TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Alabama Requires Fat Tax
A bunch of Shakers have sent me links to this article (thank you!), and I don't really have time to write a big post about it now, nor does the lovely Ms. Harding, so I'm just going to open it up for discussion with a quickie:
Alabama, pushed to second in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat.Okay, this? Might be okay, if it were genuinely focused on legitimate indicators of overall increased healthfulness—e.g. lowered blood pressure, increased strength and flexibility, etc.—and focused on it for everyone. Except, guess what?
The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit -- or they'll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.
…If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity, employees will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program, or take steps on their own to improve their health. If they show progress in a follow-up screening, they won't be charged. But if they don't, they must pay starting in January 2011.
"We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health," said state worker Robert Wagstaff, who serves on the insurance board.
The board will apply the obesity charge to anyone with a body mass index of 35 or higher who is not making progress. A person 5 feet 6 inches tall weighing 220 pounds, for example, would have a BMI of 35.5. A BMI of 30 is considered the threshold for obesity.So, this isn't so much about lack of healthfulness as fatness—which, despite the weight loss industry's best efforts to conflate the two, aren't actually the same thing. And what about the thin person with high blood pressure? Shrug. Conceivably, a fat person with no health problems could be paying extra, while a thin person who's a heart attack waiting to happen can just go about his merry way without consequence.
The board has not yet determined how much progress a person would have to show and is uncertain how many people might be affected because everyone could avoid the charge by working to lose weight.
That seems both fair and reasonable.
Ahem.
And, in case you need a reminder: Why BMI Is a Crock, in Pictures.
Quote of the Day
"Oh god, I just hope [feminist groups] don't ask me anything. No, I should maybe worry about that and have something intellectual prepared to say. I wanted it to be clear that my character, while she is pressuring the girls to look sexy and impress guys, that we recognize that her priorities are skewed and not necessarily the correct priorities. I think this is an empowering story of women realizing that they really don't need the approval of guys."—Anna Faris, on her new movie The House Bunny, in which she plays a Playboy bunny, who is "tossed out of the mansion [and] has nowhere to go until she falls in with the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. The members of the sorority-who also have got to be the seven most socially clueless women on the planet-are about to lose their house. They need a dose of what only the eternally bubbly Shelley can provide, but they will each learn on their own to stop pretending to be what others want them to be and start being themselves."
Sounds awesome.
Polls, Shmolls
So. New Survey.
Americans Feel Churches Shouldn't Meddle in Politics
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A slim majority of Americans think churches should stay out of politics, according to a new survey.The article goes on to discuss that the "biggest shift" is coming from Republicans, which is interesting, and that the more socially conservative the participants were, the more they felt religion and politics shouldn't mix, which is interesting. There's more about the "faith forum," which has already been discussed ad nauseam, along with more on the candidate's abortion positions, blah blah blah. I'm not going to preach to the choir regarding the extremely important separation of church and state. What I find really interesting are the numbers.
The survey suggests that for the first time in more than a decade, there has been a shift away from the view that religious groups should influence social and political issues.
Fifty-two percent of poll respondents said churches should stay quiet, while 46 percent said churches should express political views.
52% - 46%. Is it just me, or does it seem like all poll numbers these days are the same? They all hover right around the 50/50 mark, with one just barely edging out the others. It's as if once Prezint Uniter, not Divider stole his first election, we've been completely deadlocked in an Us Vs. Them split; you can almost predict the poll numbers every time a new one is released.
I'd also add (even though we've also discussed this to death) that a certain Presidential candidate might want to keep these very close splits in mind when he's campaigning, and work to keep the supporters he has, rather than waste time and funds attempting to get the stubborn other side to cross over, ahem, cough cough.
Friday Blogaround
lol your blogaround
Recommended Reading:
Dorothy Snarker: My Weekend Crush
Elle: I Can't Even Work Myself Up Anymore
Cara: Woman With Muscular Dystrophy Had to Crawl Off Plane
Twisty: Aussie Mining Town Seeks Ugly Women
Evil Bender: How the Republican National Convention will be like O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Pizza Diavola: It's Nice To Be Straight
Tracey: Greg Jarrett of Fox News Apologizes for Blatant Trans-Hate
Leave your links in comments...
Homes? Whozit? Whazat?
I've got a new piece up at The Guardian's Comment is free America, "John McCain's housing problem."
Anyway, it's Obama who's the fancypants elitist, with all his arugula this and Europe that. Like McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers says: "Does a guy who made more than $4m last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?" Seriously. The way Obama carries on, you'd think he was born in Hawaii and was practically like the president or something. Yeesh.Read the whole thing here.
And I've heard he didn't even inherit his money, but earned it himself. How gauche.
BTW: The latest report puts the McCains' properties at eight. (Why is this so hard to quanify, anyway?!) And Attaturk notes that the McCains are spending "more than a quarter-million for what in common parlance would be described as servants," according to their tax returns.
News from Shakes Manor
Last night, Iain and I went out on a date—because, ya know, that's what you do when you're old and married and stuff. We went to a new Indian restaurant that just opened, much to Iain's delight in particular; I love Indian cuisine, but he has vindaloo running through his veins, having grown up in a place where you can get a curry on every corner.
I had aloo papdi chat followed by lamb korma. Iain had mulligatawny soup followed by chicken jalfrezi, which is actually a Pakistani dish, but we're all friends here. It was a superb meal.
The drive home was less so.
We were stopped by a train, at the end of a long line of cars, and then the gates lifted and we started to move. Then, all of a sudden—SLAM! From behind, we were rear-ended. Hard. "FUCK!" We were instantly breathless from the seatbelts tightening against our chests, gasping at each other, "Are you okay?" Iain maneuvered the car (our new (used) car) to the side of the road. I stumbled out into knee-length weeds; my fuckleg was superfucked.
I looked back at the smoking mess of a crushed Honda behind us. "What the fuck?" I said to the guy walking toward me.
"I just looked down for a second!" And that's all it took.
He was very young, and very apologetic, and, despite both of us wanting to scream at him, we said, over and over, to his repeated apologies, "It's okay. It happens. Nobody was hurt—that's the important thing. It's okay. It happens. We're all fine. That's all that matters. It's okay. It happens."
The air reeked of the smoke coming out of the front end of his car and the acrid smell of the deployed airbags. It was a country road we didn't even know the name of. Iain had to give the police directions; I wandered down the road, looking for an address. 7200.
The cops came and wrote up the report. They were so nice. "Sorry this is taking so long." Everyone was apologizing. We were rubbing our necks and stretching our backs. "Do you need an ambulance?" No. The kid who hit us chain-smoked cigarettes. No one felt like screaming anymore. I made small-talk with the kid. He apologized some more. "It's okay. It happens."
Eventually, we got our registration and Iain's license back. The officer gave us instructions on where to pick up copies of the report in two business days. "And don't forget the proof of insurance form." We nodded. Everyone was free to go.
Iain turned to the guy who had hit us: "Do you have a way of getting home? Do you need a lift?"
I loved him so much in that moment. I was listening to the kid telling us he had a friend coming to collect him, he was okay, thanks a lot though, but I was thinking about how much I loved Iain, for being the kind of guy who really knows it's just a car, and for caring more that the kid who hit it gets home okay.
We stood on the edge of the country road, and I hugged him and kissed him.
Which is a pretty good way to end a date, all things considered.
Question of the Day
Are you superstitious about anything?
I'm not superstitious at all, save for touching/knocking wood. Iain and I both do it. I don't know why that sticks, when nothing else does. I walk under ladders, spill salt, coo at black cats crossing my path, step on cracks, go through life with no lucky numbers, objects, or clothes. But I touch wood about the smallest things.
"Hopefully the library will have a copy of it."
"Touch wood!"
Like someone in our one-horse, many-horses'-asses town is going to check out The Complete Plays of Aristophanes in the five minutes it takes us to drive to the library.
"Ooh, you're so lucky. There were three other people here looking for it just now, but coincidentally, they all forgot their library cards!"
"Thank the fates I touched wood!"
Noun, Verb, POW
John McCain can't remember how many houses he owns, but that's okay because he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Quiddity's rule applies.
(Cross-posted.)
HHS Rule Change Update
[Previous posts on HHS Rule Change here, here, here, and here.]
The rule, which which would redefine birth control as abortion and pose a signficant threat to women's healthcare, has officially been proposed, and the spin is that it's all about a conscience clause (and you know how I feel about those) and providing protection to healthcare workers "who refuse to participate in abortions because of religious or moral objections."
Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray are still trying to get Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to respond to their concerns about the proposed rule change, which will automatically take effect after a 30-day comment period:
U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), who led the Senate's efforts to preempt Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt's move to issue a rule that could have impacted access to comprehensive family planning for millions of American women, today decried HHS's decision to move forward with a modified rule that would put ideology over women’s health by putting in place barriers to receiving quality, affordable health care and scientifically-proven, accurate information for those who need it the most.If that asshole won't respond to two sitting US Senators, I'm sure this 30-day comment period will be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Snort.
"It appears that the Bush administration is once again putting politics before public health. In issuing this rule Secretary Leavitt has ignored the requests of Congress and the needs of millions of American women," Senator Murray said. "For eight years this administration has worked to undermine women's health – they won't get away with it on their way out the door."
"Make no mistake: the Bush Administration is threatening access to family planning options for women who need them most. This is just one more example of the Bush Administration putting ideology ahead of science and women’s health. We cannot allow the health and reproductive rights of women to be undermined and it is time for those who support women’s health to make our voices heard,” said Senator Clinton.
On July 16, the Senators sent a letter urging Leavitt to drop the proposed rule. A week later on July 22, they led a group of 28 Senators in sending yet another letter to the Secretary. Secretary Leavitt still has not responded to either correspondence. Following comments by Secretary Leavitt posted on his personal blog, Senators Clinton and Murray on August 8 called for a meeting with Secretary Leavitt to hear from him directly how HHS plans to ensure women continue to have access to basic healthcare. Secretary Leavitt has not responded to their request.
This? Would be a perfect example of why I keep saying that the Supreme Court isn't the front for reproductive rights anymore. It's also a perfect example of what I mean when I say that the Democrats (with the extremely notable exceptions of Murray and Clinton) are guilty of letting Roe become an impotent statute without putting up a much-needed fight.
This is a BIG DEAL. Where the hell are the rest of the Democrats, if they care so fucking much about women's rights? Where the hell is the Democratic nominee on this? Where the hell are all the progressives who care so fucking deeply about Roe that they've been beating me and every other feminazi bitch who has the ovaries to question The Party over the head with it for the past six months?
Gee, sometimes I get the impression that protecting reproductive rights isn't really all that important to everyone who says they are.
B-b-but Fat! Obesity Epidemic! FAAAAAAAT!
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has uncovered a link between diabetes and arsenic in US public drinking water.
In the first study of its kind, scientists found Americans with high levels of arsenic in their urine were almost four times more likely to have diabetes than those with trace levels. The risk was apparent at levels generally considered harmless and grew with increasing exposure…It isn't clear from this study whether the participating diabetics are not filtering the arsenic out of their systems as effectively, or whether exposure to the arsenic is actually contributing to the development of the disease, or a combination thereof—although previous research has shown that "arsenic raises blood sugar and insulin levels," suggesting that arsenic in our drinking water may indeed be contributing to the diabetes "epidemic."
Participants with type 2 diabetes had a 26 percent higher level of arsenic overall.
One guess as to whether we'll endeavor to fix our environment or just keep blamin' the fatties.
Related story of interest from 2006: EPA May Weaken Rule on Water Quality. Not only will you find out about increased arsenic levels, but you will also see a picture of the EPA's Benjamin H. Grumbles. (Fo' real!)
[H/T to Shaker Tina H.]
Feminism 101: Objectifying Women Doesn't Show How Much You Love Them; It Shows How Much You Hate Them
[Or, perhaps more accurately, how disrespectful and contemptuous of them—and the silly notions about their equality—you are.]
We often hear from the sorts of trolls who pop up in the "Disembodied Things" threads (latest installment of that series here) that they like boob novelties or disembodied desk accessories (links potentially NSFW) not because they hate women, but because they like women so gosh darn much. The cleverest of these sorts frame it as an appreciation of the female form, though they proffer their faux-artistic justification without the merest hint of awareness that reducing women to their bodies isn't generally considered very enlightened.
The enjoyment of disembodied female parts is really the worst of the worst, as those items, while their humanity is quite evident, are nonetheless robbed of any expression of personhood, because they are rarely given faces—and on rare occasions when they are, the faces are little more than expressionless, gaping receptacles for some phallus substitute or other.
But occupying the dregs right beside that reprehensible stuff is the kitsch that casts women as pocket-sized playthings, to be manipulated at the whims of her owner.
Case in point, the USB Pole Dancer, who isn't even given a charming name like Moaner Lisa or Lusty Linda to attempt to dress her up as cute and harmless or anything less than just a functional item to fulfill the designated role:
The USB Pole Dancer is the pole dancer you can admit to when everyone's watching! Just plug her into your USB port and start typing. As you type – she performs. The lights flash, the music plays and your bikini-clad blonde performs her routine. And there's no need to go tucking dollars anywhere (we read somewhere, they do that), the faster you type, the faster this cheeky minx dances!
This is an item for the bloke who loves women, can't you tell? The sort of bloke who thinks it's outrageous he has to actually pay strippers for their services, who thinks being able to manipulate a female figure into performing a sex act with the press of a few buttons is "hilarious," who thinks this sort of thing is fine for a work environment that includes female coworkers, who thinks that any woman who might object is just a humorless, hysterical prude.
How should we describe it – Alluring? Appealing? Actually, "hilarious" is probably the most accurate! Which makes her a great Secret Santa gift – or a truly memorable corporate gift! She's kitsch with a capital K, and cute with a capital Coochee-Coo!
The more you press the keyboard buttons, the more she'll press yours. The software includes a daily word count, including your top 5 performances and you can play a word count game, testing your words per minute. So there's your defence against any office prudes who want to complain about her performance – you can simply say she's improving yours!
There's so much love for women there, I hardly know where to begin.
(The presumption that this item is "the ultimate male fantasy" and "many men would like to see it included as part of the standard workplace agreement" doesn't exactly do men any favors, either. Once again, misogyny comes delivered complete with sides orders of heteronormativity and man-hating bullshit.)
There are plenty of men and women who quite understandably love the female body. They don't show it by putting a plastic stereotype on their desks to be enslaved to their cruel and objectifying whims.
Occasionally, one of the men who defend their delight with these products with a "love" of women will belligerently ask me how better they can show it, as if hoping to challenge the premise by exposing my (presumed) unwillingness to concede that there is any way to respectfully celebrate women's bodies without objectifying them. "What do you suggest I buy?" asked one fellow in comments, about two years ago, who didn't like my assertion that boobie novelties (of which he was apparently an aficionado) did not actually honor women.
"If you must," I offered, "show your appreciation via consumerism, I suggest you buy a Georgia O'Keeffe print."
"That's not the same," he replied.
Indeed. It is not.
[H/T to Shaker K.]
Random YouTubery: Wilford Brimley Kitteh Eats Din Din
Apologies to Meg for nicking the caption, but I really could not think of anything else that could introduce this masterpiece.
The Shredding Begins
Although in this case, it's electronic shredding. Not to mention this sort of thing has probably been going on for years.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is missing as many as 225 days of e-mail dating back to 2003 and there is little if any likelihood a recovery effort will be completed by the time the Bush administration leaves office, according to an internal White House draft document obtained by The Associated Press.At least until they vacate the offices, and everyone's forgotten about it, and it all continues, world without end. Because we know that both Presidential candidates have no interest in pursuing any sort of justice when it comes to the Bush Administration.
The nine-page outline of the White House's e-mail problems invites companies to bid on a project to recover the missing electronic messages.
The work would be carried out through April 19, 2009, according to the Office of Administration request for contractors' proposals, which was dated June 20.
Last week, the White House declined to comment on the document.
On Wednesday, the White House refused to talk about internal White House contracting procedures, but said the information is "outdated and seriously inaccurate." It would not elaborate. The White House also declined to say whether it has hired a contractor for the work yet.
"With an eye on the clock, the White House continues to drag its feet and do everything possible to postpone public access to the records of this presidency," said Anne Weismann, chief counsel to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a private watchdog group.
I really don't know what's more appalling to me these days; the state the country is in after Bush, or the fact that they'll all get away scott free.
(Tip of the energy dome to John.)
Man of the People
Asked yesterday how many houses he and his wife own, presumed GOP nominee and straight-talkin', completely average everyman John McCain replied: "I think—I'll have my staff get to you. It's condominiums where—I'll have them get to you."
Isn't that just so typical, ha ha? I can't imagine the number of times someone has asked me how many homes I have, and I've totally lost track! It's so true. Man, I'd love to have a beer with that guy!
