Bitch Craft Brooklyn

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies: the vinegar cup

2009-11-07T10:59:00.001-05:00

I'm all for the humane treatment of all animals, including insects, but they have their space and I have mine. I'll catch and release when possible, but catching fruit flies? Just imagining someone trying to catch fruit flies is hilarious.

Of course, part of eliminating fruit flies is eliminating what is attracting them. But after you do that, what to do about all of those pesky remaining flies?

There is a method that works very well: the vinegar cup. It makes perfect sense because fruit flies love ripe or rotting fruit, which ultimately ferments into vinegar! (Fun fact: the word vinegar comes from the French "vin aigre," literally sour wine.)

In a small glass or even shot glass, fill it at least 1/2" deep with vinegar. I have used white vinegar, red wine vinegar, and a raspberry vinegar. Cover the top with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band. Poke several holes in the plastic wrap slightly larger than a pin hole but far smaller than a pencil hole. The idea is that the flies go in and don't come out.

Place the glass in a place where the flies are congregating. Within several hours or a day, multitudes of flies will be resting in peace.

The last frontier of green, your pants

2009-11-07T04:23:00.010-05:00

For all of the biking, composting, and farmer's market shopping that I do, I have to admit that one green area about which I constantly feel bad is my wardrobe. Do I buy non-organic jeans that fit fantastically? Absolutely. But, each purchase, do I think about how cotton uses more pesticide than any other single agricultural product? Without fail.

The problem has not been my awareness, it is about the lack of choices that are offered. I am a small person, and eco-friendly clothes fit me even worse than they fit a regular-sized person. Not only are they not tailored for women, for me they are also too wide and too long on my arms and legs.

While, of course, wearing clothes until they are worn out, or wearing second-hand or vintage clothes is the best choice (as the Uniform Project proves, re-wear can be exceptionally cute), there is a clear case for improving the choices offered in the regular retail market.

So, I am elated to see an article in Audubon Magazine online by Gretel Schueller addressing how ecologically sustainable fabrics are finally hitting the mainstream.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the sustainable designers mentioned:

Nau John Patrick
Loomstate Loyale

Gender, Clothes, and Public High School

2009-11-07T03:28:00.005-05:00

Very little gets me quite as angry as gendered dress codes in public high school. When we received a flier mandating gendered dress code for graduation in my high school back in the late 90s, I (not surprisingly) protested. After an inquiry to the office about wearing a pant suit (very feminine, btw), I was threatened that I would not graduate by the high school assistant principal, Mr. Jeff Schnur of Butler Area School District, a small man both in size and intellect.

Thankfully, according to an article yesterday in the Times, times they are a-changin'. The more students with gender identities outside of hetero norms come out earlier and earlier, the more that such dress codes will be challenged.

The Times article sheds some light on the issue, but it fails to challenge some of the logical fallacies raised in the article that are frequently made by school administrators.

Fallacy 1: School "is a rigorous academic and social training ground for the world of adults and employment," and therefore students should not be distracted by other students' clothes.

Workplaces, true, are not places to wear bikinis (usually), but as the workplace becomes increasingly tolerant of out LGBT folks, these types of issues are precisely what people in today's world encounter in the "real" world.

Fallacy 2: Preventing kids from dressing in gender-challenging ways makes them safe.

The fewer kids that dress in gender-challenging ways, the more the ones who do become the outlier of the group. In fact, the more kids you permit to dress in gender-challenging ways, the safer the students will become. Safety in numbers.

Fallacy 3: Preventing hetero kids from dressing in gender-challenging ways prevents clothes from becoming a spectacle.

This makes me think it is 1968, "long hair means you're gay!" Hilarious. I thought those folks would have retired by now!

Gender identities and sexual identities are often in flux in high school, which makes it just the time when kids should not be asked to make a leap between one identity and another. Additionally, when gender-challenging dress is normative, particularly among hetero-identifying kids, it makes it a safer space for everyone.

How to Lose Weight: A little hunger never hurt anyone

2009-11-06T09:27:00.007-05:00

Image from Smartcar of America

In Wednesday's Times, the consistently excellent Well column covers a recent study in The British Journal of Sports Medicine that covers that modern American conundrum: Why am I working out and not losing weight? The study is interesting, but it fails to adequately hit home what people need to hear.

To lose weight, you have to have a calorie deficit compared to your current weight. When you are working at a calorie deficit (by exercise or reduced food calories), you are going to be slightly hungry until that time that your body adjusts to the deficit.

Nobody wants to face the music that you have to be slightly hungry for a short time to lose any significant weight. Think about everyone benefiting from not telling you this simple truth-- all of the diet companies, the health care industry, agro-business, just to name a few.

I always think about it as putting less gas in a Hummer. If you want to look like a Smart car, you have to eat like a Smart car. If you want to look like a Hummer, eat like a Hummer. Eating less, primarily by reducing calories (gasoline) is like trying to work a Hummer on a Smart car diet-- your Hummer is going to be hungry. But this doesn't last for long because your body gets used to the reduced amount and starts shrinking to fit what you are feeding it.

It is always best to speak to a nutritionist or doctor to figure out what's right for you. It is neither safe nor sustainable to reduce your calories below 1200 per day. Simply reducing your calories to 2000 per day if you are a large person, or 1500 per day if you are a small person, you'll see the pounds fly off. The most effective way to maintain this, I have found, is keeping a journal of everything you put in your mouth and how many calories it contains. Also in the journal, you should track your weight on a daily basis, the first thing in the morning when you are lightest.

Bottom line: slight hunger = weight loss

Meat as love, memory, and finally, history

2009-11-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

Your earliest memory at your grandparents' house. The family barbecue on the patio. Sunday morning breakfast. People laughing, enjoying one another's company, your grandparents alive, your parents still married, and no one was fighting. It was lovely.

What did it smell like?

What did it taste like?

There is a good chance that the main food ingredient of this rosy picture in your mind's eye is meat.

How much is our enjoyment of meat as adults is tied to these childhood memories? Our first (and sometimes our last) images of the family together, our family alive even, was often simultaneous with a bite of roasted pork, medium rare cheeseburger, or crispy bacon. Certainly mine are. Just like the smell of your grandmother's house is so closely tied to a feeling of calm comfort, so too are the flavors. Is this part of the reason why it is so hard to shed this thing, this blight on our planet and our bodies? And if meat-eating is so tied to our roots and the histories of those roots, can we change that or forego it without sacrificing what is closest to us?

Jonathan Safran Foer's essay on his becoming fully vegetarian when he had children highlights this overlooked and critical angle and discusses how he is trying to free his children from this added weight of love, memory, and history that may influence them to eat meat.

Things looking up for Syracuse (aside from sports)

2009-11-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

Syracuse, despite its snowy Orange charm, site of the Iroquois Confederacy, and proximity to some great central New York beauty, is sadly known mostly as a dirty post-Industrial city where you wouldn't want to go, unless that is you are in college there.

The city, however, may have an opportunity to remake itself with two burgeoning industries. Both health care analysis and electric car production may be making their way into the city in the next several years, according to the news in the last couple of weeks.

Go Orange!

Black Fly Composting

2009-11-03T13:17:00.003-05:00

So, apparently black fly maggot composting is being investigated, because black fly maggots eat meat, and redworms don't.

If you really think meat eaters are going to have black fly larvae (maggots) in their house or yard for the environment, you are kidding yourself. (Um, they would have given up meat first, duh!) I'm sure food waste is on the top of their priority list. Ha!

Not to mention that it is unethical to raise thousands of species of animals to die, so that they eat the remains of the animals that you killed for food.

How to Carve a Pumpkin into a Jack o' Lantern

2009-11-02T13:27:00.007-05:00

Carving a pumpkin is easy and fun!

- Buy a pumpkin large enough to hold your design
- Prepare your workspace by sitting in the yard or covering the area with a garbage bag
- Choose a sharp serrated paring knife
- Find a bowl for the seeds and goo
- A large soup spoon may also be helpful.

Design
- Draw onto computer paper the design that you want to cut
- Hold it up to the pumpkin to make sure it fits
- Tape your design to the front of the pumpkin
- Using a thumb-tack, poke the design into your pumpkin, making a kind of connect-the dots
- Remove your paper design

Lid
- I prefer to cut a lid (some claim cutting a bottom hole is better)
- Cut a hole around the stem at least large enough to fit a clenched fist through easily. Cut the hole at an angle, with your knife top leaning toward the outside of the pumpkin, so that the lid doesn't fall in.

Seeds and goo
- Remove all of the seeds and goo, first with your hand, and then with a large spoon, scraping the sides. Put all of the stuff into a bowl. This is the longest step.

Pattern
- Carve your pattern that you made with thumb tacks. Keep in mind that the angle in which you cut the pattern will determine the amount of light that passes through.
- For lighting, tea lights in a glass container work great. Also, you could use a Hanukkah candle if you dig a little hole in the bottom of the pumpkin

Annoyed with Facebook-slash-my past

2009-10-27T01:10:00.004-04:00

Facebook went way downhill when it stopped being affiliated with colleges. All of the losers that I hated in Pennsylvania are on it now, friending me and putting up retarded misspelled status messages. Facebook, go back to being for colleges! Let elitism reign! I don't really mean that, but I really mean that.
This one isn't about Facebook but my dog just barfed on my comforter. I would describe the color and texture, but I will spare you, dear reader.
OK, what is up with all of these dullards that I grew up with fantasizing about traveling to South America and never following through? Apparently, for the mildly retarded Western Pennsylvanian, South America is Mecca, but it is just too complicated to get one of those passport thingys. It is seriously a phenomenon, though, in the pre-marital population that goes to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. What a freaking bore! Shit or get off the pot!
If one more loser-turned-roid fiend that I dated in HS friends me I will hang my head in shame! Warning signs: topless profile pic. Ugh.
Why am I even letting this get to me? I need to just sign out now.
I need to stop using friend as verb. It's just wrong.

Let's have a bake fail!

2009-10-15T11:48:00.003-04:00

So I got all cocky and decided that I could replicate, with a Mexican twist, the unbelievable chocolate cloud cookies at Red Horse Cafe in Park Slope. Because one time, I asked the dude behind the counter, "These are basically like brownies but made like cookies?" So one assumption leads to the next, and following all of my stupid assumptions, like a little lemming there I went.

So I added all of my brilliant Mexican chocolate spices (cinnamon, and a little nutmeg, allspice, and fresh ginger), to a box mix that I had in the cupboard with the requisite eggs and butter, 350, 10 minutes. . .

As you can tell, I broke apart the Mexican chocolate pancakes before taking the picture. Not that they didn't taste good. I had to do everything in my power from gobbling down the rest of them. Perhaps I can make them into something else, like a layered ice cream cake. . .

And next time I will try something like this. . .

Otoño Mexicano: Squash Blossom Soup

2009-10-14T13:29:00.017-04:00

I made this recipe once before in September 2005 after a gastronomically inspirational trip to Mexico. Variations of Crema de Flores de Calabaza abound in Mexico, and it can be made with the flower of any pumpkin or squash. It uses the male part of the squash, the flower without the baby, which you can find at farmer's markets around this time of year and which are incredibly perishable. So if you want to make this recipe the day you see them at the market (or maybe the next day), you are in luck! It is a very hearty and filling vegetarian soup and could be served with a side of some crispy tortillas or beans and rice.

1 Tbs. butter
1 medium-large onion, chopped
3 cups veggie broth
1 small creamer potato, peeled and chopped
20-25 squash blossoms
2 poblano peppers
1 cup milk
1 zucchini, chopped into corn-sized pieces (larger for chunkier soup)
1-3 ears of corn, kernels cut from cob (more for chunkier soup)
1/2 cup light sour cream
Salt

In a soup pot, melt the butter and cook the onion until golden. Remove half of the onion and set aside (for a thicker soup, remove less onion; for a chunkier soup, remove more onion). Add the broth and potato, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean the manflowers. This is the fun botany part. (If your initials are SP, you can have AM do this part.) Do you like my drawing?

Break off the stems, the yellow polleny pistil in the center of the flower, and the sepals, but do not break off the base. It's yummy. Then, you may want to rinse them out, sometimes some little harmless critters are hiding within. Then cut them crosswise into about 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices (each flower into about 4 parts).

Add about 1/3 of the squash blossom parts to the broth. (I chose the parts which were light greenish, because I like the orange swirls later on.) Simmer about 3 minutes, then (carefully) blend the hot broth in a blender. Put it back in the pot.

Next, roast the skins of the poblanos. If you have a gas stovetop, you can simply put them on the flame and watch and listen to them crackle. This is the skin blistering. It is fun to listen to, but you may also get charred skin flying around. You'll need to occassionally turn them with tongs so that all sides get blistered. After both poblanos are blistered, wrap them in a kitchen towel for about 5 minutes. Then, with rubber gloves on, peel off the charred skin, clean out all of the seeds (rinsing under water helps), and chop them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.

Next, add the poblanos, reserved onion, and milk to the soup, bring it to a simmer and cook it for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and corn, simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining squash blossoms and simmer about 3 minutes longer. Finally, remove from heat, stir in the sour cream, and season with salt.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Enjoy!

Bunch of hits from the Face

2009-10-06T14:40:00.003-04:00

Someone in Ithaca put a link this morning to my Seneca Lake activities on their Facebook page (and Twitter), and I already have about 10 hits from the FB link, including somebody in Santiago, Chile and somebody on a MOMA computer.

Of course, I have no idea who this person is. Just fascinating.

Update: It was the Facebook page of Danos on Seneca!

Cheers & Jeers: Brooklyn transportation news

2009-10-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

Cheers

Prospect Park West two-way bike lane is still in the works!

Right now, due to traffic flowing south on PPW and flowing south on the approximately parallel Park Circle road, it is both incredibly dangerous to ride north on either of these roads and a pain in the rear. A lot of cyclists opt to ride north on the sidewalk, which cyclists hate doing and know is incredibly annoying to pedestrians. The only technically proper ways to get north from Bartel-Prichard to Grand Army are to ride the entire way around the park loop or to go down to 8th Avenue.

A buffer parking lane is a more progressive forward-looking and safer way to put in a bike lane, used in a lot of other world cities.

Yay DOT!

Jeers

How did I miss that the Atlantic-Pacific Subway stop is being renamed the Barclays stop for $200,000 per year for the next 20 years? That's right, the British bank Barclays, which also bought naming rights for the controversial Nets stadium, is going to also be the name of a transportation hub in Brooklyn.

I don't care that the bank is British. It is just that it is a bank, buying the name of a national historical landmark, because the MTA can't manage money.

And in 20 years, it will be named for some other entity? Yuck.

Boo MTA.

The American beef industry is a health hazard

2009-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you eat ground beef, or have anyone who you love that does, you have to read this article by Michael Moss for the Times. It is horrifying, but it also provides some pointers on how to make your ground beef experience more safe.

I am not advocating eating ground beef, or any beef for that matter! But for all of you clogged-artery-carcass-eating-greenhouse-gas-creators that I love, here are a few pointers:

You can't trust the label on ground beef. It doesn't tell you where the meat comes from, like in every other industrialized country. Don't trust it! It is probably from several countries, all mixed together. When it gets all mixed together like that, food inspectors, and even the companies themselves, can't pinpoint where contaminants originated.
Don't buy the beef already ground. Buy it whole and ask the butcher to grind it. It will cost you cents more per pound, and you will be getting beef with far less chance of contaminants, and you will know, at least, that it only came from one cow.
You have to cook it to 160. If you already bought it ground, you kind of have to assume that the contaminants are already in there. In that case, you have to cook it to 160. Medium, no pink, no juices. And who likes it that way anyway? Revert to #2.
Deep clean any surface touched by the raw meat. You have to assume that all surfaces it touches are contaminated. Testers soap washed and dried cutting boards, and found both the cutting surface and the towel used to dry it contaminated. I know it isn't good for the environment, but the article recommends bleach, and I know of no other alternative.

And need I say, when I write "contaminants" I mean deadly poop?

News from that "special" relative, the MTA

2009-10-04T08:00:00.003-04:00

Really, the MTA is going to install countdown clocks before the end of next year? It can't be true!

Oh wait, only on the Number 1, 4, and 6, and nothing north of 149th Street/Grand Concourse. It figures. Mommy and Daddy taxpayer won't ever stop bankrolling that special sibling of ours.

And one can only pity the stifled brilliance of Andrew Albert, chairman of the New York City Transit Riders Council. "It would be even more useful if they install a repeater on the street, so people can have time to get a cup of coffee or a newspaper."

Ha!

Oh Mr. Albert, you just earned yourself an invite to my utopian commune, expected to be completed by December 2010.

Double Windsor bar finally opens on PPW

2009-10-03T05:16:00.004-04:00

For at least the past 7 years, Windsor Terrace has had one real bar. And that bar is Farrell's. Farrell's typifies the Windsor Terrace of yore: Irish and Italian descent policemen and firefighters releasing some steam after a long day's work. It is a real man's man place, serving Budweiser in styrofoam cups, with lids if you happen to be an on-duty cop taking it to go in your squad car (I saw it with my own two eyes).

You might think Farrell's is rife for hipster takeover, but you would be dead wrong. Though both groups share an affinity for cheap beer, this place takes itself way too seriously for any sliver of irony to waft in the door. Let alone anyone with a vagina or a fashion sense.

While I rejoiced in my Netflix and simultaneously watched the closing of the closest video store-slash-film processing center over the summer, much to my delight I heard that this space, caddy-corner from Farrell's and a mere 2 blocks from my apartment, was going to be a bar.

The neighborhood was awash with rumors, could it be true? We walked by dozens of times, peeking in the window. What would it be like? Who would go? Did I hear something about craft beer? And best of all, would this be some place where women, gays, lesbians, and black people would be welcomed?

As we drank our pints in the window of the Double Windsor, delicious at $6 each, we looked across the street at Farrell's wondering about its fate. It appeared as busy as ever, with a significant number of men on the sidewalk, as usual, enjoying a Bud via styrofoam.

For a moment I felt like I was trapped in the video store, and I turned my sights inward. The crowd, a mix of hipsters and dorks, ranging the sexuality and race spectrum, felt a lot more like the Windsor Terrace that I know. Too young and poor to be North Slopers, too dorky and unhip to be Williamsburg, too neighborhoody to be anywhere in Manhattan. It was awesome.

It felt like all of us in Double Windsor were giving a big middle finger to the large-bellied men in tees and jeans across the street, to the place where we hadn't been welcome in our own backyard, and for one second, it felt grea t. The tables were turned, and though I relished the moment of taking a bit of wind out of their sails, it made me feel a little bad for Farrell's, that bastion of a fading era. So long as the neighborhood is primarily mono-demographic home-ownership, I don't see Farrell's closing any time in the foreseeable future, nor do I want it to. Now, perhaps, instead of a place from where I felt prohibited, I can just look at it as an old neighborhood fixture, a place that exhibits the neighborhood's historic character.

Cheers, Farrell's. From the inside looking out.

Seneca Lake wineries and activities

2009-09-30T16:24:00.002-04:00

I just had a fantastic weekend in upstate New York, primarily in the Seneca Lake region, and here are some must-do things in the area:

Wine and beer tasting. Definitely check out Lakewood Vineyards and Atwater Estate Vineyards for tasty wines. The region is best known for its rieslings and ice wine, but is developing its pinor noir and cabernet franc. Wagner is a winery and brewery, I can only speak to the brewery; I liked the hefeweizen, i.p.a., and doppelbock. No need for you to taste much wine at Glenora (although the riesling was o.k.), although they have one of the better lunches in the area, and the location is gorgeous. (My caesar salad was a disappointment-- it had no anchovy flavor whatsoever-- but came with grilled shrimp and a parmesan cracker which partially made up for it.)
Hiking/climbing cool steps. Watkins Glen has a super cool gorge which takes about 45 minutes to an hour to go up and come back down. It would be a fantastic place to take wedding photos, too. So Maid Marian.
Apple Picking. Upstate New York can't be beat for its fantastic selection of juicy amazing apples, and apple picking is so satisfying that it makes me want to become a migrant farm worker. We went to Reisinger's, which was the best apple picking I've ever been to, and it also offered pumpkins, large for $6.00 and small for $1.50 (a steal!). We didn't get the chance to pick raspberries, but we did taste them off the bush, and they were amazing. The owner was super nice with all of my questions about growing apples, and even went out of his way to show me how he does grafting. He also encourages "try before you buy," so you can eat your heart out in the orchard.
Hotel. We spent one night at Farm Sanctuary, an animal rights nonprofit. The B & B, which is super affordable, is a spacious cabin with several beds (though you share a large bathroom with two other cabins). Though we only saw adults, it would also be a great place to take kids. FS at Watkins Glen has about 400 farm animals that otherwise would have died painful deaths (left for dead, animal testing, not "useful" anymore, etc.) but which now are happy to play with visitors to the farm, like a really really nice petting zoo. Cows! Sheep! Goats! Chickens, turkeys, and ducks! Rabbits! Most of the animals come right up to you for you to pet them-- so sweet! A lot of the rescued animals are from factory farms, which is so so sad. For instance, the turkeys are so unnaturally fat, due to the way they have been bred, that they can't reproduce naturally and most die of cardiovascular diseases. The whole place is vegan, and I surely asked what they did with the eggs laid by the hens and the wool sheared from the sheep (cooked them and fed them back to the chickens; dump it over the hill for birds to use for nesting), but it was a super cool place to which I would definitely return.
Food. We had a great dinner at Tony R's Steak and Seafood in Corning, and another great dinner at Dano's Heuriger about half way up the east side of Seneca Lake. The local plum torte at Dano's was out of this world! Great pastry chef! (Also, if you guys at Danos happen to see this post, can you come to Park Slope, Brooklyn, and help get some new items on the menu of our local Austrian restaurant, Café Steinhof?)
Food driving home. A good place to stop on the way back to the city is the Lost Dog Cafe in Binghamton, which is a quirky little place and has yummy food. (I wouldn't call that a caesar dressing, more like a mustard garlic dressing, but it is good anyway.)

On a prior trip, I went to Dr. Frank's winery and the Corning Museum of Glass, which are both excellent experiences that I highly recommend. The CMG is a world class museum plop down in the middle of a charming little town.

All told, an excellent stay in upstate New York!

Seriously? This early?

2009-09-29T12:02:00.002-04:00

Prospect Park. Half asleep on my morning walk with my lovely sweet doggie on an extenda-leash. 60-ish woman with 3 or four rodent-like dogs about 20 feet away.

Lady: "You know that dogs have to be kept on 6-foot long leases?"
Me: "Yes."
Lady, bitchily: "But you just choose to ignore it?"
Me: "Yeah. Have you ever gotten a ticket?"
Lady: "Yes." <--- Definitely a lie, I have never ever heard of anyone getting a ticket for having their dog on a 10-foot leash.
Me, pleasantly: "Thank you for the information."

I continue to walk my dog normally in my half-daze. At some point I turn around and head back toward home. The lady is still lurking by the pines, apparently waiting to accost me.

Lady: "You know whether you get a ticket is not the point, right?! You know that, right?!"

O.k., at this point I wish I had been more awake.

Me, shocked: "WOW! Why are you such a bitch?"
Lady, shocked: "Ooooh, you really hurt my feelings!" <------- I love that line!
Me: "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I just wanted to know why. Is it because you have a miserable life and feel the need to be mean to people? Because you don't know what's going on in people's lives, so you should lay off."

At this point she begins to walk away.

Lady: "No, I don't."
Me: "Well, you really should be a nicer person and not such a bitch."

I wish I had said something more biting, about joining the NYPD or citizen's arrest or something, but I hadn't yet had my coffee. Truly, I do not know whether I have ever been so confrontational in public before, and I was shaky for about a half an hour after.

Pittsburgh and the G-20

2009-09-26T15:31:00.002-04:00

The last G-20 meeting, this past April in London, was hailed as one of the most important conferences of the decade and partly responsible for saving the world from economic disaster. This fall's G-20, held in Pittsburgh, might even have been even more important.

Why Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh, according to Jason Margolis on PRI's The World, is working to shed its image as the "Steel City," investing in medical research and other innovative technologies. The mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl, hopes the summit will "help change Pittsburgh’s pervasive image as a gritty, dying Rust Belt city."

Not so fast, Mayor Ravenstahl! How have many Pittsburghers reacted to this incredible opportunity to highlight their city, and its relative shielding from the economic crises? Well, according to my Pittsburgh friend's Facebook status he overheard this at work:

"The protesters can go ahead and exercise their first amendment rights. I'll be exercising my second amendment rights."

Even better is a response to this status:

"I'm a little fuzzy on my amendments. Is the second amendment the one that allows me to beat the piss out of retards that hold signs, blather nonsense really loud and keep me from being able to go to work on a normal bus line?"

In my own personal experience, most people in Western Pennsylvania are so sheltered from the rest of the world, it is both scary and hilarious when they are faced with it. What they could achieve if they only opened their minds a little. . .

Maple Sugar Candy Recipe!

2009-09-21T13:28:00.006-04:00

With fall technically starting tomorrow, and after buying maple sugar candy several times from the local farmer's market, I decided to make it myself! It is so easy!

What you need:
Grade A maple syrup- the amount of candy you see above is from 2 cups
Candy/ deep fry thermometer
Wooden spoon
Pot with high sides (for 2 cups, at least 5" sides)
Some sort of cute molds which don't have to be heat resistant

1. Set the stove to very low heat.
2. Pour the amount of maple syrup that you want into the pot.
3. Bring it to a boil without stirring.
4. Still without stirring, bring it to between 234 degrees and 239 degrees; if you bring it to less, it won't harden, if you bring it to more, it will be too hard.
5. Remove it from heat, still without stirring. Wait 5 minutes.
6. With the wooden spoon, beat it for several minutes. After about 5 minutes, you will notice it start getting a lighter caramel and thickening up. (If it isn't thickening by this point, you didn't get it hot enough, so you should return to step 4.)
7. Continue beating until it can hold a shape. It basically looks like peanut butter and is cool to the touch.
8. Place in molds and cool!

Make sure you lick every single bit off of the spoon. Don't be wasteful! :)

Post-Note: Put them in shallow molds which are wider than deep, because you need to be able to pop them out so that the underside can dry sufficiently to be handled. If you put it in anything near 1" deep molds, such as the heart-shaped molds from Ikea in the picture above, when you try to pop it out it will become a gooey blob that you can't do anything with but eat. I'm going to try to dry it out some more before I try to unmold another one.

A letter to President Obama about the Public Option

2009-08-21T13:52:00.001-04:00

Dear Mr. President:

I am a 29-year-old public interest lawyer in Brooklyn, NY, and I volunteered for your campaign in Southwest Philadelphia in the weeks before the election last fall. Initially, I was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton, and I voted for her in the presidential primary, but I threw my strong support, and all of my energy, behind your campaign. Although I could not donate an incredible amount to your campaign, I spent my own money for travel expenses. In addition, I made many, many phone calls to my birthplace, Pennsylvania, to voters who were undecided. I convinced my mother, -------------------------, a 58-year-old Baltimore public school teacher who had never done a political thing in her life, to travel to York, PA to go door-to-door.

Mr. President, I will no longer support your administration if your drop the so-called "Public Option" in the proposed health care plan. In the next election, I will not make a phone call for you, I will leave your Facebook group, and I will certainly not travel to Philadelphia to you.

I am writing this email with tears in my eyes. You had a vision of America that we all wanted to believe in, a better America, an America that could achieve anything. You had a vision of America, an industrious and innovative America, that could put forth the best health care plan that the world had ever seen. Mr. President, we supported you because we liked how America looked in the reflection in your eyes.

Please, please do not drop the Public Option. In law school, I myself was uninsured (please don't tell my mother that). I did not go to the doctor, the dentist, anything. Thank goodness I was relatively healthy and did not have a major medical emergency. But I lived in fear every day because of the health problems I had seen in my family, the Blue Cross statements that came showing $50,000 surgeries paid for by insurance. What would I do if something happened to me?

My sister and brother-in-law, a military family who uses the military health plan, do quite well under it and like it quite a lot, and we have often discussed how efficiently it works for the patient. While my brother-in-law, Captain -------------------------, Air Force Special Forces, has been deployed multiple times in Iraq, and is currently serving at Bagram in Afghanistan, my sister has had several minor medical issues for which she has used the military health plan. It simply makes no sense to me when people say that the United States of America cannot run a health care system-- we already do! And several health care systems at that!

Mr. President, there is a chance that you can renew my faith. First, you must try to simplify your message. "Medicare for All." "Military Insurance for All." Most people in America cannot understand the complexities of the current health care debate. Medicine plus law plus finance?-- truly, it is a bit much even for the best of us. You have an incredible power of persuasion, what is happening? Next, if an improved message does not work, if the naysayers will not quit at their uninformed attacks, we must push forward. This is everything that we have fought for! Why did we fight so hard to compromise with the far-right factions?

Mr. President, it makes me incredibly sad to write this, but if you cannot do it, I doubt that anyone can do it. I apologize for putting so much pressure on you, it must be terribly hard to constantly hear this, but you are our only hope.

Sincerely,
-------------------------
Staff Attorney
-------------------------

Ice-smashing therapy

2009-01-18T20:22:00.005-05:00

With the AFC and NFC championships in the background, and icy conditions outside, what better time to defrost my ever-icing shoebox-sized freezer?

Put a pot of soup on the stove.
Turn freezer off.
Remove contents. Those that are frozen to the freezer and/or encapsulated by ice must be made to understand who pays the rent around here.
Put all frozen items that are less than one year old into a box and put it on your fire escape or nearest exit, or in a space that is below freezing. All remaining items, it is time for them to be laid to rest.
Get a nice big bowl for yourself and fill it with your soup. Put your hot pot, now empty, into the freezer. Leave the door open.
Enjoy the soup and watch some football. Gain energy for the task at hand. One or two renditions of "Here we go, Steelers" will help with the ambiance.
Get a big, sturdy knife or ice pick. Remove the cold pots. Nearly anything you do in this step is legal.
Enjoy that your freezer space is doubled.
Turn the freezer back on.
Look at what you are putting back in the freezer and vow to eat it before next year.

Inspiration visit to my yarn bag

2009-01-16T15:50:00.004-05:00

With the weather as it is, and my sudden urge to create, I pulled out my yarn bag and went at it. I haven't knitted anything for a while (I've kind of been on a crochet kick for a year or so), so I decided to give the old needles a spin. Of course, I am terrible at knitting, so I'm doing a simple scarf similar to the one I made for myself about 4 or 5 years ago. No purl necessary!

Simple pattern:
Cast on 19
Knit in each color for 5 or six inches; switch colors
Make cute fringe

(And with my newfound Buffy knowledge, I know these wooden needles can do a lot more than make scarves!)

Squirrels, squirrels, squirrels; they make my life complete!

2009-01-14T22:11:00.003-05:00

I love it when my dog dreams! Right now she is running with her paws, having rapid eye movements, and her ears are alert. Possibly also chewing. No barking, though.

Probably just chasing squirrels.

Worms, City living, and Food Waste

2009-01-08T12:53:00.005-05:00

As of yesterday, I have a plastic bin in my kitchen with 1000 hungry worms in it! I decided to vermicompost! First of all, it is a great way to reduce the amount of garbage I produce.** It is also a really fun science experiment!

I've always been fascinated by composting because my grandfather composted grass cuttings and garden waste behind a garage near his house. But decomposition composting isn't feasible in a Brooklyn apartment due to the dangerous heat, the smell, the amount of space it requires, and the time it takes to turn to dirt.

So I asked for the vermicomposting system, the "Worm Bin," for my birthday from my husband, and because I am a lucky lady with a great husband, I got it!

I filled the bin with strips of paper, mostly newspaper. I added about a gallon of water, mixing, mixing, until it was all soggy, but not drenched. I added the wormies! I had forgotten what worms felt like, at first it was a little weird grabbing clumps of them and sprinkling them around the bin. Because we all picked them up as children, it was instantly familiar (for the literary types, it was actually somewhat like a Proust-madeleine experience!).

They squiggled around, a little disoriented, and crawled down into the wet newspaper, shying from the kitchen light.

This morning I fed them a delicious breakfast of polenta (left over from New Years), coffee grinds and filter, rancid pine nuts, and beet ends... yum! They get fed a few times per week, rotating around the bin, and when I get back to this same spot, the food will supposedly be dirt/worm manure! They also eat the paper, and I think I will also add used paper towels (why not?).

This will be an adventure! I'll post pictures soon!

**Food waste is a huge problem- only 2% of food waste is composted. The rest, 98%, goes into landfills and, contrary to popular belief, is not composted. Instead, it emits methane, which is the worst human contribution to greenhouse gases, and methane in and of itself is a worse contributor to global warming than CO2.

Invitation to comment!

2008-12-14T14:42:00.004-05:00

I have been informed that there was no way to comment on my posts! I believe it has been changed now.

I would love to read comments on any and all posts and see any links that you think are interesting!

Thanks for reading this, you guys! I'm reading yours too!

Crocheted snowflakes

2008-12-14T14:07:00.002-05:00

It has become kind of an annual tradition that in December I whip out a few crocheted snowflakes. I love doing them-- it is very mathematical, therapeutic, and each snowflake in and of itself is an accomplishment. The smallest can take as short as 15 minutes, and the most complicated pattern I ever did took about three hours.

This year, I decided to try something a little different-- large snowflakes. Instead of the 1.8 mm steel needle and the Knit Cro-Sheen mercerized cotton of yore, I decided to super-size it.

Instead, I used an 8 mm wooden needle and worsted weight acrylic yarn. Following the pattern exactly the same way, I even hardened it with Aleen's Fabric Stiffener as I have done in the past with the cotton. They aren't quite as hard as usual, or as hard as I would like, but I will continue to experiment.

Check out the difference! This is exactly the same pattern, but the larger version is about 4 times the diameter (6") of the small (1.5"). Each took about 15-20 minutes to crochet.

There is something really nice and dainty about the small ones. They are great to tie to the top of gifts to be used by the recipient as tree ornaments. There is also something very nostalgic about them; I guess they remind me of doilies and old ladies.

But wouldn't it be cool to do a whole lot of the big ones and hang them from the ceiling during a Christmas party? That is my fantasy for those guys. Maybe next year...

Here's the pattern for the two identical ones above:

ch 6, sl st to make a ring;
ch 1;
* sc in ring, ch 6, sl st in 4th ch from hook;
(ch 4, sl st in 4th ch from hook) twice;
ch 2;
repeat from * 5 times more;
join with sl st to first sc;
finish off

patterns from "99 Snowflakes" by Leisure Arts

Recycling at the Park Slope Coop

2008-12-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first go at recycling at the Coop, and it went reasonably well. I took #4, #5, and plastic film to recycle. I was pleasantly surprised that the place was packed! Dozens of members and nonmembers from the surrounding community arriving by foot and by bike to do their civic and environmental duty. Ah, Park Slope, the idealist's little utopia.

The Coop has stations set up on the sidewalk for each type of plastic where volunteer inspects your plastic to make sure it meets the stringent requirements.

Plastic containers must be very clean and very dry. If there is any schmutz on them, they will be rejected.

Plastic containers cannot have paper labels or any remnants of paper labels.

Only plastic film that is stretchy can be accepted. No Amy's Organic Burrito wrappers, for instance.

Felt advent calendar- easy to make!

2008-12-09T12:40:00.007-05:00

My sister-in-law and I made advent calendars! I love Christmas and one of the best things about it is how kitschy-retro it is. Advent calendars certainly fall into that category to me! Mine was made using acrylic felt, a hot glue gun, and some embellishments.

In the future I'll stuff the stockings with treats for little ones!

I bought 25 finger puppets from the Unemployed Philosophers for each of the days. Jesus, Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony, the Buddha, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Frida!

I love it!

It was a really rewarding craft because it was very creative, very manual, and there was quick gratification after finishing each stocking! It probably took about 10 hours total.

This is not Tehran, freaks, this is New York

2008-12-09T12:03:00.005-05:00

Apparently there is a growing stand-off between bicyclists and the ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jewish community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The Hasids are so upset (or is it turned on?) by female bicyclists who ride by in the bike lanes that they have started to play chicken, standing in the bike lanes and backing cars into bicyclists.

Their erections are so hard, it causes them to run out in the street, pretending that they are challenging the bicyclists so that they are allowed by God's law to look at them, which in all other circumstances would be forbidden. (OK, I made this part up).

THIS MAKES ME SO MAD. What makes me mad about it, truly, is not the obsession with covering of oneself. Do whatever the heck you want, you crazy freaks!

What truly makes me mad is THIS IS NOT A GATED COMMUNITY, THIS IS NOT TEHRAN, THIS IS NEW YORK. You do not own the streets. They are public property. If they want to live on a compound, they should buy one outside of the city, which all freak cults do.

This is not the only way that this community is willing to violate the law to pretend that they live on a compound. Let it not go unmentioned that in 2002 my husband and I were FOLLOWED around Williamsburg and then FOLLOWED OUT by Hasidic men who straight out said to us they did not want us to rent there. I was wearing shorts that day and their erections were probably dribbling in their underwear. My mother-in-law was sad that they would discriminate against her Jewish son. My Jewish grandmother-in-law went on a tirade about their psycho ways.

So as soon as the weather warms up, Kent Ave., here comes my long blond haired bikini'ed ass. You know you like it.

Best travel mug ever

2008-12-02T12:37:00.008-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was inspired when I read No Impact Man's glass-jar coffee mug idea.

But as I already had about ten reusable plastic/metal travel mugs, I wasn't about to throw them in the regular garbage (gasp!) in an attempt to copy No Impact Man.

As happens more often than I'd like to admit I found myself at home without a mug. All of the travel mugs were at work, under my desk somewhere, with a sip or two of leftover coffee giving rise to colonies of who-knows-what. What was I to do?

Ah-ha! Old pickle jar to the rescue! After running it through the dishwasher to get rid of the pickle juice, I tried it out, and it is fantastic! It is so much better than the travel mugs for so many reasons.

It seals properly and completely. No more coffee stains on my casefiles, iPod, and purse.

It cleans in the dishwasher. And doesn't get warped or hide dishwasher soap in its parts!

It cleans properly and completely. No matter what grows in it under my desk, it is glass, so the colors and smells will come out in the wash. Use it for coffee in the morning, water in the afternoon. And besides, it is clear, so it tells me when there are leftovers.

It is microwavable. By the time I get to work, my coffee is only lukewarm. Take off the top, and pop it in the mike.

I actually prefer the wide-mouth to drink out of-- more like a real coffee mug, big gulps possible when desperate for caffeine.

It is healthy for you and the earth. It doesn't give off any taste or smell of plastic, any possible toxins to your body, and is completely recyclable and earth-friendly.

The one downside is that when you put in super hot coffee, the jar is hot too, of course. But you probably should not be drinking anything so hot that you can't hold it anyway.

I am a complete convert. Any suggestions for what to do with all of my lame-o travel mugs?

Chicken shit

2008-12-01T11:49:00.008-05:00

In a recent NYT article we are all reminded about the dire environmental consequences of eating chickens raised right here in the US. In particular, the article highlights the pollution in the Chesapeake Bay caused by chicken shit and the devastating effects it is having on plant and animal life including Maryland's famous crab and oyster industries.

So don't go thinking that it is only bull shit and pig shit that is causing global warming, rainforest deforestation, e. coli poisoning, and loss of wildlife, and uses an incredible amount of energy to produce.

Thinking about replacing the Maryland chicken in your diet with Maryland corn or soy products? Think again. Three-quarters of the state's crop goes to feed your feathered friends.

Also in the same vein, I can't vouch for the whole thing (I only heard the second half), but if you didn't hear This American Life this weekend, it is about poultry and quite entertaining.

Another lovely meatless Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T10:29:00.001-05:00

This is my seventh or eighth Thanksgiving without turkey. Thanksgiving is undoubtedly the most difficult day of the year to go meatless.

Your decision to not eat meat is on display to your family, the ones who choose not to live in the "bastion of liberals" New York City. Where your friends rarely (if ever) eat meat. Where Michael Pollan and Ruth Reichl are everyday names. Where there is such abundance of good food, there's no need to eat meat to satisfy your discerning palate.

This suburban or country family of yours, they not only really know you, but they also know how much you loved turkey gravy as a child. You were the oddball who liked turkey so much, you had no preference between light and dark. You never had any problem with it before. Moreover, eating turkey at Thanksgiving is the most quintessential American dish; in a culinary sense, it is like saluting the flag. Was it not turkey that Benjamin Franklin proposed to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle?

Actually, turkey was not the quintessential Thanksgiving dish until the post-war mid-20th century (the mass breeding of a light-skinned turkey, the Beltsville White, with a more appealing carcass, made turkey sales skyrocket).

I don't say it on Thanksgiving out of politeness, but eating turkey is gross. Gross for health reasons and gross for animal rights reasons. Believe me, after you go seven or eight years without eating it, the smell of cooking it is really gross, too. It smells like cooking dead carcass, which of course, it is.

I am thankful for the extra room on my plate for delicious side-dishes, and the extra room in my stomach for pumpkin pie. And some turkey out there somewhere is thankful for me.

Don't microwave in any plastics, even so-called microwave-safe containers!

2008-11-22T08:03:00.006-05:00

What in the heck does the FDA do, anyway?

In a study conducted by Julia Taylor at XeroAnalytical LLC for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in addition to leaching out of #7 plastics, BPA was found to leach out of #1, #2, and #5 plastics and into the microwaved food in potentially toxic amounts. Many of the products that are labeled "microwave-safe" come in these types of plastic.

To be safe, it is always better to transfer your food (fresh or frozen) to a glass or ceramic container and cover your bowl with a cotton towel, not plastic wrap.

Getting acquainted with the Smart Grid

2008-11-21T16:47:00.003-05:00

Recently, I read Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded, where I encountered the concept of a smart grid for the first time. I haven't been able to get the smart grid off of my mind ever since-- who thought of the smart grid? how far has the concept come? if and when will it actually be up and running?

Apparently, I am a bit behind the curve in energy-infrastructure technology news. Boulder, CO as well as several other cities worldwide are already implementing smart grid technology. The U.S. Department of Energy is even all over it.

A great introduction to the concept appears in a concise chapter in the aforementioned Friedman book. When you first start reading the chapter it all sounds a bit sci-fi, which makes the real prospect seem incredibly exciting.

Park Slope recycling of #4 and #5 plastics and plastic film

2008-11-21T07:13:00.006-05:00

I have lived in Park Slope for about six years now, recycling my #1 and #2 plastic containers dutifully, taking my old batteries to 3R, and, primarily out of guilt, piling my cupboards high with #4, #5, and #6 containers that I know will likely never be reused.

No more! It is shameful how easy it was, but after just a few minutes of research I discovered that the Park Slope Coop recycles a lot of the other plastics even if you aren't a member.

There are some specific requirements, but the gist is that they take #4 and #5 plastic and plastic film. After filling two totes full of this stuff (and emptying my cupboards), I realized for me this is most of my clutter. The #6 plastic containers are primarily sushi take-out containers. These can be used for shrinky-dink projects, to be discussed in a later post.

The next recycling day (I believe) is the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and the following one is the second Saturday in December.

Angry at my union, the UAW

2008-11-17T15:24:00.004-05:00

I must counteract the ills of my union dues...

Today on NPR I heard a representative from my national union, the UAW, give reasons why we, as taxpayers, should bail out GM, Ford, and Chrysler when all they have been doing as of late is making products that no one wants. Indeed, in the name of profit margins, US auto manufacturers have come out with such backward ideas as the Hummer (GM; about 10 mpg), while foreign companies have moved in a clearly more progressive direction with cars such as the Prius (Toyota; 48 mpg). Now, with a year or so of steep gas prices under our belts, no one is buying the Hummer.

Do I feel bad for the workers? Of course. Perhaps we can come up with some sort of solution to address their specific needs that is short of supporting the companies for which they work. Do I feel bad for the companies? Hell, no.

The union representative went on to say that US cars are of the same quality as their foreign competitors. Does anyone agree with this anymore? Am I living in a foreign car-buying bubble? I was almost certain my mother was the only person left buying Chevrolets-- was I wrong?

Finally, the representative argued something which I just find ludicrous-- taxpayers should prevent Chapter 11 (reorganization) because it would undoubtedly lead to Chapter 7 (liquidation) and cause massive job losses, because consumers would not buy cars from a company that was in Chapter 11.

If the cars were better than their foreign competitors, people would buy them no matter what, and besides, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Why should we continue to prop up companies making cars that no one wants to buy?

We can do better than this, people! Where is our American spirit of innovation?

------------------------------------
Follow-up:

Here's an interesting article from the Times.

My elected officials in South Park Slope - Windsor Terrace

2008-11-17T14:48:00.006-05:00

In this time of harsh economic realities and extreme budget cuts at the local, state, and federal levels, it is muy importante to know who represents you. Each of these individuals will be in meetings over the next weeks deciding what precisely to cut from the budget-- don't let it be your job! I certainly don't want it to be mine (civil legal services).

New York City Council Member Bill de Blasio (District 39)
2907 Fort Hamilton Pkwy Brooklyn, New York 11218 718-854-9791
deblasio@council.nyc.ny.us

New York State Senator Eric Adams (20th Senate District- map)
572 Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11225 718-284-4700
eadams@senate.state.ny.us

New York State Assembly Member James Brennan (44th Assembly District- map)
416 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-788-7221

US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (New York's 11th District)
123 Linden Boulevard 4th Floor Brooklyn, NY 11226 718-287-1142

US Senator Hillary Clinton (New York)
780 Third Ave Suite 2601 New York, NY 10017 212-688-6262

US Senator Charles Schumer (New York)
757 Third Avenue Suite 17-02 New York, NY 10017 212-486-4430

If you don't know who represents you, use your ZIP code or address to find out:
New York City Council
New York State Senate
New York State Assembly
US House of Representatives
US Senate

Gay rights are human rights / Join the Impact Protest New York

2008-11-15T19:37:00.005-05:00

Today I joined thousands of others in New York City (and hundreds of thousands nationwide) to protest for gay equality.

Human rights; family values; for goodness sake Loving v. Virginia. I guess I just don't understand why homophobes are so concerned.

The crowd was too thick to get near the featured speakers, but I did manage to get to the barrier on Broadway to wave my kick-ass sign at passing double-decker tourist buses. Of course I smiled and waved like the friendly Pennsylvania gal that I am. A few cheered for us, but most people just gaped with open mouths. As the buses rolled past, surely on their way to Ground Zero, I wanted to say to the gapers, Go the hell back to where you came from if you don't like it. THIS is America.

But instead of getting angry, I just kept on smiling and waving and hoped that just those brief few seconds, with all that love and pain in the crowd throbbing like an open wound, might be able to open a few previously closed minds.

Red, White, Blue, Green

2008-11-15T07:00:00.003-05:00

This image on the main New York Times website yesterday made me gasp. The pollution in the photo is nothing short of startling-- but not as shocking as the article.

The smog, caused by, "automobiles, slash-and-burn agriculture, cooking on dung or wood fires and coal-fired power plants. . . . blocks from 10 percent to 25 percent of the sunlight that should be reaching the [Beijing's] streets." An expert quoted in the article "estimates that 340,000 people in China and India die each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that can be traced to the emissions from coal-burning factories, diesel trucks and wood-burning stoves."

Oh, but rain will wash it all away, won't it? "[S]ome of the black grime that falls to earth ends up on the surface of the Himalayan glaciers that are the source of water for billions of people in China, India and Pakistan. As a result, the glaciers that feed into the Yangtze, Ganges, Indus and Yellow Rivers are absorbing more sunlight and melting more rapidly, researchers say."

Indeed, our country invented and took advantage of all of the technology that China is using now-- it would be hypocrisy to criticize them for it. But why can't we, in this bastion of innovation, come up with something better, which is greener, but also cheaper and more efficient, thus forcing all businesses and countries to use it out of economic necessity? And after we invent it, why can't we can reinvigorate America's manufacturing sector putting it all together? And then why can't we can sell it to them, just like they sell us all of that cheap crap that clutters our stores, homes, and lives? And in the meantime, why can't we use the technology to get off oil, which is disgustingly dirty in more ways than one?

If anybody has the ability to lead the world in this, it is us. We not only have the real ability, but we also have the mythological ability necessary to inspire the world to follow our lead.

We can be, we must be, the greatest greenest generation of Americans that saved the world like our grandparents did sixty years ago.

(If you don't know this already, I'm kind of obsessed with Thomas Friedman right now.)

MichelleO, the "mommy wars," and commentary from a childless Gen Xer

2008-11-14T23:50:00.004-05:00

Here's an interesting nuanced piece by PunditMom on MichelleO and the "mommy wars." The comments by readers are also intelligent and thoughtful.

MichelleO's personal story, her educational and career accomplishments, the fact that she will have two young children in the White House, and yes, even her fabulous wardrobe, give so much to analyze for the next eight years. MichelleO is unique, though, in that she will have all of these things, and she will also be the first black woman to do it.

As such, I would just like to add a bit of racial history into the conversation.

Whereas white middle class expectations of motherhood have stifled the career options of millions of women, choosing to stay at home and exclusively rear children has simply not been an option for most black women in this country's history. In general, black women in our country historically have contributed a higher percentage of their families' necessary income from their own labor than white women. Balancing work and family was not merely a challenge women sought to overcome, but a challenge they were expected to overcome.

I sincerely hope that these histories and all of these conversations that we as Americans have over the next eight years empower MichelleO and do not trouble her. She truly has a huge responsibility ahead of her, for her family, for her job as first lady, and for what she represents.

How MichelleO fits into all of these histories will undoubtedly be a huge part of her legacy.

OK, I promise not to talk about her for like 2 days.

More on MichelleO

2008-11-14T11:54:00.003-05:00

Following Wednesday's post on MichelleO, here is another interesting piece by Dr. C. Nicole Mason (professor at NYU) writing for Women's eNews.

While I disagree that MichelleO is "everywoman" (because she is exceptionally brilliant and amazing), I do agree that she has the ability to transcend boundaries more than any first lady who has preceded her, and her life story gives many of us something with which to identify.

Rebecca Traister on Michelle Obama

2008-11-12T20:40:00.007-05:00

I think Michelle Obama's personal story and accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable. Black, white, or green, she is one of the brightest most accomplished women lawyers in America. Rebecca Traister at Salon.com published a really interesting piece today about the first lady-elect. I, too, have been dismayed at her Jackie-O-ification. I want to say to the media, Listen, people, Michele Obama doesn't decorate, she hires people to decorate, while she is worrying about more important things.

After her speech at the Democratic convention, her fabulous, hopeful, appealing to all Americans speech, I wondered where the Michelle Obama of her resume was. Where is the high-powered ass-kicking corporate lawyer? Why did she merely talk about her children, her husband, and her family? Why did she barely mention anything policy-related? Finally, why did she not wear the type of clothes that she has worn her entire professional career, namely, suits?

I quickly got a tongue-lashing from a relative/friend, who basically told me that I was being anti-feminist by expecting corporate women to wear suits to be respected. OK, finally, after pouring over it for weeks, I admitted she was right. Women are constantly criticized for what we wear, and just because a woman wears a stretchy aqua dress shouldn't mean that she is taken less seriously than a woman in a black suit.

And Michelle Obama's race must be mentioned here: Republicans were portraying her as an angry black-power white-people hater (read: scary). A suit would surely put them over the top.

Nevertheless, the entire "momification," as Traister puts it in this article, was what was truly troubling. Because not only did Michelle Obama leave her suit at the door, she left any references to her amazing career. (Hello‽ She was Barack's mentor).

But I have a feeling we have a lot more to see from Michelle Obama. Unlike Traister, I am hopeful about what we will see from our next first lady. She is too smart, too capable, too energetic to merely sit at home matching curtains while the girls are at school. We will see something great from her.

And, I'll be damned, she'll probably make it all happen in a stretchy aqua dress.

Adventures in soapmaking, Part I

2008-11-11T15:08:00.004-05:00

So, I decided that I'm going to *make* all of my Christmas and Hanukkah presents this year, and without giving too much of it away, one component of the present is soap.

Ingredients: I kind of cheated and bought a big, melt-in-a-Pyrex-type glycerin (all veg) soap, with various scents to mix in (almond, rose, neroli, jasmine). All of that stuff came from Candyland Crafts. The other stuff I used was stuff I just found around the house: olive oil; oatmeal; Hershey's cocoa powder; peppermint extract; dried lavender.

Molds: I used three types of molds. First, I thought I was so brilliant using unlined aluminum muffin tins. I expected the soap to pop out like ice cubes. Boy, was I wrong. MAJOR pain in the ass to get them out of there, and all of the round ones ended up being somewhat deformed as a result. I also used these square aluminum things I found at my grandmother's house with a bird on them, and they turned out awesome. Finally, I used a silicone madeleine mold. I cannot stress this enough: soapmaking is so easy when done in silicone. I wouldn't recommend it any other way. I plan to buy a muffin pan (and maybe some sort of loaf pan) in silicone before any future soapmaking.

Other precautions: When it smells like food, dogs think it is food.

Al Gore's 5-part plan to make America stronger and greener

2008-11-11T15:06:00.006-05:00

In an op-ed in Sunday's NYT, Al Gore summarizes a five-part plan to make America stronger and greener than ever before.

Here is a clip from the middle of this article, the gist of the piece:

What follows is a five-part plan to repower America with a commitment to producing 100 percent of our electricity from carbon-free sources within 10 years. It is a plan that would simultaneously move us toward solutions to the climate crisis and the economic crisis — and create millions of new jobs that cannot be outsourced.

First, the new president and the new Congress should offer large-scale investment in incentives for the construction of concentrated solar thermal plants in the Southwestern deserts, wind farms in the corridor stretching from Texas to the Dakotas and advanced plants in geothermal hot spots that could produce large amounts of electricity.

Second, we should begin the planning and construction of a unified national smart grid for the transport of renewable electricity from the rural places where it is mostly generated to the cities where it is mostly used. New high-voltage, low-loss underground lines can be designed with “smart” features that provide consumers with sophisticated information and easy-to-use tools for conserving electricity, eliminating inefficiency and reducing their energy bills. The cost of this modern grid — $400 billion over 10 years — pales in comparison with the annual loss to American business of $120 billion due to the cascading failures that are endemic to our current balkanized and antiquated electricity lines.

Third, we should help America’s automobile industry (not only the Big Three but the innovative new startup companies as well) to convert quickly to plug-in hybrids that can run on the renewable electricity that will be available as the rest of this plan matures. In combination with the unified grid, a nationwide fleet of plug-in hybrids would also help to solve the problem of electricity storage. Think about it: with this sort of grid, cars could be charged during off-peak energy-use hours; during peak hours, when fewer cars are on the road, they could contribute their electricity back into the national grid.

Fourth, we should embark on a nationwide effort to retrofit buildings with better insulation and energy-efficient windows and lighting. Approximately 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States come from buildings — and stopping that pollution saves money for homeowners and businesses. This initiative should be coupled with the proposal in Congress to help Americans who are burdened by mortgages that exceed the value of their homes.

Fifth, the United States should lead the way by putting a price on carbon here at home, and by leading the world’s efforts to replace the Kyoto treaty next year in Copenhagen with a more effective treaty that caps global carbon dioxide emissions and encourages nations to invest together in efficient ways to reduce global warming pollution quickly, including by sharply reducing deforestation.

Of course, the best way — indeed the only way — to secure a global agreement to safeguard our future is by re-establishing the United States as the country with the moral and political authority to lead the world toward a solution.

Looking ahead, I have great hope that we will have the courage to embrace the changes necessary to save our economy, our planet and ultimately ourselves.

This short article covers a lot of the same territory as Hot, Flat, and Crowded. The question that remains is this: will the Obama Administration, Congress, and America, have the moral courage to make these proposed changes a reality?

Gearing up to protest on Saturday, November 15

2008-11-11T09:59:00.008-05:00

I love to protest, especially when I'm really pissed off. Iraq war. Abortion restrictions.

And boy, over the past week I have been PISSED about all of the anti-gay people laws that were passed last Tuesday. I told my husband and friends, "I think I need to DO something."

All of my emotion has found an outlet! Husband and I (and hopefully some friends) will be attending the nationwide gay rights protest on Saturday.

Hannah Jones, 13, wins right to die (UK)

2008-11-11T09:43:00.004-05:00

This story brings tears to my eyes, but is also heartening. Hannah Jones, 13, who is terminally ill, has been deemed competent to make her own decision whether to die in peace or live (at best) on loads of medication. It is a very sad story, but young people deemed competent should always have the power over their own medical treatment.

All too often young girls are submitted to medical, cosmetic, and religious surgeries without their consent, and it is just wrong.

Awesome cartoon by Mikhaela Reid

2008-11-10T14:44:00.002-05:00

NYC bikers rule

2008-11-09T22:49:00.003-05:00

Last week, the NYC Department of Transportation announced a 35% increase in bicycle commuting between 2007-2008. Could that be more awesome?

One has to figure that the upsurge in political power in the bike lobby, the bike- and eco-friendly mayor, and the city's general increasing concern with environmental issues all have contributed. In other words, biking is now cool (as, of course, it always has been).

Now give us some more safe bike lanes (including over the pedestrian-hazard Brooklyn Bridge), employer-provided parking, and for good measure throw in a rental bike program like Paris and congestion pricing for cars.

Brooklyn Flea- love it!

2008-11-09T19:32:00.002-05:00

I've been dying to check out a Fort Greene-based flea market called the Brooklyn Flea, which runs Sundays, 10-5 through the clement months of the year. Well, I finally did it! I just started walking down 8th Ave. and hopped on the 63 bus, which dropped me right there, on the SW corner of Vanderbilt and Lafayette.

It was way bigger than I expected, with maybe a hundred vendors of all kinds of stuff. It was busy-- every vendor had people looking, but by no means was it annoyingly crowded. The patrons are varied, but with hipsters and young urban professionals predominating.

The stuff. There are lots of booths with vintage clothing, vintage accessories, and just all kinds of other vintage stuff that you would find at a really cool flea market. There are also lots of booths with local fashion designers, although the new never-worn stuff tends to be screen-printed tees. There is surprisingly a lot of furniture including used, re-fab, and new handmade stuff. All of it is pretty high quality and surprisingly affordable. Definitely a place to look for a nice wood dining room table, if you are in the market for that. There is also some reclaimed Brooklyn stuff made into art, like ceiling tin and other remnants of torn down properties.

There were a couple of places that especially caught my eye. The stores listed here are roughly clockwise within the Flea. When you first enter, check out the beautiful vintage silk kimonos from Japan sold by Kimono Lily, many around $60, which would make mom or sister or wife or gay brother feel very happy and beautiful during the holidays. Turn left, and in the front left-hand corner, the Merchant Adventurer's rugs and kilims are gorgeous and affordable-- why schlep to Kurdistan or Afghanistan when you can get it here? Nearby, Jellyrollvintage has some really cool current-looking vintage sweaters and sweater-dresses; I couldn't help but buy one for $20 which I plan to wear to work tomorrow. Looking for a woman-friendly calendar for '09? $12 will buy you an i-heart-bklyngirls pin-up calendar "12 months- 12 femmes- 12 campy careers"- it is awesome. I bought one for a friend, but might have to keep it. And 10% of profits go to Lesbian Herstory Archives. Finally, my favorite jeweler of the bunch is Martin, who owns AdornmentsNYC, located on the right side of the Flea, who has really awesome organic-looking jewelry with, amongst other things, some nature-themed items, including acorns, au courant insects, and florals. Nearly all of the earrings and necklaces are a mere $24 but look like they're worth $50.

Remember the Latin stands from Red Hook that used to sell food before bureaucracy and health codes stepped in? Well, they are here, they are popular, and they are cheap, as always. Yum.

Definitely worth the trip. Don't forget your eco tote!

Changing my own RAM

2008-11-09T18:47:00.009-05:00

Are you like me, and when your computer starts having issues, you call someone else to deal with it, or you buy a new one?

My dear friend W. checked out why my computer was so slow, and she told me it was a problem with RAM-- I didn't have enough. She said, you either need more RAM or need to buy a new computer, which comes with more. What the heck is RAM, I thought. "Remote access memory," I learned in computer class, but I had no idea what that meant.

There are two parts of memory in your computer-- the hard drive, which "remembers" stuff, and RAM, which does the processing of the information. When you don't have enough hard drive, you can't store anything. When you don't have enough RAM, the computer is slow as hell, especially if you try to run multiple programs at once.

Well, I decided I could try to do this thing myself. I don't like being told I can't do something, and as such, have figured out over the years how to do all kinds of mechanical stuff from fixing toilets to changing locks. (And I love to drill! Drill baby drill!)

So, with tech support on the line, I OPENED MY COMPUTER for the first time-- really easy, really cool. Don't forget to unplug it first or you will get zapped!! I took out the RAM, which, in my computer is like a 1 inch by 4.5 inch green cracker-like card with black squares on it, held in by white clips on the side.

I took it to Circuit City and bought two new ones just like it which had more memory, brought them home, snapped 'em in (push down until the white locks automatically go into place), and voila! This baby is back in service. At a far cheaper price than buying a whole new system.

Transition team works on list of EOs to undo

2008-11-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

Presidents carry a lot of power aside from what must be signed into law by Congress-- much of that power comes from a president's ability to pass executive orders (EOs). This power is not explicit in the Constitution but has been long considered a power inherent with the office in Article II.

The past 8 years have seen a slew of right-wing EOs, which overturning will apparently be one of Obama's first executive acts in January.

This is fantastic news for research, health care, and the environment. Will the US provide condoms to African hospitals that perform abortions? Will we fund research centers that do stem cell research? Will we change the don't ask, don't tell policy? Should be very interesting.

South Slope Women's Fashion Apparel

2008-11-09T03:44:00.003-05:00

There is a treasure trove of awesome boutiques in the South Slope that carry women's apparel, shoes, and jewelry. Visitors frequently ask where to shop in the 'hood, and I'm working on a guide to all the fantastic South Slope shops.

Shops will include (south to north on 7th Ave.): Shoe Mine, Boing, Closet Couture, Lily, Meshimar, Neda, Goldy + Mac, Lola, 4PlayBrooklyn, and Otto.

Stay tuned...

Go ahead Republicans, MOVE TO CANADA

2008-11-07T15:11:00.002-05:00

To my Republican relative who wants to move to Canada because Obama will be president, please, GO AHEAD.

Maybe you will learn a thing or two about what it is truly like to live in a SOCIALIST COUNTRY.

Funny.

Africa is a continent

2008-11-07T15:01:00.005-05:00

In your defense, Chris Matthews was totally sexist when he said no one with a windshield-wiper wave should lead the free world.

But Sarah, please tell me it is not true.

Africa, you didn't think it was a country, did you? And South Africa just a part of that country? (Here, Sarah, spend about 10 minutes memorizing this before you go back on TV.)

And NAFTA? North American Free Trade Agreement? Canada, US, Mexico?

Did you not answer the periodical question posed by Katie Couric because you are illiterate? Does Todd read to you? (It is ok, really, Governor Paterson has stuff read to him because he's blind, but he is also a super-genius and memorizes everything.)

Todd lied, Sarah. Alaska is not a country. Neither is Africa.

But don't forget to run for president in 2012. We REALLY REALLY want you to.

Campaign withdrawal

2008-11-07T14:46:00.005-05:00

After going full throttle for about a month for Barack Obama which included weeks of phone banking to my home state of Pennsylvania and working the get out the vote efforts in SW Philly the final weekend, I am beyond excited for the future of this country. I think this country has the ability to lead again in peace and human rights and freedom from poverty and green energy, and that renews my pride in America and Americans.

But now that we've won, I feel like I have a lot of energy to make a difference. I feel empowered! (This is assisted by the fact that I'm right in the "Chicago" section of Dreams from My Father, which is totally inspirational).

My disappointment at the California vote on Proposition 8 has, unfortunately, made this election cycle bittersweet. How could people take this extraordinarily closed-minded step in the wrong direction? And what about Barack's parents, who married when it was still illegal in many states? Can't people see that this is the same thing?

So, added to my recently acquired interest in building a clean green energy superhighway (thanks to Hot, Flat, and Crowded), I am also reinvigoroated about my long-held passion for gay rights issues. For goodness sake, I nearly told my husband "no" when he proposed because of this passion... shouldn't I do something about it?! And what will I tell my children when they ask me what I did during this dark time for gay couples?

Stay posted.

;-) Gag me

2008-10-07T11:50:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else as disgusted, outraged, beside themselves with grief about Sarah Palin winking at us in the vice presidential debate?

Can I call you Sarah?

Sarah, between us girlfriends, the wink, it's gotta go.

Like you, I wear a suit to work, command some respect due to my education/position, and have had my clothes, hairdo, makeup, and cutesy looks commented on, scrutinized, complimented, and stared at. Like you, I keep my clothing conservative, which, like you, seems to make little difference in the number of comments I get and often provokes the same "librarian" comments that you get. It is degrading and sexist, and makes us self-conscious of our bodies even in our most sobering moments of professional responsibility.

But the cute thing, it works. When you have an equal level of intelligence, knowledge, and argumentative skill as your male opponent, you will nearly always win if he takes a quick second to admire your smile. (Similarly, if you admire his, he will win). So I get it.

But the key that you are missing, Sarah, is that you can be a serious, intelligent, kick-ass woman, who also happens to be cute, but who doesn't need to be cute to get her way. Needing to be cute sends the signal that you are lacking in some other skill, and it calls into question the legitimacy of the power that you have.

And when you winked, Sarah, I winced, because all of your cuteness, which came off before as somewhat natural, and in my mind, previously defensible, suddenly became coy, flirtatious, small, and worst of all, needy.

All of the fighting we do as cute women to be taken seriously is hampered by this degrading flirtation, this conveyance of some "secret" between you and us, the audience, when you do not need to do it at all when, if you truly had the ability, you would just kick some ass the old-fashioned way.

Foreign Policy Experience? Don't be stupid.

2008-09-29T11:11:00.002-04:00

Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate, has shown herself, the few times we have seen her, to be inept at answering questions about foreign policy.

But I am so sick of people discussing her lack of foreign policy "experience."

The only person who is allowed to set foreign policy, under the Constitution, is the President. Of course, members of Congress, with their power of the purse, and their ability to conduct hearings, have a lot of influence over foreign policy.

By no means is anyone at the STATE level ever supposed to conduct foreign policy, unless directed by the President to lead an international negotiation team, or something of the sort. If governors conducted foreign policy, and thus gained foreign policy experience, we would live in a CONFEDERACY.

Of course, Palin could have gained foreign policy experience prior to her gubernatorial term, or she could have foreign policy expertise (e.g., Bill Clinton), but stop talking about her foreign policy experience. It just makes you sound stupid.

Election '08: Race, Teen Pregnancy, and Shooting

2008-09-08T12:42:00.009-04:00

Bill Maher says some things that are offensive, and some things that are stupid, but a comment on his latest episode on September 5 struck me as particularly insightful on racial stereotyping.

Maher said, in sum, imagine the reaction of the country, if instead of Palin's daughter, it was Obama's 17-year-old daughter who were pregnant, and her boyfried (of the same race) were brought up on stage, a boyfriend whose MySpace page touts, "I'm a f - - -in' redneck... But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess... Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass."

Unwed teenage pregnancy, shooting as recreational pasttime-- change the race of the participants and instead of thinking, "they're just like us!" the same families to whom Palin supposedly appeals would be appalled.

I don't think anyone's pregnancy is anyone's else's business-- not my pregnancy, not children of candidates, not anybody's. This is inherent in a right to privacy. But there are issues raised by the personal lives of all of the candidates which highlight important issues for nationwide discussion. Here, the issue of race has been widely overlooked.

Initial reaction to Sarah Palin

2008-08-29T12:01:00.003-04:00

McCain is no dummy, at least when it comes to picking a VP. It was clear, after Obama's choice of a white guy, that McCain could poach at least some Obama supporters by choosing a woman and/or a person of color.

McCain's choice of Sarah Palin appeals to his conservative base, to be sure: she is a fervent Christian believer, she is pro-choice (choosing in her own life to have a child with Down's Syndrome), and a member of the NRA.

But she is no party-line toter. Like McCain, she brought down members of her own party in ethics scandals which left her looking like Spitzer in the garden before the fall.

In many ways, she does not fit the stereotypical Republican woman, the image of a matching skirt suit with hair appointments every Friday. She has hunted moose since she was a girl, ice fishes, and owns a float plane. And there is something appealing to me about a beauty queen, who actually won Miss Congeniality, who is smart and can and does kick some ass. (It evokes in me a spirited energy of, "Use that pretty face to your advantage, they won't know what hit 'em.")

Besides that, I'm a little disconcerted about her combination of lack of experience and lack of graduate education. Someone who has merely an undergraduate degree in journalism possibly running the country in a national emergency or if President McCain dies or becomes incapacitated? It just isn't good enough.

No staycation for New Orleans this Labor Day

2008-08-29T09:17:00.006-04:00

I guess I just don't understand the nonchalance of people of New Orleans at large tropical storms that might kill you.

Is once or twice a year really so often that one becomes numb? And really, the boy-who-cried-wolf reasoning doesn't really apply anymore, since we have all seen the devastating wrath of the wolf in recent years.

I am curious to know what precautions government has taken for those with medical and psychological conditions (incl. elderly) that limit their movement, those of limited resources to get the hell out, and those with pets. Has the government taken appropriate steps?

Biden and the Violence Against Women Act

2008-08-28T13:09:00.005-04:00

As a woman, and a Hillary supporter, I felt as if Biden's choice as Obama's running mate was a slap in the face to women, and possibly Hillary herself. Whether Hillary did not want the position, is, of course, unknown.

But as an advocate for poor women, there is no legislation that has been as monumental in changing women's lives for the better than the Violence Against Women Act. I have had several clients whose lives have been literally saved by VAWA, whether it provided them a means to "self-petition," or altered their public assistance benefits or requirements (under Clinton's welfare "reform") to prevent further abuse.

For instance, in the past, when a US citizen married a foreign national, the citizen was required to petition the US government for all of the spouses immigration needs for several years, and the spouse was not permitted to do any of it herself. This created an additional means of abuse in countless relationships where the US citizen spouse used this position to increase their power. For instance, one of my clients was forced to do things that she did not want to by her husband, who would pick up the phone and say, "you want me to call INS?" He told her, if she went to the police to report the abuse, she would be deported. Of course, domestic violence has been a crime (to some degree) for quite some time, but until VAWA, my client would have had no recourse by which she could petition the US by herself. My client, and many others, have already established lives here, with homes, jobs, and US citizen children, and do not have a choice of going back to their place of origin. When my client learned of VAWA, she was able to free herself of the abuse of her husband, and continue on a path toward citizenship, in a country that she loved, in a place that she felt, unlike her place of origin, protected women's rights.

Another client of mine was saved by VAWA. Under Clinton's welfare "reform," applicants for public assistance (the term used by advocates, i.e., "undocumented" : "illegal" :: "public assistance" : "welfare") are required to comply with "child support cooperation." This means that Mom reports Dad's name and address to the State, and while the State issues Mom and Child benefits (food stamps, rental assistance, "cash money"), the State collects money from Dad to compensate. Many Dads would be fine with this. Not a great idea for Abusive Dad to get a letter in the mail from the State that he must send in money each month to the State for his kid, or else his wages will be garnished. As you can imagine, often Mom is applying for public assistance precisely because she is fleeing Dad's abuse, as well as her home, source of income, etc. For one unforgettable client of mine, she knew that she would be killed if he got such a letter, and we were able to petition to the State for a waiver of the child support cooperation requirements. That client was shortly thereafter approved for social security disability (SSD) (and therefore no longer eligible for public assistance) due to the severe neck injury caused by her abuser. But in the interim, prior to her approval for SSD, the waiver was critical to maintaining her home and life.

When VAWA was passed, I was a midwestern teenager deep in the shenanigans of adolescence, and although I was already a huge Hillary fan (she was such a rebel!), I had no idea about VAWA. Until recently, I had no idea about Joe Biden's critical role in the passage of VAWA. There was no other single person responsible for this critical piece of legislation. And, for that, kudos to him, and kudos to Obama for choosing him.

Bitter. Guns. Religion.There's no place like home!

2008-08-25T18:33:00.011-04:00

A recent article in the Times makes me sad, sad, sad. Yinz ain't never gunna change, are ya?

“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them,” Obama said. “And it’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Ahh, small-town Pennsylvania. The sight of verdant rolling hills, the sweet smell of hay on a warm summer afternoon, the other-worldliness of endless whiteness at the Super Wal-Mart.

Poor Obama. To them, he's a scary alien, whose life and existence contradicts just about everything that makes them feel like somebody special. And either Obama is naive or just too nice. Plenty have decent jobs, and they still cling to guns, religion, and hatred toward outsiders, it's just the small-town near-sighted culture of boredom that exists in Appalachian valleys in Pennsylvania. Being mean gives them something to do! That is, besides the Super Wal-Mart, because we all know that being anti-trade doesn't mean cutting back on roll back prices.

Can Biden do the trick, good old Scranton boy that he is? Tonight will be his first big test!

Let's just hope that they stay home on election day. A massive lake-effect snowstorm perhaps?

Election 2008. All women, step aside.

2008-08-25T14:52:00.002-04:00

I will vote for Obama. I agree with his policies, but I am not happy. In some situations, despite my best intentions, identity politics rule my gut.

Most of the people in this country are women, the same group that was denied full US citizenship until the 19th Amendment, in 1920. Women still do not get the respect that we deserve.
Today, there are 16 women senators. There are 3 Latino senators (male), 2 Asian senators (male), 1 Arab senator (male), and 1 black senator (male--Barack Obama). The other 77 senators are white guys. My point is this: there are lots of women as qualified as Barack Obama, if not more qualified, to be president, and certainly many as qualified as Biden. Obama has been a senator for one term! Give me a break! Fine, so he is handsome, eloquent, and I actually agree with most of what he says, but there are more qualified people out there! Stop drinking the Kool-Aid!
Two candidates with the exact same qualifications, 1) black man and 2) woman of any race, black man would win. Which is at least different from the norm, white man. I would venture to say that in the democratic primary, nearly all white men who have any exposure to black people voted for Obama (in my personal life, I know of one exception). I believe this is due to 1) an underlying preference of today's white men for black men over white women in politics, and 2) racial guilt/pride of voting for a black guy.
Thankfully, racism is not tolerated in the open. Why is sexism tolerated? Why are women the only people outraged at the sexism in the primary? Because we are furious at men keeping "down" the first woman who had a real chance of winning? Watch out, we're coming for you. Look at the demographics of law schools, then wait twenty years.
The selection of Joe Biden (VAWA advocate, but yet another white Christian male), highlights this country's lack of respect for women's political leadership, gender issues, and the qualifications of Hillary Clinton herself. Too risky to have a black guy and a woman all on the same ticket? Then so much for the change we can believe in. At my own core, I think that I was incredibly hopeful to see a woman break through some sort of longstanding barrier. Even vice presidential would have assuaged my desire to some degree. I am utterly disappointed for all women who believed it was possible, including myself.
This all leads me to the belief that male Democrats, Obama being one of them, take the "woman" vote for granted, as if they are entitled to it. I know of a few die-hard Clinton supporters who refuse to vote for Obama, and I'm not one of them, but I can understand their pain. It is much, much more deep than "sour grapes."

Further reading on this topic? Check out the comments: http://www.feministing.com/archives/010594.html