Friday Giggle

...Because damn it, I needed to laugh today!

Comedian Brian Regan on going to the Emergency Room.



"Okay you go in... tell 'em you're shot! --- Ask 'em if they validate!"

Women getting screwed over in home financing

A must read article about how single women are being hit hardest in the housing crisis. Turns out women are more likely to get subprime loans even when they earn the exact same amount as men. African-American women were FIVE times more likely to get hit with subprime mortgages than white men- even when they earned double the area's median income!

Excerpt:

Several studies have shown that women -- and women of color, in particular -- are more likely than men to be targets of subprime and predatory lenders, and that many of the women who have lost their homes to foreclosure could have qualified for lower-cost loans. And although there are no data comparing foreclosure rates between men and women, subprime loans have a higher rate of default. So with foreclosures soaring, experts say women are at particular risk of losing their homes.

Shocking! Sexism and racism bites women in the ass!

Racism + Ick = BK commercial

This may be old and no longer airing (I saw it on a recorded TV show on our DVR) but regardless, I'm shocked that this was EVER considered a good idea.



And it makes me sad because I like going to Burger King -- their apple fries and $1 side salad is a perfect snack.

I know Burger King has a history of stupid ads but this one is seriously making me reconsider if I should put any money in their pocket. Plus, it's not an appetite boost to see a man unhinge his jaw and swallow a triple woppher.

You Tube shows me some crazy stuff

A song about Britney Spears that I found touching.



Yes, how on earth would a little boy with two mommies learn how to change the oil? Mommies never know how to do that!!!

Atta girl

I love you Hillary.

"John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it’s okay when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work.

With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart."

Happy Women's Equality Day!

A beauty pageant for nuns?

Today's crazy news comes from Rome, Italy.

A priest is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns called "Miss Sister 2008."

The idea, which Rev. Rungi swears came from nuns "with whom he regularly prays and works," is supposedly about fighting the stereotype that they are all old and dour.

Cause there's nothing worse for a woman than being seen as old. God forbid women who devote their lives in service to their church you know... age!

The contest will be online with each webpage featuring a nun's photo as well as information on her life and vocation. It's up to the women whether to pose with the traditional veil or not.

"Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalized in ecclesiastical life," Rungi told The Associated Press after Italian media carried reports of the idea. "This will be an occasion to make their contribution more visible."

"We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits," Rungi said by telephone from his town of Mondragone. "But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it."

WTF!

I'd like to see a riot of nuns beat this guy about the head with their rosaries. It's true that nuns are marginalized. They are schooled theologians who are not allowed to lead mass, baptize children, marry parishioners or have any real say in church leadership. That is where they need more visibility and exposure. They don't need to be paraded in front of people as a status symbol of the church's "hotness" factor. Bathing suit or not.

But what do you think?

Dear Obama

I really, really, really resent you right now. You are the democratic nominee and you ran on the slogan of "hope and change." But I have no hope and I'm seeing no change. I'm seeing more of the same old.

What's worse, I'm seeing decisions that are so blatantly stupid that I'm really beginning to fear that you will lose this election in November leaving us with another poverty-ignoring, war-mongering, contraception/abortion denying asshole for the next four years.

Pull it together, dude. This shouldn't be that hard-- Bush's approval rating is tanked and McCain is an extension of Bush's failed policies. So why is McCain beating you in the polls? Why is a huge faction of the democratic party not hyped about you at all?

Because you are pandering. And there is nothing "new" in that. You need to quit pandering. Quit going out and trying to win evangelicals, pro-life votes. They are NEVER ... IN A BILLION YEARS... gonna vote for you. However, the majority of this country is pro choice and we we would love to see a President in the White House who was unabashedly pro-choice.

You have a lot of work to do. And frankly you should work your ass off because there have been A LOT of screw-ups in the last few weeks. Chief among them your INSANE in the membrane pick for VP.

Stop thinking you can EVER win this crowd:



These were the folks that showed up when Obama spoke in ND.

They hate you. They're against ending the war, universal health care and bodily autonomy for women.

YOU SHOULD BE FOR THESE THINGS. And you should be proud of it. But if you bullshit anymore about women needing their pastor or not being able to claim "mental distress" as reason to get a late abortion, or not taking a stand on when life begins you are going to lose votes that should be in your pocket. You are going to lose the election to McCain.

I will vote for you in November. Because I know that realistically it's you or McCain and I can't let McCain win. He is without a doubt, the worse of two evils. But not everyone is going to see it like that. And that's there right. It's your job to go out and get those votes.

The way I see it, your record on choice has its bright spots:

Voted NO on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
Sponsored bill providing contraceptives for low-income women. (May 2006)

McCain has no bright spots. ZERO.

However, I don't want to go into this thinking "lesser of two evils." I want to be proud of you, knowing that you stepped up to the plate for us, for progressive values. And you didn't pander. Because that's going to get you NOTHING but pissed off constituents.

Sincerely,
Tobes

Sunday Spotlight

Kristin Herout is my hero.

The 23-year-old graduate student and professional photographer is replicating advertisements from Cosmopolitan, Elle and other women’s fashion magazines using “curvy” and “realistic” women to accompany a scholarly paper on the subject.

“Basically, I just want people to see what it would be like if plus-size models were represented similarly to slim models,” said Herout

Read the whole thing here.

This is why...

...photographs that cut women up into body parts aren't innocent, cute fun.

When you dehumanize a woman and reduce her to parts -- just the ass for example. That is exactly what she becomes -- a piece of ass. She becomes SEX itself, not a whole, human being, a person with a name, a personality, an athlete....


This female Olympian has been cut up and 'othered' so much that she is now the acceptable icon for "sex" itself.

The article is pretty much as disgusting as you can imagine

...there were the indigenous lovelies who came to watch the competitions. And then there were the female athletes - literally thousands of them - strutting, shimmying, sashaying and jogging around the village, clad in Lycra and exposing yard upon yard of shiny, toned, rippling and unimaginably exotic flesh. Women from all the countries of the world: muscular, virile, athletic and oozing oestrogen. I spent so much time in a state of lust that I could have passed out. Indeed, for all I knew I did pass out - in a place like that how was one to tell the difference between dreamland and reality?

and then there's this

...success does not work both ways. Gold-medal winning female athletes are not looked upon by male athletes with any more desire than those who flunked out in the first round. It is sometimes even considered a defect, as if there is something downright unfeminine about all that striving, fist pumping and incontinent sweating. Sport, in this respect, is a reflection of wider society, where male success is a universal desirable whereas female success is sexually ambiguous. I do not condone this phenomenon, merely note it.

I do not have the energy at this point in a Friday to talk about all the ways in which this article is tasteless, sexist and vile. I just want to get done with work and have a big f---ing drink.

Anti-choicers LIE while claiming moral high ground-- annoying

Yesterday the Fargo Forum newspaper had this letter to the editor:

I couldn’t get to sleep the other night. Earlier in the day, I was told that by 9:30 a.m., there were already 18 women in the abortion chamber preparing to end their child’s life.

This happening in our community is terrible. The unborn child is the most innocent of all, and here we are doing the same thing as the Nazis, taking innocent life. The pro-choicers say they only want to help the pregnant woman. Why then in South Dakota did they close their clinic after a new law concerning abortions went into effect?

This law requires the physician to tell the patient the following information:

• The abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.

• The pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being and that the relationship enjoys protection under the U.S. Constitution and under the laws of South Dakota.

• That by having an abortion, her existing relationship and her existing constitutional right with regards to that relationship will be terminated.

• A description of all known medical risks of the procedure, including depression and related psychological stress and increased risk of suicide.

Planned Parenthood in South Dakota apparently does not believe that knowledge is good. They closed their doors for good rather than abide by the new law. The president of the regional Planned Parenthood office said “the law is one more terrible, terrible barrier.” Why are they against giving patients accurate information on abortion? I think North Dakota should follow South Dakota’s lead and get rid of the killing mill here in our midst.

I am sending a shorter letter back, but here's what I would say to McCormick if I could say it in full:

Thomas McCormick's letter to the editor (August 21st "ND should follow SD on abortion") was full of misinformation. First, the clinic in South Dakota did not close.

Second, McCormick said that abortion leads to increased risk of suicide. This is false. Just this month, the American Psychological Association released a report examining the relationship between women's mental health and abortion. It evaluated all empirical studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals since 1989. The data revealed that choosing abortion in the first trimester was no riskier than carrying an unplanned pregnancy to term. Basically, unplanned pregnancies are stressful regardless of the outcome.

No little girl grows up saying, "I can't wait to have my first abortion." It isn't a choice anyone wants to make. But it can be a necessary one.
There are thousands of reasons why women choose abortion, and it's not chosen lightly. It's an expensive medical procedure and it carries a social stigma.

Women don't need biased rhetoric recited to them about "terminating a life." They are adults who can be trusted with complex, moral decisions. Besides, is there really any doubt that women don't comprehend what pregnancy means? Are women delivering babies and acting shocked? "I had no idea THAT was gonna happen, doctor. I wish someone told me 9 months ago that I had a baby growing inside me—I had no idea!"

Pregnancy also carries significant risk. Every year hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with post partum depression (who knows how many more are not diagnosed). Knowing that, do we wring our hands and write legislation forcing doctors to warn pregnant women about the psychological risk of carrying to term? Of course not!

Autonomy over one's body is a basic human right. No one could force McCormick to donate a kidney, even if someone's life hung in the balance. We do not make laws like that. Your body is not the property of the state or anyone else. If we want to reduce abortions, we must offer affordable contraceptives, sex education, and more financial options for single mothers or struggling families.

This means supporting places like Planned Parenthood and working against abstinence only education, voting down laws that have no regard to the heath and well being of women, and most importantly, voting against people like Bush. Even now, in his 11th hour in the White house, Bush has proposed that we redefine birth control as abortion, making it harder for women to access basic medical care that REDUCES the need for abortion!

Criminalizing women and pushing them back into alleyways to die alone is not the answer.

Spotlight/Friday Giggle

Friday Giggle:

Tampons are evil.

I concur.

From blogger Rachel Setzer -- http://rachelsetzer.com/blog.html

Spotlight on 12 year old, Amelia Robbins who is taking on the system:



Kate Harding thinks the girl is pretty bad-ass too ;)

CNN examines sexism in the Olympics

It's great to see mainstream media tackling this subject. I like to think they got the idea from feminist blogs -- many have written about sexism in the games this Olympic season.



I think it was wise not to focus the discussion on Michael Phelps as a "typical male" earner. He is an extreme case. He was America's star this year breaking records left and right, amazing story, 8 medals etc. But when you compare male/female Olympians with similar qualifications (good story, press coverage, similar medals won, records set etc) ... men STILL earn more. Much more. The pay disparity shocked the hell out of me. Nearly an 80 MILLION dollar difference between the top female and male athletes!


click to enlarge

You cannot tell me this is an accident.

The CNN discussion also touched on the longevity of medal winners. Of course the Olympics are about fulfilling dreams and showcasing athletic ability. But it's also a career move. Winning gold means getting Gold. Endorsements, jobs in sports commentary and speaking deals can make a career. Bruce Jenner, a former gold medal winner, can be seen on the reality show "Keeping up with the Kardashians" still doing speaking events for business in California. He was a hero in the 70s (athlete of the year, Wheaties Box etc) and he is STILL a hero to many today.

Women do not see that kind of long-term success. Hell, they don't even make the short-term success staples in sports-- take for example, a cover of Sports Illustrated.

From a fantastic article Sports Illustrated’s Cover Barrier: Who Will Break the Bikini Line?

So far in 2008, only one woman has made the SI cover: Swimsuit model Marisa Miller. What about 2007? Yup, just one woman again. Her name?: "Beyonce". 2006? Well, one winter Olympics issue had 6 athletes with three of them being women. In the year’s other multi-female issue there were 8 half-naked supermodels. So who was the last female athlete to grace an SI cover by herself? That would be softball player Jennie Finch in 2005.

And Finch was not photographed like her male peers-- in an action shot. She was wearing a miniskirt and the headline read, "SI Throws a Party: Jennie Finch Will be There."

One would have to go back nearly three full years, 10 bikinis, and one miniskirt before finding a female all by herself on the cover who was recognized for her athletic achievements (Danica Patrick in June 2005).

A photo of Sports Illustrated covers. Three whole years and these are the ONLY covers with women.



Is it any wonder we remember our male sports heroes longer than the women? Is it any wonder we don't take our female athletes as seriously or value them as much? When we acknowledge them, we tend to so for their beauty. We put them in a miniskirt and we tell them to "smile not sweat." We want it to be all about their woman-ness, not simply the fact that they're a kick ass athlete.

CNN briefly touched on the beauty double standard. It doesn't seem to matter if a male Olympian has classic good looks, but for women... well if she's gonna have to be in a bikini or miniskirt to grace a magazine cover, I'm betting it's still an issue.

This year plenty many great blogs have tackled the crazy differences in men's vs. women's Olympic uniforms (click that link for pics) and also the sexist coverage female medal winners receive but again this is indicative of the larger sexism that pervades against female athletes,

IN 1972, Title IX was passed mandating that public schools provide women equal opportunities to enjoy sports just like men had been doing since --- ever.

Still 36 years later, there is no equality.
--According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, U.S. men receive $133 million more in college athletic scholarships then women.
--Female pro tennis players make 37 cents for every dollar their male peers earn.
-- Only 16 percent of collegiate athletic directors are women
-- 8 percent of media coverage of sports focuses on women.
-- Some high schools schedule girls basketball games on weekday afternoons and the boys games on Friday at eight p.m.

In 2004, Sepp Blatter, president of the international soccer governing body known as FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) suggested that female soccer players wear tighter uniforms to attract more television viewers. He also thought it would bring in money from fashion and beauty advertisers.

In 2002, The Ladies Professional Golf Association gave their players makeovers for similar reasons.

Just this year the WNBA decided that they too would 'pretty up' their players.

Feministing didn't enjoy that too much:


I'm glad CNN did this story but I'm so very, very thankful that when I started to research this post and grab links and factoids, there were so many out there. We have to report these stories, we have to speak up because it should be better and it's not just gonna "happen" one day. We're gonna have to push for it!

America the Beautiful - documentary

Ignore the corny intro from these two female anchors ... the story is interesting

Cellphone ringtones for safe sex

Sexy boyfriend sent me another story to blog about. Thankfully this one was far less depressing than the last one.

I kind of love it!

In India, a ringtone just launched which features the word "Condom" sung in multipart a cappella harmony. The country has approximately 2.5 million people living with HIV, and this ringtone is part of a "three-year ad offensive aimed at making condom use there more socially acceptable."

The larger campaign for condom use includes ads on television, radio, and film, and print and outdoor media. The HIV-prevention messages are expected to reach an estimated 52 million men and it's being promoted with the line, "jo samjha wohi sikander" or translated "The one who understands is a winner."

An ad promoting the ringtone shows a man at a wedding holding a cell phone and becoming embarrassed when it starts ringing "CONDOM!" However, people around him treat him as someone smart and responsible.



From the article:

"Ringtones have become such personal statements that a specially created condom ringtone seemed just the right way of combining a practical message with a fun approach," said Radharani Mitra, creative director of the BBC World Service Trust India.

The campaign is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The National AIDS Control Organization is also using the ads to support its condom promotion efforts.

The ringtone, which can be downloaded both via SMS or the Web site, has reportedly been downloaded more than 60,000 times in the last 12 days. And trust us, it's much better than that other safe-sex ringtone: "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off."

** If you link to the article, you can hear the ringtone in unedited form if you scroll to the bottom of the page...

Friday Funny - Feminists created the gays!

Because there's no one better to give you advice than a man wearing a toliet seat around his neck while pointing a water gun at a cherry.

Also his desk nameplate reads "The Viking"



"If the mom wears the pants, the boys are gonna wear the skirts.... it's scientific."

Ahhhhh stupid people... always good for a laugh,

Olbermann winning me back

I wasn't crazy about him for awhile, but man does he ever hit this one out of the park. It really gets going around 1:45. Thanks for speaking up on this, Keith.



via Feministing

Edwards wouldn't have cheated if dying wife would give more blow jobs

Seriously. That's Rush Limbaugh's "theory" anyway (emphasis mine)

OK, we're back. Ladies and gentleman, my theory that I just explained to you about why -- you know, what could have John Edwards' motivations been to have the affair with Rielle Hunter, given his wife is smarter than he is and probably nagging him a lot about doing this, and he found somebody that did something with her mouth other than talk. I think I can back this up from her.

(emphasis mine)

If you need to hear it from the horse's (ass) mouth...



PS: He also managed to launch a sexist attack against all females competing in the Olympics

I'm in a little quicksand already today talking about how the chicks are giving us boring pictures of the female athletes from the Olympics. Because I know -- you -- the diversity crowd's going to be upset. They're going to -- "Ooh, do you mean the Olympics are just so you guys can ogle wom--" Yes, because we do not care to watch 'em compete.

Hear that, ladies?

You aren't in it for the competition, or to showcase your amazing athletic prowess and bring honor to your country. You're here to help Rush pop a boner (that is if his maid ran out and got his weekly supply of Viagra in time). **

Pathetic.

But it's Rush. We already knew that.

PS: Since when are women-- over 50% of the world's population-- the "diversity crowd."


** So that isn't JUST a cheap shot, it's true. When they caught Rush getting his illegal oxycotin supply, they also found Viagra. And he did send his maid out to get it on the street.

via

Tearjerker

via the fabulous Steve the Penguin

Not Pretty Enough to be a Patriot

The girl on the left is Lin Miaoke, 9. Clearly a cute girl, she has already appeared in television commercials. In the opening ceremonies at Beijing, she received a huge honor. She sang "Hymn to the Motherland" to millions of viewers around the world. Consequently she's become a young sensation, "giving interviews to all the most popular newspapers."

But it turns out Lin Miakoe was a pawn. She was used because the real singer, Yang Peiyi (on the right) wasn't pretty enough to represent her country. Because she has buck teeth.

In interviews, the musical designer said this was not the first time girls were weeded out for looks,

...A ten-year-old had originally been chosen for the quality of her voice. But she, too, had fallen by the wayside because she was not "cute" enough.

"We used her to sing in all the rehearsals," Mr Chen said. "But in the end the director thought her image was not the most appropriate, because she was a little too old. Regrettably, we had to let her go."

Too old at ten?? Not cute enough at ten?

Then they found Yang Peiyi who they thought was "flawless." Until someone brought up her teeth. But turning away little girls with obvious talent is not disgusting, sexist and hurtful. It's all about P.R.

It is a question of the national interest. It is a question of the image of our national music, our national culture.

Congrats, your natural culture looks heartless.

But, it's not like I couldn't see this same garbage happening elsewhere. I just thought the Olympics were bigger than that. About pride, honor, and bringing the world together. Turns out it's just another lesson to little girls that what matters most is your looks.


Feministing's post as well


PS: Both of these little girls are adorable

UPDATE: According to CNN, Yang Peiyi was passed up due to teeth and a face that was "too chubby" -- UGH!

Spotlight

Must read. Go now and observe the awesome.

(I'm late on posting this but it's too stellar to pass up.)

Girls or Gadgets?

Dating shows- all of them -- make me physically ill.

They always play on the worst stereotypes about men and women and they typically feature the most shallow, cruel and sexist people EVER. Seriously, where do they find these people? Who raised them?

Maybe you think I'm overreacting. It's fun watching the idiots on Blind Date, right? Not so much for me. I really do hate those shows. How much you ask? Well, to me they signal a coming apocalypse.

And because 'reality' TV is always upping the ante, these shows are constantly getting worse. Sexy boyfriend sent me a link the other day and said, "Have fun blogging this one" ---



Yeah, you thought it sucked when we lined up women like a meat market and picked based on biggest boobs? NOW we're throwing inanimate objects into the mix!!!**

The concept is really quite offensive to both sexes. Dating shows already had me accustomed to the idea that people were exchangable-- even for cash. But gadgets and technology as a replacement for a date/girlfriend? Kinda takes objectification to another level.

But then I forget that reality shows - specifically dating shows are evil. They say nothing about love or human connection and everything about what is wrong with humanity. It's just a game and we're all the losers. However, considering what's on TV now, I don't even know why a concept like this should surprise me.

I can tell you what doesn't surprise me... the show, Gadget or the Girl, airs on the Playboy channel.

**To be fair... I have noticed that men on dating shows are held to similar sexist standards

Right now

I'm trying not to tweak out, run downstairs and start wildly pounding on the door of the garage where the "band" is practicing. Their bass player has cranked his sound. So I have been hearing the same simple bass guitar notes repeating for ... about two hours now. I'm really sick of it. It was a beautiful night and I wanted to read with the windows open. No go. Now I'm sitting here with everything shut tight and I can still hear the three notes. Over and over. Constant same rhythm. LEARN SOMETHING ELSE!!! Better yet-- just turn down your amp. Or best of all-- STOP NOW.

I am the grinch.

In other news, two men I previously admired, have really dissapointed me.

John Edwards admitted to an affair and the news of this is trumping Russia invading Georgia and the Olympics starting in China. Words cannot express my disappointment. I don't think an affair means you're a terrible person but it certainly doesn't win you any points with me. And besides the obvious hurtful betrayal of his family, it feels like a betrayal of his supporters. If you are serious about running for President you should really steer clear of CREATING huge scandals like cheating on your wife (while she battles cancer) and possibly creating illegitimate children.

Someone mentioned in the comment sections of feministing.com that this sort of news only really bothers when said cheating politician is a pubic hypocrite who for example tries to legislate morality or condemn gays for bad lifestyles (all the while screwing a young intern). I think I feel the same way. I am a remarkably forgiving person and I'm not part of his life or marriage or anything else. I so wish the media would dig at real issues the way they dig at the personal sordid details of celebs and politicians. Ultimately it doesn't matter what consenting adults do in the bedroom as long as it doesn't break laws. I'm more concerned with our CURRENT administration breaking all sorts of laws re: wiretapping and torture and creating laws that equate birth control with abortion and make it harder for Americans to get health insurance.

And... Anderson Cooper.

Don't know if you're familiar with the Anderson Cooper vs. the Lohans debacle. But it broke my heart. I used to really admire Anderson. But no more. By all means, go after Dina Lohan, she is a gross stage-mom. But when he started mocking a 14 year old girl on national TV, he lost major major points with me. Pick on someone your own size, Anderson. Seriously. Was there really nothing better to talk about?

Paris Hilton, I was wrong

You actually seem quite awesome. I'm sorry I never thought so before...

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Seriously, I think we've underestimated this gal.

Best quote EVAH!!!!

Every single human being on this planet has a billboard on their abdomen that says this:

“I was once so connected with a female human body that we shared the same blood, the same oxygen, the same food. If it weren’t for that woman, I would not exist. Look – here is the evidence.”

So, if you think Feminism is not your issue...

Contemplate your fucking navel

Congratulations to PortlyDyke of Shakesville for once again writing something so kick-ass that I get the lower-lip tremble, huge doorknob in throat feeling....

Read the rest of the great post here.