2009 September Archive

What We Missed

Michelle Obama will be appearing on Sesame Street to teach the muppets how to garden.
The New Scientist is reporting on computer technology that could help detect early signs of domestic violence from medical records.
Finally some good news on the health care front: anti-choice amendments fail in the Senate Finance Committee. And some more awesomeness for Senator Debbie Stabenow (remember the your mom joke last week?)
One student midwife and doula took pictures of her cervix over the course of her cycle. You can see the photos here (warning: it’s graphic, although not nudity exactly). I think it’s pretty cool.
The Nation has an article about the history of sex columns in ...

By ariel • 14 years ago

Maine poll shows progress, California poll shows regress

In its August 2009 California Opinion Index, California’s Field Poll looked at how California’s electorate has evolved since the 1970’s. Some trends are expected; in both 1978 and 2009, women comprised 53% of registered California voters. Compared to 1978, there are fewer white non-Hispanics, more homeowners, fewer Protestants, and more non-Christians registered to vote.
Finally, the poll evaluated support and opposition to same-sex marriage between 1977 and 2009, with distressing results: California Republicans are 7% more opposed to same-sex marriage now than 32 years ago.

“As the demographic profile of the state’s voters has changed, so too have voter opinions on a number of important social issues. Republicans, on the other hand, have not changed their views ...

By Miriam • 14 years ago

Why I love fall (hint: its not about the leaves)

Last week, around the first day of fall, this tweet was going around courtesy of Sinclair Sexsmith, sex blogger and gender writer.

RT @mrsexsmith: tomorrow is equinox; it’ll officially be fall, season for which my wardrobe was made. Yay sweaters & jackets!

I agreed with his tweet (strongly) and have been thinking more about how true this is as the weather has gotten steadily colder.
I love fall. It is hands down my favorite season. I do love the leaves, and the feeling of cool crisp air, and the newness of the season. But the main reason I love it is that the fall wardrobe is so much more me than any other season.
Pants, jackets, sweaters, vests. I love them ...

Last week, around the first day of fall, this tweet was going around courtesy of Sinclair Sexsmith, sex blogger and gender writer.

RT @mrsexsmith: tomorrow is equinox; it’ll officially be fall, season for which my wardrobe was ...

By Miriam • 14 years ago

Keep your “boyfriend jeans” away from my four year old

I’ve noticed a trend in recent years, for stores like Gap and Old Navy to introduce baggier style jeans for women and call them “Boyfriend” jeans. You know, like you just slipped on a pair of your male lover’s pants and look how great they look on you? But let’s be clear, you don’t actually want to wear men’s pants. Since wearing men’s clothing might make people think you’re a lesbian (which you’re obviously not), let’s make sure everyone knows you are just trying your boyfriend’s jeans on.
Ugh.
I have much more to say about gendered clothing and the difficulties of finding clothes that don’t stick strictly to norms about gender, but I have a different issue to ...

By Miriam • 14 years ago

Last day of Food Desert Awareness Month

Today is the last day of Food Desert Awareness Month, hosted by the National Center for Public Awareness.
Food Desert defined:

A food desert is a large geographic area with no or distant grocery stores. Often, food deserts have an imbalance of food choice, meaning more nearby fringe food such as fast food, convenience stores, and liquor stores. While these communities are without enough mainstream grocers, many do have community assets, disposable income, appropriate sites for sustainable grocery stores, and talented community leaders working to improve healthy food options.

This is a super important piece in the broader conversation about food politics. As people get more aware about where their food comes from and what’s in it–folks in urban (or rural) ...

Today is the last day of Food Desert Awareness Month, hosted by the National Center for Public Awareness.
Food Desert defined:

A food desert is a large geographic area with no or distant grocery stores. Often, food ...

By Miriam • 14 years ago

Senate Committee votes to restore abstinence-only money

This one makes me nauseous.

A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Barack Obama has pushed to eliminate.
The 12-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee came over objections from its chairman, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.
Two Democrats – Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas – joined all 10 committee Republicans in voting “yes” on the measure by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.
The measure would still have to pass the full House and Senate. Hatch said abstinence education had been shown to work, though Baucus disagreed. Obama had proposed in his 2010 budget to direct money spent on abstinence-only ...

This one makes me nauseous.

By Vanessa • 14 years ago

GirlDrive the book is out

Two years after Nona Willis Aronowitz and the missed Emma Bee Bernstein hit the road for a journey across the country and into the minds of young women on the many states and forms of feminism, their book on their findings has been released. Here’s the description:

What do young women care about? What are their hopes, worries, and ambitions? Have they heard of feminism, and do they relate to it?
These are just a few of the questions journalist Nona Willis Aronowitz and photographer Emma Bee Bernstein set out to answer in Girldrive. In October 2007, Aronowitz and Bernstein took a cross-country road trip to meet with the 127 women profiled in this book, ranging from well-known ...

Two years after Nona Willis Aronowitz and the missed Emma Bee Bernstein hit the road for a journey across the country and into the minds of young women on the many states and forms ...

By Vanessa • 14 years ago

What We Missed

If you haven’t heard already, bad news folks: the U.S. Senate Finance Committee rejected the public option with a 15-8 vote. Fuckers.
The Japanese government plans to introduce legislation that will allow married women to keep their name.
Just when you thought the economic gap couldn’t get wider.
A new “virginity-faking” device is being used in Egypt as a cheaper alternative to hymenoplasty – some are demanding those bringing in the product should be subject to the death penalty.