Link Farm and Open Thread #8

Have you noticed that it’s extremely common for people on the internet to type “loose” when they mean “lose”? It always bugs me.

Anyhow, here are the links that have built up on my desktop in the last few days. Please feel free to use this thread to discuss anything you want, however. And if you’d like to include a link to something – including something of your own – feel free.

Hilzoy on The Hamas Electorial Victory
Long, compelling, excellent.

US Army Kidnaps Iraqi Women

The U.S. Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of “leveraging” their husbands into surrender, U.S. military documents show.

Suzanne Nossel on The Hamas Electorial Victory
Also required reading. Read Suzanne’s pre-election post as well. From a lefty perspective, I don’t think there’s anyone doing better foreign policy blogging than Nossel.

Hilzoy on the Medicare Debacle
Once again: Long, compelling, excellent.

Sexual Harassment: Not a Zero-Sum Game
Excellent post by Hugo addressing a common MRA misperception of the issues.

Interesting, feminist-themed music video by Pink
Hat-tip to Kip (whose site is down right now).

The Countess on “Breaking The Silence” and Child Custody

High Schooler Sues School For Bias Against Boys

”The system is designed to the disadvantage of males,” Anglin said. ”From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you’ll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this.”

Bouphonia Fisks anti-feminist Maggie Gallagher
When Maggie Gallagher isn’t busy fighting gay rights, she’s making ludicrous attacks on feminism.

Amp & Cathy Young Debate Free Speech and Academic Freedom
In the comments at Cathy’s site (I started off badly but got better as I went on). I’m mainly putting this link in here so I don’t lose it.

The Media is Objectively Pro-G.O.P.

Interesting article on the closing of the Riker’s Island unit for gay and transsexual prisoners

Wonderfully bad photo placement by Google News
The Argument Clinic crosses party lines for a giggle. (Edited to fix broken link.)

Bush’s NEH Apparently Rejects High-Rated Project For Being Pro-Gay-Rights
“Professor Stein’s grant, seeking to review the Supreme Court’s rulings in the 50s and 60s on gay rights, was judged excellent by peer reviewers but was vetoed by the NEH Director, who is a political appointee under President Bush.” Meanwhile, projects given a lower rating by peer reviewers are approved and funded – so whatever the rejection was based on, it wasn’t merit.

Bush Administration Joins With Iran In Vote Against Gay Rights Groups In U.N.

Israel Imports Wisconson-Style Welfare Reform

Only 17% of the Arab women in Israel work outside the home, compared with 50% of Jewish women. The problem results not only from lack of jobs, but also from the fact that Arab society looks down on working wives. Now, with Wisconsin, Arab women will be compelled to appear in the placement centers for 30-40 hours a week.

Falling Sand Game
More like a toy, really. Mainly, it’s a great way of making time just disappear. Via The Argument Clinic.

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17 Responses to Link Farm and Open Thread #8

  1. Pingback: feminist blogs

  2. 2
    Robert says:

    Hey, thanks for the links. Note that you can’t directly hotlink to the graphic; Blogspot hosting says “no! bad linker!” – you gotta go the post to see the bad photo placement.

  3. 3
    carlaviii says:

    “viola!” was always my favorite typo. You don’t see it much anymore, though.

  4. 4
    Jakobpunkt says:

    I’m not sure what I think of the Pink video/song yet. While it’s nice that the message is that women can/should do things like play football and be president, I’m bothered by her treatment (in the academic sense) of “stupid girls”. I don’t like the implication that it’s the fault of these women that women in general haven’t gotten very far.

    This is something I struggle with daily, because I get extremely angry and bitter when I see half-naked, über-sexualised women around the city, because it infuriates me to see people participate actively in their own oppression. But on the other hand I think it’s important to remember that these women are not the real enemy; they’re not the oppressors; they’re just making the best for themselves of a bad situation.

    Obviously, most of these women aren’t making a conscious choice about making the most of their situation. For the most part they (like most people in general) are just going through life without giving much critical thought to the motivations for and consequences of their decisions, and I can get pissed at them for that, but ultimately I don’t know that it’s my place to tell them that they’re making the wrong decisions. Yes, their decisions harm women in general, but they are not the oppressors.

  5. 5
    The Countess says:

    Thanks so much for the link, Barry. Your original post was very good. I was happy to jump off of it, and write my own.

  6. 6
    alsis39 says:

    Yeah, the loose/lose thing has always bugged me, too, Amp. I never bring it up because I don’t want anyone to mistake me for a George Will groupie. (George and I are also in agreement that The Doors are crappy and overrated, but that’s about where similarities end. I hope…)

    Aaaaanyway, did I ever remember to pass this one on ?

    Pakistan’s Colourful Transport.

  7. 7
    roberta robinson says:

    that part about the boy wanting the curriculum changed to make it easier for boys to graduate without much work bothers me a little. I mean if you just evaluate something on passing failing method then you cause those who are quite capable of doing more will do less just to pass because there are no numbers on how well you can do in a particular subject. and if a person can’t do well in a particular subject no matter how hard he tries then he or she knows that they don’t have a knack for a particular thing then they need to focus on areas they do well, such so they can decide on what kind of jobs or career to choose in the future.

    can you imagine a passing failing grade in the medical commuity, you missed almost half on the oral exam and practice exam but we will let you pass even tho some of the scenarios means you may have just killed your patient.

    and the part about having to sit still or whatnot being discrimmatory cause boys rebel against restrictions worries me, I mean when you are a kid that is the best time to learn discipline including self control. you may not do well at first but it gets better with practice. so if society is always supposed to accomodate a person’s lack of self control, then should boys (or girls for that matter) be allowed to break laws when it suits them?

    obviously laws and rules need to be there for the unruly, if a boy wants to rebel he needs to learn appreciation for the purpose of laws. I know some laws are wrong, or overly restictive but they can be changed if enough people realize how stupid they are. otherwise most laws are beneficial like tho shalt no murder, speeding laws and such.

    so the school has to change to accomodate a person’s lack of self control or inability to excel at every subject to avoid hurting their grade point average??

    I think not. I mean if a person doesn’t have the knack to be a good doctor or lawyer I wouldn’t want them to be accomodated just so they can graduate and get their degree and license to practice, they might just kill me or someone I love.

    this boy basically just needs to suck up and deal with it, and just do the best he can, that is all anyone expect. or is he just mad because he will have to work for the grade instead of having it handed to him?

    RR

  8. 8
    drumgurl says:

    I loved the Pink video. Laughed my ass off, to be honest. I hope it will be an eye-opener to women my age. Sometimes you have to see just how stupid you are on screen to get it. (I mean, if you worhip TV like stupid people do.)

    I also liked how her video was *not* making fun of women for being thin or attractive. It was only making fun of people who are consumed by such a goal and base their self-esteem on it. I would not have liked the video if it had been the same old “I hate attractive women” theme. Pink herself is quite fit.

  9. 9
    Kip Manley says:

    What I said to Barry when I passed the Pink video on to him was “An incoherent text being better than none.” The simple dichotomy it sets up is problematic; heck, extremely so. But it’s still nice to see that whole gestalt being mocked so viciously. So.

    —Hey, something’s up with your post prettifier—it’s putting spaces after all the smart quotes or something…

  10. 10
    alsis39 says:

    Well, I guess the next stage of media progress as exemplified by Pink will occur when she puts on sixty pounds and goes as gray as granite, and her fans still turn out in droves for her major-label releases.

    Not that I’m holding my breath or anything…

  11. 11
    Ampersand says:

    …Hey, something’s up with your post prettifier…it’s putting spaces after all the smart quotes or something…

    Hmmn. I can’t see it on this computer. Are you using the mac? Maybe you can show me on your laptop when you come over tomorrow.

  12. 12
    kactus says:

    Typos don’t bug me, but shoddy spelling and grammar make me want to whack somebody over the head with a style manual. “Your” for “you’re,”” there” instead of “they’re” or “their”–these are just some of the classics. I could go on and on but my grammar nazi antennae are already up and quivering, and I hate to seem like such a bitch.

    Thanks for the link, btw.

  13. 13
    Robert says:

    They’res no excuse to loose perspective.

  14. 14
    Dianne says:

    Robert, Amp, you’re both in big trouble for that falling sand link. Arghh…time sink!

  15. 15
    alsis39 says:

    I [[[heart]] the Democracy Rising.Us blog. Amp, they should be on your rolls, if they’re not yet…

    From John Walsh: Why We Picket John Kerry

    …We must remember that the Iraq war is a bipartisan one. The Senate was controlled by the Democrats in October, 2002, when the vote on war was taken. And no political figure is more symbolic of the Democrats’ support for the Iraqi war than John Kerry. In 2002 he voted for the War on Iraq, in the form of an “authorization” which itself was an unconstitutional transfer of power to the executive. And he says he would do the same today, knowing what he knows now! His campaign in 2004 angered many in his own party and it brought him to defeat. It was pro-war and it was a loser.

    In fact the Democratic establishment has disgraced itself as an opposition force on the war. Not only is it unwilling to represent the majority of voters on this issue, but it delivers a slap in the face to the 72% of rank and file Democrats who want the U.S. out of Iraq at once. These “leaders” are obviously marching to different drummers, apparently to the same drummers to which Bush marches… –John Walsh

  16. 16
    Lis Riba says:

    Here’s a link for you
    Since underage sex is illegal in Kansas, does that mean doctors and teachers must report any such behavior to the authorities?

    Now that readers here have finished beating on the dead horse of BDSM (pardon the pun) do we want to start discussing age-of-consent laws?

  17. 17
    alsis39 says:

    Margaret Kimberly has Hilary’s number.

    …Democrats behave the way oppressed people usually do. They cow and begin believing that their masters are not only powerful but deserving of the position they hold. Too few dream of waging war against the plantation system. Most just want a seat at the table in the big house and are satisfied when the master doesn’t beat them too badly. If a few crumbs are thrown their way they are in seventh heaven.

    Hillary’s speech was not very impressive and neither is she, right wing blood lust not withstanding. She is just Mrs. Slick Willie. When she supports legislation to ban flag burning, legislation that she knows is unconstitutional, she insults the people who always rush to her defense. She and her husband play a tiresome game with Democrats. The right wing hate them so they get credit they don’t deserve. They have concluded that they can get away with just about anything. –From The Black Commentator…