2010 December Archive

The holiday season is high season for domestic violence, too

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. I’ve been spending most of the festive season at home wrapped in multiple layers of warm clothing and trying to figure out an answer to the age-old question: is it possible, though the medical establishment has yet to realize it, that watching all four seasons of Friday Night Lights in rapid succession can cure the flu?

But as Nina Funnell reminds us in Australia’s The Age, the festive season isn’t just about food and presents and precious moments around the Christmas tree. It’s also a time at which a law enforcement services and women’s shelters brace themselves for a spike in domestic violence. According to Funnell, the period between Christmas and New Year’s, ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

More ‘Nutcracker’ racism

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the ballet The Nutcracker and its use of racial and ethnic stereotypes. I wrote specifically about George Balanchine’s 1954 choreography for the New York City Ballet, the world’s best-known and most influential version of the ballet story, and called for the removal of the offensive racial stereotypes in that production.

Last week, I had a chance to see a brand-new Nutcracker, with choreography and staging that were created in 2010. It was the American Ballet Theatre production, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. Ratmansky, the former director of the Bolshoi Ballet, is an award-winning choreographer who has created works for City Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet and the Kirov Ballet, and is currently artist in ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

The Feministing Rom Com Review: Valentine’s Day

For the last year, I’ve been watching and reviewing romantic comedies as a part of the Rom Com Review series. I’ve reviewed:

Our Family Wedding, Date Night, Going the Distance, How Do You Know, Just Wright, Killers, Life As We Know It, Morning Glory, She’s Out of My League, The Back-Up Plan and The Bounty Hunter.

That’s eleven rom coms in total.

But I missed one. The year is almost at an end, and some of you might have noticed that I failed to review the biggest rom com of the year. I failed to review Valentine’s Day. It is indeed true that I did not review Valentine’s Day, partly because the Rom Com Review series didn’t start until March.

As it turns ...

For the last year, I’ve been watching and reviewing romantic comedies as a part of the Rom Com Review series. I’ve reviewed:

Our Family Wedding, Date Night, Going the Distance, How Do You Know, Just Wright, Killers, Life ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 13 years ago

UConn women’s basketball team breaks record for longest winning streak, and other thoughts on women and sports

Last week the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team broke the record for longest winning streak in college basketball—men’s or women’s—by winning its 89th straight game.

The Huskies’ coach, Geno Auriemma, noted that many male commentators dismissed his team’s achievement because it was women’s basketball—and only paid attention at all because they were chasing a record held by the UCLA men’s team since the early 70s:

“Because we’re breaking a men’s record, we’ve got a lot of people paying attention. If we were breaking a women’s record, everybody would go, ‘Aren’t those girls nice, let’s give them two paragraphs in USA Today, you know, give them one line on the bottom of ESPN and then let’s send them back where ...

Last week the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team broke the record for longest winning streak in college basketball—men’s or women’s—by winning its 89th straight game.

The Huskies’ coach, Geno Auriemma, noted that many male commentators ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 13 years ago

Julian Assange says “Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism” and he is a victim of “revolutionary feminism”

Oh good. Julian Assange keeps talking. In a recent interview, he said he was bewildered by the sexual assault allegations against him. He sees himself a victim of radicalism:

“Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism,” he said. “I fell into a hornets’ nest of revolutionary feminism.”

Honey, I wish Sweden was a nest of “revolutionary feminism,” but I really don’t think it’s quite there yet.

Maybe Assange is confused because he doesn’t seem to grasp the basics of consent. He says one of the women “arrived at a lunch in a revealing pink cashmere sweater, flirted with him, and took him home.” And the other woman took a “’trophy photo’ of him lying naked in her bed.” Well, ok, that’s nice. ...

Oh good. Julian Assange keeps talking. In a recent interview, he said he was bewildered by the sexual assault allegations against him. He sees himself a victim of radicalism:

“Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism,” he ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

What We Missed

Another singer, R&B and soul vocalist Teena Marie, died yesterday.

A federal investigation continues in Kansas City on whether or not Dr. George Tiller’s assassination was part of a larger conspiracy.

Amanda Marcotte and Moe Tkacik discuss the rape allegations against Julian Assange on Bloggingheads. Also, Assange has made a $1.3 million book deal, one he claims he was “forced” to make.

Two steps forward for NYC: After tons of mobilizing, the NYPD has announced they will be changing how their sex crimes reporting and statistics are handled. Also, the New York City Council passed a new law that would create more transparency when students are arrested.

Another singer, R&B and soul vocalist Teena Marie, died yesterday.

A federal investigation continues in Kansas City on whether or not Dr. George Tiller’s assassination was part of a larger conspiracy.

Amanda ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

Miracle on 22nd Street

This video has been everywhere the past few days, but in case you missed it during holiday time and because it’s just unbelievably beautiful, here it is again:

(I haven’t been able to find a transcript for the video. If you do find one please feel free to post it in the comments.)

The moment that gets me every time I watch this video comes towards the end when Jim and Dylan are discussing the pressure of having over 400 letters and being unable to respond to all of them. Dylan questions fulfilling any letters if they can’t fulfill them all, but Jim responds that that would be like saying the world has too many problems so they shouldn’t do anything about ...

This video has been everywhere the past few days, but in case you missed it during holiday time and because it’s just unbelievably beautiful, here it is again:

(I haven’t been able to find a transcript for the ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

Transgender woman arrested for being assaulted by a cop

On December 1st Chloe Moore, a transgender woman living in DC, pepper sprayed a man after he reportedly hurled transphobic slurs at her and pushed her. The man then chased Moore, threw her to the ground, pinned her down, and pulled out a badge identifying himself as Officer Raphael Radon of the DC Police Department.

Radon and his friends have their own version of the story, of course, but Moore’s is backed up by an uninvolved witness. The Washington Blade discovered that the two police officers who responded to the scene determined Radon started the altercation and may have committed a bias-related assault. But supervisor Captain Michelle Williams overrode their recommendation and had Moore charged and arrested. Officer Radon ...