppose the appointment of Dr. Hager to the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. Mixing religion and medicine is unacceptable. Using the FDA to promote a political agenda is inappropriate and seriously threatens women's health."

While all of our attention is riveted on Bush's global warmongering, we in the homeland are in danger of being defeated by this subversive effort.. TAKE ACTION AGAINST BUSH'S WAR ON AMERICAN WOMEN.

(double posted at kalilily.net)

The Wage Gap

I just posted this on my site and then realized it was better for here:

The wage gap between women and men is the lowest on record! (warning: NYT link) Yeehaw! Oh, yeah,except that its only because wages in general (read: predominently men's) are not keeping up with inflation. So girls, your wage gain doesn't mean you can live on what you make or that you make as much as the guy in the cube next to you, but be happy anyway!

This, for the record, is the fourth f***ing paragraph of the story:

Women's pay still lags men's in virtually every sector of the economy. Full-time female workers made 77.5 percent of what their male counterparts did last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the previous eight years, the inequality worsened slightly, to 76 percent in 2001 from 77.1 percent in 1993.

Gee, let's throw a party!

No War

At the peace march held in Sydney yesterday (Sunday), a heavily pregnant woman wore a short shirt, baring her belly, which had the words "No War" painted on it. I wish I had caught a picture of it, but she walked by too quickly. It was a great image.

For those who dont know, the Vagina Monologues are touring the UK. I havent seen them yet, but theyre meant to be fantastic.
for tour dates and more info go to The Official UK Site or The Official USA site

Answering a Child's Questions About War & Peace

If you're taking a child to any of the antiwar protests this weekend, you may well be the object of some seemingly unanswerable questions. "Mama, look! That sign says "No War". What does 'war' mean?" The fine folks at TechnoDyke.com sympathize, and offer some advice.

What Can I Do To Stop This Virus-Spreader?

beyerp@sunysuffolk.edu
Someone with this address keeps emailing me all kinds of viruses, which my virus-protection software catches and quarantines. Every time the email comes, it arrives from a different email address and with a different subject line. (I got the real address by going into "Properties/Details".) Is there somewhere to report this idiot?

Addendum: Heh. I figured out that the email address is at Suffolk Community College in NY, so I emailed them and reported the virus spammer. Meanwhile, does anyone know if there's some general site where one can report such stuff and get virus-spreaders in trouble?

Annika Sorenstam: Golf's Billy Jean King

So Sorenstam, the winningest female golfer of all time, and arguably the best ever, has accepted an invitation to play the world's best male golfers in a PGA tournament. She's only the second woman ever to do this.

Most of ther men have been gracious and enthusiastic, but of all people, Tiger Woods disappoints. He said he was happy to play against Sorenstam, but said he was worried that it would be bad for women's golf if Sorenstam played poorly.

Note to Tiger: I hope she kicks your sorry ass.

Al the talk is about how women have a physical disadvantage because they don't have the power off the tee. This tourney should level the playing field with its short fairways. Besides, if the important thing about golf were physical power, these guys would be weightlifters, not riding around in stupid little golf carts and wearing chinos.

Dowload Free Posters for Peace

Go here and here to www.truemajority.com to download posters that you can print out and display, share, etc. Do it!

courtney unplugged, undressed

On Ms Love's recent Magazine Naughtiness comes;Commentary by Miss Feva I'm no prude, yet I felt embarrassed for Love while viewing these photos …

View more not-so-salacious pix of Courtney replete with circa '95 post-ironic porn stylist aesthetic here.
I can but concur with the nonr-too-proper Mademoiselle Feva. It is not blank morality that impels one's gaze away from a nudie Courtney. Nor is it the dimensions of her dinnerplate nipples. (Oooh. Ping.) Rather, the shame of this shoot, which features muff-waxing, inheres in its lack of hip. A decade ago, such pictures might have emerged remarkable for their riot grrl sass, nu-lib grunt, subverted porn etc. Sadly, the session's value as a cultural artefact does not exceed - well, just what it is, really: an expensively nipped, tucked chick in good shape and pushing forty and desperate, despite vaunted 'feminist' leanings, to show us all exactly how spongy-fresh and non-menopausal her female parts remain.
Personally, I'm hungry for 'statements', if they need to be made, of wild, unkempt amd assured femininity that do not involve nakedness.

RIP Washing Machine

I think the washing machine died. I suspected it was on its way out for a while. But then it has been living on borrowed time for eight years. That's the last time it broke, when my husband Bob was in graduate school (do I always have to measure things in student intervals? Another option for marking time is by death date. I'll think, "Howie [my pre-Rudy dog, a precious, grumpy, super-smart beagle/schnauzer] was alive. So it must have been eight years ago").

My father came up and fixed it then. I'm not sure if it is really broken this time, or if it is a belt or something minor like that. The problem is the same as in 1995, it won't spin. That time, though, it shut off after it tried to switch to spin. This time it runs for the entire cycle, it just isn't spinning. We probably will have to get a new one, since it is 16 years old and what, today, lasts even that long? I am wondering how we, or rather the delivery people, will get a new machine into the house. There are high snowbanks, a thick snow and ice blanket covering steps and the yard, and a gate to the fence that is probably frozen shut.

I wrung out the wet clothes by hand. Not a pleasant or easy task, and my hands got very cold. That was yesterday. Today, I ran another load through, a light one, just so I could watch and see exactly what happens. Sounds OK, water fills and drains, but it doesn't spin. Wrung out yet another washer full. Thought of Cherry Hill, where we had a special exhibit a couple of years ago on laundry that fascinated me and the visitors. Doing laundry was a big drudgery for women in the past. (Despite the technological improvements, and men who lend a hand, sometimes I think it still is.) Even families who weren't wealthy often had help with laundry because it was such a chore. This provided a much-needed and legitimate job for many poor and/or immigrant women. And it was something of a social time, everyone did their washing and ironing on the same two days every week - and visited outside as they dumped water and completed the back-breaking task. The invention of the washing machine was certainly labor saving - but it also meant laundry remained in the home, rather than being a service performed by a business.

I thought of Mimmie, my grandmother, who at times took in laundry, and years later, still had a wringer washer at the old house. It was a big round white tub, with legs on casters. She dragged it across the room to hook it up to the faucet of her kitchen sink. In my mind's eye I see her, feeding one piece of clothing at at time through the wringer. It generally took several passes before it was good enough to be hung on the line. Each piece came out flat as a pancake.

I sure wished I had that wringer today.

(Excerpted from Gully Brook Press)

One More Fashion Hazard

This article cautions that wearing hip-huggers may cause women and girls to get pinched nerves. Although it is probably not very common, and I tend to prefer loose clothing anyway, I have had footware-related nerve problems and can testify that it isn't fun!

Take on State of the Union

i was listening to an interview on npr today and I thought Jeff Birnbaum made a good point. He said all bush has to do is suggest policy; almost none of it, including his economic plan, will be adopted by congress, but voters will refer to it during the 2004 election. Basically the state of the union is the biggest bandstand for campaigning ever, and bush will get credit for "trying" to enact such brave plans as a hydrogen-powered car and the biggest funding initiative for AIDS relief in US history. This makes sense to me, Bush being the most political president in our history. I know that politicians have to be political, but presidents are supposed to be leaders, not manipulative power whores.

I made the cover of CW360.com/Blogsister done good!

Hi,

My web service article was selected from my blog post submission at CW360.com *the original hompage link lasted only 24 hours the new link has been updated!
Full Article at my here at my blog.

February 15 anti-war info

Since the comment feature seems to not be working at the moment, if you want to follow up on Jocelyn's suggestion, go to www.unitedforpeace.org, a site that shares info about where protests and marches are being held.

cyberfeministart

My thanks to my non-blogger artist friend Linda K, who pointed me to a cyberfeminism gallery that is one of the current features on www.artwomen.org.

ArtWomen.org began with two friends talking via e-mail, a feminist curator in Texas and a feminist art historian in Washington, D.C. We decided to use the Internet to bring artwomen together on line to talk about issues of current interest.

Featured now is an online gallery of cyberfeminist art. I won’t even try to describe the experience. At least check out the pieces linked from this page. Amazing, outstanding, cutting edge, creative womanstuff. (also posted on kalilily.net)

Programmers?

Hi,

Sorry I don't mean to double post with two completely different ideas in the same week. However, If anyone from blogs sisters programs or knows programmers in the Los Angeles Area. We are looking for someone. These requirements are listed in the order of importance. For more information please visit our link at http://www.amuletc.com/Employment.asp.

Thanks!

Memorial

At the risk of appearing to promote the newly-constructed blog of a relative, I thought it significant to post here about a pseudo-relative of mine, "Aunt Ted." She was the ex-wife of my great uncle, a lady who I never managed to meet in person, but I heard a lot about her and often got Christmas cards, etc. from her. In her late 80's, she was driving from her small town in southern California to LA (not only a long drive, but pretty scary when you consider the quality of drivers in that area) to help out at a shelter and do volunteer work. She was a neat person and a sister worthy of remembering, and my dad's tribute to her is worth passing around (and heck yeah! I'm biased).

Finally!

I have finally set myself up with a computer at home, and now I can post as well as comment, since my work computer couldn't handle BloggerPro.

Hello fellow Blogsisters, I hope February is treating you all well so far. I'm afraid I have nothing more poignant to say at this point, but I thought I'd say hello properly.

Weather Update

Warning: please do not believe the little weather gismo on my site, no, not for a second. It states it's cloudy and only -5 this morning... wtf? Really? I'm sat here looking out the window at a raging storm, the snow is coming down so thick I can't see the tree ten feet away. And the wind? The wind is howling ferociously blowing said snow all over the place. Visibility is the nose in front of you face and the temp, I'm reliably informed by the thermometer on the outside window, is hovering around -3.

What's worse, we're expecting anywhere between 25-30 cm by the day's end. Though, of course, we've nothing to complain about here in QC, others to the east are experiencing a mini ice-storm and, are due to get another whopping snowfall of 30-40 cm.

What was that about Groundhog Day and Winter finishing early? Crap! I think She's just getting started.

My thoughts on technology enabling the business of music...

An open ended question Camille raises. this post of mine from a few days ago lays out the vision I had during 99-00 when I was involved in writing about b2b marketplaces--I saw no reason why technology couldn't assist the business of music in some sort of real-time (or near real-time) online exchange. This particular area is a passion for me because of my husband's many decades in the music business, and by virtue of that, or somehow vice versa, mine. Thus my rather primitive architecture, at least by today's standards. But still, it's a dream I have.

Riddle

I have been researching the resiliant but constantly distressed peer 2 peer services. Most of which have some connection with music downloading.

Q:What does IT and Music have in common really?

A: Both are industries sorely in need of a union.

Any thoughts on this one?

Blog Sisters Alert!

We have given permission for Blog Sister Clancy Ratliff, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota, to email the Blog Sisters and ask them to participate in a pilot study that she is doing on women and blogging (including the issue of gender in the blogging community). She is doing this study because she believe blogging is an important new rhetorical practice, and, as a feminist minoring in Women's Studies, she is interested in studying blogging with respect to women. You are not obligated to participate in her study, but we hope that you will. She will share with us the results of her investigations. Watch for her email.

High Flight
John Gillespie Magee

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds,

- and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless falls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, nor even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

What an awful loss.

Anti-war Poetry Power

(Read the entire post on my blog here.)

Earlier this week, I got an email forwarded to me by a friend of mine who is a member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy.

The original email sent by Sam Hamill, a poet and editor of the highly regarded Copper Canyon Press, asked that every poet speak up for the conscience of our country and lend his or her name to our petition against this war, and to make February 12 a day of Poetry Against the War. We will compile an anthology of protest to be presented to the White House on that afternoon. Read about the history of the effort here. And if you want to submit a poem or statement of conscience, email it to kokua@olympus.net. I already did.

Look-a-like-Competition

Okay, so this is old new by now, but, none the less, very funny. The UK-based newspaper, The Evening Standard, states that a Russian law firm is reportedly taking legal action against the special effects people who dreamt up Dobby (from Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets), arguing that the animated elf has been modelled on Russian president, Vladimir Putin.


Dobby = Putin

Really? Do you see a resemblance? Naw, nor did I!

Today's Puzzle

I've scanned in two quarters from my purse (by the way-I find purses very annoying, but I don't like fanny packs either, and my jean pockets aren't always big enough). Found some strange things about one, but why would anyone copy a quarter? The engraving looks great. I posted the pics at my blog. Can you see what I see? -Jennifer

oops, meant to post the second one on my blog...

on my way over there to do so.... slip-a-the-post.

calling doctor blogger?

Any medical bloggers out there want to tell me if this kind of thing is common?. With three abdominal surgeries under my belt--or should I say uterus--I am feeling quite faint at the prospect of a Texas A&M logo branded on my most private of privates.

g--a--g.

Thanks (I think) dearest for the link.

OH NO he DIDN'T!

Oh yes he did.

This popular OB branded a patient's uterus with his alma mater insignia before removing it during a hysterectomy. The patient, who later saw the good doctor carving his UK Medical School john hancock into her womb while reviewing a video tape of the operation, says this:

"It was a mockery to my body," Means said. "This was an organ that created my two beautiful children, and I wanted it discarded with respect. And it wasn't. It was used as a toy in the operating room without my consent.... So I felt as though I was an insignificant person. I question, would he have done this to the governor's wife or someone of great importance?"

I completely agree with her.

Means goes on to say that the event has affected her marriage and children... that her children "are offended by just looking at a UK sign."

I don't know that I would have involved my children in my hysteria, but hey, I sure would have been FIT TO BE TIED, no pun intended. And I'm not sure what kind of husband she has if he's so concerned about "claiming loss of companionship because of the strain the incident has put on their relationship" rather than visiting Dr. Guiler and doing a little branding of his own.

But if they can make a buck off of this while putting Dr. Guiler out of business, all the better for everyone. The woman, at least, deserves it.

And thanks to George for the link.

(cross-posted at my blog)

Dammit, I'm proud to be an American.

But why do I feel somewhat guilty in writing that phrase?

Tonight I watched my first State of the Union address, while living in a foreign country. It was a bit weird. For one, none of the 3 channels in the apartment carried it, so I had to scamper online to find a live feed. While watching the tiny screen on my laptop, I felt all sorts of things. I felt a bit disconnected -- I think that is largely due to the fact I'm so far away from home (not necessarily US, but a long ways from GA!). Up here there's been more protesting about the upcoming military action, so I haven't been as swamped with newscasts about it like I would be back home. Then again, if I was back home I think I would be feeling the pressure in a different sense -- mainly due to the fact Savannah is within an hour's distance of 2 large Army bases (whose troops have already been deployed).

I think that I'm definitely more sensitive to the language Bush used in his speech. Being away from the American media, plus back in a rhetorical frame of mind, helps with that I'm sure. It was interesting to note the different times he used the ploy "We're Americans and can do whatever we feel right" along with appeals to the international community and cooperation. I think the former largely outweighed the latter.

That's where I feel so torn. I mean, America is my home. I love the fact that I can call myself an American -- despite the popular notion it is to bash it and condemn its policies. And by bashing it I don't just mean here in Canada -- even back home its sometimes viewed as "academic" to be critical of many elements of "American-ness" (yes, I just made up a word, thank-you-very-much!).

So while I'm proud of my identity in some ways, I'm also very troubled by certain aspects of it.

It bothers me that so much of our nation's intentions are prefaced by the fact we're doing this "because we're America." Hearing statements like these bothered me:

In all of these efforts, however, America’s purpose is more than to follow a process - it is to achieve a result: the end of terrible threats to the civilized world. All free nations have a stake in preventing sudden and catastrophic attack. And we are asking them to join us, and many are doing so. Yet the course of this Nation does not depend on the decisions of others. Whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American people.

[...]

The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, and our friends, and our allies. The United States will ask the UN Security Council to convene on February 5th to consider the facts of Iraq’s ongoing defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq’s illegal weapons programs; its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors; and its links to terrorist groups. We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.

But he did raise some vaild points, regarding Saddam -- in addition to the facts he laid out about disregarding UN regulations:

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option.

While that's a tad bit overstated, I do think there's some merit in what's behind it.

The highlight of the speech, for me:

Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many. We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own country. And to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. This comprehensive plan will prevent seven million new AIDS infections … treat at least two million people with life-extending drugs … and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from AIDS, and for children orphaned by AIDS. I ask the Congress to commit 15 billion dollars over the next five years, including nearly ten billion dollars in new money, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.
This Nation can lead the world in sparing innocent people from a plague of nature. And this Nation is leading the world in confronting and defeating the man-made evil of international terrorism.

Interesting transition -- from peaceful relief efforts, right into the bit on terrorism. I really hope he means to follow through on this promise of AIDS relief, and isn't just using it as speech fodder to lesson the "big-bully" worldview of the US. It's something we should have been doing *years* ago, in my opinion.

And finally, the big closer:

Americans are a resolute people, who have risen to every test of our time. Adversity has revealed the character of our country, to the world, and to ourselves.
America is a strong Nation, and honorable in the use of our strength. We exercise power without conquest, and we sacrifice for the liberty of strangers.
Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world, it is God’s gift to humanity.
We Americans have faith in ourselves - but not in ourselves alone. We do not claim to know all the ways of Providence, yet we can trust in them, placing our confidence in the loving God behind all of life, and all of history.
May He guide us now, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Again with the mixing of God and politics. I'm finding that this is a trait that is very-American. You don't ever hear any Canadian officials ranting, "God Bless Canada!" It's definitely a loaded statement. While I hope that God does continue to bless my country, I don't want that blessing at the expense of other countries. "God Bless America" is an interesting type of enthymeme. In other words, there's a whole lot of assumptions left out of that conclusion. If "God Blesses America", does that mean he then punishes its enemies (or at least gives them a disadvantage to the US)? Does that statement mean that God should only bless America? All of a sudden, I'm not so comfortable with that statement's hidden meanings.

That said, I am appreciative of the fact that I can question my government and country without fear of reprisal. And its late now so I should get some sleep.

When in Rome, do as the Romans Do?

Today in Sociology we discussed many things, one being cultural differences and laws in different countries.

For example: Two brothers from the Middle East, ages 34 and 28 came to live in Nevada. They were charged with first degree statutory rape because their wives are 13 and 14 years old.

Is this fair? More questions raised at my blog>>

BlogSister Housekeeping Requests

I've been registering new sistahs like crazy over the past month, and I know that I haven't gotten all of them on the blogroll. So, please, if you don't see your name and link over there on the left, email me with your url and the name by which you want to be listed. And, while you're at it (and that goes for everyone!) the next time you log on, click on "Team" up there in the tool bar, then click on your name, then cliick on the "Edit My Profile" up there in the upper right corner, and at least let us know where you are living on this planet.

Finally, send your bio to Andrea (see here). I now return you to your regualr programming.

Typing Upside-Down

You know those Looney Toon cartoons where Bugs Bunny gets lost while he's burrowing around in the ground and suddenly pops up in China, but the camera is upside-down? Well, that's how I'd be if I was a cartoon.

Just in case you haven't been checking in on my personal blog, this Sister has completed the easy part of her journey from small-town western Washington to the grand city of Sydney, Australia-- the easy part being the plane ride. Now I've got culture shock, digestive problems, getting a working visa and getting a life to deal with. Ah well, at least the weather's hot and beautiful for the most part. Maybe I'll just go to the beach some more.

As technical officer of this blog, please feel free to continue to email me if you have questions or need help of a technical nature. Just keep in mind that at the moment my 'net access is limited, so be patient with me. Also keep in mind that, depending on where you are in the world, I may be keeping very different hours now!

Signing off from the other side of the world...

Today (1-25-03); courtesy of avant.com for Salon.com news channel. Book Recommendation: "Global Woman" by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild.

Technology News: "Subcontracting the Kids" by A.R.H (global woman co author). Very timely and enlightening esp. after la times article about a family that auctioned themselves on eBay just to stay afloat in these trying economic times.

Hours, Days, Years

Jennifer Balderama posts this ee cummings quote:
Stolen wisdom: to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

I saw the movie “The Hours” tonight. It’s a movie about that battle.

As Blog Sisters registrar, I’ve been registering new sistahs almost every day, many of them young enough to be my granddaughters. Their blogs tend to be about that battle.

The Blog Sisters who’ve been there from the beginning – Jeneane, Shelley, Halley – never stop fighting to be nobody but themselves. They blog their struggles, their questions, their answers – refusing to become everybody else. Their posts are about that battle.

(Read the whole and rest of the rant here.)

testing from avantblog download to handheld; palmm100. Anyone else tried it?

George Bush--urban cowboy?!!

Watching a news conference with George Bush makes me want to gag--why must he wear the cowboy hat? Isn't his outlaw/old west/manifest destiny attitude bad enough? must he reveal himself via clothing choices to be the stick up the butt/devalue the choices of American people/moral policeman politician that he is? Don't try to be cool George. Your heavy handed policy choices are not cool.

Also, just to comment on Glovefox's blog that the Chinese have long memories (i know, the post was about bullying, this is just an aside), I'm reading Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter, which is all about the Chinese having long memories, among other things. I really enjoy her writing, but many individuals whom I admire, including my World Lit by Women prof, degraded her writing, saying that she's a fluff author, a John Grisham or Mary Higgins Clark for the ethnic set. I've read all of Tan's books, and have enjoyed them all, and while I am not above literary snobbery, I just don't agree with that mindset. Just wondering how any who have read/critiqued Tan's work may feel about this. I do admit that her whole "rock band" with Stephen King seemed like really self-serving preening, I can not defend that, but her writing on the whole is really representative of the Asian/American, Chinese/American experience. If you're interested in East-Asian American women writers you should also check out Gish Jen.

Blogging=too much time on the computer!

I came across an interesting story titled, "Aesthetic Impacts of Population Dynamics" Which explains the changes in population and beauty ideals. Also came across notes from the NARAL Roe VS Wade dinner. It's late, I need to go to bed so sorry if I don't post more. You can read more stuff in my blog if you like. Blogging is way too addictive!!! I'm not getting anything else done. -Jennifer Medlock

Greetings!

Greetings, All. I'm new here. I'm blogging from High Point, North Carolina. Guilford County is the Political Candidate blogging capitol of the world. I'm a 28 year old acrylic artist and a college student, as well as a wife, and a mother of a darling seven year old girl. Oh, yeah-there's the pug, too. I actually met my husband online through hotmail personals if you can believe that! I was just looking for more e-mail to fill my in-box at the time. :-) I only met two local men, after many months of e-mailing. Not a really safe thing, but neither is showing yourself in public (I'm kind of joking). That reminds me-I really hate men who make a scene while they are staring at you. Creepy. Anyway, here is an article about another peace activist woman (not me-but I'm with you there). That link goes to PressAction.com, which is how I found Blog Sisters. They have a bit about women bloggers today, which another blogger had pointed to as well. -Jennifer Medlock

"The Cruelty of Men and Americans"

Check out the essay about our cultural violence by U of Texas professor Robert Jensen in the online journal Feminista.

One of his points: “Pornography and the wars of the U.S. empire both depend for their success on the process of rendering human beings less-than-fully-human so they can be hurt -- in the case of pornography to provide pleasure for men, and in war to protect the comfort of Americans.”

my story about off label use of ru-486

i posted this in my blog too:

okay, here's the story. the drug mifepristone, more commonly known as ru-486,, even more commonly known as the abortion drug, is now being shown to work in treating a variety of diseases, two of which are severe and psychotic depression. i suffer from severe depression.

last week i went in to my doctor. the bad news she gave me was that there wasn't much else she could do for me. i had recently read in ms. that there was a study being done at standford, but also that doctors might be able to get a hold of the drug through the feminist majority foundation. i mentioned this to my doctor and brought in a copy of the article, hoping that we could get a hold of the drug for me.

a week later. she tells me we can't get a hold of the drug. she didn't call the fmf but she talked to some of her friends-- my doctor is a pro-choice activist-- and they told her that the drug was so highly regulated that you had to call the company to get a hold of it for any off label use, and with a study going on for depression there was no way she was going to be able to get it for me. (can't do a study, to high a risk of me getting a placebo and that is way bad news.)

see, with any other fda approved drug and off label use there's no problem. doctors do it all the time. in fact i'm sure the vast majority of you have gotten a drug from your doctor and used it for a reason not under the original reason approved by the fda. but because this drug was approved as the abortion drug all the right wingers have decided to fuck with it and not let free use of it. so those people like me who could benefit from it have to suffer because of morality not chosen by us.

i've written a note to my doctor telling her that if the group she works with in her activism wants to use me as a face and a name in their materials to help get the government to lay off ru-486 they'd be more than welcome. and i'll be calling my senators, that pissant gordon smith, and ron wyden, and my house dude- peter defazio, and maybe even trying to speak with them personally. i want all of them to put a name to what this government has done. and luckily i'm a person that they like. white, middle class, and educated (i'll leave out the lesbian part). i'm even gonna find out the name of the manufacturer of ru-486 and call the president.

Now Here's a Question for You..

Does anyone know if there's a site to help women who have been scammed by an internet "date?" A woman I know who knows that I blog here, asked me to try to find out. If not, she was wondering what her liability would be if she started one. Maybe a blog where women could post the names of the men who are lying about their married states etc.? I know that, a while ago, some Blog Sister posted here about a guy who was was a real scumbag and warned other women using internet dating about him. Anyone have any info? Ideas? Suggestions? Links? Thanks.

Body Positive

This week is Healthy Weight Week. If you do a Google search you will find a bunch of sites, some of which are about weight loss. Others are promoting the paradigm of Health at Any Size.
I’m writing something every day about my own experience of, and thoughts about being fat and body positive ideas. I thought I’d ask Blogsisters to make a body positive post this week.

Influences [dive into mark]

thanks to Marcus

The abortion debate may be the most cliche thing to post about on BlogSisters, but so it goes.

Today in The New York Times, there was a front page article on the state of abortion rights in the United States. It was a slightly faulty (but more thorough than most) assessment of the history of abortion in America, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It is so vital, now more than ever, that we acquaint ourselves with history so that we can appreciate and understand how we came to where we are now. It was very distressing to read in this article than in one poll conducted in Washington state, the majority of participants had no idea that abortion was ever illegal. But many things were hopeful. It seems that 80% of the population supports abortion rights (some with stricter restrictions, some without), and, at the same time, the rate of abortion is currently at its lowest since 1974.

Also: I would like to assert that I make no false claims of non-bias. I am clearly pro-choice, and I am not pretending that anything I've written here or linked to is anything resembling objective.

Why I think women are way ahead of men.

Brain research is making it more and more evident that, while our environment and nurturing can make a crucial difference in what kinds of adults we mature into, nature deals us each a very definitive hand, and much of it is in the form of chemicals that our brains produce. If we don’t have enough seratonin, we feel depressed. If we are females and our estrogen and progesterone are out of whack, we get major PMS. (These are just two of hundreds of examples.)

Many of us women have come to recognize that we can control PMS – with everything from herbal supplements to wild yam cream, from progesterone suppositories to Prozac capsules. Because humans have evolved the way we have, it might be “natural” to be at the mercy of our erratic human brain and glandular chemistries, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take our fate into our own hands and alter those defective ebbs and flows. Doing so doesn’t make us less ourselves; indeed, it often frees us from the tyranny of our chemistries and allows us to be so much more our loving, caring, creative, and nurturing selves – in other words, better human beings.

Research has also made the connection between high levels of testosterone and violence/aggression/competitiveness. It has also made the connection between high levels of testosterone and sex drive.

Read the rest of my rant on my weblog here.

Behind the Music

Music, sexism and war. When I was younger and more of a television watcher, I loved to tune in to PBS in the beginning of the year to watch the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year Celebration. Actually, I listened more than watched because as a musician myself, music was first. Then my father pointed out, "There aren't any women in the orchestra." That's when I started paying attention to the screen. Indeed, there weren't any women in the orchestra, except maybe the harpist, but I wasn't sure because I only saw the harp itself and not the musician behind it.

I suppose I've been spoiled into thinking that musicians were only judged by their ability and not something superficial like the color of your hair*. Maybe I'm too idealistic in thinking that music should come first because I start noticing certain things. Why were most of my music teachers female but all of the conductors of the orchestras I was a member of male? Why are certain instruments considered "girly" when kids are given an opportunity to learn music? Why are so many composers hired for movie scores male?

This chauvinism obviously isn't just confined to the Vienna Philharmonic, but I'm not sure if a protest aimed singly at this organization is going to help much.

*Except for popular idols where their only marketable attribute is sex appeal and not the validity of their music.

Also posted on syaffolee.

What is the world doing to us?

Jennifer Balderama wonders what she’s doing with her life. It seems to me that, like the rest of us, she’s living it – as best she can under the circumstances.

Unemployment is rampant. Gambling is out of control for too many people. We are very close to a global war. Violence against women and children is as widespread as ever. Global warming is affecting where certain crops and plants are able to grow. Education budgets are being decimated. “Sophisticated computers, robotics, telecommunications, and other cutting-edge technologies are fast replacing human beings in virtually every sector and industry - from manufacturing, retail, and financial services, to transportation, agriculture, and government.” (quoted from here)

I have a lot more to say here.

Has the US has gone Mad?

The Times Online Opinion section ran an interesting (if not possibly inflamatory article) written by the famed thriller writer, John Le Carre, yesterday which I'm sure, will run with a life of its own.

To quote the venerable author: "...The imminent war was planned years before bin Laden struck, but it was he who made it possible. Without bin Laden, the Bush junta would still be trying to explain such tricky matters as how it came to be elected in the first place..."

I was, however, more interested in what he had to say about Blair, and his part in all this, being a Brit. I also have to say that Le Carre's opinion is echoed by many of my friends and colleagues living back in the UK.

What are your thoughts?

Quote, Unquote

"All Governments suffer a recurring problem. Power attracts pathological personalities." ~ Frank Herbert.

What happens when an online friend dies or disappears

This post was triggered off by this blog - User Not Found set up to discuss how people deal with the death or disappearance of online friends. Many relationships formed online do develop into significant ones. In some cases, the two people have never met but cultivate a deeper friendship. This could be either through blogs, email or instant messengers and is particularly true for women who tend to share and bond much more easily. But what happens when the ‘real scenario’ catched up and one of the two either die or disappear?

A while ago, I read in a particular web log (I forget it’s name right now) about how the author was trying to track one of her favourite bloggers who had completely disappeared off the scene. This blogger had pulled down her blog and she no longer replied to her email. Her friend was naturally very worried and even posted a public appeal on her blog asking for help to trace her blog friend.

Has this ever happened with you? And how did you deal with it? Do you have a personal experience to share? I am researching the topic for an article and would love to hear from you. Please email me here or leave a comment in this space with your details and I’ll contact you.

Happy New Year!

I haven't posted in a while, but I hope everyone enjoys the new year all the way through. I found a good link on women journalists/weblogging sorta twist and thought to pass it on here. http://journalism.fas.nyu.edu/pubzone/ReadMe/ranieri.html
let me know what you think or find. This weblog is a wealth of content. Cheers!

Get Real

Sparked by a recent New York Times article, jf asked about reality television yesterday. I'll lay my cards on the table. I find these shows offensive, disgusting, irritating, silly and exploitative. Plus, I consider the matchmaking version (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire, Greedy Losers Connecting) to be sexist. (OK, I made that last title up.)

I don't watch them, have no respect for the "creators" of such "reality" programming, believe them to be more contrived than real (yeah sure, "true" reality takes place in front of a camera), have zero sympathy (or empathy) for the participants, and no patience for the fans of these programs. However, I have been amazed (as I commented to Elaine on her Phyllis Schafly post) to learn that people I know and respect are among the viewers.

I'm curious what the BlogSisters think...

And then there's Phyllis Schlafly

Phyllis Schlafly has written a another anti-feminist book. I can't believe that she's still at it.
I posted about it -- sort of -- here.

Better late than never (maybe)

As I've been cleaning out my family archives, I came upon a opinion column I had published in the local Hearst newspaper back in the early 70s. I wish I had found it earlier, when we were posting about feminism, because it shows that some of us have been saying the same thing for the past 30 years. I would have shared the text with Jeneane as she tried to start her (now defunct) "humans first" weblog. I would have posted it on my site in support of my argument with RageBoy. It's too late for all of that, but maybe not too late for the younger Blog Sisters to read as they try to understand why some of us are so discouraged by the rampant sexism in our society that's only gotten worse in some ways over the past 30 years.

Self-described in the newspaper as a "human being, a writer of poetry, a woman, a wife, a mother of two children, and a feminist, in varying order of importance," I wrote the following:

Contemporary women’s conversations and writings seem almost exclusively centered around the concerns of the feminist movement. As a contemporary woman, I share in these concerns and support the feminist goals of equality – including, however, the assumption that we must be equal and complementary rather than equal and the same.

Too many feminists have taken as their goal the replacement of what they view as a corrupt “male” power structure with a female power structure (which by its very nature cannot help but become equally corrupt). They seem to be encouraging us to prove that, as women, we can be as “rotten as any man.”

I am still hoping, however, that Women’s Liberation will return to its more positive goal of being Human Liberation. We must not forget that those traits – desire for power, insensitivity, hostility, destructiveness – are more accurately characteristics that cross sex lines. They are characteristics that are inhuman rather than human, tendencies that are undesirable and should be considered the enemy of all liberation-seeking people.

Phyllis Chesler in Women and Madness urges women to “seek power,” to do “whatever is necessary in order to survive.” Such rhetoric disturbs me because it advocates that women adopt the oppressive power tactics that we have been accusing men of using against us in order to gain for ourselves the power that (we believe) men have.

Obviously, the issue of our movement should not be the attainment of power, but rather the freeing of all people from the oppression of concentrated power.

I view our Women’s Movement as a force working to replace the historical power concepts of destruction, intimidation, and condescension with the more positive and humane concepts of compassion, sensitivity, the desire to nurture rather than own, to be straightforward instead of devious.

Instead of viewing our movement as a struggle between the sexes, I feel it is more constructive to accept it as a struggle between the humane beings and the inhumane beings.

Granted, some men have “Archie Bunker” views of women and will never change. But I believe that there are as many men who empathize with our frustrations, who perhaps also feel that they have not been allowed free choice in determining the course of their own lives.

Most men, I think, do not feel strongly either way about women fulfilling their needs and establishing their identities, even though they have been culturally conditioned to have attitudes toward us that we have grown to feel are demeaning. These attitudes can be changed, but we will not foster and encourage this change by using the old “power” tactics.

While sexism in the business world can and should be legislated against, you can’t beat prejudice out of a bigot, and you can’t intimidate away bad habits. Every good teacher knows that important lessons, especially “moral” ones are learned slowly and must be taught with patience and example. You teach “humaneness” by being humane; you teach “fairness” and “respect” by demonstrating these qualities.

But we must remember that attitudes change slowly and that if we are hostile toward men, they will return our hostility; that if we use power tactics against them, we are only proving (falsely) that these tactics are acceptable.

It is time not only for new structure, but for new methods as well.

Phyllis Chesler's new book, Woman's Inhumanity To Woman makes me confront how unsuccessful we have seem to have been in attaining a more humane society.

Happy New Year!!!

happy new year to all blogsisters, their friends and families!!
i hope this year brings you everything you dream of and more!!!

What is it about some men?

Last night I had a complex, cinematographic, technicolor dream that climaxed (heh) with an encounter between me and the man who had been the lust of my life. Since moving past menopause, I haven’t had much of a libido, even in my dreams – which is fine with me, since just about all of my past relationships with men have been driven by that fearsome fire. My absent libido has freed me from the need to pursue seductive satisfaction at the expense of deeper and more meaningful human activities.

But there he was in my dreams, as magnetically attractive as ever. Of course, I wasn’t the only woman who felt that way about him, and neither was I the only woman to whom he responded with such enthusiastic sensuality. Our relationship (such that it was) lasted almost three years. Having been married and divorced twice, he wasn’t about to enter into any contract. And I’m not really the long-term-commitment type either, so we were able to enjoy our adventures together, including a trip to London and Paris in April.

It’s been almost a decade since our amorous adventures, and I’m wondering why I dreamed of him now, in such tactile detail. I even felt the bed move as he got up to leave in the dream. Something must have triggered the connection – a certain sound or smell seeping into my sleeping brain. I remember the end of a poem I wrote near the end of our relationship. The poem ended with

But even in the darkest of corners
some things refuse to die –
some small husk still
riddled with seeds,
some insistent root
defying the dust,
some dormant dream
of a riotous clash of hearts,
curious clutch of minds,
a dance of hands that
hope and hold and, too soon,
let go.

She thought she was done with him,
except his voice
still pulls at her belly
like the insistent tides of the moon.
So when he calls
from places lush
with a thousand thriving things,
she sends him dewy lavender
wrapped in familiar black lace,
because, they say,
the sense of smell
is the most visceral,
holding even the darkening
memory of the dying.

It makes me wonder what it is with some men that, even when they’re long gone, there is something they leave behind to make you remember. Maybe some microscopic bit of pheromone that keeps washing around in those streams of our brain chemistries. Whatever it is, he’s one of those men. I wonder what (or who) he’s up to these days.

The Voice of Eva Cassidy

My 5-month old grandson is teething. The one thing that seems to take his little mind off his big problem is the voice of Eva Cassidy, and so that's how I just discovered her. I've posted a little about her here, and you can listen to some of her songs here. She's worth taking the time to check out. (It's possible that I'm just one of the very few people who hadn't discovered her until now; but I'm so awfully glad I did!)