Hosted by Charlyne Yi.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker Mirta_S: "What makes you unique or different or weird? Do you celebrate it or hide it?"
Number of the Day
45: The number of awesome photos of President Barack Obama's greatest expressions, collected here. (I know it says 44, but trust me.)
They are all amazing, but you know I love me some Presidential nose-wrinkle.
[H/T to Shaker Constant Comment.]
USPSFU
[Content Note: Harassment; misogyny.]
I hate our mail carrier SO MUCH.
I don't genuinely hate people very often, but I hate this guy.
He smokes cigars in the mail truck, so all of our mail smells like cigar smoke. Now, I don't much care if my bills and catalogs smell like cigar smoke, but if I order a gift for someone or a piece of clothing for myself or Iain, I don't love having to air it out to get rid of stink when it's brand new.
Which would be bad enough.
But he also screams at me if I don't empty the mailbox for a day or two. I have explained to him, several times, that I have a disability that can make even walking to the mailbox difficult. He responds, at best, by sneering at me. Once, as he was putting mail in the box, because it wasn't even full so who fucking cares, he started screaming at the end of my driveway about what a fat bitch I am.
Which would also be bad enough.
But he also loathes and fears dogs. That is not unusual, but he has now been to our door bringing packages like ten thousand times over the last few years, and he knows they are friendly dogs. They don't jump on him or bark or do anything but sniff at him curiously, no less menace him. They're just there.
Still, okay, I get it, if it's a phobia, it doesn't matter if my dogs are nice.
So, despite the fact that he has never once said to me, "Hey, you know, I'm not a fan of dogs, so can you make sure your dogs are away before you open the door?" but has instead snarled, "Keep your fucking dogs away from me," I have tried to accommodate him.
The way our house is laid out, there's nowhere to quickly put the dogs away, so I call them to the kitchen for a treat. That takes about 30 seconds. If I take that 30 seconds, he LEAVES, even though I say I'll be just a minute.
And if I don't take the time to put them in the kitchen, they come to the door with me, and he screams at them and at me. He has literally screamed at me while I'm standing there apologizing for my perfectly behaved dogs.
Which is what just happened not a half hour ago, when he came to the front door. I went to the door after he knocked, and I told the dogs, "Back. Wait." and held up my hands. We are literally on the other side of the door at this point. He can see me through the window. He can see me trying to get the dogs to wait so they don't get near him. AND HE RINGS THE FUCKING DOORBELL AND POUNDS ON THE DOOR.
So the dogs run to the door. And I say, "Back. Wait." Loud enough for him to hear. "Just a second!" AND HE POUNDS ON THE FUCKING DOOR AGAIN.
I open the door then, because he clearly wants me just to open the door. And Zelda steps out on the porch beside him. Not hyper. Not touching him. Just next to him. And he yells at me, "GET IT AWAY!"
It took every ounce of my willpower not to scream at him. I just took the package, said to Zelda, "Come here, good girl," and then closed the door behind her and he glowered at me.
Every time he comes to the door, this happens. And every time he comes to the door, I get more anxious.
Because no matter what, he always seems to find some reason to bully me. Funny, that.
Recently, when the dogs peered out to greet the weekend mail carrier, I began my usual, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," as she bent down to snorgle them. She told me not to apologize. "They're so lovely!" she said, burying her face in Zelda's coat.
"Ah, it's just a reflex," I said. "Our weekday carrier yells at me about them all the time."
She narrowed her eyes. "He is one mean dude," she said. "Really scary. I'm sorry you have to deal with him."
So his coworkers know what he's like, and they're scared of him. Presumably, his bosses then also know what he's like, and they're probably scared of him, too. Which makes me pretty reluctant to report him.
Since, ya know, he knows where I live.
[Note: I am not soliciting advice. I know what my options are, and I'm weighing them.]
These Are Just Some Very Solid Quotes from a Really Super Guy
1. Paul Ryan says Team Romney/Ryan didn't lose because their policies are crap and they are garbage nightmares, but because of
I don't think we lost it on those budget issues, especially on Medicare; we clearly didn't lose it on those issues. I think the surprise was some of the turnout, some of the turnout especially in urban areas, which gave President Obama the big margin to win this race.Better luck next voter suppression!
I love the idea, by the way, that "urban" voters don't vote on the issues. That is definitely the way to convey your respect for "urban" voters! If "urban" voters actually did reflexively vote against you without even the tiniest consideration for any of your contemptible policies, I WOULD NOT BLAME THEM.
Oh well, at least you can console yourself with the knowledge that you definitely won the white bigot vote! GOOD JOB! You and your party have totally SEALED THE DEAL with the most endangered and grossest demographic in the country! Congrats.
2. Paul Ryan says that losing the election was really tough, especially for a couple of privileged specimens who are used to having everything handed to them.
It was an unusual election day for Ryan, his first loss. He said losing was "a foreign experience. It's tough to describe it."Hear that, birthers? Losing is a foreign experience for Paul Ryan. Looks like Barack Obama is the REAL AMERICAN after all!
Somebody bring me the birth certificates of those two losers STAT!
And their college transcripts, too. Just to be safe.
Photo of the Day
Above: Misa and her cat Fukumaru, who have been companions since Misa found Fukumaru as a kitten, abandoned in a shed, thirteen years ago. Their story has been documented by Misa's granddaughter, photographer Miyoko Ihara, and compiled for publication in a book called Misao the Big Mama and Fukumaru the Cat. More photos can be seen here.
[H/T to Shaker Westsidebecca.]
Sing It, Sister
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
Actress Keira Knightley on picking complex female characters and how the female film audience is underserved by the dearth of interesting female roles:
It is very difficult to find really interesting roles and there are very few, so I feel incredibly fortunate that [Anna Karenina is a role I got to play].Another interesting observation from the same interview: "I think in a lot of modern films, the female characters mainly always have to be likeable." Which is something Melissa Martin and I were talking about on Twitter just the other day.
I think, in general, the female audience is a massive one, and actually it's one that's rarely really tapped into. Everybody is after that very famous and rather elusive demographic of men, age 18-24. Well, actually, I'm not in that demographic and I want to see women who are complex and strange and people who I can relate to and be terrified of and want to be and all the rest of it.
So, I guess, as an actor, that's what I'm looking for: those people that interest me the most.
It's not just in the movies, that, either, is it? There is an extraordinary amount of pressure on women to be uncomplicated and likable in real life, too.
Bitch is really just a slur that means a woman who wants possession of her full humanity.
Daily Dose of Cute
Sophie: "Somebody pet me!"
Zelda: "I will give you nudges and kisses!"
Sophie: "Now I share the love with you."
Fin.
In The News
[Content note: Racism, domestic violence]
News and Things:
An Idaho scientist plans to float a blimp over Idaho in search of the mythic, ape-like Bigfoot. Good luck!
UPS has confirmed that it will disqualify groups like the Boy Scouts of America that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Good.
On streets of Athens, Greece, racist attacks increase.
An Arizona woman ran her husband down with an SUV after he failed to vote against Obama.
Following last week's wins, everyone seems to be looking forward to see where marriage equality will strike next. Some ideas here.
Work began to exhume the body of PLO leader Yasser Arafat amid an investigation of his 2004 death. It appears he may have been murdered.
Google is being pressed to resolve the FTC's antitrust probe in the next few days or face a lawsuit.
Need an Xmas gift idea? Severed Wampa Arm Ice Scraper!
And finally: 3D-printed jet car from Buckaroo Banzai. Neat!
Five Abolition Movies I'd Like to See
Dear Hollywood:
So it seems you're making a movie about abolition, specifically centering around Lincoln and the 13th Amendment. That's great!
Unfortunately, it seems that you have managed to make this exciting story about the end of slavery almost entirely about white people, with African-Americans reduced to symbolic, supporting characters in their own story. That's.... not so great. Telling the story of a genuine triumph against racism while perpetuating the racist stereotype that only white people really mattered in that triumph is a pretty big problem.
So! Because I know that sometimes fresh ideas are elusive, let me give you five ideas for 5 big, epic, blockbuster-type movies about abolition and the Civil War era that I'd like to see:
1.The Frederick Douglass Epic.
2.The Sojourner Truth Saga.
3.The Robert Smalls Story. (Special bonus: I already have the pitch: "Glory at sea!")
4.Harriet Tubman, Spy and Scout.
5. Incidents in the Life of Harriet Jacobs.
You're welcome!
Love,
Aphra
P.S. I have more ideas too if you're at all interested in reading some of them.
Quote of the Day
"And to think that the guy who coined the phrase 'axis of evil' is now the moral conscience of the Republican Party."—Brad DeLong, on David Frum's recent appearance on "Morning Joe," in which Frum detailed the problems plaguing the Republican Party, from the top to the bottom and back again. Like:
I believe the Republican Party is a party of followership. The problem with the Republican leaders is that they're cowards.... The real locus of the problem is the Republican activist base and the Republican donor base. They went apocalyptic over the past four years. And that was exploited by a lot of people in the conservative world. I won't soon forget the lupine smile that played over the head of a major conservative institution when he told me that our donors think the apocalypse has arrived.As you may recall, Frum was last seen sounding like a feminist compared the rest of his garbage party.
Republicans have been fleeced and exploited and lied to by a conservative entertainment complex.... Because the followers, the donors and the activists are so mistaken about the nature of the problems the country faces the nature--I mean, it's just a simple question. I went to Tea Party rallies and I would ask this question: "have taxes gone up or down in the past four years?" They could not answer that question correctly. Now it's true that taxes will go up if the President is re-elected. That's why we're Republicans. But you have to know that taxes have not gone up in the past. And "do we spend a trillion dollars on welfare?" Is that true or false? It is false. But it is almost universally believed.
[H/T to Iain.]
Love Prevailed
by Shaker GoldFishy
[Content Note: Heterocentrism; privilege.]
On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, Minnesotans made history. Ours is the first state to defeat a proposed state constitutional amendment aimed at defining marriage as "solely between one man and one woman." Thirty states have implemented similar bans, and we stopped the trend. Much of that was because of factors I described a couple of weeks ago (and one I didn't: we had a full 18 months to campaign against it—truly a luxury of time compared to the more typical 4-6 months), but I think we couldn't have done it without a massive coalition known as Minnesotans United for All Families. In the last seven days before the election, Minnesotans United for All Families made 900,000 phone calls, knocked on 400,000 doors, and had 27,000 volunteers working to defeat the amendment.
The Captain and I had the opportunity in the weeks preceding the election to participate in the "Vote NO" effort as volunteers (in addition to the seemingly endless requests we made via email, Facebook, and letters). We made phone calls, knocked on doors, and we even distributed literature on the eve of Election Day in our little town of 5,000 people. It was all very exhilarating, frightening, and draining. After those emotional days (I cried almost every night on my way home from phone-banking, and sometimes on the way in), to have stopped that hurtful amendment in its tracks…well, it was overwhelming. Even today—a week and SEVERAL viewings later—I cannot watch the video of the "moment of victory" without tearing up.
[Video Description: The video should begin at 2:33. Campaign Manager Richard Carlbom of Minnesotans United for All Families is speaking to campaign staff and board members at 1:45am, just before they have to vacate the room for the night, thanking them for their hard work and telling them the vote is still too close to call. Just as he's wrapping up and sending everyone home to get some sleep, he is interrupted by the campaign's communications director Kelly Schwinghammer, who tells him that the AP has called it in favor of equality. He lifts his arms in the air and shouts joyously, and the room erupts into a celebration of cheers and hugs.]
I'm so very proud that we made our small contributions to a truly staggering community effort put forth by lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans* folks, college kids, people of faith, people of color, coworkers, teens, veterans, widows, PFLAG parents, siblings, union members, business owners, physicians, Democrats, Republicans, and so many others. It was a broad coalition working together on behalf of equality.
In our local office, there was even a man from Utah who told me that he knew his state was nowhere near being able to have marriage equality, so he took vacation time, flew to Minnesota and volunteered with our efforts for a couple weeks. He alone made thousands of phone calls on our behalf. More than a couple times, I was the only self-identified gay person in my volunteer group, and I was almost always in the minority. So many of my fellow volunteers expressed that they were volunteering because even though they didn't identify as LGBT, they knew that this amendment was hurtful and they had to stand up against it. That kind of support and love was immensely humbling.
And all that effort worked. For the first time EVER, a state constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality (seriously, WTF? How can we still be putting up with this?) was defeated, and defeated soundly. (In Minnesota, a non-vote on a constitutional amendment counts as a "no," and we were planning on that to give us an edge. As it turns out, we had 52% of the vote, and didn't even need the 1% of non-votes!) And it was defeated not by focusing on how mean our opponents were (and they were truly mean, manipulative, and dishonest), but by talking about the importance of love. Love prevailed.
The day after the election, I received an email from our friend Rob, who lives with his partner in Boston, and he shared this anecdote (which I share here with his permission):
"Yesterday when [my husband] and I got a call telling us his family sat down together and they all discussed how and why they needed to vote no, I felt a great amount happiness to be part of an amazing family."This. So this. In Minnesota, people have been having conversations about what marriage means to them and others. These are conversations about shared values of love, commitment, and of belonging. These are conversations about how respecting individuals cannot exclude full participation, and how valuing your friends and family members means welcoming them into all the traditions they wish to enjoy. If we are to be valued, we must not be excluded. And these conversations aren't always easy—or even possible—but they were absolutely the key to this remarkable victory.
Now, I wouldn't say we really had a total "win," because we also learned how hurtful some of our families and neighbors are willing to be. And we don't yet have marriage equality in Minnesota. (I joked with my fellow volunteers that we sure were working hard to protect rights we don't have.) But we stood our ground, and we helped thousands upon thousands of people realize that it was our lives, our futures, our hopes at stake.
So please join me in thanking and honoring the many people who worked so hard to stop Minnesota's anti-marriage-equality amendment and preserve our hope for the future. Today Minnesota, my home, has embraced me. It is so wonderful.
(Also, HUGE congratulations to Maine, Maryland, and Washington for their successful passage of marriage equality. I have friends in each of those states, and I'm so happy for them! Yay!)
Petraeus Affair: The Latest
[Content Note: Harassment.]
I don't even know what's going on anymore. Maybe you can make head or tails of it. If you can, let me know! Thaaaaaaaaanks!
Reuters—Timeline of Events Surrounding CIA Director Petraeus' Resignation.
Wall Street Journal—FBI Agent in Petraeus Case Under Scrutiny: "New details about how the Federal Bureau of Investigation handled the case suggest that even as the bureau delved into Mr. Petraeus's personal life, the agency had to address conduct by its own agent—who allegedly sent shirtless photos of himself to a woman involved in the case prior to the investigation."
Washington Post—Petraeus Investigation Ensnares Commander of US and NATO Troops in Afghanistan: "The FBI probe into the sex scandal that prompted CIA Director David Petraeus to resign has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday. According to a senior US defense official, the FBI has uncovered between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of documents—most of them e-mails—that contain 'potentially inappropriate' communication between Allen and Jill Kelley, the 37-year-old Tampa woman whose report of harassment by a person who turned out to be Petraeus's mistress ultimately led to Petraeus's downfall."
Department of Defense—Statement by the Secretary of Defense on General John Allen: "On Sunday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation referred to the Department of Defense a matter involving General John Allen, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Today, I directed that the matter be referred to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense for investigation, and it is now in the hands of the Inspector General. I have informed the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The House Armed Services Committee has also been notified."
NBC—Emails on 'Coming and Goings' of Petraeus, Other Military Officials Escalated FBI Concerns: "What most alarmed the FBI, the source said, were references to 'the comings and goings' of high-level generals from the US Central Command, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and the US Southern Command, as well as Petraeus—including events that were not on any public schedule. This raised the question as to whether somebody had access to sensitive—and classified—information."
AP—Petraeus Said to Be Shocked by Girlfriend's Emails: "CIA Director David Petraeus was shocked to learn last summer that [Paula Broadwell] was suspected of sending threatening emails warning another woman to stay away from him, former staff members and friends told The Associated Press Monday. Petraeus told these associates his relationship with the second woman, Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, was platonic, though his biographer-turned-lover Paula Broadwell apparently saw her as a romantic rival. Retired Gen. Petraeus also denied to these associates that he had given Broadwell any of the sensitive military information alleged to have been found on her computer, saying anything she had must have been provided by other commanders during reporting trips to Afghanistan."
ABC—FBI: Petraeus Affair Part of Criminal Probe: "The FBI withheld its findings about Gen. David Petreaus' affair from the White House and congressional leaders because the agency considered them the result of a criminal investigation that never reached the threshold of an intelligence probe, law enforcement sources said today. The sources said agents followed department guidelines that generally bar sharing information about developing criminal investigations. The FBI is also aware of its history under former director J. Edgar Hoover of playing politics and digging into the lives of public figures. As one official said, the rules are designed to protect people (both private and elected officials) when negative information about them arises in the course of a criminal investigation that is not a crime."
Echidne—The Petraeus Puzzle: "The nasty bits on all this attention are what you might expect: On The Other Woman. ... And did you start counting the time to the first evo-psycho article about why Petraeus, A Man With Everything, did something so stupid for sex? I haven't found one yet (though I'm confident that it is in the works), but I did come across this inane television conversation with one S.E. Cupp asking why great men are willing to sacrifice everything for sex, all through the times! None of the people point out that Paula Broadwell, the woman Petraeus admitted having had an affair with, seems to have sacrificed pretty much everything for sex, too. If we call an affair just sex. I doubt she can salvage her career as a biographer after this, and I'm not sure what the consequences are for her marriage. The only difference between her situation and that of Petraeus is that the society ranks his success much higher."
Discuss.
Top Five
Here is your topic: Top Five Favorite Television Theme Songs. Go!
Please feel welcome to share stories about why your Top Five picks are what they are, though a straight-up list is fine, too. Please refrain from negatively auditing other people's lists, because judgment discourages participation.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker Secjwick: What do you order on your pizza?
As always, "I hate pizza" is a viable answer, too.
I'm pretty flexible about my pizza toppings. I'm not thrilled with black olives, which I don't fancy in any context, and I can pass on green peppers, which I do like raw but overwhelm other flavors for me when cooked, but otherwise I'll have what you're having.
My personal favorites are ham and pineapple, or chicken and spinach. Neither of which Iain likes, naturally.
Photo of the Day
From the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day for 9 November 2012: A Lord of the Rings fan has built a Hobbit Hole from 2,600 balloons. Jeremy Telford, 34, spent 40 hours over three days inflating the balloons using a hand-pump. And, thanks to a very understanding wife, the Tolkien fan was able to build the structure in his living room in Pleasant Grove, Utah. [Jeremy Telford / Rex Features]If Telford's "very understanding wife" managed to stay uninvolved in this project, I would be highly impressed. There's no way this level of nerdery could be going on at Shakes Manor without both of us having our noses way the hell up in it!
Important Announcement
I don't want to see Lincoln, the Steven Spielberg biopic of President Abe Lincoln. I was very excited to see Daniel Day-Lewis all dressed up as Lincoln, but it turns out that was the absolute zenith of my excitement for the film. Whooooops!
I'm sure Steven Spielberg is devastated at the thought of not getting my $8. Oh well. Better luck next biopic, Steven Spielberg!
Oh, also? If you're wondering if this has anything at all to do with the fact that the trailers for the film are very heavy on Lincoln Freed the Slaves! without (m)any black people themselves actually appearing anywhere in the trailer, the answer to that would be yup!
I mean, sure, yes, very good job, Mr. Lincoln! All of that. But I am fast-forwarding one million years (give or take) until the Spielberg Cyborg Gen 5-L is making a movie about marriage equality called "Obama," all about Mr. Obama's brave personal affirmation that same-sex marriage may not technically end civilization, and I'm thinking IN THE FUTURE (complicated) about how the movie should maybe be about my friends who went door-to-door with their hearts in their throats asking their neighbors who have been given the opportunity to vote on their civil rights to please do the right thing.
I guess it's just that I already know Abraham Lincoln did some stuff. Is what I'm saying.
Monday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by hats.
Recommended Reading:
Digby: Someone Please Remind the President He Got a Progressive Mandate
Maya: Race and the Gender Gap: White Women Supported Romney by 56 to 42 Percent
Adrienne: Guess We Can Add Victoria's Secret to the List [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion and imagery of racism and objectification.]
Helen: Beatie Divorce [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of transphobia and gender essentialism.]
Ragen: It's Not a Civil Debate [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of fat bias and eliminationism.]
Andy: Kyrsten Sinema Victorious in Arizona House Race; Becomes 1st Openly Bisexual Member of Congress
Jill: Just Look at This Ridiculously Awesome R2-D2 Vespa
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
