The Lady Matilda
Sure
Herman Cain, during a National Press Club event earlier today, at which he was asked about sexual assault allegations and reported cash settlements therefore, breaks into the forgiveness hymn "He Looked Beyond My Faults."
And so since it's an opportunity for me to share a little bit of my faith, I will: Amazing Grace / Will always be / My song of praise / For it was grace / That brought me liberty / I'll never know / Why Jesus came / To love me so / He looked beyond / All my faults / And saw my needs. Thank you. [Cheers and applause.]I haven't heard anything that beautiful since John Ashcroft let loose with "Let the Mighty Eagle Soar." Someone get these two magnificent songsters on a Conservative Croonerz 2012 National Tour—STAT!
During the same press event, Cain was also asked to comment on race relations in the US, and replied, "This many white people can't pretend that they like me." I can't decide if that's hilariously weird, or a genuinely insightful commentary on the state of the conservative electorate.
Well, maybe it doesn't have to be one or the other.
[Via Andy.]
Broke Shit Mountain
So, this weekend, our ancient dishwasher and new stove broke.
Not new enough, though: Our warranty ran out October 17. *sad trombone* In good news, planned obsolescence is getting super awesome! Jeeves, call my broker and tell him to invest EVERYTHING in Obsoleticorp! BUY! BUY! BUY!
Anyway!
Yesterday, Iain and I went out to comparison shop new dishwashers. It was so much fun! (No, it wasn't.) And not just because of the salesman who was suffering from the misapprehension that my eyeballs are located in my boobs. (Really, sir, it is 2011.) And not just because of the self-directed disablism that was manifesting as guilt that a dishwasher is a necessity in our home because of my garbage back, which makes the stand-and-lean of sink-washing unbearably painful. (A ridiculous bit of judgment I would never direct at someone else, yet continue to direct at myself.)
Mostly it was fun (not fun) because every dishwasher looks the same to me. What does a $1,200 dishwasher do that a $300 dishwater can't? Does it put away the dishes when it's done? No? Well, the $300 model is looking pretty good then.
When we got home, our brains fried from investigating the virtually indistinguishable innards of nine thousand dishwashers, I figured Consumer Reports was our best hope. I paid the $26 for an annual subscription, which seemed like a decent investment to avoid potentially making a couple-hundred dollar mistake.
I clicked through to their dishwasher analysis. Its first line: "Almost all of the dishwashers we tested clean well and are easy to load." LOL. Of course they were.
We still haven't picked out a dishwasher.
An Observation
[Trigger warning for rape culture.]
I'm glad that the sexual harassment allegations against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain are getting a lot of attention, especially because Republicans tend to get be held to a different (lower) standard than Democrats with a different (lesser) level of scrutiny, and sexual harassment is too important to be casually elided with the "boys will be boys" shrug of indifference it's so frequently given in politics.
But that gladness is cut through with a bolt of suspicion that the focus on Cain is not indicative of an awakened seriousness about sexual harassment, as much as it is evidence that Herman Cain is seen as a weirdo buffoon and sexual abuse of all sorts still the exclusive purview of weirdo buffoons.
That is, these allegations have been given an unusual level of credibility because Herman Cain seems like the sort of guy who might harass women, according to our awful cultural narratives about there being discernible sorts of guys who might harass women—not aggressive, entitled, privileged, powerful men (of which Herman Cain is also one), but weirdo buffoons.
Herman Cain is, of course, also a Black weirdo buffoon, and I imagine that has rather something unfortunate to do with the uncommonly fervent attention given to sexual harassment allegations against an unserious candidate, too.
[Note: This is not an argument that allegations against Cain should receive less scrutiny. If there is an argument being made, it is that allegations against other politicos should receive more.]
What do black women really think about love and marriage?
by Tamara Winfrey Harris, of What Tami Said
[Graphic created using image from nedari06]
The way our society talks about black women and marriage—from the daily paper to the pulpit to movies and self-help books—is flawed, sexist and damaging. When black women tell their own stories, a more thoughtful truth emerges.
I am working on a project juxtaposing the authentic experiences of African American women with the tragic common narrative about black women and marriage—a narrative that narrows lives, turns black female successes into failures and unfairly burdens us alone with responsibility for the success of black male/female relationships, black families and the black community. My goal is that my efforts will result in a published book.
I am currently working to identify black women to have frank discussions about how they navigate relationships, sexuality, singleness, marriage and divorce. If you, or someone you know, is willing to be a part of this effort, please contact me at Tamara@BackTalkBook.com.
Some things to know:
I am interested in interviewing black women of all ages, backgrounds, geographic locations and experiences. One goal of my effort is to illuminate the lives of women often erased in discussions of the black marriage rate, including married women, divorced women, women who don't wish to marry, lesbian women, women in interracial relationships and others.
Subjects should be willing to participate in multiple one-on-one interviews both in person and through technology. Initial interviews will be conducted by phone in November. While I will not require an inordinate amount of time from interviewees, I will need to interact with them enough to understand their stories, experiences and perspectives.
Elements of participants' stories, including quotes, will be included in a published work, written by me. Women have the option of being referred to by their full, real names, first names only or a pseudonym.
Beyond the ABC specials, "think like a man" romantic advice tomes and panic-inducing women's magazine articles, exist the real stories of black women—too often told from another perspective and voice. Everyone is talking about black women and marriage. I want to talk back.
Please help by responding to and sharing this call for participants through your networks. Please direct questions about this project to Tamara@BackTalkBook.com.
[Cross-posted.]
Yikes
You know, I really hate mosquitoes, but this can't be good.
These mosquitoes are genetically engineered to kill — their own children.Ha ha well let's go ahead and do it anyway wheeeeeeeeeee!
Researchers on Sunday reported initial signs of success from the first release into the environment of mosquitoes engineered to pass a lethal gene to their offspring, killing them before they reach adulthood.
The results, and other work elsewhere, could herald an age in which genetically modified insects will be used to help control agricultural pests and insect-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria.
But the research is arousing concern about possible unintended effects on public health and the environment, because once genetically modified insects are released, they cannot be recalled.
Monday Blogaround
This blogaround is brought to you by pumpkins, both carved and baked into gluten-free treats.
Some recommended reading:
Archaeology News Network reports a finding from the 2nd Bolzano Mummy Congress: Otzi’s final hours: A rest, a meal, then death. (N.B.: Image of mummified body at the link)
Angry Asian Man: asian americans teens bullied more than any other group
PalMD: Return of an old foe
New York Magazine: The Rebirth of the Feminist Manifesto. Shakesville is mentioned in the list of "The Lady Blogosphere" at the article's end. Amusingly, the other blogs listed have "slogans", while Shakesville has a "catchphrase"--just like a sitcom! I'm such a silly Lady; I thought those thingies beneath the titles on blogs were called taglines.
Brooke: Worms do it, mice do it: eggs destroy sperm mitochondria
WhySharksMatter: Do environmental regulations harm the economy?
Farhan Nuruzzaman: Transistors from natural fibers could lead to wearable electronics
Kelly: Woman Responds To Marriage Proposal Like A True Lady
Zombie Research Society: Best Dog Costume Ever!
Andy Sowards: 50+ Creative, Delicious, & Spooky Real Edible Halloween Dessert & Snack Food Art Design – Ideas & Inspirations
Share your links in comments.
Random Bit O' Encouraging News
Last August I wrote about the US border patrol's habit of harassing foreign-looking people on trains, planes, and buses in the northern United States.
According to recent anonymous reports, the border patrol is dramatically scaling back these activities.
Of course, the news coverage I've seen of the story focuses on what a horrible idea it is to stop the searches. Plus, this could result in the loss of a bunch of government jobs. Prevailing wisdom appears to maintain is a good thing, unless of course the job cuts could hurt the police state.
When Mendacious Corporate Media Shills Say With Affected Wide-Eyed Wonder That They Just Can't Figure Out What Occupy Wall Street Is All About...
...it is quite reasonably pointed out to them by patient people who indulge their manufactured ignorance that many USians are quite frustrated with the banks, and deregulation, and the erosion of workers' rights, and corporate greed. Unemployment. Student loans. Foreclosures. Bankruptcies.
Big concepts. All correct. But it's also just shit like this, wearing on people day in and day out and grinding them down until they're nothing but raw nerves, vibrating with anticipated pain from the constant attacks on their security and dignity:
Like a lot of companies, Veridian Credit Union wants its employees to be healthier. In January, the Waterloo, Iowa-company rolled out a wellness program and voluntary screenings.I'm not going to get into, yet again, the reality that weight is not a great indicator of health, nor the inherent disablism in a policy requiring people to lose weight irrespective of any underlying illnesses or disabilities contributing to weight gain, nor the outsized fuckery of penalizing people for eating crap like ubiquitous, fat-making HFCS or being addicted to cigarettes which our government allows tobacco companies to make increasingly more addictive, because, while those things are ALL TRUE, the average worker being subjected to this garbage isn't thinking, "This is bullshit! I am being tasked with finding an individual solution to systemic problems!" but is thinking, "Oh my god, how am I going to pay for my healthcare?" and/or "I'm a moral failure because I am fat!" and/or "CHEESUS FUCKING CHRIST THERE IS TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON ME FROM UNPAID DEBT AND UNPAID OVERTIME AT MY UNDERPAID JOB AND MY MOTHER IS COMING TO LIVE WITH ME BECAUSE SHE LOST HER HOUSE AND MY KID NEEDS NEW CLOTHES AND MY CAR'S ABOUT TO DIE AND I HAVEN'T HAD A VACATION IN TEN YEARS AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ THE PAPER AND I AM GOING TO CRACK."
It also gave workers a mandate - quit smoking, curb obesity, or you'll be paying higher healthcare costs in 2013. It doesn't yet know by how much, but one thing's for certain - the unhealthy will pay more.
The credit union, which has more than 500 employees, is not alone.
In recent years, a growing number of companies have been encouraging workers to voluntarily improve their health to control escalating insurance costs. And while workers mostly like to see an employer offer smoking cessation classes and weight loss programs, too few are signing up or showing signs of improvement.
So now more employers are trying a different strategy - they're replacing the carrot with a stick and raising costs for workers who can't seem to lower their cholesterol or tackle obesity. They're also coming down hard on smokers. For example, discount store giant Wal-Mart says that starting in 2012 it will charge tobacco users higher premiums but also offer free smoking cessation programs.
Hey, USians! We heard you didn't have enough stress already, so howsabout adding "quit smoking" and "lose weight" to the pile? Sound good? Great! Love, Corporate America.
That's what people are feeling. And all the arguments about "healthfulness" and "long-term costs to the collective" and whatever are not going to change the fact that hard-working and highly-stressed people are hearing, "You know that cigarette or candy bar you enjoy at the end of another shitty, soul-destroying day in the employ of a corporation who is wringing every last shred of carefreedom out of your life to maximize its profits so its CEO can have a gold-plated bidet installed in his executive bathroom? Well, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT ANYMORE. Not if you want healthcare benefits."
It doesn't matter if that thinking is right, or wrong, or ethically neutral. What matters is that's what a hell of a lot of 99 percenters are thinking. And when they think it, they aren't blaming institutional prejudice, and they're not blaming Washington, and they're sure as shit not blaming themselves for wanting the ability to exercise a little fucking control over their bodies and lives.
They're blaming corporations—their employers, and their benefits providers.
And rightfully so.
* * *
About the same article, Digby makes a related point: "Libertarians make the argument that the government is a threat to liberty because it employs 'men with guns' who can rob you of your life and freedom. Without getting into that tired debate, I would just like to make one observation: for most Americans, the greatest threat to their freedom comes from 'men with pink slips' not men with guns, particularly now. (These men with pink slips, by the way, are exalted by 'free market' worshipers of all philosophical bents.)"
Wank Swap: S1 E2
Brought to you by Konami, makers of Basque Basque Revolution.
With US elections just over a year away, President
Barack Obama visits Greece to urge moderation.
[Obama saying "Heyyyyy, sit on it!"]
Meanwhile:
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has a brilliant plan to save America, but finds himself trapped at a fundraising gala in New York.
[George Papandreou exclaims "I've pulled better finger food out of my ass."]
Previously: Season Preview, S1 E1
The Walking Thread
"Wanna make out a little now?" "Okay."
Does anyone want a The Walking Dead open thread? If so, we should have one! If there's one thing I always say Shakesville needs more of, it's zombiepocalypsy!
So just let me know if you want an open thread. Just kidding! This is one.
Let us talk about Griiiiiiiiiiiiimes! Remember when he was in Love Actually and he wore a cute zippy sweater and loved Keira Knighley? I doooooooo!
(Spoilers lurch undeadly herein.)
Occupy Everywhere & Economic News Round-Up
At Occupy Lancaster, one of the many smaller protests around the country, demonstrators held fast despite the unseasonably early snowfall by making snowpeople to hold their signs while they tried to stay warm in tents overnight. [Thanks to Shaker Eccaba.]Here's some of what I've been reading this morning...
Detroit Free Press—Veteran hit in head expected to recover:
An Iraq war veteran badly injured when police stormed an Occupy Oakland encampment last week is expected to make a full recovery, his roommate said Sunday.LA Times—Occupy Wall Street braces for winter:
Scott Olsen, 24, was hit in the head by a tear-gas canister fired by police trying to control a crowd on Tuesday night, according to witnesses.
Olsen was listed in critical condition at first with damage to the speech center of his brain, according to Olsen's roommate, Keith Shannon.
Although Olsen remained hospitalized Sunday and was not able to speak, doctors expect a full recovery, Shannon said.
Olsen's condition Sunday was listed as fair.
Organizers have predicted the freezing temperatures and snow would reduce the Lower Manhattan encampment to a small assemblage through winter.ABC News—Occupy Veterans Movement Growing across US:
"But that's OK with us," said Richmond, 26, a carpenter from upstate New York. "The hardy will stay. The junkies will go. And in the spring all somebody has to do is declare Occupy Central Park or Occupy Union Square and everyone will return. This was just practice."
...It's also clear [authorities] don't want the demonstrators to get too comfortable.
City fire and police officials on Friday confiscated gas tanks and half a dozen generators being used for electricity in the makeshift kitchen and for media equipment. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg had declared them a safety hazard. Organizers were baffled; they said fire marshals had inspected the park the day before and hadn't mentioned any violations.
Since Occupy Wall Street protests have broken out in cities across the U.S. and abroad, support has come from what might seem like an unlikely corner: war veterans.In other Occupy Movement news, smaller protests, like the one in Lancaster County, are starting to get more media—and police—attention...
"For veterans especially, health care is paramount, yet is always on the table to be cut," [veteran and organizer Paige Jenkins] said in an interview with ABC News. "Vets in this movement don't want to fight anymore. We want to make peace and live peaceably. We shouldn't have to fight for our benefits, and if vets are fighting for their benefits then it can't be any better for nonvets. ... What do you think is going to happen in 2012 after everyone gets home from Iraq? No jobs, no benefits. This will not be a good scene."
...Another group that called itself Occupy Marine Corps recently posted on its Facebook page advise about how to protest in winter weather. According to a Tweet by @Kruggurl, Occupy Marine Corps has offered protesters supplies for the winter.
"We are a collection of prior service Marines intent on protecting American citizens and their ability to exercise their First Amendment rights," a spokesperson for the group said.
Chicago Tribune—Occupy Wall Street spinoff pickets Niles (MI) City Hall.
AP—Police break up Occupy Wall St. camp in Richmond.
Reuters—Occupy Wall Street arrests in Texas and Oregon.
The Hill—Fears about inequality in income grow: "Two-thirds of likely voters say the American middle class is shrinking, and 55 percent believe income inequality has become a big problem for the country, according to this week's The Hill Poll. ... Majorities across practically all income levels, and all political, philosophical and racial lines agreed that the middle class is being reduced, while the bulk of respondents in each category thought income inequality was at least a moderate concern."
The New York Times—As Meeting Approaches, Fed Panel Is Divided on Direction: "When the Federal Reserve's policy-making committee meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 of the 10 voting members will arrive in open disagreement with the chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, about the direction of monetary policy. Three conservative members say the Fed has already done too much. Two liberals say the Fed needs to do much more. But it is still the chairman who determines whether the central bank should expand its campaign to stimulate growth for the third time since August, and lately Mr. Bernanke has been focused on an old theme: communicating the benefits of existing policies in order to increase their impact."
Paul Krugman in The New York Times—Bombs, Bridges and Jobs: "What's bringing out the military big spenders is the approaching deadline for the so-called supercommittee to agree on a plan for deficit reduction. If no agreement is reached, this failure is supposed to trigger cuts in the defense budget. Faced with this prospect, Republicans—who normally insist that the government can't create jobs, and who have argued that lower, not higher, federal spending is the key to recovery—have rushed to oppose any cuts in military spending. Why? Because, they say, such cuts would destroy jobs."
HuffPo—GOP Candidates' Plans on Economy, Housing, Challenged by Studies: "'Republicans favor tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but these had no stimulative effect during the George W. Bush administration, and there is no reason to believe that more of them will have any today,' writes Bruce Bartlett. He's an economist who worked for Republican congressmen and in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. As for the idea that cutting regulations will lead to significant job growth, Bartlett said in an interview, 'It's just nonsense. It's just made up.' Government and industry studies support his view."
Meanwhile, in Europe...
AFP—OECD says EU economy set to 'shrink': "Top economies are slowing with the eurozone set to shrink briefly, and rapid action by European leaders to enact promised crisis measures is key to global recovery, the OECD said on Monday. The eurozone should also cut interest rates, and countries with stronger public finances undertake short-term measures to boost growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said."
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share links to things you've read or written in comments.
Open Thread
This week's open threads have been brought to you by winter squash.
The Virtual Pub Is Open
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
(Don't forget to tip your bartender!)
Number of the Day
11: The number of US states that have an explicit prohibition on gay individuals and/or same-sex couples adopting a child. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) would like to change that.
[Related Reading: What don't you lousy motherfuckers understand about keeping your noses out of our britches, our beds, and our families?]
