Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
You like to sit in the dark eating braunschweiger
while watching bad mooooooovieeeeees…
And OMG Shoez I do, too!
I loves ya, Spudsy.
Thank you for being a friend.
xoxox
Happy Birthday, Spudsy!!!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
You like to sit in the dark eating braunschweiger
while watching bad mooooooovieeeeees…
And OMG Shoez I do, too!
I loves ya, Spudsy.
Thank you for being a friend.
xoxox
Question of the Day
What book have you (re)read with the most frequency?
(If you haven't ever given any book multiple readings, feel free to name the book you're most likely to read again. Parents and other carers of small children, please feel free to exclude favorite books you've read a zillion times at bedtime. This is more a question about books you've read singularly for your own pleasure.)
I have an acquaintance who re-reads The Lord of the Rings trilogy once every year. That's dedication!
I don't read anything that often, but I have re-read many books, despite my endless list of books I still want to read, which I will never conquer unless I live to be a hundred million years old. (Super senior discount!)
I'm pretty sure the book I've read the greatest number of times is Beautiful Joe, a children's novel narrated by an abused dog who finds a home with a caring family. It's no exaggeration to say that Beautiful Joe was a significant influence on my life; I owe a great deal of my capacity for empathy and my ability to survive to Joe's tale.
It was based on a true story and written by Marshall Saunders—actually Margaret Marshall Saunders, who entered (and won) a literary contest sponsored by the American Humane and Educational Society under her middle name because female authors weren't getting published—and was first published in 1893. My tattered copy of the book was passed down to me through three generations.
My first memory of really loving a book is loving Beautiful Joe.
You can read it here, if you are so inclined.
Big Brother Is Weight Watchering You
So, Congress has decided to "tackle obesity." (Obesity's all: "Ow! Get off me!") I'm sure nothing bad will happen:
On May 5, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and several Congressional co-sponsors introduced the "Healthy Choices Act," a bill proposing a comprehensive national approach to addressing the country's obesity crisis.Well, that all sounds pretty good. Sounds like the ingredients to a national healthfulness* initiative, which would be better framing than an anti-obesity crusade. Especially if Congress isn't on an anti-obesity crusade, with a specific intent of targeting fat people for elimination.
The bill's many provisions include ones that would align federal food programs with existing governmental nutritional guidelines; make healthy foods affordable and accessible to children and adults most at risk, including rural and low-income urban areas; coordinate the federal response to addressing the obesity crisis (including realigning transportation policy to encourage healthier lifestyles); and provide children and adults with opportunities for physical activity, nutritional information and assessment tools.
Doctors would be provided with tools to diagnose and treat obesity, and funding would be provided to help researchers develop more effective prevention andOh. Well. So it sort of is about eliminating fat people, not just making sure people are healthy. Um—
treatment methods.
One provision falling under the assessment area could raise some privacy concerns: It would require pediatricians to measure the body mass index, or BMI, of school-age children and note this in children's vaccination records.Aaaaaaaand you've lost me.
Now comes the part where I laugh with bitter contempt, yes?
Rick Wolford, chairman of the Grocery Manufacturers Association's board of directors and chairman, president and CEO of Del Monte Foods, issued a follow-up statement praising the bill's sponsors for creating "sensible, science-based legislation" with a framework that is "both simple and attainable."Yes.
The American Beverage Association (ABA) also issued a statement confirming its support of the bill.
Obesity Crisis!!!eleventy! legislation ghost-authored by lobbyists for the food and beverage industry. Perfect.
----------------
* Here, I use "healthfulness" not in juxtaposition to disability, but to the "fat axiomatically equals unhealthy" narrative. I recognize there is a potential, if unintended, marginalization of people with disabilities whenever health-related terminology is used and/or when health is centered as an ideal.
As someone who is both fat and disabled, I am keenly aware of this complicated intersection. I do think it's extremely important to counteract the "fat=unhealthy" narrative; I also think it's extremely important not to imply that healthfulness is superior to disability.
It's not easy to reconcile the two, but what I want to try to do in this space is recognize that the "health at every size" paradigm as it relates to weight isn't seeking to marginalize people with disabilities, but is seeking to counter a very dangerous narrative that reflexively equates fat with an inherent lack of health. At the same time, I want to recognize that it nonetheless has the potential to marginalize, and, to that end, will continue to address that issue, so that "health" (posited in juxtaposition to "fat/unhealthy") is never discussed here without an awareness of the implications for people with disabilities.
Today's Edition of "Conniving and Sinister"
See Deeky's archive of all previous Conniving & Sinister strips here.
[In which Liss reimagines the long-running comic "Frank & Ernest," about two old straight white guys "telling it like it is," as a fat feminist white woman and a biracial queerbait telling it like it actually is from their perspectives. Hilarity ensues.]
Huh.
Chief Targets of Student Incivility Are Female and Young Professors:
When it comes to being rude, disrespectful, or abusive to their professors, students appear most likely to take aim at women, the young, and the inexperienced, a new study has found.Huh.
Naturally, it was only a matter of time before "Well, women are known to be oversensitive hysterics!" raised its ugly head.
Given the universal nature of some of the student behaviors examined, such as dozing off in class, it may be fair to ask whether some faculty members were just more inclined than others to have let student incivility roll off of them and not recall it or see it as worth reporting.Sigh.
I'm curious about what role race played in these findings, or if that wasn't examined (and if not, why not).
[H/T to Shaker Phyllis.]
How Low Can Leno Go?
Pretty goddamn low: Last night, during his typically abysmal monologue (start at about 3:15), Jay Leno included a segment that purported to examine attempted Times Square car bomber Faisal Shahzad's Facebook page, because terrorism is hilarious comedy fodder.
Different parts of the page were zoomed in as he "joked" about them, and, although it was left unremarked-upon, clearly visible on Shahzad's imaginary profile under group memberships was "Team Coco," a reference to supporters of Conon O'Brien.
What a petty, spiteful shit.
Yeah, you just haven't won enough, Jay Leno. It wasn't enough that you got The Tonight Show back after fucking with the serial drama lead-in formula that kept you on top for all those years. What you really needed to do to prove how AWESOME you are was take a swipe at a guy who's clearly had the wind knocked out of him (and has signed a non-disparagement agreement, so he couldn't retaliate in kind even if he wanted to).
Class act, all the way.
And, you know, I don't even really care about Conan O'Brien. I thought his shtick—which I once enjoyed, for its giddy absurdity—got mean and small and unfunny when he took over The Tonight Show. And I can't muster too much sympathy for a super-privileged dude who landed with a $30 million parachute after losing a job, when people all over this country get laid off all the time with jack shit.
But some things are just wrong on principle—and this is one of them. You are the worst, Jay Leno.
The WORST.
Contact NBC Universal.[H/T to Paul the Spud, who got it from The Daily What.]
Quote of the Day
"I think [Arizona's new immigration law] is very misguided. I think it's, unfortunately, to the detriment of our society and our civil liberties. I think it's very important for us to stand up for things we believe in. As a team and as an organization, we have a lot of love and support for all of our fans. The league is very multicultural. We have players from all over the world, and our Latino community here is very strong and important to us."—Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash, who, along with his teammates, will wear "Los Suns" jerseys for tonight's game against the San Antonio Spurs "to honor [the] Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation."
(The Spurs reported tried to arrange for "Los Spurs" jerseys, but had too little time.)
Suns General Manager Steve Kerr explains that the team wants to "make sure that people understand that we know what's going on and we don't agree with the law itself."
As noted in the linked post, it's quite unusual for a professional team to take such a bold political position.
[H/T to Shaker Euterpe813. Commenting Note: Though I haven't addressed the connotations of a show of solidarity that consists of tacking on "Los" to an English team name, please consider that on-topic for the thread.]
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, makers of Deeky Brand Robotic Megagloves.
Recommended Reading:
Marcella: Carnival Against Sexual Violence 93
Frankie PhD: The 24th Edition of the Down Under Feminists Carnival
Ouyang Dan: The One Damned Sock…
Lori; 10 Myths About Sex and Virginity—Debunked
Renee: "Shoot The Illegal Immigrants"
Andy: Lutheran Pastor Brad Schmeling and His Partner to Be Reinstated
shweta_narayan: As we're looking through our prison bars do I see mud when you see stars?
Leave your links in comments...
Ernie Harwell - 1918-2010
The gentle man who brought baseball -- and summer -- to millions of people over generations has died.
I cannot count the times I listened to a baseball game called by Ernie; the summer nights on the back porch, the days at the pool, riding in the car going somewhere, be it to work or driving up to northern Michigan, the signal from Detroit's WJR fading in and out the farther away we got. At night he was a gentle presence lulling me to sleep as I hoped the Tigers would pull it out in the ninth at an away game in Seattle or California.Harwell succumbed to cancer of the bile duct, and passed away at his home in Novi, Mich. Doctors diagnosed the condition as an aggressive form in August, and Harwell and his family decided against surgery at his age. He explained his situation with an extraordinary sense of peace, both to his friends in the community and to fans at Comerica Park when he made one last visit in September.
"I've got a great attitude. I just look forward to a new adventure," Harwell told the Detroit Free Press when he disclosed his illness. "God gives us so many adventures, and I've had some great ones. It's been a terrific life."
Unlike a lot of baseball broadcasters, he didn't feel as if he had to fill each moment on the air with talk; there were times when all you could hear was the background noise of the park as the batter got ready or the pitcher leaned in to get the signal. Finally: "Here's the windup.... and [thud] he struck him out." You could see the game through his voice better than any TV coverage, and to this day for millions of baseball fans, the only way to watch baseball is over the radio.
Ernie was there from spring training -- when he opened each first broadcast with the words of the Song of Solomon -- to the last pitch in October; when the Tigers won the Series in 1968, and when they were at the bottom of the standings. He taught us about baseball and winning and losing and disappointment and joy, and for a man I never met but whose voice is as immediately recognizable to me as my own father's, I will always think of good times, quiet nights, celebrations and the joy of a game that isn't won on brute strength alone.
"For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."
[Note: If there are less flattering things to be said about Harwell, they have been excluded because I am unaware of them, not as the result of any deliberate intent to whitewash his life. Please feel welcome to comment on the entirety of his work and life in this thread.]
Lostie News
Okay, first things first, with the awesome news: ABC has agreed to let Cuse and Lindelof expand the series finale of Lost from two hours to two-and-a-half.
The producers of ABC's hit drama have shot so much crucial material for the show's hugely anticipated series finale that the network has agreed to extend the last episode by an extra half hour.Also note that ABC is doing up another of its enhanced editions of the series pilot to air on the 22nd. Sunday before the show is a two-hour retrospective titled Lost: The Final Journey. And following local news that evening is Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost.
Set your DVRs, Losties!
Speaking of DVRs and Gerald McRaney, did you know that McRaney appeared in four episodes of The Incredible Hulk, each time playing a different character?
Greatest. Actor. Ever. But you already knew that. He rocked the mic in Simon and Simon and Major Dad and Touched by an Angel (uh what?). That's why James James Abrams (the guy who invented Lost, as I am sure you know) has cast McRaney in his new spy show (which is soooo not Alias: it stars African-Americans!) for NBC.
Undercovers stars Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who) as married ex-CIA agents who get pulled back into the spy biz.Gerald McRaney and his atavistic moustache star as Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw's bosses at the CIA. This show is going to be great, like a peanut butter cup. "You got your Gerald in my James James!" "You got your James James in my Gerald!"
Set your DVRs, Undercoversies!
Also on the James James tip, exclusive news (not really): James James's new movie, which hasn't even been made yet, is called Super 8. It is rumoured to be a sequel to Cloverfield and not a prequel to Super 8½. Cloverfield was a movie, I think, about a not-Godzilla destroying NYC. The trailer for Super 8 was secretly included with the Iron Man 2 release last weekend. Skulduggery!
Set your DVRs, Cloverfieldsies!
That's it for Lost news this week. Stay tuned for more, as it happens!
p.s. Dan Akroyd is concerned about (illegal) aliens.
(And, just FYI, this is not the Lost open thread. That's over here. Let's please keep this thread spoiler-free, not everyone saw the series finale of Simon and Simon. Thanks.)
In a Just World, You'd Be Charging Her Head with Murder!
[Trigger warning for violence.]
Every defendant has a right to and deserves a vigorous defense, but sometimes this shit just makes me want to scream: George Huguely is a 22-year-old lacrosse player at the University of Virginia lacrosse player charged with killing his ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Yeardley Love, who was also a Virginia lacrosse player. He has admitted entering Love's apartment the night she died, kicking in her bedroom door, and forcing his way into the room.
He then "shook Love, and her head repeatedly hit the wall," said an affidavit filed in the case.Of course it was. Because Huguely merely "shook Love," and "her head repeatedly hit the wall." It wasn't like he was shaking her specifically to knock her head into the wall! Geez! Her head hit the wall all on its own. I mean, maybe the police ought to be interviewing her head to see why it decided to hit the wall while Huguely was shaking her. Look, all's I'm saying, Your Honor, is that if she didn't want her head hitting the wall, maybe she shouldn't have been sitting so close to it when he attacked her.
...Mr. Huguely was charged with first-degree murder. But Francis Lawrence, Mr. Huguely's lawyer, said Ms. Love's death was not intentional.
"Until more information becomes available, it is our hope that no conclusions will be drawn or judgments made about George or his case," Mr. Lawrence said, adding that his client was withdrawing from the university. "We are confident that Ms. Love's death was not intended, but an accident with a tragic outcome."
I really, really, really loathe the victim-blaming shit that is especially prevalent at trials in which marginalized people have been assaulted and/or killed.
Lost Open Thread
BLUB.
(Take a look at what I chose for last week's image. You're good, Lost. You're really good.)
Last night's episode will be discussed in infinitesimal detail, so if you haven't seen it, and don't want any spoilers, move along...
This is a real thing in the world.
The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It, a direct-to-DVD spoof of Judd Apatow films.
Spoofing has never been so hysterical! Get down and dirty with a horror-filled trip to get a chest wax, baby mamma drama and one middle-aged man who really needs to get laid when the comedy mash-up The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It debuts on DVD June 8 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The wildest parody ever, it's laugh-out-loud insanity when "MADtv" cast alumnus Bryan Callen (Bad Santa) and Noureen DeWulf (Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past) "come together" in this hilariously raunchy farce featuring favorite characters from Judd Apatow's hit films.Wow.
[H/T to Shaker Ethyl.]
Full Disclosure
by Shaker Maud
People's private life is their own business, and I extend this principle to public figures, in general. Though I think the single most important driving factor in straight people's acceptance of gay people and support for their rights has been the courage of gay people in outing themselves to their friends and family, who thereby have discovered that gay people aren't some alien life form found exclusively in New York and San Francisco, but are their friends, neighbors and relatives, I also don't believe it's generally appropriate to out others. Being gay is a risk to people's livelihoods, family relationships in some cases, and safety and well-being, and for the most part I don't think it's appropriate for someone to impose those kinds of risks on another, especially when zie has not had the opportunity to prepare for it.
There is one exception to this. When someone wields public power, whether as a member of government or through leadership in organizations which actively work to shape government policy, or through influential writings in an academic and/or health care field, and when that person uses hir power to work to suppress the basic rights of others based on the view that they are in some way defective, that person has the responsibility to be honest about what hir personal stake is in the policy issue zie is trying to influence.
If you are an influential medical researcher and you are receiving fat fees from a drug company whose products you advocate the use of, the public is entitled to know that so they may consider it in evaluating your support for those products.
Likewise, if you are a founder of an aggressively anti-gay lobbying organization, if you are a widely-published professor of neuropsychiatry who also serves as a board member of an organization which purports to turn gay people straight, if you further are a member of another organization which peddles anti-gay and anti-trans bigotry to parents and schools in the guise of scientific guidance on raising healthy children, and you are discovered to have a history of taking "fun trip"s with a young male companion whom you met through Rentboy.com, I think the public, whom you are attempting to persuade of the evils of Teh Gays and their Agenda, is entitled to all the information which might aid in their evaluation of what sort of substance you are spreading in the name of Science and the Public Good.
Meet the Rev. Dr. George Alan Rekers.
Via.
[Related Reading: Rogers Outs Republican Senator.]
Open Thread
Hosted by Bruco. Apparently, zie has glow-in-the-dark boots! (Suggested by Shaker InfamousQBert.)
Question of the Day
Of the 1.5 he's released, what is your favorite Justin Bieber album?
If you're one of the three people in this galaxy (source: CNN) who doesn't have Bieber Febver, and would like to simply name your favorite album of all time, that will be acceptable.
