Saturday, October 31, 2009

Men who try to trick women into getting pregnant: Study finds link between teen pregnancy and dating violence

I think many of us have heard stories where women purposely attempt to trap men by allowing themselves to become pregnant on purpose. It's disgusting and evil. But did you know that men also poke holes in condoms or flush pregnancy pill packs in attempts to get their female partners pregnant?


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According to one of the study's authors, Elizabeth Miller, M.D., of UC-Davis, one girl interviewed by researchers told them her boyfriend "tried to get me pregnant on purpose and then made me have an abortion." Davis says, "This is clearly out-and-out control of a woman's body. Control for control's sake."


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Miller's study was based on interviews with a ethnically diverse group of 61 girls from Boston's poorest neighborhoods. All had histories of partner violence and 53 of them were in abusive relationships. 26 percent reported that their partners were attempting to get them pregnant against their wills by manipulating birth control or sweet-talking them about "making beautiful babies" together.


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For information on how to prevent various types of violence (and this is a form of dating violence) visit the Family Violence Prevention Fund.


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What's the answer? Dr Miller suggests that pregnancy prevention programs should include discussions about reproductive control as a form of abuse in relationships.

In a 2007 article from Salon.com Jay Silverman, director of Violence Prevention Programs for the Harvard School of Public Health and senior author on the study stated, "When we see girls who cannot consistently use contraception, who are requesting frequent emergency contraception, or who seek repeat pregnancy testing, we need to be asking very directly about abuse from male partners and find ways to support [the girls] and promote their safety".


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This of course is only one study however the fact that things kind of thing happens at all is discouraging. It's bad enough that women do this to men but that men also feel comfortable exuding their perceived power in this way.

"On Halloween night, The Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys to all the children!"

Another great Halloween tradition. Charlie Brown holiday specials!



We all know the story of the great pumpkin don't we?



Charles M. Schulz created the lovable Peanuts Gang characters. In this story Linus insists that every year The Great Pumpkin rises and brings children Halloween treats.



Linus convinces Charlie Brown's sister Sally to sit with him in a pumpkin patch and wait for The Great Pumpkin.



At the end of the night The Great Pumpkin fails to appear however, Linus remains dedicated.

For those of you who don't know the story I basically just ruined it for you. But I think the animated feature is worth seeing anyway.


It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) Part 1


It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) Part 2


It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) Part 3

Don't date a guy who reads Details magazine...or Maxim, or FHM or Playboy or or or or....



Ladies and gents. If you see the above logo on the cover of a magazine....run. Ok, that's an exaggeration but I must say that I think Details is a horrid magazine. You'll find the magazine on the shelves of the "mens interest" section of any bookstore.

The magazine has attracted many actors and music artists who have been featured on the cover. I question if any of them truly read Details magazine and if they feel the articles inside helpful.

Initially I thought Details was the straight male equivalent to Cosmo. Understand that I am not applauding Cosmo magazine in anyway. I think Cosmo is a deplorable magazine that only encourages women to maintain outrageous beauty standards in order to impress straight men.

I just came upon this Details article from 2007. I'm posting it here word for word and will review it. Oh and by the way..please tell me that I am not the only one who cringes at the photo image below.


With all due respect to Salt-N-Pepa, let's talk about Todd. Todd (not his real name) is a friend of a friend. He's a rare breed—a finance guy who lives in L.A. He's been dating the same ladylike woman for three years. They are the picture of late-twentysomething, Amstel Light—drinking America. The very first time they slept together, they had anal sex. Miss Ladylike had never tried it before. For the next five months, anal was the only kind of sex they had. Supposedly, Todd had intimacy issues, and penetrating Miss Ladylike's rectum was less emotionally intense than venturing into the vagina. Eventually, Todd did the deed with Miss Ladylike in the usual way, and continues to, but they still have a whole lot of anal sex.

So, apparently, do a lot of other people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in 2002, 38 percent of men ages 18 to 59 had entered a woman's back door. Thirty-five percent of women ages 25 to 44 had invited men in. Ten years before, only 26 percent of men and 20 percent of women reported having had anal sex.

"Anal is the new oral," says syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage. "I used to get letters from women about giving head. Those letters are now dwarfed by letters from women asking how to take it up the butt." Okay. But pronouncements and statistics that indicate the rising popularity of rearguard action don't address some nagging questions—the biggest one being how, presuming they haven't had their own rectums messed with, can so many guys justify asking women to let them take the service elevator?

Phillip, an engineer in Chicago, says he and his friends request a ride in the back seat because it's a harder-to-reach goal than old-fashioned intercourse. "Once a guy has anal sex, he's put on a pedestal by his peers," he says. He claims he hasn't had much trouble getting women to agree to it. "I only had to persuade two girls. [I asked] 'Can I put it in your butt?' At first they were like, 'No, it will hurt.' Then time after time of having sex with them they finally said okay. It hurt them the first time, but after that they always said they enjoyed it—if not a little, then a lot."

For other men, the appeal of anal penetration is less the novelty—and the fact that it gives them a good story to tell over beers—and more the psychology. "For most of my friends, it's sort of a domination thing," says John (not his real name), 30, a writer in New York. "[It's] basically getting someone in a position where they're most vulnerable. My friends enjoy that and they tell their friends they did it. But it's not like girls are ready for it—it's something they do when they're really drunk."

"There's an erotic undercurrent about being in control of a situation," says Edward Ratush, a psychiatrist and sex therapist in New York. "It's a very ego-focused thing for the guy."

Albert (his middle name), a good-looking 29-year-old who's fairly well-known in the music industry, says he asks the women he dates to have anal sex with him because it raises the level of intimacy in the relationship. He doesn't demand anal sex—especially not if it's a one-time hookup—but he won't commit to a woman who refuses to grant him a backstage pass. "I had a girlfriend who I was with for a long time and she wasn't into it," Albert says. "There was definitely a thing in the back of my head like, 'I can't marry her.' How can I, knowing I can't go to all the places I can go with her? The physicality of it, being painful or whatever, shows how comfortable the girl is with you." Here, he pointedly stops short of romanticizing screwing a woman rectally. "Ideally, every girl is a disgusting pig who wants it," he says. "But only with you."

There's evidence that some women do like anal sex, and that they're as into having it as some men. The dating website Lavalife recently polled 20,083 members in its "Intimates" section. Thirty-five percent of female respondents claimed to enjoy anal sex. "It's a myth that every straight man wants it and the women who give it up do just that," says Tristan Taormino, author of The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women.

Dawn (her middle name), a 34-year-old married woman who lives in Ohio, first tried anal sex at her husband's suggestion, only to discover that she was much more into it than he was. "It's better," she says. She'd like to have it more often, but it's currently off the table. "He's got more hang-ups about it than I do," Dawn says.

After the forbidden territory has been conquered, some men find they have psychological issues with the act. Even Albert, the one who won't tie the knot without a key to the back door, admits that. "You're thinking, 'I don't want to hurt her, and I don't want shit to squirt out at me,'" he says.

So if you can't be certain whether the woman's enjoying herself or just submitting to peer pressure, and the act itself can be unpleasant, what's the motivation for demanding it? For Todd, so his friend says, it was about maintaining emotional distance. Albert says it's about enhancing the intimacy between two people. But the more plausible explanation is that it's about accessibility—and instant gratification. Now that anal sex has been propelled higher on the mainstream menu by a hypersexualized culture and the proliferation of porn (see Ass-Hole O Mio and the Anal Excursions series), some men can't help but order it. And some women feel the need to offer it.

A few years ago, Albert says, he was hosting a party at a New York nightclub. A girl in attendance began hitting on him aggressively, and after the party they headed uptown to her Columbia dorm. "I'll never forget it," he says. "She went down on me immediately, in the kitchen, then came up and said, 'I want you to fuck me in the ass.' That's some porno shit that most guys dream about." And when he told his friends about it later, he brought down the house.

Let me start off by saying that I understand that there are indeed women who enjoy anal sex. However, this article sums up some of my worst fears about SOME men who desire it for dominating reasons.

Some of the men in the above article fully admit that for some anal sex is about domination and ego boosting. All too frequently women feel pressured to perform acts that they do not feel comfortable with. What frustrates me is that so many women allow themselves to withstand that pressure. Rather than expressing their frustration or realizing that the man they are with may not be worth their time, they attempt to find ways in which they can come to terms with their partner's request. And as the Details article mentions, some men do not just request but demand. I would like to know how is it okay to demand anything? Ladies if you choose to engage in anal sex please do it because you WANT to not because you want to please your man. PLEASE.

I understand that men who read articles like this and enjoy it are men that agree with the statements within it or have already had these thoughts swarming in their heads. So, are articles like this doing any harm if they are just preaching to the choir? I'd say so. I think articles like that make some men feel validated and it promotes the idea to anyone who read it that it is okay to demand anal sex. Are men going to suddenly demand anal sex after reading the article? Who knows. Regardless I am pained by the fact that so many choose anal sex as yet one more way to exude power over their partners. That is not a partnership. That is not love or respect. And what's worse some embrace these facts.

I personally feel that the butt is just an exit. I don't want anything entering. However, I do not shame those who enjoy anal play. I don't find the act to be taboo or wrong in any way.

My issue is not that people engage in anal sex but rather that many view it not as an extention of intimacy but rather a way to use their penises as a powertool. It emphasizes the myth that men give and women receive. That a man is doing something TO a woman rather than with her. That whatever penetrates dominates and whatever envelopes is submissive.

I'd like to see a "Men's Magazine" that puts all it's efforts into dispelling these myths rather than promoting them.

Tea Club part 2


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In the past I've posted about Tea Club products. Today I finally decided to see if I could find a tea club mug of my own to purchase.


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I have only been able to find the mug on a UK website called Getting Personal. To purchase the mug click here.


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1. The first rule of TEA club is you don't talk about TEA club.
2. The second rule of TEA club is you don't talk about TEA club.
3. The third rule of TEA club is when a biscuit breaks or goes limp, the DRINK is over.
4. Forth rule is one MUG at a time.
5. Fifth rule, no cream, no sugar.
6. Sixth rule, DRINKS go on as long as they have to.
7. And the Seventh and final rule, if this is your first night at TEA club, you have to DRINK.


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To purchase this shirt click here.

For the Tea Club facebook click here.

Halloween sing-a-long!

Happy Halloween to all! Be safe, be kind and have fun!


Time Warp and Sweet Transvestite from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Vintage halloween cartoons

~Happy Halloween!~


Disney's "The Skeleton Dance" from Silly Symphony (1929)

Although this Disney short was created in 1929 it is a cartoon that many seem to remember from childhood. I certainly do!



When his own animation studio closed in 1936, Ub Iwerks became a director at the Columbia animation department. One of his cartoons from the Columbia period is "Skeleton Frolic", a Color Rhapsody released in 1937.


A Columbia cartoon, directed by Ub Iwerks - "The Skeleton Frolic" (1937)



You may notice that there are a lot of similarities between the two animated shorts. It seems to be almost like a color remake. Either way they are both entertaining.

Have fun spooking tonight!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Why is it that white people freak out when a person of color does not live up to a stereotype? But is it just whites?

Giving props to Stuff White People Do for posting about this first. The blog author used a video clip featuring Wanda Sykes to illustrate the fact that there are so many non-people of color who get their chonies up in a bunch when a black person does not live up to a stereotype.


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Wanda Sykes

Well, I would like to add that I think this isn't an issue that is only particular to white folks. I think that people of color discriminate against other people of color as well. Whether it's black against black or Mexican against black etc. It goes on and on.

The assumption is that if a person does not live up to the particular stereotype assigned to them then, they must be "covering up" or behaving differently than they would in private.

The below video shows comedian Wanda Sykes in a recent HBO appearance. Here, Sykes touches upon the fact that so many feel uncomfortable or confused or suspicious of those who do not live up to a certain boxed in stereotype.


Wanda Sykes - HBO special "I'ma be me" on October 10, 2009 - "The Real Michelle Obama"

Come on America. Really? So, if the first lady doesn't "act black" then she must be "acting white?" (Yes, "act black" and "acting white" are words that I chose however I am basing them on statements I've heard). Another say it ain't so moment!

Yo ho ho and a...batch of cupcakes!

What is it about pirates that we love so much? They pillage and brutalize yet we crave them so! I guess most of us are able to separate the real from the fake and charismatic. They get to wear awesome outfits and they get to say, "aaarrr!" a lot. Perhaps this is why Talk Like A Pirate Day was invented.


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Strawberry in the center! Yum! Buried treasure!

So, apparently I missed Talk Like A Pirate Day as it took place on September 19th. Well this is good preparation for next year! I think anything can be celebrated with cupcakes. Here are some wonderful creations that pay homage to the pirate theme!


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Creature of the sea...


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Love these comic-esque pirates..


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Not as pretty or vibrant but definitely decorative..


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A treasure in every cupcake!


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Beautiful isn't it?


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I think these are my favorites!

I'm sure I'll find more for next year! I'll have to make some of my own to post!


Pirates of the Caribbean - The Disneyland Ride

Yo ho ho ho a batch of cupcakes for me!

More wonderfully tacky Hello Kitty acrylic nails

More wonderfully tacky Hello Kitty acrylic nails! Love em!

Thanks for KittyHell.com for posting!


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Thursday, October 29, 2009

"Femonade" says all porn is rape. What do you think?

Below is a guest post by Femonade that was originally posted on Womanist Musings. After the post the author of Womanist Musing adds her brief two cents about some opposing views to Femonade's stance. I will also add some brief thoughts. As a fellow Anti-Pornography Feminist, I found that I disagree with some of this thoughts. Read this article and explore your own thoughts.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Sorry, Men and Fun-Fems: All Porn Is Rape, All the Time (Or, If You Are Watching Porn, You Are Watching Rape)

This is a guest post by Femonade

I have been on the fence for years about whether porn is inherently harmful, or anti-feminist. The source of my ambivalence, and how i talked myself down from that particular fence are as important to discuss, it seems to me, as is the anti-porn position to which i ultimately committed.

For years, I felt ambivalent about porn. it didn't really do anything for me, but I was never inclined to agree with either the old-school radfems or misogynist religious proselytizers putting limitations what i should and shouldn't watch, or enjoy. I think my problem was a common problem for young women and young feminists: I was letting men and the male-identified fun-fems define feminism for me, and I was too young and uneducated to really analyze what I was seeing. not unimportantly, I was afraid of a radical feminist analysis, and what that would mean for me, should I decide I was anti-porn, as a young female, a sister and daughter (of white men), as a heterosexual, and most recently, as a professional in a male-dominated field. Instinctively and intellectually I knew that coming down on the side of anti-porn would cause a problem for me. I am not a fucking idiot, after all, most feminists aren't.

I was also screwing up my analysis, in that I was giving too much credence to my own “feelings” about what I saw, and knew, about porn, and consumers of porn, having watched it myself, and dated men who ran the gamut between being literally and problematically “addicted” and “meh” when it came to using and possessing the stuff. I wrongly believed that my ambivalent “feelings” were somehow neutral, and unaffected by the culture I lived in–a culture that fully embraces not just porn but rape, too. I think that too is a common problem for feminists: an objective analysis that comes down on the side of anti-porn is at odds with how some of us ”feel” subjectively about watching it. In other words, watching other people fuck doesn't necessarily bother me. I just didn't get that visceral “yuck” feeling like so many feminist women and religious zealots alike claim to get when watching, talking about, or analyzing porn. and I wrongly assumed that having done some rudimentary analysis and come to a conclusion, that i had done my due diligence, and that I was done.

But for all thinking people, and all feminists, its the objective analysis, not our subjective feelings that takes us into the weeds. Considering that a misogynist rape-culture is the backdrop against which we all live, and against which we conduct all of our daily transactions, we would be right more often that not, if we embraced this credo: our subjective selves are not “us”. We literally cannot trust our own feelings on this issue, although our feelings are not completely irrelevant. Pro-porn or even ambivalent sentiments are part of living in a rape- and porn-culture, but that's not terminal to a feminist analysis of porn. At the same time we live in a porn- and rape-culture, we also live in a puritanical and slut-shaming one. We need to know, objectively, what is informing our opinions, no matter on which side we ultimately land.

What I came up with is this. You don't have to be skeeved out by porn, to be an anti-pornography feminist. You can be anti-porn FIRST. in my experience, the ick-factor followed closely behind, once I realized what I was looking at, and talking and thinking about, when i was looking at or analyzing porn. For reasons I will more fully explain below, it was my objective analysis of the concept of consent that lead me to the conclusion that porn is rape. to be clear: I did not use an objective analysis to explain, explore, or justify my pre-existing, subjective revulsion to porn. This is an important point, particularly against the anti-feminist barrage that women and feminists encounter daily, by men who are only too eager to dismiss women and feminists for being overly-emotional about every subject that affects them (as if responding emotionally to emotionally-charged subject matter is ever inappropriate). Despite my ambivalence, I performed an objective analysis of porn from the perspective of consent versus non-consent, and I came to believe that its objectively, inherently harmful, and anti-feminist. that is, when I realized, objectively, that what i was looking at was rape, I began to feel revolted. so, while I could have done this sooner, even before the revulsion kicked in, it’s time, now, to get down off the fence, and get real. The answer to the question, i believe, is YES. Porn is both inherently harmful, and anti-feminist. Furthermore, I believe that all porn is rape, all the time. Here's why.

In a nutshell, porn = rape because of the consent “problem”. Even at the most basic, non-feminist, penis-loving, women-hating level, the lowest level we can hold ourselves to and still claim to be a nation of laws, and civilized human beings, I think we can all agree that where there is no consent, there is rape. You do not want to be on the wrong side of the consent problem: if you find yourself there, you are a rapist. but porn falls on the wrong side of it consistently, and in many ways.

When analyzing the consent “problem,” straight-away, porn-consent and real-life consent are at odds. firstly, and problematically, in porn, consent is a non-issue. If its considered at all, its presumed. for the porn-consumer, the question of consent never even comes up: a woman’s very presence on film acts as her consent as far as he's concerned. But in real life, a woman’s mere voluntary presence does not equal her consent to anything except being there. And for the male porn-performer, the contractual nature of the transaction–and the industry–acts as the woman’s consent to whatever comes next. Except that, it doesn't.

Although porn presents the opposite picture, just because a woman initially says “yes” does not mean you get to do whatever the fuck you want to her. The “free-for-all” nature of even mainstream porn is especially problematic, when it escalates, always, to include acts that most people would not willingly participate in, such as gang-bangs, and “rage-in-the-cage” styled death-matches where the woman is presented as being “versus” the man. Both ethically and legally, without a constant negotiation and re-negotiation of consent, there is no consent. This renegotiation occurs when each party, always, has the option of ending, altering, or decelerating the action, at any time. Consent, by definition, is a living, breathing, thing, and cannot be given prospectively. the constant renegotiation required in consensual sexual encounters simply doesn't occur when deals are struck, and contracts are signed beforehand. Did you hear that? Let me repeat it: consent does not occur, in porn. therefore, porn is rape.

Furthermore, if the male performer is legitimately to know whether a certain sex act is wanted, that understanding can only occur through constant communication with his partner. In real life, these communications are spontaneous, and can take the form either verbal cues (“yes”) or are evidenced by the woman’s enthusiastic engagement with her partner. but in porn, the woman is acting. That is, her communications to him are inauthentic. He should know better than to engage in this act, then, if he doesn't know whether its wanted, or not. is he no longer legally or morally culpable for rape, just because he is getting paid to do it? In real life, you have to be sure its wanted. In porn, what, you don't? or, it doesn't matter? Bullshit.

What we have in porn, then, on both sides of the screen, are men who don't give a shit whether the sex acts being performed on a woman are wanted. We have “consent” that was given prospectively, which means quite literally that it wasn't given at all. In other words, we have rapists raping women, and men watching episodes of rape, thousands in a lifetime, but convincing themselves each time that they are watching ”sex.” Somehow, consent has been entirely removed from the equation, but make no mistake. Removal of consent from the sexual equation means we are dealing in rape.

The other problem is in bringing porn-behaviours and porn-mentalities and porn-desires into your real life, and most of us acknowledge that men (including men who are advertisers…and fashion designers….and law enforcement) tend to do exactly that. But porn-consumers appropriating rape-mentalities and behaviours are not the only problem with porn. Men who watch porn are indulging rape-fantasies, and can become rapists if they bring these behaviours into the bedroom. But the men who participate in porn really are rapists under a consent analysis. And the female actors really are being raped.

So…where does that leave us, as feminists and women living in a culture that embraces porn so completely? I don't know the answer to that. It’s entirely possible that the entire porn industry is inherently problematic and cannot be corrected, and indeed, that's what a consent-analysis ends up: If legal and moral consent cannot be given prospectively, then it cannot be contracted for, period. It’s quite possible that voluntary sex cannot be legitimately commodified. But the extreme power differentials involved here, driven by literally billions of dollars means that the “right” conclusion will not carry the day. Many, many men in our lives will continue to be consumers of porn, or wont see anything wrong with it, and radfems will end up endlessly having to explain ourselves, in the face of self-proclaimed liberal men and the fun-fems who want need their acceptance.

As far as me personally, I guess i am “lucky” in a way, that I don't have to deal with numerous men in my private life: I don't have a relationship with my dad; my only brother died 10 years ago; and my partner is on the “meh” end of the spectrum when it comes to porn, having done away with his collection without explanation 7 years ago, and seems to have not looked back. But I still have to rely almost exclusively on men to sign my pay checks, and I will still have to “please” various men in various ways, knowing always in the back of my mind the repulsive scenarios they are likely to find “pleasing.” And this is the context in which I and other radfems will live our lives, unless and until something changes. if I seem “upset” about it, I am.

Editors Note: (from Womanist Musings) My opinions on porn are very different from that of the author. I do not believe that it is always rape because I do believe that it is possible to consent. Also, I think that it is important to note that not all porn is made by men; it is possible to find very women centric porn. Another point worth noting, is that not all porn is heterosexual. Womanist Musing is about having difficult conversations, which is why I chose to post this piece. We cannot always agree but what we must not stop doing is conversing with one another. As usual, I expect respectful conversation in the comment section.

Lady J's Note: First I'd like to address the editor's note from Womanist Musings. The author of Womanist Musings points out that not all porn is made by men and it is possible to find more that is woman centric. This is true however, I feel that this makes no difference. Porn is porn. Whether it is porn that claims to be for women by women or whether it's transgender porn, pansexual porn, etc. Doesn't matter. Porn is harmful no matter which audience it is geared towards.

The author of Womanist Musings mentions that not all porn is heterosexual. This is true. While I think it would have been good of Femonade to make mention of the fact that many non-heterosexual audiences enjoy porn as well, I can only assume that her position is based on the fact that multi-million dollar porn is indeed mostly geared towards straight men.

I agree that when it comes to the issue of pornography (and anything for that matter) it is important to truly analyze the issue rather than react emotionally. When I am exposed to a pornographic image I usually cringe or have some kind of bodily reaction as well as an emotional one. However, I understand that one must explore why such a reaction may occur and what broader socio-political harms may exist.

"for the porn-consumer, the question of consent never even comes up: a woman’s very presence on film acts as her consent as far as he's concerned. But in real life, a woman’s mere voluntary presence does not equal her consent to anything except being there."

I agree with the Femonade's above statements. I think that porn shows women that fall into three categories. The always willing woman, the woman who is hesitant at first but eventually gives in to the man's desires and yes the woman who is raped (or in some cases killed). All three versions serve a dominating fantasy.

I do not think that all men who enjoy dominating or rape fantasies are going to dominate or rape their partners. I do however, think that watching and enjoying such images is damaging in another way. I think it plants a seed. Men may want women to react/respond a certain way to their sexual desires or may expect women to react/respond a certain way. They may also devlop internalized sexism that can be difficult to shake.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Hello Kitty swine flu mask


(KamikazeH20mln via womensday)
Hello Kitty Swine Flu Mask

I suppose this could be a mask for other things as well. Thought this was fitting as today I attempted to get the swine flu vaccine. I was turned away! This particular clinic was only allowing certain peeps inside. Apparently even teachers are being turned away.

This past Saturday free flu shots were being given in my area however cars were backed up for miles and there weren't enough vaccines for everyone.

Now, I'm getting antsy. Originally I hadn't planned on getting the vaccine but so many are dying from the H1N1 flu.

I'm going to keep trying. Hopefully I'll be able to obtain the shot.

Glass Harmonica


Benjamin Franklin playing his invention, the Glass Armonica


Thanks to David J for posting this first.

Here are videos of the Glass Harmonica. It was said to provoke insanity. The unique harmonics have also been said to import theraputic powers. It is also known as the "Glass Armonica".


Invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Music by Wolfgang A. Mozart. Played by French artist Thomas Bloch, exhibiting the glass harmonica in the Paris Music Museum, Nov. 29, 2007


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Thomas Bloch playing the Glass Harmonica


For more information on Thomas Block click here.

Vera Meyer plays the Glass Armonica (aka Harmonica) in Harvard Square, Boston, July, 2005


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Vera Meyer playing the Glass Harmonica

Vera Meyer sells cds of her music with the Glass Armonica/Harmonica. For more information click here.

The sound that comes from this instrument is so haunting and beautiful. I'm so curious as to what it feels like to play it. I want to touch!

Spooky Pop-Tarts



awesomeness...

Pan de Ube

Recently a client informed me of an Filipino pastry called Pan de Ube. It is a soft bread with a sweet purple yam filling and it is amazing!


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At first glance I thought it was red bean curd. I've had pastries of this kind and have purchased them in Japanese Markets on occasion.


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Red Bean Curd Pastry


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Red Bean Curd Pastry

They are quite yummy!



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But as you can see the yam in the middle is a distinct purple. So, bright and purple that it frightened me a little when I first saw it. It's very pretty but I had no idea what it was.


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I found a bakery that sells this pastry and I will be stocking up!

The captivating biking skills of Danny MacAskill

23 year old, Danny MacAskill was born in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. He is a Scottish Trials Bike pro-rider for Inspired Bicycles Ltd.



This man has amazing skills. When he rides it is as if his bike is an extension of himself. I can only imagine how many bones this man has broken in his career.




Danny MacAskill - filmed around Edinburgh, Scotland by Dave Sowerby (set to the song Funeral by Band of Horses)

Watching this man climb up trees with his bike is magical. At times it's as if his bike is an animal jumping around beneath him and he's just along for the ride.



Want more?


Danny MacAskill - Filmed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008 (set to the song Body Movin' by The Beastie Boys)

For more information on Danny MacAskill go to these sites!

Official Website


Facebook

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

More goodies from Yummy Tattoos

More treats from Yummy Tattoos! Some true gems continue to pop up on the Yummy Tattoo blog.



You can find the website/blogsite here.


Georgia Peach Tattoo
By Malia Reynolds at Memorial Tattoo in Georgia, Atlanta


Stunning! I'm in love with this peachy creation! So, beautiful and brings a feeling of sacredness and peace.


Candy and Sweets Tattoo
By
Alastair at Route 9 Tattoo in Framingham, MA


Yum, but I feel as though I need a toothbrush just from looking at this piece!


Cherry Pie Tattoo
By
Russ Abbott from Ink and Dagger Tattoo in Decatur, Georgia


Cherry cheesecake? I want some!


Desert Tattoo
From
Cleen Rock One


I think the red makes this tat look a bit too cluttered and...bloody. Even so it's impressive.

2009 Women's Conference in Long Beach California



Drat! I missed it! Maria Shriver's Women's Conference occurs in Long Beach, (20 minutes from where I live) California every year. I only became aware of it last year as I saw a video of the Dalai Lama speaking at the conference in 2006. I would have loved to have been a part of that.

The Women’s Conference is is hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The conference brings women of all walks of life and perspectives. The mission of The Women’s Conference is to inspire, empower and educate women to be "Architects of Change" in their lives and in the lives of others.

According to the website here is the list of events that began today.

OPENING SESSION
with Paula Zahn, Larree Renda, Geena Davis, Anne Sweeney

TOUGH LEADERSHIP DECISIONS IN TOUGH TIMES
with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sheila C. Bair & Sir Richard Branson; Moderated by Robin Roberts

Cheryl Saban, Eve Ensler, Somaly Mam

LUNCH SESSION

HOW A WOMAN'S NATION CHANGES EVERYTHING

with Madeleine K. Albright, Amy Holmes, Valerie B. Jarrett & Claire Shipman; Moderated by David Gregory

Katie Couric: A Trailblazer Reflects on Her Journey From Here to There


First Lady Maria Shriver on Grieving

GRIEF, HEALING, AND RESILIENCE
with Elizabeth Edwards, Susan St. James & Lisa Niemi; Moderated by First Lady Maria Shriver

AFTERNOON CONVERSATION

WOMEN WHO USE THEIR VOICES TO CHANGE THE WORLD
with Geena Davis, Nicholas Kristof, Lisa Ling & Somaly Mam; Moderated by Pat Mitchell

MINERVA AWARDS 2009

MINERVA WINNERS
Dr. Jane Goodall, Agnes Stevens, Helen Waukazoo & Dr. Kathy Hull; Presented by Maria Shriver, Caroline Kennedy, Alicia Keys & Laysha Ward

To see a webcast of the conference click here.


The Dalai Lama speaks at the 2006 women's conference in Long Beach, CA
(I do disagree with one thing here. The Dalai Lama states that he thinks women are biologically more compassionate than men. I disagree.)

I hope next year I won't forget to purchase tickets!

Love for Chocolove

I'd say it was 2001 that I was informed about Chocolove chocolate. I was in college and at that time chocolate was chocolate. In other words I didn't think there was much of a difference between different brands. I didn't eat it all that much and Hershey chocolate suited me just fine.

My fellow classmate informed me that she was a great lover of chocolate and she felt that Chocolove was the best. I remember thinking that the name Chocolove was a ridiculous name and didn't sound like anything special.

For some reason during that year I began craving chocolate for the first time. I didn't know what to make of it as this had never happened to me before. I questioned whether it it was hormonal. I was living with 4 other female roommates in a dorm. Our menstrual cycles linked up and I found myself bonding with women which was a bit strange for me. Not that I do not have female friends but I seem to get along with men more so than women.

Anyway...

A couple of years after I graduated from college I remembered the name Chocolove. I decided to look it up. I found a site that sold Chocolove but only by the case. Wasn't worth it to me.



Then one day I was shoping in a Henry's Market and there it was! Dark Chocolate Chocolove. At the time I wasn't the greatest fan of dark chocolate. I was so eager to try it however, that I bought it. I thought it was good but not great.



I did however appreciate the smooth chocolate texture and the pretty heart shapes lightly engraved on top.

Some time went by. One day I had a hankering for chocolate and purchased a bar of Dove milk chocolate. It was so good! The next time I had a piece of Hershey's chocolate and it tasted gross. Grainy and almost plastic. I guess I had sophisticated my palate in a short amount of time and with very little effort.

For a while I couldn't find Milk Chocolate Chocolove. The day it finally showed up at my local market, I was thrilled. Quite nummy.

Since then Chocolove has come out with a variety of flavors.



My absolute favorite is the Dark Chocolate with Cherries and Almonds.



Other flavors I have tried are Almond and Toffee, and Chocolate with Orange Peel.



Raspberries in Dark Chocolate is the newest flavor. I will soon be making a trip to the market to see if this is in stores yet.

For those of you who are curious, Chocolove is Kosher but not vegan. Some of the chocolates are organic.

On all of the wrappers is a percentage. For example, the Raspberries in Dark Chocolate is 55% percent cocoa. According to the Chocolove website, the percentage is the amount by weight of the ingredients derived directly from the cocoa bean. Cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and cocoa liquor are all derived directly from the bean. The higher the cocoa content in a bar, the less sugar the chocolate contains.

The official website also addresses a common inquiry about their product. Why Chocolove? Is there really a connection between chocolate and love? The website explains that, "Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a naturally occurring compound in chocolate. When consumed, it releases endorphins in the brain and produces a mild feeling of euphoria, similar to the sensation of being in love. Other compounds that naturally occur in chocolate include serotonin, theobromine and anandamine which are all naturally occurring compounds that elevate mood, increase circulation and enhance sensory perception."

I don't know about you but I do not feel lovey dovey or a sense euphoria when I eat chocolate. But sometimes when I'm in the mood for something sweet it hits the spot.

For more information on Chocolove visit these sites.


Chocolove official website


Chocolove facebook