"My understanding is that it is virtually impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex." — Stacey Campfield, Tennessee State Senator, while appearing on the Michelangelo Signorile Show late last week to discuss his "Don't Say Gay" bill.
Ummm... yeah. No. See also: Africa.
Quote of the Day
Whoooooooooops!
Hey, remember how Mitt Romney said he doesn't concern himself with "the very poor," because they've got our awesomely robust social safety net to provide for them...?
Of course you remember! I only told you this morning!
Well, he tried to fix it. And obviously failed.
To paraphrase my associate Kanye, Mitt Romney doesn't care about poor people!
Photo of the Day
More Scenes from the Conservative Legislation Lab: Last month, I wrote about the Orwellian-named "right to work" bill in the Indiana state legislature, a piece of gross, anti-worker legislation which Governor Mitch Daniels (R-Ancid) has said "is at the top of the state's agenda."
And by "the state," naturally he means the Republican legislature and definitely not the people of Indiana, nor any of their Democratic representatives, even though there are millions of us who do not support this legislation, or the way it's being rammed through the legislature.
You will not, however, hear about this on the news, because Mitch Daniels is a hero and Indiana is his Fortress of Fuckitude.
Do not let the media silence fool you: Hoosiers are making noise.
[Photo via @ThinkProgress.]
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by lavender soap.
Recommended Reading:
IMPORTANT RECALL NOTICE: Pfizer Announces Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Lo/Ovral®-28 and Norgestrel/Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets Due to Possibility of Inexact Tablet Counts or Out-of-Sequence Tablets (Also see: Misty's post below.)
Tami: How Finger Wagging Is Like Hair Touching: Lessons in Privilege
Resistance: In Which the President Is Asked to Dance a Jig by a White Lady in the Year 2012
Fannie: This Is What An Anti-Feminist Looks Like [Content Note: See advisory at link.]
Gary: Whitewashing Black History Month
shinobi42: Southwest Loses Another Customer [Content Note: The post at the link includes discussion of fat shaming and fat-related airline policies.]
Adrienne: Drew Barrymore Sports a Headdress (Not a Hat)
Andy: 'Priscilla' Director Stephan Elliott: I'm Gay
Hey—know who else does good blogarounds (by other names)? Tigtog and Mike the Mad Biologist! You should read them!
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Pfizer Recalls Birth Control Pills
Pfizer has recalled 28 different lots of birth control pills because they were not made correctly and/or not packaged correctly and may not prevent pregnancy. The affected pills are Lo/Ovral-28 and the generic version, Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets. From Pfizer:
Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic)for customers in the U.S. market. An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. The cause was identified and corrected immediately.At the link above is Pfizer's list of affected lots.
These products are oral contraceptives indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception. These tablets were manufactured and packaged by Pfizer Inc., commercialized by Akrimax Rx Products and labeled under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand. This product is distributed to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies nationwide.
As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy. These packaging defects do not pose any immediate health risks. However, consumers exposed to affected packaging should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately. Patients who have the affected product (lot numbers are provided below) should notify their physician and return the product to the pharmacy.
These products are packaged in blister packs containing 21 tablets of active ingredients and seven tablets of inert ingredients. Correct dosing of this product is important in avoiding the associated risks of an unplanned pregnancy.
I know what Pfizer meant by "not [posing] any immediate health risk", as in "the wrongly made pills themselves won't harm you if you take or took them"...but really now. Wrongly made and packaged birth control pills pose a health risk that's pretty damn high for many people. Apparently one million pill packs are being recalled.
Alcatraz Open Thread
I am sorry I forgot to post this yesterday! Whooooooooooooops! Did you watch Alcatraz Monday night? What did you think of it? Did you love it? I did! I LOVED IT.
Here are the Top 5 things I loved about it (some minor spoilers):
1. I love Jorge Garcia! I love his character, Dr. Diego Soto, soooooooooo much! And the first scene, in the restaurant, you know the one I mean, where his partner asks him how a guy with two PhDs ends up running a comic book store? And he tells her? And she's all, "That's pretty close to adorable." And it was! OMG. Jorge Garcia, you are awesome.
2. I love Sarah Jones! I love her character, Det. Rebecca Madsen, soooooooooo much! She is very smart and competent and brave! And cheeky and nice! I cannot even begin to describe how much I am enjoying a female character who is allowed to be tough and vulnerable and smart and silly, and isn't just a caricature. Also: "Know what they didn't have in the 1960s...? Seatbelt laws!"
3. I did NOT love the violence, because gross. But what I did love is that the show, which is, after all, about violent criminals, does not encourage us to elide the reality of violence. It is hard to watch a widow scream with the agony of loss, and to watch Dr. Soto's face contort with pain at the sight of violence, and it is also important. I think it's really kind of brave to do a show about violence that doesn't approve of violence.
4. I loved this exchange between Det. Madsen and Dr. Soto: "Thanks for having my back." "Always."
5. Everything else!
Primarily Stupid
Congratulations! You are the least barfiest!
Wowee wow! What a come from ahead! (That's what zie said.) Mitt Romney, as predicted by seriously everyone anywhere ever, won the Florida primary last night. This morning, I am reading lots of articles with headlines like "Why Romney Won" or "Why Gingrich Lost," and all of them are hundreds of words too long, because the reason why Romney won and why Newt Gingrich lost is because Mitt Romney isn't Newt Gingrich and Newt Gingrich is Newt Gingrich the end.
Speaking of headlines, this is my favorite primary headline of the day, care of ABC News: "Can Mitt Maintain the Mo?" Snicker.
The biggest takeaway from the Florida primary is that Mitt Romney is running a very negative and very dishonest campaign. Failing a chunk of errant meteor falling on his head, he will be the Republican nominee, and, although there is not much enthusiasm for him among primary voters, there is hella plenty of enthusiasm for getting Barack Obama out of office. Come the general election, Romney is going to be flush with silly amounts of cash, and he is going to use every last penny of it to go hard negative on Obama without a modicum of regard for fairness or honesty.
Mitt Romney has zero integrity and even less shame. His ads will be breathtakingly inappropriate. And I hope like hell that the Obama campaign team are ready for it, and have a strategy of counter-attack at the ready, because staying above the fray ain't gonna work.
Anyway!
Newt Gingrich did not call Mitt Romney to congratulate him last night, because he is a jerk no doy. Also: He is getting sued for using the song "Eye of the Tiger" without permission. LOL. What a total jackass.
Speaking of jackasses, something something Ron Paul.
Back to Mitt Romney for a moment now, so I can bring you this great story about how he doesn't give a fuck about poor people because they've got the social safety net to help them! LOL! For realz! "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."
Got that? It's not the poor who are struggling—they're fine! Everyone knows they WANT to be poor! Buncha lazyasses who sold their bootstraps for an xbox. And if (LOL FOREVER) the social safety net needs repair, Mitt Romney will totes fix it! So no worries. Those layabouts will have great lives on the government dime forever, no problem.
Where Mitt Romney needs to focus his energy is on the middle class, which constitutes fully 95% of America, apparently, because they are struggling to make it.
True Facts: In 2010, 16% of the population of the United States, or 49.1 million people, were living in poverty. The younger one is, the more likely to be in poverty: 20% of the US's juvenile population were living in poverty by 2009.
Let me reiterate: Dude's a wild liar.
Rick Santorum, who is definitely still in the race, is also a liar. FYI.
Finally in Primary News, President Obama is still pretty darn popular.
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
Komen Follow-Up
On Monday, Shaker Jane wrote a guest post about Susan G. Komen for the Cure's new funding guidelines that signaled the end of their funding to Planned Parenthood. The story is now getting wider attention, as Komen has confirmed they will no longer fund Planned Parenthood.
Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.Pro-life. Sure.
To quote Jane: "Call your local Komen office (find yours here) and let them know what you think of their new funding guidelines. Donate to your community's Planned Parenthood (find yours here) and ask that your gift be put toward unfunded breast health care."
Question of the Day
We've done this one before, but not for a very long time: What are your favorite and least favorite words, based solely on their sound?
I have lots of words I really love, and I'm not sure I have a single favorite, but the first one that came to mind is tintinnabulation.
I can't think of anything off the top of my head that I don't like based solely on its sound, but I know a ton of people who hate the sound of moist.
Florida Primary Night Open Thread
OMG, y'all! Are you as firmly ensconced in the compelling grip of excitement as I am?! I HOPE YOU ARE! It's gonna be another real nail-biter to see whether it will be the super rich and super privileged white guy, or the OTHER super rich and super privileged white guy who wins in Florida tonight! I CAN'T WAIT!
(Full Disclosure: I can totally wait.)
Just to give you some idea of HOW EXCITING things are in Florida right now, here is a picture of Mitt Romney ON THE PHONE!
Get out the vote...with GREAT JOKES!
Anyway! I can't wait to see what happens tonight! So many possibilities... Mitt Romney could win and go on to get the Republican nomination! Mitt Romney could lose and go on to get the Republican nomination! What a wild ride we've got ahead of us, Shakers!
Bring it on,
Photo of the Day
Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich holds a sign made by a supporter in the crowd, as he speaks at the Tampa Jet Center, on January 30, 2012, in Tampa, Florida. [Getty Images]Is Mitt Romney the Joker in that graphic? Did he just eat a cherry lollipop? What is going on?
I like to imagine the text, with its interesting spacing and lack of punctuation, actually says: "Make no mistake, Obama. Care! Is Romney care?" An exhortation to compassion followed by a rhetorical question to which the answer is no.
News I Don't Want to Write About
[Content Note: War, reproductive rights legislation, rape culture, violence, misogyny.]
Here is all the news I don't want to write about today!
There is the BIG NEWS that Iran is totally going to attack the US! It's true! Or not! It seems like I've heard this story before: The administration of a first-term president before a hotly contested election says that US intelligence has found that Iraq Iran is developing nuclear capabilities with intent to attack the US and/or US interests, and there are UN weapons inspections, with which Iraq Iran is cooperating, but the belligerent rhetoric of preemptive self-defense keeps getting ratcheted up nonetheless, including accusations of Iraq's Iran's noncompliance with those inspections. THIS IS A FAMILIAR TUNE, SHAKERS!
"Wolf!"—The Boy.
In good news, the New York Times is partying like it's 2003, because they've already got a year of reporting covered c/o search and replace.
There is the news that Michele Bachmann exited the presidential campaign one million dollars in debt. And the news that Rick Perry blew through $15 million in the final months of his campaign, for presumably no purpose other than raising awareness about what a douche he is so he could LOSE FASTER! This is yet another golden opportunity for USians to consider how utterly fucked up it is that we do not have publicly financed elections or limited electoral seasons, and very rich people spend enormous amounts of money to get elected while other politicians who have already been elected argue in fancy buildings about how we don't have any money to provide healthcare, food, and housing to everyone in the country.
There is the news that former Florida Governor Charlie Crist might someday run again for office as a Democrazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Huntsman-Crist for President-VP of Napping!
There is the story about Janet Howell, a Virginia State Senator, who, to Make A Point, attached an amendment to a state mandatory ultrasound abortion bill "that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication." Hardy-har. Suffice it to say I don't find proposing the equivalent of a forced trans-vaginal sonogram law to be amusing, since it's little more than a sophisticated rape joke. I am, I trust it is evident, sympathetic to Howell's intentions, but I cannot get on board with fighting the nonconsensual control of the bodies of women and other people with uteri with a proposal for more of it, rather than less. Coercing a person to undergo an unnecessary vaginal probe to acquire a legal medical procedure is rape, and compelling an anal probe is no different.
There is news about ladies! The US women's soccer league's 2012 season has been cancelled less than 24 hours after the US women's national team qualified for the Olympics. If there's one thing we know how to do in America, it's treat women's sports like absolute shit!
There is the story of a man in Afghanistan, where we've been SPREADING FREEDOM for ten years and counting, who has reportedly strangled his wife after she failed to bear him a son. Three healthy daughters, though. Who now have no mother. Rage. Seethe. Boil.
There is this story about "three regulators [who] did indeed ring warning bells [about the subprime financial crisis]—at the right time, in the right places, and loud enough for other banking and financial system overseers," but were all ignored. Guess what they all have in common? Go on—guess! If you said they were all ladies, give yourself 1,000 points, redeemable at Shakesville's OMFG the Absurd Misogyny in the Year 2012 Shop!
Ladynews Trifecta!
There is, because I want to end on a hopeful note, this story about a potential breakthrough in cancer research and one patient's view of a future.
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
Quote of the Day
[Content Note: Homophobia.]
"I Believe in Adam and Eve!"—A sign seen at a rally held by "opponents of same-sex marriage rallied in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis Monday night, calling on lawmakers to abandon legislative efforts to allow gays and lesbians to enter into civil marriages."
That old canard.
I guess it's a waste of time to point out it's possible to simultaneously "believe in Adam and Eve" and also believe that Adam and Steve (who are definitely the most popular gay couple in history, right?) are entitled to the same rights you have.
Zanytalk!
Blog Note
Comments are working again. My apologies who those whose comments were lost during the last hour.
ETA. And the Tree of Life is back. Woo.
The Morals and the Ethics of it
[Content Note: medical procedure descriptions]
Last Wednesday, Newt Gingrich engaged in some ridiculous hyperbole in order to woo anti-science fundamentalists in today's Florida primary. Which is not particularly news, true. The topic Gingrich was speaking on was Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) and he said that ESCR is “the use of science to desensitize society over the killing of babies” (unsurprisingly this is contrary to what he's said in the past, as WaPo points out). Gingrich wants a commission to investigate IVF clinics in regards to embryos, storage, and disposal--to overall "investigate their ethics". Gingrich's is an opinion shared by not a few people--and thus why he trotted it out to try and garner votes. Also, rather ironically, that same week, news broke that there are signs of promise in using embryonic stem cells in the treatment of blindness.
For all the talk about ESCR and other embryonic research, it seems not many know just what can occur or what can be studied or what real outcomes have the potential to be. Well, here is one concrete example, of which Gingrich would no doubt--now, for conservative votes-- regard as wanton "baby killing".
Today in Kyriarchetypes
In case you'd forgotten (ha ha how could you even if you wanted to?), Hollywood is steeped in white privilege. And thin privilege. Also sexual objectification. And Photoshop. Plus other things that are in various ways Not Good!
[Click to embiggen.]
I will just quickly note, once again, in spite of its being an unceasingly vomitous font of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, ablism, fat hatred, rape jokes, violence, bullying, and other sundry bigotries and hostilities, Hollywood (meaning the entertainment industry, not the town) is nonetheless yet regarded as a bastion of liberalism.
It's funny how much "Hollywood liberal elitism" looks like an Ayn Rand wank-fantasy.
