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"Patriarchal masculinity teaches men that their sense of self and identity, their reason for being, resides in their capacity to dominate others. To change this males must critique and challenge male domination of the planet, of less powerful men, of women and children."
bell hooks (via wretchedoftheearth)
(via feminisminapapercup)
"This is a war where traditional military jobs, from mess hall cooks to base guards and convoy drivers, have increasingly been shifted to the private sector. Many American generals and diplomats have private contractors for their personal bodyguards. And along with the risks have come the consequences: More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war."
This morning you should read this story on the growing risks to contract workers in the Afghan war. The consequences to those hired to do work for the military is grave, and often unconsidered and undiscussed. To accompany this read, go look through the investigative work done at ProPublica a little while ago called the “Disposable Army.”
(Source: thepoliticalnotebook)
The OWS roadshow came to my hometown of Northampton. The NYTimes covered their visit. Still unfocused. I stand by my original criticisms that OWS needs 1) a spokesperson and 2) run candidates for office.
Heartwarming news of the day: Barney Frank, who’s planning to retire from Congress, plans to marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready, in a Massachusetts ceremony. Awesome.
(via kenshiro28)
![thedailywhat:
Infographic of the Day: According to ProPublica, which is tracking opposition to and support for SOPA and PIPA among members of Congress, yesterday’s blackout managed to persuade many politicians to come out against the Internet killing bills.
As hope-affirming as that is, it’s important to note that support for PIPA remains strong in the Senate, where those in favor of the bill outnumber those opposed by almost 2 to 1.
As mentioned yesterday, another interesting oft-ignored fact is that there is far more support for both bills among Democrats than Republicans. In the Senate, over two-thirds of all supporters are Democrats.
The blackout made a difference, but PIPA could still pass, and a procedural test vote is expected next week. Appreciate the accomplishment, but don’t mistake regrouping for retreat.
Take action.
[propublica / newsweek.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly26lyBUqR1qzs5cqo1_500.png)
Infographic of the Day: According to ProPublica, which is tracking opposition to and support for SOPA and PIPA among members of Congress, yesterday’s blackout managed to persuade many politicians to come out against the Internet killing bills.
As hope-affirming as that is, it’s important to note that support for PIPA remains strong in the Senate, where those in favor of the bill outnumber those opposed by almost 2 to 1.
As mentioned yesterday, another interesting oft-ignored fact is that there is far more support for both bills among Democrats than Republicans. In the Senate, over two-thirds of all supporters are Democrats.
The blackout made a difference, but PIPA could still pass, and a procedural test vote is expected next week. Appreciate the accomplishment, but don’t mistake regrouping for retreat.
[propublica / newsweek.]
(via memewhore)
The Skinny: Counter-Boycott the Girl Scouts!
From feministing.com: Last October, Girl Scouts USA welcomed a 7-year-old transgender girl among its ranks. The organization released a surprisingly but welcomingly progressivestatement: “Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.” The action provoked outrage among cissexist parents, who have been– at least, as it appears in pro-boycott videos– teaching their daughters that these transgender girl scouts threaten the safety of others and the integrity of the program. These parents and scouts have indicated that it’s now easy for young “boys” to rape girls, since they simply have to pretend to be transgender at age six, then rape and assault other girl scouts while sharing a tent with them. Because it’s that easy to be a sexual predator who pretends to be trans, with your parents’ support, when you’re barely old enough to read. Let’s call this what it is: overt, disgusting, inexcusable transphobia. I can’t even imagine the sort of adult who would accuse seven-year-olds of premeditating rape and assault– when they’ve done nothing more than ask to be included in normal childhood recreation. And let’s not forget the obsessive perpetuation of the gender binary. Many parents think that letting these “boys” into scouts will destroy the essential feminine camaraderie of Girl Scouts. A series of transphobic viral videos have called for a boycott of Girl Scout cookies until the organization expels all transgender participants. It seems this boycott could put a huge dent in the budget of Girl Scouts USA. If the transphobes have it their way, the organization will be severely punished for their choice to allow transgender girls. I don’t want to see this happen. While I once boycotted Girl Scouts because of their enforcement of the gender binary and patriarchal views of femininity, I want to see them rewarded, not punished, for making a bold and necessary move toward improving the rights of trans youth. I hereby propose a counter-boycott. We should rally the feminist, queer,and children’s-rights communities to support Girl Scouts in 2012. Buy as many cookies as you can, and call your local chapter to let them know that you support their decision to include transgender girls in their programs. Cookies go on sale Saturday… and you’ve never had a better excuse to chow down on Samoas and Thin Mints! (via feminisminapapercup)
"Misogyny is a systematic and institutionalized form of bigotry and oppression that permeates through every aspect of our society in ways that can be obvious or more subtle (rape culture and its perpetuation can be obvious or subtle and can sometimes be difficult for a man who has never felt its effects to detect, but either way it’s horrifying.) Misandry is not systematic and it is not institutionalized. The distrust or hatred of men is a rational reaction to misogyny, which is ubiquitous and static. Statements like “can’t we all just be friends?” assume that there exists a level playing field. Until this level playing field truly exists, statements like these can easily be dismissed as childish, naive, shallow, frivolous and boring."
My response to a man asking “can’t we all just be friends?” and “isn’t misandry just as bad as misogyny?” (via sixtyforty)
ugh I want to staple this to the “what about the menz??!” faux-feminist guys on my course.
(via kitschy-kat)
*slow clap*
(via jaguar-paw)
THIS!
(via feministslut)
(via feminisminapapercup)
Next in line…
i want to minimize this for my children.
be democratic.
be revolutionary.
be progressive
(via what-is-this-i-dont-even)
1O species likely to suffer at the hands of ocean acidification
The original article is a bit scare mongery and has some incorrect facts, so here’s my adaptation.
We all know carbon has contributed to climate change and global warming, but also another underexposed problem: ocean acidification.
Tiny changes in the chemical composition of the ocean can have huge consequences for marine life, especially those who make their homes out of calcium carbonate [poor molluscs and coral] which is less available in acidified waters.
1. Blue sea slug [Glaucus atlanticus] - feeds on the highly venomous Portuguese-man-of-war. Not the best food chain to unbalance…ouch!
2. Pterapods - the basis of the Antarctic food chain. If they start dissolving whales and polar bears have another problem to deal with.
3. Brittle stars - vulnerable to ocean acidification in both adult and larval forms.
4. Squid - acidic water has been found to interfere with squids’ blood making it harder for them to absorb oxygen.
5. Shrimp - represent an important part of food webs and ecological balance in all oceans.
6. Oysters - global populations have apparently suffered a sudden crash.
7. Sea Urchins - often overlooked for “sexier” species, even the ugly urchins have a critical role in maintaining reef ecosystems by eating algae, providing a healthy balanced reef.
8. Abalone - may not last the next 1OO years at the current rate of ocean acidification.
9. Coral - an obvious victim. The knock-on effects of more brittle or lack of coral structures are too vast and too scary to think of.
1O. Clownfish - been found to have a higher instance of deafness and increases in brash behaviour in acidified waters leading to poor defence against its numerous predators.
(Source: mad-as-a-marine-biologist, via rhamphotheca)
