Stuff I've Been Reading

Paper Geist


Lesbians Are Still Dangerous

I have heard so many stories like this, particularly since becoming part of the Michfest community– lesbian women, in particular, gender nonconforming lesbians, describing vicious, brutal attacks they have experienced through the years. In most cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice. In all cases, the sole reason for the brutality is that these are women who love women and who dare to resist gender, who defy all of the rules and regulations by way of which male heterosupremacy attempts to police the appearance, presentation, behavior, and intimate life of female persons.

science blogs

this article does make a very good case that you can't be a feminist and religious at the same time. Even the most peaceful religions, like Jainism and Buddhism, treat women as inferiors.

Crying Men

Crying Men is a series of photographic portraits of famous film actors. Taylor-Wood makes portraits of her subjects as actors; she shoots them in role, asking each to perform and cry for the camera and demands the actor’s investment in the process. These are no passive sitters.

121 Veterans Have Been Charged With Murder Since Returning Home

The Times said the numbers indicated a nearly 90 percent increase in homicides involving active-duty military personnel and new veterans since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The Times said about one-third of the victims were spouses, girlfriends, children or other relatives. The Times reports that while many of the veterans showed signs of combat trauma, they were often not evaluated for or diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder until after the homicides.

People Spoke...

Last night, I was lucky enough to be part of the audience for a taping of a segment for "The People Speak," a new production based on historian and social activist Howard Zinn's classic A People's History of the United States. An impressive cast of actors, writers, and musicians are involved with the project, which takes various speeches, poems, songs, and articles written by ordinary people and historic figures, and gives them new life. The miniseries will be split into four parts, according to the themes of class, gender, war, and race.

Drug Approved. Is Disease Real?

For patient advocacy groups and doctors who specialize in fibromyalgia, the Lyrica approval is a milestone. They say they hope Lyrica and two other drugs that may be approved this year will legitimize fibromyalgia, just as Prozac brought depression into the mainstream.

Jurors in a Cape Cod Murder Case Testify About Racial Remarks

The defendant in that trial, Christopher M. McCowen, is serving a life sentence for raping and killing Christa Worthington, a white fashion writer from a wealthy family, at her bungalow in Truro in 2002. But three jurors now say that others made racist remarks during the trial; if Judge Gary A. Nickerson of Barnstable Superior Court finds those contentions credible, he could order a new trial.

A Terror Threat in the Courts

After all, the primary purpose of counterterrorism is the prevention of future acts, while the criminal law has developed primarily to punish conduct that has already occurred. The question raised by the Padilla trial is whether a case about an attack that never actually happened can be tried in the criminal courts without transforming the nature of that system itself.

Sex and Disability

People with disabilities may even have trouble seeing themselves as sexual, wondering if others (their partners included) really find them attractive, especially if their disability makes their body look different than society's normal standard of beauty. With social pressure, physical issues, and personal frustrations all working against them in some way, it's easy to see that those who are differently-abled may find it hard to become sexually active. Here are some general tips, ideas, and pieces of information if you, a partner, or a friend may have an impairment that challenges their view of sexuality as society defines it.

Against Censorship

Conveniently, since the bill was introduced in 2004, the government’s definition of ‘extreme’ pornography has been expanded to include some kinds of homosexual porn. Giving the state license to say what is and is not criminal pornography gives it license to suddenly decide that the tastes and interests of any non-mainstream group should be penalised

There's just so much... Sometimes I read through the paper and stuff and just can't decide what on earth to talk about...