rivkastar

P.S. a good read

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:07:39 GMT

If you want a good read, an educational read, a read that will change your world view... then look no further than Unbowed: A Memoir by Wangari Maathai. Maathai is a noble prize winning biologist and feminist who lives in Kenya. She also started the Greenbelt Movement which bring together environmental awareness and self sufficiency for women in Africa.

For more information on the movement, go to; http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/

Also, a fellow PSU classmate of mine has a book out called Anatomy of the Heart: Love Poems. I haven't read it yet... but i can't wait to get my hands on it.

Both books can be bought at In Other Words, Portland's kick ass feminist book store.
http://www.inotherwords.org/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

Performativity, thoughts on gender

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:55:53 GMT

Performativity:

The concept of Performativity challenges the very way Westerners view their body. In Judith Butler’s essay, Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory she alters the way we assume our identities are constructed. Westernized culture assumes that one thinks an action and then uses the body as a tool to act it out. In sense, there is disjointed partnership between the mind and the body, as the mind is assumed to be superior to form. Instead Butler proposes that one’s actions determine the gender and identity of one’s mind. Therefore habitual actions acted out by the body create ones sense of self. Examples of such acts are applying makeup, mannerisms, walking, ect...

Butler goes further and states that such performative acts are gendered, and that these acts exist solely because society has identified them as such. Therefore the acts that create gender, and gender itself is not naturally occurring phenomena. Because these acts are not natural, they only exist while being performed. Therefore one can assume that there are times when gender does not or may exist for a person. This changes not only the way we assume to be, but the idea that gender is an absolute; a part of being that does not change.

Butler’s theory also implies that because gender is not absolute, and is socially constructed, then it can change. This means that one can utilize the emptiness or inaction between gendered performative acts to create new, un-gendered acts. The trouble here would be learning to identify and recognize when one is [metaphorically] acting out a script and when one is not.

---- I wrote this for a class, but my intention of posting this is to see how you [the reader] would respond to the idea of Performativity. Are we created by actions? If so, what other forms of performative acts do we do in general? In light of Butler's claims, a change of perception, religion, etc. could be viewed as a performative act. This is because the action would dicated the meaning of the experiance. Also, the act would be experianced before it becomes a part of the subconcious mind.
P.S. I'll Post some real shit soon.

Misleading Attacks on Women's Health - by Cecile Richards

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:41:15 GMT

Misleading Attacks on Women's Health - by Cecile Richards
[Cecile Richards is the President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cecile-richards/misleading-attacks-on-wom_b_250093.html

It was only a matter of time before the right-wing campaign against health care reform began to focus on abortion, and last week the Family Research Council pulled out all the stops. The FRC is up with an "Harry and Louise" lookalike ad in key Senate states alleging that health care reform won't cover surgery for seniors (really??) but will pay for abortions provided by Planned Parenthood. News to us all -- but again, the Family Research Council has never been known to let the facts get in the way of good, old-fashioned hysteria.

The truth is that the Family Research Council and the National Right to Life folks don't want health care reform of any kind, and are now using the idea of expanding access to reproductive health care as their latest target. These are the same folks who come from the Grover Norquist "get [the government] down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub" school, which opposes any program that would help American families -- from school lunch programs to expanding health care access for kids.

The simple fact is that most women with private insurance in America already have access to full reproductive health care, and the vast majority of employment-based health plans treat abortion coverage like the rest of health care -- as a covered benefit. Understandably, the vast majority of Americans believe that women shouldn't be worse off as a result of health care reform. In fact, a recent poll conducted by the Mellman Group on behalf of the National Women's Law Center found that American voters would oppose a plan that does not include access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care -- because voters want health care decisions to be made by medical experts, not by members of Congress, and certainly not by the Family Research Council.

Women in America have the most to gain and also the most to lose from health care reform. After all, women are the largest providers of health care, users of health care, and purchasers of health care, and women make the majority of the health care decisions for their families. Public opinion research has shown repeatedly that a major concern of women voters is that they could be left worse off after health care reform, by losing access to either care or to their provider of choice. That's pretty much the goal of the Family Research Council and other anti-choice leaders.

Abortion should be treated like every other issue -- in other words, insurance companies operating in the proposed health care Exchange should be neither mandated to cover abortion nor prohibited -- let the free market allow companies to determine their benefit package, rather than politicize heath care.

But, as usual, the far right wants government out of our lives except when they don't -- and when it comes to women and their families having the right to make their own health care decisions, with their doctors, or their insurance companies, the Family Research Council would rather be the deciders. Women's health care has always been a favorite target, and these days are no exception. In fact, many on the right don't want women to even have access to birth control.

So here are some basic facts to know as the health care debates and misinformation campaigns heat up:

1. Myth: Taxpayer money would be used to pay for abortions in the public plan.

Reality: Opponents of reproductive health care are trying to make you think that the public plan is a government-funded health plan like Medicaid or Medicare -- it is not. The public health insurance plan in the Exchange would operate like any private insurance plan would. Therefore, there is no reason to treat any coverage issue, including abortion coverage, differently in the public health insurance plan than in private plans in the Exchange.

2. Myth: Health care reform would result in the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

Reality: Currently, the majority of plans already cover basic reproductive health care, including abortion care. A Guttmacher Institute survey found that 86.5 percent of employment-based health plans cover medication abortion, and 86.9 percent of employment-based health plans cover in-clinic abortion. The Kaiser Family Foundation's 2003 Employer Health Benefits Survey found that 46 percent of workers have coverage for abortion services. And when looking at larger firms, the rate is more than 50 percent.

3. Myth: Health care reform would mandate that virtually every American be forced into a health plan that includes abortion coverage.

Reality: Nothing in any of the current health care reform bills mandates abortion coverage -- or any other type of medical procedure -- in the Exchange.

4. Myth: Abortion coverage is mandated in health reform bills unless explicitly restricted.

Reality: Nothing in any of the current health care reform bills mandates abortion coverage -- or any other type of health care service -- in the Exchange. Opponents of women's health and health care reform are exploiting this legislation as a way to push for unprecedented prohibitions on abortion coverage in the private marketplace.

Health care reform is an important goal -- but not at the expense of women's health. As the leading provider of contraception and reproductive health care in America, Planned Parenthood will continue to stand up for the health of women and their families. You can do your part -- go to www.plannedparenthood.org and tell your member of Congress to ensure that women have access to affordable care by a provider they trust. And stay tuned -- the campaign against women's health has only just begun.

Hamster Week

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:34:03 GMT

I have to re-apologize for the ultra laziness. I’m sort of wasting the summer away… on purpose.

Here is ‘Hamster Week’ from online comic artist Natalie Dee

As you may know, I have a thing for Hamster. There are cute, stupid, and fuzzy…

The gods demand that I eat, drink, and be merry..

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

I finished Spanish 203! The Portland State gods have shown mercy and released me from the proper conjugation and oral presentations… and I’m ready to celebrate. In preparation for the festivities, I have spent the last couple of days in a lazy, half-conscious stupor watching an embarrassing amount of SG-1 on HULU. Now I am feeling like I should commence the honoring of the gods with beers and communist monopoly [patent pending].

As part of my celebration of freedom, I plan on going a little concert happy this summer… Usually I stick to small local groups. It easier to get to, less jackasses to deal with, and hella cheaper. However, this summer I’m going to be rocking some big venues. Next week I will be rocking the PJ Harvery…Then in July I will be almost front and center with Tori…. Then the muder-fraking Depeche Mode in August. Sort of a Happy Birthday to me… I know that Mr. Gahan has been a little ill and had to cancel a few shows, but I will not let that concern me.

FYI...For those interested… on June 18^th Russell Street BBQ will participating in Bites for Rights. This means that for every meal that you purchase at Russell or other participating establishments 15% will be donated to Basic Rights Oregon. I know I will be mowing down on some delicious yam, mac ‘n’ cheese… will you? Use the link to find said establishments: http://www.bitesforrights.com/

I hope that during the soon to be awesome summer, I will see many of you and you can join me in many of these gatherings… I missed seeing so many of you!

honor Dr. Tiller with a pledge for reproductive freedom

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:48:05 GMT

First off, I know it’s been eons since I posted ANYTHING… and now my lazy ass is posting a pledge created by another site. Please disregard my slovenly ways and take time to honor Dr. George Tiller [who was recently murdered by a anti-abortion psychopath] by signing NOW’s pledge.

A little info: NOW is short for National Organization for Women. This feminist [the f-word isn’t as scary as some may think, put aside your assumptions of the “femme-Nazi” please] organization is the largest in the US and has over 550 chapters. Their goal is simply to “eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society.” More info can be found at http://www.now.org/organization/info.html .

The pledge:

Sign the Pledge for Reproductive Freedom

Women across the country have lost a true champion. The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines. We are angered. We are saddened. And we will not be silenced.

We must redouble our efforts to maintain safe and legal access to abortion and birth control. When you sign this pledge, you can choose to send a message to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and let them know that the murder and intimidation of abortion providers is domestic terrorism.

I sign this pledge and re-affirm my commitment to reproductive freedom for women!

I pledge to ...

· Speak out: There's power in words. I won't use the words "pro-life" to describe anti-abortion groups, and I'll make an effort to write the editors of my local papers when they use the term. Murder is not pro-life.

· Stay informed: I'll be aware of reproductive rights legislation in my state, including so-called "pharmacist conscience" laws designed to deny women access to birth control and emergency contraception and "fetal personhood" laws intended to criminalize both abortion and many forms of birth control. One way of staying informed is subscribing to NOW action alerts (you can sign up automatically through this pledge).

· Get involved locally: I'll reach out to groups that provide clinic defense or escort services in my area, work for low-cost contraceptive access in my community, participate in a vigil in Dr. Tiller's honor, or get involved with my local NOW chapter.

· Get involved online: I'll use Twitter, Facebook and blogs to connect with others across the country and worldwide working for reproductive freedom.

You can sign at the following link: http://www.now.org/issues/abortion/reproductive-freedom-pledge.html

something wrong with the world today...

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:47:39 GMT

from the Feminist Majority Foundation:

http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11633

Feminist Daily News Wire
April 13, 2009

Afghan Woman Politician and Women's Rights Activist Killed in Kandahar

Sitara Achakzai, a Kandahar provincial council member and women's rights activist, was murdered by gunmen outside her home yesterday. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmedi has claimed responsibility for her death. Another woman on the Kandahar provincial council, Zarghona Kakar, survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2007, according to Deutsche Welle.

Achakzai held dual Afghan-German citizenship and lived in Germany until 2004, when she and her husband, a professor at Kandahar University, returned to Afghanistan to work on redeveloping the country and for women's rights. Last year, she organized a "prayer for peace" demonstration attended by about 1,500 women on International Women's Day.

An anonymous friend of Achakzai's told The Guardian that "she knew the danger she was in. Just a couple of days ago she was joking about the fact that she had a 300,000 rupee price on her head....Like other women she would always travel in a rickshaw rather than a big armored Humvee because it's less conspicuous, but it also made her easier prey." Another anonymous friend told the Globe and Mail "I want the world to understand how every person in this crazy place is feeling because this is a wake-up call to all of us that we could be next....The sad thing is nobody cares, it seems."

Media Resources: The Guardian 4/13/09; Philadelphia Inquirer 4/13/09; Deutsche Welle 4/13/09; Globe and Mail 4/13/09

http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11645

Feminist Daily News Wire
April 17, 2009

Afghan Government will Revise Controversial Law, Says Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced yesterday that his government will revise a controversial law that would severely restrict women's rights by legalizing rape within marriage, among other provisions. Karzai told CNN that he was unaware of these provisions when he signed the law last month and that he has instructed "that the law be revised and any article that is not in keeping with the Afghan constitution and Islamic Sharia must be removed from this law."

The proposed law has incited international and local outrage. Just this week, hundreds of Afghan women protesting the law in Kabul were outnumbered and pelted with small stones by counterprotesters. In a statement, the groups who organized the protest said that the law "insults dignity of women as fellow human beings and increases ethnocentrism and inequality," The Guardian reported.

Karzai's recent comments confirm statements made last weekend by Said Jawa, Afghan Ambassador to the US. Jawad told Bloomberg that the law "will not become the law because it contradicts some important principles of the Afghan constitution" and that President Karzai does not plan to publish it. Jawad also said Karzai signed the law without being aware of all of its provisions and has sent the likely unconstitutional law to be reviewed by the Afghan Ministry of Justice and the Afghan Supreme Court.

According to The Guardian the law contains provisions that would restrict women from leaving their homes, working, going to school, or obtaining medical care without their husbands' permission. The law also includes a provision that women cannot refuse their husbands sex and a provision that grants child custody only to men. Ustad Mohammad Akbari, leader of the Hazara party, told The Guardian that the law gives women the right to refuse sex with their husbands if they are ill or have a "reasonable excuse" and allows women the right to leave their homes without permission in an emergency.

Media Resources: CNN 4/16/09; The Guardian 3/31/09, 4/15/09; Bloomberg 4/11/09; Feminist Daily Newswire 4/15/09

I’ve gone bananas for the Guerrilla Girls

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:45:47 GMT

I love the Guerrilla Girls so I thought I would share this… from Ms. magazine

April 9, 2009

Getty Museum Acquires Guerrilla Girls Collection

The Getty Research Institute announced this week that they have acquired thirty to forty boxes of papers that include artwork, documents, and correspondence from the Guerrilla Girls feminist art collective dating between 1985 and 2000. The Guerrilla Girls were founded in 1985 in New York City as a collective that aimed to fight gender and race based discrimination in the art world.

Founding member 'Kathe Kollwitz' told The Independent "We've been keeping this stuff in boxes in a storage room in New York for years, and have been thinking about doing something with it for a long time....It's mostly correspondence, photos, fan mail, hate mail, sketches, notes on projects, and drafts of some of our books. We are now taught in many universities as part of art history and sociology courses and the Getty will be able to properly catalogue it and put it online to make it accessible."

Guerrilla Girls members are anonymous and maintained their anonymity by wearing gorilla masks when in public and by adopting the names of women artists instead of using their own. Kathe Kollwitz, for example, is actually a German artist known for her etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, and sculpture.

Media Resources: The Independent 4/9/09; National Museum of Women in the Arts

For those not in the know, the Guerrilla Girls are a group of anonymous female artists who lecture, do performance art, and anarchist happenings all while wearing a guerrilla mask. They often try to incorporate humor into their work as they educated the public about the sexism and other “isms” the engulf the art world.

If anyone is interested, the Guerrilla Girls will be lecturing on “Art and Activism” at Portland State University on April 28^{th at}7pm. Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door. You bet your ass I will be there!!!!

As an art history student [aka nerd] and a painter… they are my heroines…

Dumbass decides to swim with Polar Bears…

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:11:04 GMT

Dumbass decides to swim with Polar Bears....

As cute and cuddly as the stuffed versions are, the real ones are not-so-nice. In fact Polar Bears are one of the most vicious breeds of Bears know to humans… well, to most humans minus one. A 32 year old who should-have-known-better decided to give the Polar Bears at the Berlin Zoo a big hug. [And maybe go sledding with them and share a Coke…]

Before committing her act of stupidity [and winning herself a Darwin award www.darwinawards.com/ ] she took off her shoes, and then dove in. As she doggy-paddled towards “land,” she was “greeted” by a hungry, fluffy friend. The “greeting” happened in the form of a bite to her shoulder.

It took six zoo keepers and two attempts to hoist her dumbass out of the bear enclosure. Currently she is recovering from surgery…

Here are photos of her stupidity… Some might find them disturbing...

Tori, Tori, Tori has done it again…

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:42:54 GMT

Tori, Tori, Tori has done it again…

Tori is releasing tenth album on May 19^th entitled Abnormally Attracted to Sin. The title comes from the play ‘Guys and Dolls.’ This album will be addressing what those in power consider SIN. Part of this album seems to have been inspired by her last tour were she traveled and performed countries were religion was a prominent feature in the daily lives of its inhabitants. In this album, Tori attempts to address questions about how women and sin are tied into religion.

Here is the Track listing:

!. Give

2. Welcome to England

3. Strong Black Vine

4. Flavor

5. Not Dying Today

6. Maybe California

7. Curtain Call

8. Fire to Your Plain

9. Police Me

10. That Guy

11. Abnormally Attracted to Sin

12. 500 Miles

13. Mary Jane

14. Starling

15. Fast Horse

16. Ophelia

17. Lady in Blue

This also means that she will be touring again!

Prince and the NPG VS. Billy Joel

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:20:57 GMT

A couple of days ago I was seduced by nostalgia and caught myself thinking about my favorite album from when i was a tiny little thing. I could not get enough of Prince and the New Power Generation's Diamond the Pearls. I loved the music videos, the sexy dancing twins in the spandex dresses, the holographic cover.. all of it. This lead to me downloading it. Once i began listening to again i realized how overtly sexual it was and a few things came to mind. 1. How in the Hell did i even convince my parents to buy me this? 2. Did i even understand what songs like "Cream" were about? 3. Why was i so attracted to it?

My parents never shied away from the topic of sex. Maybe that is why they were ok with buying it. Maybe they just didn't care. Regardless, I find that i still know all the lyrics and that this album conjures up many memories.

I was also comparing my personal favorite "Get Off" while Joe's childhood, more innocent favorite "Uptown Girl." Let’s compare, shall we?

Billy Joel's Uptown Girl :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F-nt7aC_JQ

Prince and the NPG's Cream :

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=48090538&searchid=75496493-3fe2-4fcf-80ef-2a61e48cc2cd

I couldn't find "Get Off" as a video, but here are the lyrics. Please to read and laugh:
Get Off lyrics

How can I put this in a way so as not to offend or unnerve
There's a rumor goin' all round that you ain’t been gettin' served
They say that you ain’t you know what
In baby who knows how long
It's hard for me to say what's right
When all I wanna do is wrong

Get off - 23 positions in a one night stand
Get off - I'll only call you after if you say I can
Get off - let a woman be a woman and a man be a man
Get off - if you want to baby here I am (Here I am)

I clocked the jizz from a friend
Of yours named Vanessa Bet (Bet)
She said you told her a fantasy
That got her all wet (Wet)
Something about a little box with a
Mirror and a tongue inside
What she told me then got me so hot
I knew that we could slide

Get off - 23 positions in a one night stand
Get off - I'll only call you after if you say I can
Get off - let a woman be a woman and a man be a man
Get off - if you want to baby here I am (Here I am)

Get off (Get off)

1 2 3 - Nah, little cutie, I ain't drinkin' (Get off)
Scope this, I was just thinkin'
You + me, what a ride
If you was thinkin' the same
We could continue outside (Get off)
Lay your pretty body against the parkin' meter
Strip your dress down
Like I was strippin' a Peter Paul's Almond Joy
Lemme show you baby I'm a talented boy

Everybody grab a body
Pump it like you want somebody

Get off (Get off)

So here we-so here we-so here we are, here we are (G-G-Get off)
In my paisley crib
Whatcha want to eat? "Ribs"
Ha, toy, I don't serve ribs...
You better be happy that dress is still on
I heard the rip when you sat down

Honey them hips is gone
That's alright, I clock 'em that way
Remind me of something James used to say...

"I like 'em fat"
"I like 'em proud"
"Ya gotta have a mother for me"
Now move your big ass 'round this way
So I can work on that zipper, baby
Tonight you’re a star
And I'm the big dipper

(Kick it)

(Get off)

(Get off)

How can I put this in a way so as not to offend or unnerve (Get off)
There's a rumor goin' all round that you ain’t been gettin' served (Get off)
They say that you ain’t you know what
In baby who knows how long (Get off)
It's hard for me to say what's right
When all I wanna do is wrong

Get off - 23 positions in a one night stand
Get off - I'll only call you after if you say I can
Get off - let a woman be a woman and a man be a man
Get off - if you want to baby here I am

Come on

Get off
Get off
Get off
Get off
Get off
Get off
Get off

HEAL Africa

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:44:32 GMT

Please read the following article and then visit HEAL Africa at: http://healafrica.org/cms/

By Michelle Faul

updated 7:37 a.m. PT, Mon., March. 16, 2009

DOSHU, Congo - Zamuda Sikujuwa shuffles to a bench in the sunshine, pushes apart her thighs with a grimace of pain and pumps her fist up and down in a lewd-looking gesture to show how the militiamen shoved an automatic rifle inside her.

The brutish act tore apart her insides after seven of the men had taken turns raping her. She lost consciousness and wishes now that her life also had ended on that day.

The rebels from the Tutsi tribe had come demanding U.S. dollars. But when her husband could not even produce local currency, they put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. When her two children started crying, the rebels killed them too. Then they attacked Sikujuwa and left her for dead.

The 53-year-old still has difficulty walking after two operations. Yet she wants to tell the world her story, even though repeating it brings back the nightmares.

"It's hard, hard, hard," she says. "I'm alone in this world. My body is partly mended but I don't know if my heart will ever heal. ... I want this violence to stop. I don't want other women to have to suffer what I am suffering."

Rape has been used as a brutal weapon of war in Congo, where conflicts based on tribal lines have spawned dozens of armed groups amid back-to-back civil wars that drew in several African nations. More than 5 million people have died since 1994. Women have become even more vulnerable since a rebel advance at the end of last year drove a quarter-million people from their homes and fighting this year left another 100,000 others homeless, according to aid workers.

Now some of the women are fighting back the only way they know how — by talking about what happened.

Breaking taboos
A campaign spearheaded by the U.N. Children's Fund is working with local groups to break traditional taboos around talking about the violence. They're using radio stations broadcasting in local languages, and more activists are getting to remote areas.

"Many more victims are coming forward. We receive a lot of SMS text messages and cell phone calls from women who have been raped and need help," says campaign leader Esther Ntoto.

Five months ago, U.N. officials began bringing together women to tell their stories to rooms full of local officials, community leaders, even children. One sign of success is that more men than women have volunteered for training to encourage victims to come forward and their communities to confront the issues.

Video footage of the campaign Women Breaking the Silence shows officials startled by the atrocities recounted. A provincial minister interrupted to ask reporters not to film a woman's face. But she took the microphone to declare: "I am not ashamed to show my face and publish my identity. The shame lies with those who broke me open and with the authorities who failed to protect me.

"If you don't hear me, see me, you will not understand why it is so important that we fight this together."

That woman, Honorata Kizende, described how her life as a school teacher and the mother of seven children ended when she was kidnapped in 2001. She was held as a sex slave for 18 months and passed around from one Hutu fighter to another until she escaped. She is now a counselor and trains others to help survivors of sexual violence.

One of the difficulties is the "huge problem of impunity," said Mireille Kahatwa Amani, a lawyer working at an office at HEAL Africa Hospital opened a year ago by the Chicago-based American Bar Association.

"It's difficult to prosecute perpetrators because they can buy off the police or a judge. There's no guarantee of justice," she says.

Still, with funding from the U.S. State Department, lawyers have interviewed more than 250 victims and pursued more than 100 cases. In 11 months, they have received 30 judgments with only two acquittals. Those found guilty have been punished with sentences of five to 20 years in jail, Kahatwa says.

Her big success this year was against a man who has been condemned to 20 years in jail for raping a 6-year-old neighbor and infecting her with the AIDS virus. Kahatwa says the judgment came just a month after the complaint was filed, a record.

Surgery helps some wounds
Kasongo Manyema takes small, careful steps, fearful of unwrapping the cloth tied like a baby's diaper to catch the blood, urine and feces that has been dribbling from her body for 2 1/2 years.

She was 19 then, when men in military uniform attacked her as she weeded her family's cassava field.

A U.N. helicopter has brought her to HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, where reconstructive surgery could help her incontinence and the stench that follows her and thousands of other Congolese women suffering from fistulas.

Fistulas usually result from giving birth in poor conditions. In Congo, they are caused by violent rapes that tear apart the flesh separating the bladder and rectum from the vagina.

Dr. Christophe Kinoma, one of only two surgeons who perform the reconstructive operations in east Congo, says there's a 50-50 chance that surgery can mend Manyema and others like her.

"Yesterday I did five fistula operations and we have more than 100 women waiting here and who knows how many out in the bush who never ever get to a hospital."

Kinoma says it has become the norm for armed men to use guns, knives and bayonets to rupture their victims' bodies. Sometimes they shoot bullets up women's vaginas. Victims often are rejected by their families, contract HIV, and are left to live in pain and shame.

In December, he operated on an 11-month-old baby raped by a 22-year-old neighbor. During one week in February, it was a 12-year-old girl who had been savagely raped by five soldiers. They stuffed a maize cob inside her.

Also treated last week was a 4-year-old whose mother sent her across the road to get something from a neighbor. She was kidnapped by soldiers and gang-raped.

"An American doctor who was here just burst into tears and collapsed. She couldn't believe what the soldiers had done to this child, just torn her body apart," he says.

Kinoma says he may be able to mend the physical damage, "but the psychological trauma never goes away for some." The hospital offers counseling but has no psychologists.

"The 11-month-old I operated on, every time she sees a man, including me, she starts screaming," he says.

The 4-year-old was infected with HIV, and they await results from a test on the 12-year-old. "If three, four, five soldiers rape you, you are almost assured of contracting AIDS," Kinoma says.

‘It’s like my brain is on fire’
The trauma that haunts these children and women also affects those who help them.

Hortense Tshomba, who has been counseling victims for three years, says she hopes to give them the courage to return to their homes. Many are rejected by husbands and fathers who say the attacks have left them "unclean."

"We try to counsel them as couples. For girls rejected by their parents, we try to intervene. Some families accept them back; others don't."

When counseling does not help, HEAL Africa offers lessons in sewing and handicrafts to teach them to survive financially. She says rejected women who don't get help often are forced from communities and become beggars.

"Sometimes I have nightmares," Tshomba says. "When I leave after hearing all these horror stories, really it's like my brain is on fire. I have to listen to some jazz to ease my soul."

But there are successes like 13-year-old Harriet, who came to HEAL Africa four years ago. Harriet's parents were killed by the rebels who attacked her and then burned down their home in Rutshuru, north of Goma. She now lives with a woman who counseled her at the hospital.

On this day, Harriet is so delighted she cannot stop grinning, a wide beam that's infectious in its joy. Her fingernails are black with dirt, but she is wearing lip gloss and eyeliner.

"Today, I got my results and I am top of my class," she announces, flaunting a report that shows she averaged 88.5 percent in math, French and English exams.

"When I came to HEAL Africa, I had never been to school. I was 9 years old. Now I'm beating students who have been to school all their lives," she says. "My teacher says I'm very intelligent, that I should go to school in the United States."

As for the future: "I think I want to be a doctor, so that I can help people the way these doctors helped me."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29719277/

Why art history is cool

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:32:55 GMT

The Memento Mori is an image commonly evoked in art. Simply put, it is a skull or skeleton used to symbolize mortality. In Latin, Memento Mori means “Be mindful of death.”

I was commonly used in art for portraitures and for genera paintings.

The following work displays what is perhaps the coolest Memento Mori is have ever seen. This painting is Holbein’s The Ambassadors from 1533.

If you face this image head on, you see a “thing”… it seems misplaced… that floats in the foreground…

This “Thing” was painted with the viewer’s perspective in mind. It was to be approached at an angle, as the viewer ascended a staircase. The artist is using anamorphic perspective.

This is what confronts you as you approach the image..

It’s pretty dam bithcing if I do say so myself.

a can of verbal whoop-ass

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:27:54 GMT

So I watched my future husband [Joh Stewart] verbally whip Jim Cramer’s ass last night…

It was freaking amazing, and strange. I felt bad for Cramer… I could hear his voice waver… I thought he was going to break into to tears at one point.

Use this link for the uncensored version:

http://blog.indecisionforever.com/2009/03/13/jon-stewart-and-jim-cramer-the-extended-daily-show-interview/

All aboard the Omnibus express…

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:58:50 GMT

All aboard the Omnibus express…

Victory! Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriation Act which will grant more women access to birth control and family planning services. To clarify, this bill is a conglomeration of Appropriation bills from last year. Tucked into this ubber-bill was the Affordable Access Act.

Prior to the Affordable Access Act, the price of birth control experienced a 900% increase within the last couple of years! The increase was due to a little act called the Deficit Reduction Act in 2005. An act that prohibited companies from providing contraceptives at discounted rates.

I know, I know… we are all thinking that the political gods must be crazy… and they are, but that may have been an an attempt to stifle women’s access to contraceptives. I don’t want to sound like Dale from King of the Hill, but the Right to Lifers may have pushed for regulation that would control women access to “abortatives.”

Regardless of the reason behind the increase, this new regulation will restore pricing caps on contraceptives. You will no longer be forced to pay 50.00 bucks at your local PP for a pack of Ortho.

On another note, my friend Elizabeth showed me the following article. The most infuriating part was the very last sentence…

Please to read:

4 rapists lashed by Somali Islamic court
Two of the youths smiled and laughed as they were punished

updated 3:57 p.m. PT, Mon., March. 9, 2009

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Four youths were publicly whipped in the Somali capital on Monday after an Islamist court convicted them of gang rape, in a demonstration of the U.N.-backed government's inability to administer justice in this chaotic nation.

Despite judge Abdul Haq's insistence that the punishment would deter other rapes, the lashing was administered through the clothes of the accused and did not break their skin. Two of the youths smiled and laughed as they were punished.

Most of the courts' judges have links to the Islamist insurgency fighting the government, and base their judgment on Shariah law.

They are one of the few functioning institutions left in a shattered country that has lacked a working government since 1991.

The courts formed the basis for a movement that took over the capital and much of the south in 2006 before being chased from power by Ethiopian troops supporting the virtually powerless central government. The Islamists immediately launched an Iraq-style insurgency, elements of which are still battling the government.

Few people trust the predatory police force, going instead to the courts, which pass out judgments about once a month and can dispatch armed men to enforce them if necessary.

Haq designated four men to deliver the punishment immediately in front of a crowd of around 100 onlookers.

"These boys deserve this punishment," said clan elder Suldan Ali. "This way other people will not do their evil deed."

Fifteen-year-old Abdulkhadir Mohamed said he admitted his guilt and welcomed the punishment.

He and a friend stared at the ground as the punishment was delivered; the other two youths laughed.

Last October the courts sentenced a 13-year-old rape victim to death by stoning in the southern city of Kismayo in front of 1,000 spectators.

Obama repeals the "Provider Conscience" law, and other news....

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:58:41 GMT

A very news oriented post, but I thought each of these issues were important.

I am happy to hear that Obama is repealing Bush’s “Provider Conscience” regulation. That law as seen as Bush’s final F-you to women’s rights. In late 2008 Bush signed in a law that would make it possible for anyone in the health field to not only deny women abortion services, but also information about those services. The real kicker is that many right for lifers consider contraceptives as abortatives.

The HRC [Human Rights Campaign] also pointed out that this federal law could also inhibit access to reproductive health for LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans] patients. This is based on the fact that the “Provider Conscience” law can deny services on “Moral Grounds.” Feel free to interpit ‘Moral Grounds” as “Religious and Social Bias.”

http://www.hrc.org/about_us/index.htm

It also nice to see that Spain may be hopping on board… I would like to see how they change their regulations on abortion.

Spain Moves Towards Abortion Law Reform

A Spanish parliamentary committee approved a report on reform of Spain's restrictive abortion laws last week that recommends the legalization of first trimester abortions. Currently, abortion is legal in Spain only in cases of rape, severe fetal abnormalities, or when the mother's mental or physical health is at risk, according to Agence France Presse.

The report comes from an expert panel of doctors, lawyers, academics, and government representatives appointed by the Spanish government in September 2008. The panel's role is to recommend how to best amend Spain's current abortion law, which dates to 1985, to bring Spanish law more in line with other European countries.

The panel's recommendations will influence the content of a draft bill that will be introduced in the legislature this year. According to the Telegraph, reform of abortion laws is part of the social change program undertaken by Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose Socialist government has removed religion from the public education curriculum, reformed divorce laws, and legalized gay marriage since assuming to power in 2004.

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=11541

February 25, 2009

Republican Utah State Senator Stripped of Committee Chairmanship over Anti-Gay Remarks

Utah Republican state Senator Chris Buttars was removed from his membership and chairmanship of both the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee and the Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee Friday after public controversy about anti-gay remarks Buttars made to a documentary filmmaker. The sanctions against Buttars came after state Senate Republicans caucused for two hours on Thursday on the controversy.

In a post on the state Senate's blog Buttars said "For the record, I do not agree with the censure I see it as an attempt to shy away from controversy. In particular, I disagree with my removal as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, since my work there is entirely unrelated to my opposition to the homosexual agenda." Buttar also told the Salt Lake Tribune that "I don't have anything to apologize for."
Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpatrick defended the decision and told the KCPW that "we feel that he has kind of become more of a figurehead on these issues and we want to be able to focus on the issues again, not the personalities."

Buttar's comments were made during an interview for a documentary on Proposition 8. According to the Associated Press, Buttar said that gay and lesbian rights activists are "probably the greatest threat to America going down." He also asked "what is the morals of a gay person? You can't answer that, because anything goes. So now you are moving toward a society that has no morals." Buttar also compared gay rights activists to Islamic radicals: "Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it's been taken over by the radical side. And the gays are totally taken over by the radical side."

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=11545

February 27, 2009

Obama Administration Plans to Rescind Bush-Era Rule that Threatens Women’s Healthcare Access

The Obama Administration indicated today that they plan to rescind Bush-era regulations from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that threaten women's access to contraception and comprehensive health care. According to the ” target= “_blank”>Associated Press, official notice of the decision will be published next week, which will be followed by a 30 day commenting period.

The regulations were released in their final version late in 2008. They established new protections for health care providers who refuse to provide certain services based on moral or religious bases. The provisions of the regulation placed the burden on women to seek out individual providers who will provide certain kinds of treatment, including birth control, abortion and sterilization.

Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a press release that "Any time, any worker at a healthcare facility can prevent a woman seeking reproductive services from getting care, information and even, a referral—and the government sanctions such conduct—it's time for a regulatory 'do-over'. The Bush administration claimed that this policy protects healthcare providers against discrimination, but in truth, it leaves patients unprotected and seriously violates their rights and medical needs."

A draft of the regulations was leaked during the summer of 2008, drawing widespread protest. During a month-long public commenting period, HHS received tens of thousands of comments against the regulations, including letters opposing it from at least thirteen state attorney generals and six medical groups.

Media Resources: National Partnership for Women & Families 12/18/08; Feminist Daily Newswire 9/26/08, 8/22/08; US Department of Health and Human Services 12/18/08; Associated Press 2/27/09; Center for Reproductive Rights Press Release 2/27/09

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=11551

DM can never go Wrong....

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:12:26 GMT

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52704787</lj-embed>
Depeche Fucking Mode!!!!! new release of "Wrong"

North Dakota needs to back the truck up…

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:55:41 GMT

Really?!???? North Dakota needs to back the truck up… they are attempting to give human rights to two celled organisms… this could ban contraceptives, abortions, and other procedures… AND it would defy Roe V. Wade. Does this mean that women who have abortions or take birth control pills are murders? How fucking absurd.

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Egg Full Rights

DALE WETZEL | February 18, 2009 05:42 AM EST |

BISMARCK, N.D. — A measure approved by the North Dakota House gives a fertilized human egg the legal rights of a human being, a step that would essentially ban abortion in the state.

The bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that extended abortion rights nationwide, supporters of the legislation said.

Representatives voted 51-41 to approve the measure Tuesday. It now moves to the North Dakota Senate for its review.

The bill declares that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a person protected by rights granted by the North Dakota Constitution and state laws.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said the legislation did not automatically ban abortion. Ruby has introduced bills in previous sessions of the Legislature to prohibit abortion in North Dakota.

"This language is not as aggressive as the direct ban legislation that I've proposed in the past," Ruby said during House floor debate on Tuesday. "This is very simply defining when life begins, and giving that life some protections under our Constitution _ the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Critics of the measure say it will cost millions of dollars to defend. Ruby said the state has been willing to go to bat for other principles that were less important.

In Oklahoma, meanwhile, a state House committee Tuesday approved legislation that would prohibit physicians from performing abortions solely on account of the gender of a woman's fetus, even though the measure's author said there is no evidence the practice has ever occurred in the state.

The legislation passed 20-2 by the House Public Health Committee. The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

The author of the bill, Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, said it is designed to stop couples from using the gender of a fetus as a reason to get an abortion. Sullivan said a doctor would be prohibited from performing an abortion if the mother specifically said the fetus' sex was the reason.

However, he said there is no evidence the practice has occurred in Oklahoma. "I haven't received any definite information that proves it," Sullivan said.

___

Associated Press writer Tim Talley in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/north-dakota-house-gives_n_167884.html

Allen, keep rocking those heels…

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:48:43 GMT

A big congrats to Ryan Allen, student at George Mason University, who was just crowned homecoming queen. I’m am happy to see such a progressive attitude in the Virgina school system. Off course some people are offended, but they can just eat it. This is a small victory for those who are Transgender, Transsexual, and / or Cross Dressers. I love the fact that Allen, was able to force the students of this school to re-examine their gender biases.

Off course the most offended were the “dudes” who strictly adhere to gender stereotypes. I.e. the Jocks and ultra-alpha males trying to protect their manhood via sports and displays of dominance. On manly-man was quoted saying, “It’s really annoying. The game was on TV. Everyone was there. All eyes were on us. And we do something like this?” It sounds to me that he, Bollinger, is more worried about how this affects him. I doubt he would have the same attitude if they crowned a blonde chick during the game.

Allen, keep rocking those heels… your personal victory will be a source of pride for many people.

the latest Soma?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:38:03 GMT

the latest Soma?

The BBC published an article entitled “Heart Pill to Banish Bad Memories.” A little dramatic. It not exactly “Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind” as they make it sound. Apparently ‘they’ have discovered that a beta-blocking drug used for heart issues can effect they way a person remembers a traumatic experience.

I love reading these kind of articles because it always calls to my attention the kind of leaps we as a species are willing to take. Even scientist who are supposed to stay objective can’t help but find their preverbal Jesus in the burnt toast, or occasional money making drug with side effects like death and anal leakage.

The official study was to subject two groups [one on the drug and the other on the placebo] to images of spiders. They would also subject them to a mild electric shock as they viewed these images. Hoping that the test subject would associate spidy with pain, and therefore fear. What they found was that those on the drug were less fearful of the images the next day.

So how does this mean that ‘they’ have discovered the latest Soma? I may not be a scientist, but if you showed me a ‘scary’ image one day and then the same ‘scary’ image the next, then I think I would be less scared. I would know what to expect, as well as already have the image burned into my brain.

On another, more ethical note, why would you want to alter your emotions connected to an experience. The event / rape/ accident still happened. The latest wonder drug isn’t going to erase that. It would still need to be dealt with on an intellectual level. The emotions, the experience is what creates us. Why fuck with that?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7892272.stm - here is the story…

--- speaking of Eternal Sunshine… I want to see this movie again

Curses! I should have bought this when he was alive!!!!!!

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:56:03 GMT

Curses! I should have bought this when he was alive!!!!!!

I have been eyeing the box set for Secret Agent / Danger Man for the past year or so. It kept floating around 40 to 60 dollars, and my lame ass kept refraining from pressing that “Add to Shopping Cart” button. I kept hoping that the price would decrease to a more justifiable price. Now I am regretting it because the price has jumped to… wait for it… 299.99 used!!!!!

If anybody reads this, you may know that Patrick McGoohan just passed away and that he was one of my favorite actors.

Anyway, I should get back to focusing on the more important things in life… such as the economy… but that’s just nerve racking… or all the personal shit that has been going on… but screw that.

Here is a cute fox ‘discovering’ a trampoline…

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=540_1234005919

Langbeln vs Florida hospital

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:54:00 GMT

More frustrating news from the civil rights front: According to an article from the Miami Herald, Janice Langbeln was denied the right to visit her partner Lisa Mai Pond at a Florida hospital. The real contradiction lies in the fact that Langbeln has the ability to make medical decisions on Pond’s behalf due to a power of attorney.

Now, two years after the anniversary of Pond’s death, Langbeln is attempting to sue. I hope she wins. The hospital filed a motion to dismiss the suit. They are stating that they are not obligated to allow visitation to any of their patients. According to hospital policy, only spouses and immediate family members are allowed to visit. Off course dismissing domestic partners’ rights to have access to their loved ones.

This is so aggravating, and demonstrates the damages that accepted social prejudices have on the lives of its victims. In November Florida passed the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. This stupid effing amendment changes the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This was the basis on which the hospital denied Langbeln and their adopted children visitation. Regardless, shouldn’t a Power of Attorney give one access to that person’s bedside? It doesn’t make sense to be able to determine what medical procedures are performed, but to not be able to see that person.

I want to see what happens to this lawsuit… if I find anything out, I will post it

Here is a link to the article; http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/08-4

girl, dog, bike

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:26:48 GMT

Girl, Dog, Bike

It is so nice to be able to commute on a competent bike! I know this sounds like a duh for most of you, but I have been riding a piece of crap for about 5 months. Before today it felt like I was riding on the hardest gear, uphill, but really I was attempting to cruise on a flat surface. Being winded while traversing a flat surface sucks…! Really, it does, especially when you choose to commute to work via bike.

So I’m leaving ‘Klinger’ [AKA my GT Nomad] for my new Trek 7.3. My new bike has yet to be named; she is shiny black and will be accented with Klinger’s old olive green fenders. Any ideas for a name?

Here she is:

On another note, this was the front-page headline from the Oregonian yesterday…

I’m not a grammar expert, but really? I know you can use comas to separate items, usually more than two, but this is just confusing.

Jesus in Legoland

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:45:18 GMT

Jesus in Legoland

While perusing the net I came across an Italian photographer and fellow toy lover Marco Pece. Marco [must refrain from saying “Pollo”] takes it upon himself to recreate masterpieces lego-style. It appears that he uses a combination of legos, photography tricks, and maybe a little PhotoShop magic to create these beauties:

What I love about art like this [and yes I do consider this art] is that Marco is questioning the lionized masters. His work can also been seen as questioning the authority of the Art World. Much in the way of Duchamp and the Dadaists, pop-art such as Pece can be viewed as a challenge to other artists and art historians alike. – I should stop now, because I really don’t feel like writing a dissertation right now :P

P.S. notice the resemblance to Blagojevich’s hair… it’s a cheap shot, I know…

Obama sings the Lily Act, but drops Medicaid for poor women – mixed review

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:56:39 GMT

Obama sings the Lily Act, but drops Medicaid for poor women – a mixed review

I was informed by NOW that Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act! Companies will now have to face consequences for paying women less than men for the same job. Prior to this act, women only had six months to file suit against companies for pay discrimination. This old law did not take into account that companies have strict rules about sharing wages. As a result, many women didn't find out that they were paid less than their co-worker until years latter. Now we just have to see if the Senate will pass its companion act, the Fair Paycheck Act.

On another note, an important package was dropped from Obama’s stimulus package. This package was known as the Medicaid Family Planning State Option. This package would have allowed states to use Medicaid for family planning services. According to NOW, the House Republicans bitched and whined that helping poor women was too expensive and would not benefit the economy. Therefore the package was dropped in the hopes that the rest of the stimulus plan would pass. Good freaking luck, all the Republican Party wants to do is lower taxes, which has proven to backfire during economic crisis.

--- all I can think is this: how can family planning NOT help the economy? When people plan pregnancies, they are often more inclined to wait until they are financially stable and therefore lees reliant on public services. Also, many women will put off filling re-filling that birth control prescription of seeing a doctor because they can’t afford it. Any one with any sense will tell you that prevention is the best medicine. Taking care of your health before a serious issue develops increases productivity. Let alone one’s reproductive health… Jebus, what is wrong with people?

You can use to following link to sign a petition urging congress and the President to add the Medicaid Family Planning Act back onto the bill: http://www.now.org/

rivkastar

P.S. a good read

Performativity, thoughts on gender

Misleading Attacks on Women's Health - by Cecile Richards

Hamster Week

The gods demand that I eat, drink, and be merry..

honor Dr. Tiller with a pledge for reproductive freedom

something wrong with the world today...

Feminist Daily News WireApril 13, 2009

Feminist Daily News WireApril 17, 2009

I’ve gone bananas for the Guerrilla Girls

Getty Museum Acquires Guerrilla Girls Collection

Dumbass decides to swim with Polar Bears…

Tori, Tori, Tori has done it again…

Prince and the NPG VS. Billy Joel

HEAL Africa

Why art history is cool

a can of verbal whoop-ass

All aboard the Omnibus express…

4 rapists lashed by Somali Islamic courtTwo of the youths smiled and laughed as they were punished

Obama repeals the "Provider Conscience" law, and other news....

Spain Moves Towards Abortion Law Reform

Republican Utah State Senator Stripped of Committee Chairmanship over Anti-Gay Remarks

Obama Administration Plans to Rescind Bush-Era Rule that Threatens Women’s Healthcare Access

DM can never go Wrong....

North Dakota needs to back the truck up…

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Egg Full Rights

Allen, keep rocking those heels…

the latest Soma?

Curses! I should have bought this when he was alive!!!!!!

Langbeln vs Florida hospital

girl, dog, bike

Jesus in Legoland

Obama sings the Lily Act, but drops Medicaid for poor women – mixed review

Feminist Daily News Wire
April 13, 2009

Feminist Daily News Wire
April 17, 2009

4 rapists lashed by Somali Islamic court
Two of the youths smiled and laughed as they were punished