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Strong Words For Strong Women
Posted October 9th, 2015 by Lesley Hazleton
A couple of years back, I started referring to my friend Rebecca Brown as "the divine Ms Brown" (as in "the latest piece by the divine Ms Brown…"). Not that I have any desire to worship her – or anyone or anything else for that matter – but her writing definitely touches on the transcendent. The word fit.
Then I realized that another friend, contemporary-art curator Robin Held, deserved a better adjective than all the "amazings" and "wonderfuls" constantly used for her. I started thinking of her as "the iconic Ms Held." That fit too.
I could always stick with the usual words, of course. But when "awesome" is used for everything from the latest video game to a new flavor of ice-cream, it becomes meaningless. There's no real awe there, just as there's no real wonder in "wonderful."
"Amazing" is popular, but seems to indicate surprise that any woman could be strong and intelligent and outspoken.
"Incredible" begs the question.
And as for "courageous" – if it takes courage for a woman to speak her mind and be active in the world (at least in the West), then we're in worse trouble than I thought.
There's a whole range of monikers we could use instead of the standard wonderfuls and awesomes and amazings. I began jotting them down, and found that I could put names of women I know to every one of them. I'm pretty sure you can do the same:
— the badass Ms X
— the incomparable Ms Y
— the unstoppable Ms Z
— the outrageous Ms A
— the formidable Ms B
— the dynamite Ms C
— the fearless Ms D
— the fearsome Ms E
— the notorious Ms F
— the path-breaking Ms G
— the ferocious Ms H
— the inimitable Ms I
— the indomitable Ms J
— the brilliant Ms K
— the magnificent Ms L
— the dynamic Ms M
— the genius known as Ms N
— the epic Ms O
— the mind-blowing Ms P
and this isn't even the whole of the alphabet.
Some of these tags are stronger, some less so, but you get the idea: We need better accolades for strong, intelligent women. And quit with the weak female-only ones.
Words like "gutsy" don't cut it — who ever describes a man they admire as gutsy? "Ballsy?" — oh puh-lease… "Incredible"? — really, you find it hard to credit? "Innovative?" — aren't we all?
So let's innovate. No matter what gender you are, feel free to pitch in and share better suggestions in the comments. And start using them. Liberally.
Think big, think strong, and celebrate strong women with strong language!
File under: existence, feminism, women | Tagged: Tags: amazing, awesome, courageous, Rebecca Brown, Robin Held | 7 Comments
Francoise Simon says:
How about the intrepid Ms. F?
or the intrepid Ms Simon!
Darlene Mitchell says:
I will use this new approach, Lesley, for the epic women in my life . Brilliant! And in case you hadn't heard, "There is a New Message from God in the world, and one of the things that it calls for is the emergence of women leaders, particularly in the area of spirituality and religion. It is time now for certain women to be called into these greater roles and responsibilities, and it is important around the world in different quarters and in different religious traditions that this be allowed."
http://www.newmessage.org/nm/the-age-of-women/
It's been 1400 years, so God is speaking again. It's about time, isn't it? I thought you'd like to know. If you read just a few of the revelations, you will find the Mystery and the Gnostic that you are yearning for but haven't found. Best to you.
Yes, we need women to step up to being bishops and archbishops and ayatollahs and chief rabbis and all. But really, no mystic yearning going on in my head (or my body either). Being agnostic means that I'm not seeking or searching for anything. I simply explore, with both delight and bemusement. More in Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto, due out in April. — L.
Catherine Hiller says:
The indomitable Lesley Hazleton!
lynnrosengiordano says:
The irreplaceable Ms H. Stay strong, as is your wont.
Huw Price says:
the forthright Ms Hazleton perhaps?
A Hard Choice? Really?
Posted October 1st, 2015 by Lesley Hazleton
The right-wing is trying like hell to do a number on the minds of American women. You know that thing about abortion being the hardest choice a woman will ever have to make, or the one she most regrets? Bullshit.
In fact 90% of all American women who've had an abortion are either glad or simply relieved they did (click here for the research.) And for every woman I know who's had an abortion (that's half the women I know, and quite possibly half the women you know too), a safe, routine, minimally invasive procedure was far from the hardest decision of their lives. For many, like me, it was the simple, sane choice. The only hard part was finding the money to pay for it.
You want a hard decision? What about marriage? Or divorce? Taking on a mortgage? Choosing a cancer treatment? Allowing a terminally ill spouse to die with dignity? What about the multitude of hard decisions we all have to make in the course of our lives, men and women?
But right-wingers don't think women capable of rational decision-making at all. It's apparently especially hard for us delicate souls, which is presumably why they think we agonize over it and decide wrong. How very Victorian of them. They're apparently white knights in shining armor, out to save every woman from her own distressingly poor judgment. In their ideal world, no woman would be "allowed" to make a decision without prior permission from the Republican caucus. Certainly not any woman with an income under a million a year.
But it's not our decision-making that stinks, it's theirs. Because not only is it morally and ethically bankrupt, it's full of lies — deliberate lies.
— Like Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina pretending to be near tears as she talked about watching a video that didn't exist and never had.
— Or the head of the House Oversight Committee trying to play gotcha with the head of Planned Parenthood by using a bogus chart created by an anti-abortion group.
— Or abortion opponents pretending there's no such thing as an embryo. They'd have us think that every abortion is that of a full-term viable fetus, when none are. The vast majority of abortions are embryonic, medically defined as up to eight weeks from conception. But hey, you can't see an embryo on a sonogram, let alone wave photographs of it in an attempt to guilt-trip women. So lie, baby, lie — and screw the lives you mess up in the process.
It's clear by now that nobody cares about facts in the fantasy world of today's Republicans. Real facts, that is, as opposed to imaginary ones.
Those of us who live in the real world know for a fact that imaginary facts are dangerous. Remember those non-existent weapons of mass destruction used as the reason to invade Iraq? Or those non-existent scientists asserting with great authority that there was no such thing as climate change?
Forget hard decisions for the moment. Here's an easy one: A year from now, do all you can to make sure we send this gang of women-hating, war-mongering, planet-polluting liars back to whatever slime pit they crawled out of.
File under: feminism, US politics, war, women | Tagged: Tags: abortion, Carly Fiorina, embryo, imaginary facts, Planned Parenthood, Republicans | 7 Comments
Amna says:
Right on Lesley!
But I am afraid that this whole country is blinded with madness and hatred and stepping away from humanity, humility and humanitarianism …The way things are going we could have the republican president representing this country next year and that will be the beginning of dark ages,once again… All my reasons for coming to this country in hope of finding equality, prosperity and freedom will be wiped away… there is less and less concern in this country for minorities, women and suffering of people in other parts of the world. America will turn the corner for worse and will never be the same….
Not the whole country, Amna. Nowhere near. But a warning that we can never take sanity and progress for granted. We always need to stand up and be counted, speak out, and call the bluff of ignorance and bigotry. Each in our own small way.
Here's Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
jveeds says:
Not to change the subject…well, OK, to change the subject…do you have any thoughts on the Pope's personal audience with the Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis? I read Andy Borowitz's satire on it and thought he was making that part up. But it really happened. But the weird thing is, no one from the Pontiff's team seems to be willing to say why the abominable Davis was invited, what they talked about and there's even some speculation that the Heir to the Chair wasn't entirely aware that the meeting was being set up. That's pretty hard to believe and maybe by the time you get to pontificalizing on this yourself we'll have more info.
But in the meantime, I'd love to get your take on this. Maybe His Petership was calling her in to say "STFU," albeit in more popely terms.
Oh yes, it's a weird kind of fun to watch Vatican spokesmen trying to spin this! The rationalizations are fascinatingly torturous. Yesterday: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/us/pope-francis-kim-davis-kentucky-clerk-washington-same-sex-marriage.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 and then today: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/world/europe/pope-francis-kim-davis-meeting.html
Me? No pontif(f)icating for now. I'm just continually amazed at the screwed-up stance of orthodox religion on anything to do with sex (viz abortion, women clergy, gay marriage, contraception, priestly celibacy, pederasty).
Either way, I'd say this was a monumental failure of the Pope and his handlers, an epic miscue whereby either the Pope was under-informed, or misled, or simply had no conception of the political implications of having this notorious and divisive evangelical yahoo anywhere near his midst.
It's hard to believe that the papal PR machine allowed this to happen. In my view, it spoils much of the goodwill that the entire visit to America had gathered. So so sooooo stupid to let something this obviously misguided to happen.
Agreed. A ton of secular goodwill went out the door the moment Kim Davis entered it. Or maybe it was just a sudden jolt of reality.
chakaoc says:
Go, Lesley – morons and liars all. Their investigation into PP found nothing but there will be no exoneration because….well, it served their purpose. The slime pit beckons – hope they heed the call.
Who's Really Pro-Life?
Posted September 10th, 2015 by Lesley Hazleton
How have we allowed this to happen? How have we allowed anti-abortion activists to call themselves pro-life? How have we not called them out, loud and clear, on this Orwellian double-speak?
Many of those against abortion are the same right-wingers who want to nuke the hell out of Iran or any other designated enemy of the day; who support the death penalty no matter how many death-row inmates have been proven innocent; who obstruct all attempts at gun control even when kindergarten kids are massacred; who see nothing wrong about cops shooting unarmed black men in the back. But a single fertilized egg inside a woman's uterus? Suddenly, that's sacred.
They're not pro-life. I am. And Planned Parenthood is. And NARAL, the National Abortion Rights Action League, is. Because nobody here is advocating for abortion per se; what we're for is the right to have one. For motherhood to be a matter of choice, not compulsion. And for a child's right to come into the world wanted and welcomed. What we're for, in short, is life. Not life in the abstract, but real life, as it is lived.
What we're for is not more but fewer abortions. And the way to achieve that is clear: sex education in schools, and freely available contraception for women. Yet the anti-abortion crowd is against both. Which means that all they ensure is that there'll be more abortions.
The historical record is clear: women have always aborted pregnancies, whether with herbs, with knitting needles, or with wire coat-hangers in back-street abortions such as the one that nearly killed a close friend when I was a student. So now that abortion is safe – a minor medical procedure – the anti-abortion crowd are doing everything they can to make it dangerous again: to make the woman pay for having the gall to be sexual, and to make the unwanted child pay too.
If a woman chooses to carry a pregnancy to term and then give the child up for adoption, I totally support her choice. But it is cruel and punitive to force her to do so. It is downright obscene to insist that a rape victim carry her rapist's child. And to make a woman give birth to a severely disabled child doomed to die in pain within hours, weeks, or months is nothing less than torture, of both mother and child.
This isn't about the Bible or the Quran. It's about punishment, about a basic attitude of life negation, of harshness and joylessness. It isn't pro-life; it's anti-life.
If its advocates weren't causing so much misery and suffering, I might even find it in myself to feel sorry for them.
File under: existence, feminism, US politics, women | Tagged: Tags: abortion, contraception, double-speak, Naral, Planned Parenthood, pro-life, sex education | 11 Comments
iobserveall says:
I agree with every word you wrote.
avasterlingauthor says:
I agree with some things you say, but you do use a pretty broad brush toward your opposition to further your point. ; )
Mary Waechter says:
Very well put. I agree 100%!
Fran Love says:
Lesley, you've covered all the issues perfectly. I wish I could have said it as well as you did. Other than posting here at your blog, have you published this article anywhere else?
I know I could send this to a few of my friends via Facebook, but it wouldn't get the coverage it deserves. I also realize there will be plenty of opposition to your statements, but they have to be said. We have to keep speaking out, especially because of the opposition. Thank you.
Thanks, Fran — and of course share on FB, and urge others to share. That can be enormously effective in spreading ideas. — L.
Amin Tan says:
Dear Lesley Hazleton,
You have said it all. I concur absolutely. Some people are so dogmatic about opposing abortion regardless of undesirable circumstances like rape, poverty, young and immature age, broken or mistaken relationship and so on. One must have basic common sense in life.
Justine says:
Would you mind if I linked to this from an opposing viewpoint?
The blog is in the public domain, Justine, so of course feel free to do so. I will read with interest.– L.
Lesley, this is it. Lets get every news agency to carry your message.
I'm cheering for your words. Thank you, Tamam
Agreed on all points. And I'd like to add another. The same people who are anti-abortion want to drastically reduce the social support system that helps care for the children (and parents) they insist should follow through with unwanted pregnancies, including the organizations that help prevent those pregnancies in the first place (e.g., Planned Parenthood).
Denise Kaufman says:
I've said for a long time that we've let the other side define the terms. How did we let them co-opt the term "pro-life"? At the very least, we are all pro-life. I personally think that proof of "pro-life" includes supporting universal health care and early childhood education for all children. Many people are pro-birth but anti-childhood? We are pro-choice and they are anti-choice. Some new terms are needed!!
My Abortion
Nearly every woman I know has either had an abortion or helped another woman get one. I know this because as the Republican attack on Planned Parenthood ramps up, I've been asking. Old and young, black and white and brown, married and single, straight and gay, religious and irreligious – women have been telling me their abortion stories.
But I think we need to tell them publicly too. To break the weird veil of shame and secrecy that still hangs over the decision, even when abortion is legal. To stand up and say "Yes, sure, I had one."
So here's the story of mine.
I was 20 years old – young and dumb, as every 20-year-old has every right to be. Not that dumb, though, since I was using a diaphragm thanks to the Marie Stopes clinic, the one place in the whole of England at the time that would provide contraception to an unmarried 17-year-old. And the diaphragm worked fine until my first summer in Jerusalem, when it didn't. Not because of any fault in the device, but because I hadn't put it in. Carried away, late in my menstrual cycle, I'd said "Come on, it's okay." And three weeks later, realized it wasn't.
There was no doubt in my mind what I needed to do. The guy I was with was a no-goodnik, the result of a bad case of delayed teenage rebellion on my part. I had an undergraduate degree in psychology but no idea what I wanted to do next, only that since I could barely handle myself, no way could I handle a baby. But abortion was still illegal in Israel. And I was dead broke.
I found my way to the Jerusalem branch of an aid organization for Brits – a single room with a single occupant, who took one look at me as I stood miserably in the doorway and before I could open my mouth said "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
I nodded yes.
"And you need an abortion."
"And you don't know where to go."
Again, a nod.
"And you don't have any money."
At the final nod, she said "Sit down," and made three phone calls: one for an appointment with a leading gynecologist who didn't believe in forcing women to have children; one to her HQ to get approval for a loan to pay his fee; and one to a publishing house to get me a job as a copy-editor so that I could pay back the loan.
We have been firm friends ever since.
The procedure itself was a non-event. (The doctor gave me a prescription for the pill and said he hoped to never see me again, though in fact he did, but not with me as the patient – he ran a maternity clinic, and was the obstetrician for three of my friends as I helped with their labor.) I parted ways with the no-goodnik, and set about the never-ending process of growing up.
And now, almost half a century later? No regrets. Quite the contrary, since I suspect this was the one rational decision I made the whole of that year. In short: thank god I had an abortion.
File under: feminism, US politics, women | Tagged: Tags: abortion rights, contraception, Marie Stopes, Planned Parenthood | 31 Comments
rachel Cowan says:
I agree Lesley that we should be telling these stories. AS you say, we all, myself included, have had one or have helped a friend, or both. But where to tell them? How to publicize them in some impactful way? The impact of undocumented young people telling there stories was important in opening up the immigration debate. Does anybody know somebody who is organizing this?
Looks like I'm organizing an event at Town Hall in Seattle, with thirty women speaking two minutes each, telling their own stories. Alas not until January.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a "speak-out day" nationwide with women doing the same?!
That is great Lesley. Have you posted this on FB? Want me to as well?
Want to get a firm date first, but after that — surely!
But re a "speak-out day" — go right ahead! Thanks.
Athena Nation says:
I'll tell my story.
And, well, I'm already in Seattle.
athenanation1308@gmail.com
Incredibly touching story, and thank goodness those adults were there to provide help in your otherwise isolating situation. I also love that they got you a job to pay back the loan. And how wonderful to hear that you're still friends with the counselor, and that you had continued interaction with the OB after that. Thank you so much for sharing.
I'm sorry to hear your stories, I am a different kind of person, I urged someone very close to me not to get an abortion, to instead consider adoption. Thank goodness she didn't go through with it. I can't imagine the emotional turmoil that would take place if you were truly honest about what sort of 'procedure' you and your friends are so nonchalantly discussing.
Nothing at all nonchalant about it, Justine. And you're making unwarranted assumptions. Some women do go through emotional turmoil; some, like me, don't.
Further, I don't know how many adoptees you know, but those I know are haunted by the idea that they were "given up" at birth. Maybe it's you who are being nonchalant.
I didn't mean to misread your tone. I do realize that many people have been adopted have questions throughout their life, but I would ask you if you feel that the possibility that a child or grown adult may feel 'abandoned' at times is reason enough to not give them a chance at life.
I hear you, Justine, but would ask you to consider what it's like to come into the world unwanted. And what it's like to carry a child to term and then let it go. The emotional damage I have seen done to both mother and child is enormous.
I truly cannot imagine the pain of knowing that if I had not had that abortion and had opted instead for adoption, my child would have been a stranger among strangers, and would have asked all his or her life why I had abandoned him or her. Or to live my own life with no idea whether the child had been delivered to a good home or, as too often happens, a bad one.
We're talking here about a very private decision that has been cynically politicized for electoral purposes, and because making your private life public is a hard thing to do for those unused to being in the public eye, I have enormous respect for those women willing to do it.
I guess I just don't understand why the best alternative to any of the POSSIBLE outcomes that you might perceive as being negative to the child is the death of the child before it has a chance to experience life. I think the most innocent beings in our society need to be protected. And there are great options, like open adoption, where the baby wouldn't have to be a stranger. Thanks for hearing me out!
I know I can't convince you, Justine; you are deeply committed to your stance. But your comments do make me think further on this subject, to the effect that this divide between pro-choice and pro-life is an entirely artificial one — a meme dreamed up by dogmatists. I am pro-choice precisely because I am pro-life. That is, pro-choice IS pro-life. I'll write a post on this in the coming week, and thank you for prompting me to do so. — L.
Thank you for sharing your story. We need a world where people feel comfortable sharing such stories, rather than shamed for making the best decision for themselves.
nasir khanzada says:
The Torah and the Quran strictly forbids this. We shud discourage rather than encourage and publisize this!
"We"? Speak for yourself, please, not for everyone else.
Jafar Siddiqui says:
Would you please cite the actual verses where abortion is strictly forbidden in the Quran? I need some enlightenment.
I'm curious as to where it could possibly be in the Torah, also.
Your story is a lesson that must be broadcasted world wide for the benefits of unwed mothers and those in similar predicament. This is the universal problem encountered by young people in a relationship. We need sensible solution to a potentially devastating turmoil in the life of a young person. Thank you for sharing your life experience with us, even though it was very personal and a long time ago involving 'nogoodnik'.
amin tan
Anything against sharing this with my local Planned Parenthood Director, Linda McCarthy? She's a mensch who would be so behind a "speak out" date and there are many others I know of who feel that this would make a dent. We've often spoken of it in exactly these terms. It would be smart to co-ordinate events.
I know I'm being a political engineer here, but your story is so many's and they all need to be "packaged" for the greater good. This nonsense has to stop.
Love you – really.
Of course share, Lynn! Thank you. Happy to pool efforts. — L.
I'm becoming more and more inclined to get rid of the loaded terms "pro-choice" (or "choice") and "pro-life"(as Lesley perhaps begins to hint at). I understand that there is a cultural context in which the terms arose but I believe they are ready to be retired as being no longer of any descriptive or argumentative value — they're simply dog-whistle terms for staking out a position. "Pro-life" is particularly galling since it would seem to be all-inclusive. If you're really pro-life you should be against all wars and all guns as well as capital punishment…and not just against "some" wars or instances of what some would call justifiable homicide like an armed home intrusion. If you're really "pro-life" then all life should be sanctified beyond quibbling about exceptions. Unfortunately, that leaves us with the somewhat distasteful (to some) but accurate term: "abortion." Of course, "pro-choice" does not exactly equate to "pro-abortion" so there's at least a semblance of rationality to that term. No one's across-the-board in favor of abortion in all situations; it's really a question of having the choice. But presumably we couldn't leave pro-choice alone and ban pro-life…so both have to go.
Great, Athena! Plans are afoot. Will keep you in the loop. — L.
(and congrats on your return to writing — gutsy and good.)
Nobody has the right to dictate what a person (man or woman) may do with their body, especially not in forcing a woman to have child she does not want. "Adoption not Abortion" has a good marketing ring to it but it ignores the fact that the woman is being forced to nine months of unwanted pregnancy, limiting or destroying her career and a lifelong guilt of having and then giving up a baby that is now "out there".
To be sure, there are many people who were adopted and who turned out to be wonderful people, but that argument is tangantial and irrelevant; it is STILL the woman's choice to make and only hers. — Penjihad.wordpress.com
I'm in Seattle, and will gladly tell my story of both of my abortions.
Thanks Marissa — we'll be moving ahead in October, and will let you know when and where as soon as we have it finalized. — L.
My story is probably not the "type" of story you are looking for, but I still feel it is an important story to tell. I was pressured into an abortion by my partner and it was a very traumatic experience. I still haven't gotten over the anger I feel for not standing up for myself and my feelings. That being said, I still support all women making the choice for themselves. This is a deeply personal choice that can't be made by anyone other than the pregnant women.
Thank you Shelly — and I totally agree that yours is as important a story to tell as all the others. This is what we need: women refusing to be cowed and intimidated, and making their own choices. I deeply regret your regret, and as deeply appreciate your support of all women having the freedom and the self-respect to choose for themselves.
Carolyne Wright says:
Please let me know about the Seattle event for this. Thanks so much!
npear says:
Thankyou for writing about this. Although I admit I was disheartened the way your story ended. Not at all because I disapprove, but why is it that of all the (few) stories that women share about their abortion experience it typically ends with a "yes it was the right decision and I'm glad I did it". Well what if its not the right decision? What if, you thought you were ready for a family but you're marriage imploded at the same time that you found out you were pregnant, like I did three years ago?
And while there was a such a strong and powerful feeling that you could do this on your own and you loved this child enough to see it through, you were overcome by the sudden, terrifying notion you were going to be a single mum and you couldn't bear that the man that helped you conceive would be the father. For many, many reasons I didn't / couldn't live with this. So I had an abortion and I regret it. There I said it. One year of therapy and I still regret, feel tremendous guilt and sadness over my decision. Maybe one year was not enough or maybe its just something that I just have to learn to live with and accept.
So can we please open up the conversation to all women and all experiences? I've considered whether the weight of my guilt is in part because of how I might be perceived for having done what I did and for feeling what I feel. Surely I am not the only women in the entirety of human history that has been through this and feels this same way? It would be nice to know that I'm not! And perhaps through sharing stories if will take some of the fear and loneliness out of such experiences.
Thankyou again for sharing your story Lesley. People like you and the books you write restore my faith and love for humanity.
And thank you for your story too, which must have been very difficult to write. The sadness I totally understand, even if I experienced none myself; but as I see it, you have nothing to be guilty about. You sound as though as you are still grieving, and if this is so, then it seems to me that you are grieving less for the child that might have been than for the marriage that broke up — the marriage that you hoped for, that might and should have been, and that was not. Here's what I wish for you, then: to begin looking forward instead of back, towards a good, committed, loving partner with whom you will become pregnant again, and fully share in parenthood. In hope — Lesley
That's Entertainment?
Posted June 12th, 2014 by Lesley Hazleton
Does this television sequence sound familiar?
Night time. A woman brushing her teeth in the bathroom. A dark shadow appears behind her. A gloved hand clamps over her mouth. A struggle. A knife. Cut to morning. Bloodied body on the floor. Enter detective, with dumb 'witticism' along the lines of "Had a hard night." Cut to commercials.
P rime-time television makes a fortune out of women being stalked, beaten, raped, tortured, and murdered. All in high-def detail, of course. Programs such as Law and Order's sleazy 'Special Victims Unit' spinoff and the even sleazier Criminal Minds are huge money-making franchises, every episode sold on first to cable and then throughout the world.
Mandy Patinkin, one of my favorite actors, walked out on Criminal Minds after its first two years, calling it a huge mistake to have ever accepted a starring role on it. "I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year," he said. "It was very destructive to my soul and my personality."
It is very destructive to all our souls and personalities.
So why don't all the other actors walk out? (I know — money makes their world go round). Why in fact does anyone watch these programs? (I may not really want the answer to that.) Why do advertisers pay to be in those commercial breaks? (oh yes: because people watch.) And what exactly is going on in the minds of those who write and produce and air such programs? Doesn't anyone in television-land realize that they're presenting violence against women as entertainment?
Or worse still, do they realize it very well?
No, I'm not saying that such programs create rapists and murderers, or that they present rape as okay. Their ostensible focus is on the horror of rape, and at least on the surface, they seem to be raising consciousness of how brutal a violation it is.
Beneath the surface, though, there's a deeply creepy fascination with rape, one that feels darkly voyeuristic. So what I am saying is that such programs are a very visible part of a world-wide culture that still does not take rape with full seriousness — a culture that still doesn't register it for what it is: not "sexual assault" nor "sex crime," but brutality. Rape is not about sex; it's about brutalizing women.
There has to be someone out there who is as pissed as I am at this but with far better organizing skills. Someone who can get at those who make such programs where it really hurts: not in their balls, but in their pocketbooks. Someone who can create a campaign to pressure advertisers to stop supporting programs that use violence against women as entertainment.
Imagine a boycott of the goods and services of all such advertisers. Imagine stickers pasted on toilet paper and antacids and "feminine-care" products in supermarkets saying "This product pays for rape as entertainment." Imagine the publicity, the "bad PR," the panic this would induce among directors of marketing. They'd cave.
What Mandy Patinkin did, we all need to do. We all need to walk out on this sleaze.
File under: ugliness, women | Tagged: Tags: advertising, boycott, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Mandy Patinkin, murder, prime-time TV, rape, sex crimes, violence against women | 8 Comments
charlotteoften says:
In my inbox today, I received a Youtube video from the Campaign for Truth & Justice in Sri Lanka in support of their Stop Torture campaign, and I was very puzzled by their "public relations."
In Sri Lanka, women and girls are raped and tortured with impunity by members of the military police, and they have no legal recourse.
Cara Delevingne, a very pretty, blond actress, performed a dramatic reading for the Campaign during which she read a Tamil woman's actual account of her own torture and gang rape. There was a warning on the video stating it may be very upsetting to watch.
That she's pale and blond while Tamil women are dark was a little disconcerting at first, but I figured this is about human rights, after all. Why discriminate against blonds?
But did she really have to be NUDE to make this reading persuasive?
No doubt, Levingne was sincerely trying to help Tamil women. But again, where do we draw the line between censorship and titillation?
http://youtu.be/IFWkciRKPYc
Sad Lesley, that people like us who'd protest against the media projection of this atrocity, are termed 'prudes', here in India. As I mentioned in your previous post on this topic, respect to women is not being ingrained in our society at all.
I thought my country tops the list in this sphere, but it's sad to see this atrocity being almost 'glorified' for public view all around the world.
A minister in our Parliament was ridiculed for asking to put a stop to such television serials, or films which can in a sense aggravate, rather than curb this spreading menace.
The most stringent of action is to be taken at all levels. And yes, the first step is to ban this ridiculous exposure of violence through visuals.
Nuzhat.
Two things about censorship, Nuzhat: first, it doesn't work — it just drives things underground — and second, whoever does the censoring is liable to start censoring many other things.
Plus, I find the phrase "respect for women" problematic. It's been co-opted by religious fundamentalists and conservative politicians, who take it for granted that women are somehow lesser and therefore need to be set apart as a matter of 'honor,' of men protecting "their" women. In other words, such professed respect is not respect at all. It still sees half the world's population as a lesser class of humanity, and implies that respect is a gift instead of a basic human right. Try turning it around and advocating "respect for men" and you'll see what I mean.
Sure, respect should come naturally, but it is eluding the warped and complicated Indian family system. Barring a few so called 'literate' of the society, the family 'honour' is the most protected of virtues here. Hence the differentiation between the male and female values, esp.in bringing up the girl child, is ingrained in the mindset. And the debased female sex remains so. There are so many aspects of it, that it can only leave you disillusioned.
Yes, there's no defining the boundary of censorship, but at least our senses can be saved from the very explicit, to which these visuals resort to.
I hear you, Nuzhat. It's a long battle that in many ways and many places has still only just begun. What encourages me is that fact: that it has indeed begun, however long it takes.
Fatma Kalkan says:
Hollywood uses women in every abusive way possible in my opinion Lesley. They show women as a sexual object to play with, beet up, sexually abused, tortured etc. this way they brain wash women that they are not valuable! They are powerless! Not to be respected since young age. Girls lose self respect as a result they become victim of predator style man. They accept the role Hollywood gives them in their life. Do you think after all this pre-conditioning there will be many women will be on the same page with you? I doubt it ! I feel that in this country girls are been wasted by this society.
Yes, Lesley — This abuse is under so many layers as we turn to the criminal shows as a way of relaxing. Hardly notice the reality that is being offered over and over. Thanks for bringing this glitzy darkness to the surface! Tamam
thecausticsoda says:
I think so many of these disturbing trends seen in our society come from how sexually repressed we are all made to feel. The more we silence natural human inclinations for contact with others, the more these same inclinations will begin to manifest themselves in darker ways, be that a fascination with rape and sexual abuse on television or with the increasingly extreme forms of pornography being made readily available online.
Yes Woman, Yes Drive
Posted October 29th, 2013 by Lesley Hazleton
Can comedy do what common sense can't?
In case you somehow missed it, this video mildly satirizing the Saudi regime's absurd ban on women driving has gone totally viral since it was posted on Saturday:
That thing about ovaries? The Sauds seem to imagine that driving can make a woman infertile. I kid you not. Being a back-seat passenger has no such effect, it seems.
Could this possibly have anything to do with the idea of control?
(In case you're amazed at how uniquely backward the Sauds are with respect to women, by the way, you might consider this ironic detail: exactly the same argument was used in Israel for decades to stop women from flying planes. Again, being a passenger was held to have no such effect — just being at the controls. As a result, the first group of female Israeli air-force pilots graduated not in the '70s or the '80s or the '90s, but all of two years ago, in 2011.)
So who is the guy in the No-Woman-No-Drive video? He's Hisham Fageeh, he's a Riyadh-based stand-up comic who's studied religion, and thanks to Mother Jones magazine, there's more on him here. And if you need a sense of what the dozens of women who defied the ban this past weekend were risking, here's a TED talk by the wonderful Manal al-Sharif, who went to jail for doing it.
Meanwhile, I'm taking to the road (and the air) through mid-November, with Bob Marley on my playlist. But will I ever be able to listen to 'No Woman, No Cry' the same way again?
File under: absurd, Middle East, women | Tagged: Tags: ban on women driving, Bob Marley, comedy, Hisham Fageeh, Israel, Manal al-Sharif, No Woman No Drive, pilots, Saudi Arabia, viral video | 4 Comments
Reaching Out says:
Reblogged this on Reaching Out and commented:
Brilliant! Love this! 😀
Jerry M says:
We see a lot of ads for 'low t', which is a non disease that a lot of drugs are being marketed for. One wonders if steering wheels or brake pedals now contain that medication?
Nasir. says:
Agreed Lesley. Old traditiond however unrealistic die hard. Pakistan is a moderate Islamic state and we too have many women air force jet pilots, paratroopers, mountain (Everest) climbers, sports women and ofcourse car drivers by the thosands as also wonmen Prime Minister, Speaker National Assembley, legislators, court judges…the list is long
-and last but not the least, Malala Yousufzai! The Prophet's wifes lady Khadijah was an accomplished business woman and Ayesha too had a public life including leading an army once. The Saudis are a cloistered people like many Orthodox Jews and share a semitic brotherhood.
Adoring 'Darling'
Here's my review of Richard Rodriguez' "Persian carpet of a book" in today's San Francisco Chronicle.
Yes, it's a rave.
No, I've never met him.
Yes, I'd love to:
On rare occasion, a writer makes a reviewer's life hard. Richard Rodriguez's Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography has to be celebrated as one of those occasions.
The deep pleasures of such a book defy the usual capsule account. Instead you want to read sentences and whole passages aloud as I've been doing over cafe and dinner tables the past few weeks – "Listen to this!" You want to press "Darling" on others as a gift of friendship, judiciously picking whom to share it with lest you expose Rodriguez to pedants who can't fathom the way his mind works.
"I did not intend to write a spiritual autobiography," he writes in the foreword, and I'm glad to say that despite the subtitle (an editorial addition, I suspect), he hasn't. This is something infinitely more supple – a rich tapestry, a Persian carpet of a book. True, it's framed as an exploration of his own Catholicism post-9/11, when he realized that "Christianity, like Judaism, like Islam, is a desert religion, an oriental religion, a Semitic religion, born of sinus-clearing glottal consonants, spit, dust, blinding light," and began to wonder how he and the "cockpit terrorists" could worship the same Abrahamic God.
But Rodriguez's faith is light-years away from the deadening dogma of "mitered, bearded, fringed holy men." As he investigates "the ecologies of the holy desert" – specifically the Judean desert – what he creates instead is more like an ecology of the soul. And unlike the desert, it teems with life.
St. Francis, Elvis, Muhammad Ali, Pope John Paul II, Cesar Chavez, Keats, William Randolph Hearst, Moses, Warhol, Herbert Hoover, Dorothy Day, Shelley – a short list of the roster of personalities jostling shoulders as they wander in and out of the virtual salon of Rodriguez's mind, where San Francisco is "the mystical, witty, sourdough city," Las Vegas is "disarmingly innocent," and Jerusalem's multiple archaeological layers are "vertiginously sunken – resentments and miracles parfaited."
His writing is suffused with such little epiphanies, words and images springing to fresh life: His Mexican mother's ojalá, "God willing," as a Spanish borrowing from the Muslim inshallah; yellow tulips "closed and as thumpable as drumsticks" outside a Vegas hotel as a friend dies of AIDS in a nearby hospice; Picasso's division of the female face "into competing arrondissements – one tearful, one tyrannical – like the faces of playing-card Queens."
But at the heart of this book are women. Rodriguez – gay, Catholic Rodriguez – loves women. Not the way many men say they do, with a sexual twinkle in their eye, but deeply and gratefully. The stand-alone masterpiece of the title chapter starts with that "voluble endearment exchanged between lovers on stage and screen" (Noël Coward's "sequined grace notes flying up" like "starlings in a summer sky"), touches among other things on the use of habeebee among Arab men ("In a region of mind without coed irony, where women are draped like Ash Wednesday statues … men, among themselves, have achieved an elegant ease of confraternity and sentimentality"), and builds to the central take on how much the three "desert religions" need women to survive ("Somewhere in its canny old mind, the Church knows this. Every bishop has a mother.").
Rodriguez depends on women "to protect the Church from its impulse to cleanse itself of me." It was women who stood against the arid maleness he sensed as a child: "Outside the Rodriguez home, God made covenants with men. Covenants were cut out of the male organ. A miasma of psychological fear – fear of smite, fear of flinty tools, fear of lightning – crackled in God's wake. Scripture began to smell of anger – a civet smell. Scripture began to smell of blood – of iron, of salt."
He writes movingly of his schoolteachers, the Sisters of Mercy – movingly, yet with a wry, clear eye. A single sentence evokes a whole Irish immigrant world: "Most of the women who swelled the ranks of missionary orders had left peat-fumed, sour-stomached, skinny-cat childhoods behind." That wry eye notes their "burqa-like habits" – perfect! – which "lent them protection in the roustabout world, also a bit of romance." These women in teaching and hospital orders, he writes, were the forerunners of feminism, "the least sequestered women imaginable."
The specific "darling" here is a newly divorced friend, and the whole chapter is in a way a conversation with her – an extended love letter, really – leading up to this stunning conclusion: "I cannot imagine my freedom as a homosexual man without women in veils. Women in red Chanel. Women in flannel nightgowns. Women in their mirrors. Women saying, Honey-bunny. Women saying, We'll see. Women saying, If you lay one hand on that child, I swear to God I will kill you. Women in curlers. Women in high heels. Younger sisters, older sisters; women and girls. Without women. Without you."
Even the most flinty-hearted reviewer could only melt at that.
File under: agnosticism, Christianity, ecology, existence, Islam, Judaism, light, Middle East, women | Tagged: Tags: 'Darling', Catholic, gay, literature, Mexican-American, review, Richard Rodriguez, San Francisco Chronicle, Sisters of Mercy, spiritual autobiography | Be the First to leave a comment
What Courage Looks Like
As Nick Kristof put it, "Malala is defined not by what the Taliban did to her, but by the power of her response."
This week, she left even Jon Stewart speechless:
File under: light, women | Tagged: Tags: Jon Stewart, Malala, Taliban | 8 Comments
Malala is an exceptional person who will make a huge difference to the world.
Lets look at other side of story.
I don't mean I necessarily agree with the story but Dawn.com is reliable source, worth reading.
http://learningpk.com/malala-the-real-story-with-evidence/
The article you mention was written by Nadeem Paracha. This is not an article with evidence. His blogs often ridicule the news and people in it. I have read many of his blogs and the majority of them are like this.
It is obvious from the photo of earwax (particularly the mention of one with bits of pizza in it) and the ISI man wearing little more than a Spiderman mask. I am sorry to say that you have been duped. This is Nadeem's speciality and he appears to be very good at it judging by your response.
The women and girls in Pakistan are not the downtrodden people many believe. I have Pakistani friends and I have visited Pakistan and I have found that the opposite is true. So Malala can be believed to be a real Pakistani. She is an extraordinary girl but she is definitely Pakistani.
I read the Dawn online regularly too, it was recommended to me as the best by my friend in Pakistan.
Lesley thanks for ur input.
Actually I was not duped that why I did not own the story.
few terms used in article were reason for my skepticism…like..
1)archaeology division of the Taliban
2)Taliban's division of quantum physics."
3)Collecting earwax samples of Saudi Royal family.
1 n 2 are typical Taliban mainstream supporters in Pakistan who want to give them credence by use of such state deptt. run by legit state.
3 is very confusing…why a doc from remote under develop area servicing corrupt and insidious Saudi Royal family….I suspect Prince Bandar involvement
Ear wax? Oh please. Is there no end to conspiracy theories?
And what Taliban had to do with archeology.
An old soul in a young body. Malala will definitely make a dent on this world.
I definitely agree. She is one of the best prospects for the future. That is why she is a danger to the militants.
Seeing Women
These two portraits are of the same woman. Her name was Helen Brooke Taussig, and she was a famed cardiologist who did ground-breaking work in pediatric cardiac surgery. So which one do you think has never been shown in public?
The one of the left is of someone I'd like to meet. It's by Jamie Wyeth, and was commissioned by Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was head of the children's cardiology clinic, in 1963. But it was never hung alongside all the portraits of male doctors on the hospital walls. It was called "witchy." And "evil." Taussig was seen as "scowling." This was not how a doctor should be portrayed. Especially not a female doctor.
Fast forward to 1975, when Johns Hopkins tried again, with the portrait on the right — someone I have no interest in meeting. It's an utterly standard institutional portrait, down to the single-strand pearl necklace, the tightly reassuring smile to go with the tightly curled hair, and of course the white coat. This was apparently how a woman doctor "should" look. Conventional, bland, and "reassuring." Taussig herself is absent, replaced by a totally uninteresting cipher. Yet even this piece of artistic pap didn't make it onto the Hopkins wall of fame.
It only took fifty years, but now the Wyeth portrait of her is finally to be publicly shown — not, to what should be its shame, at Johns Hopkins, but at a retrospective of Jamie Wyeth's work next year at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
I've never been a particular fan of Wyeth's, but this portrait is powerful. It's a portrayal of an intense, determined woman deeply committed to her work. Slightly disheveled, because who has time for perfect grooming when there's important work to be done? Serious, because her work is serious. And per the New York Times, "steely-eyed."
But I don't see steely eyes. I see a directness, an openness that I admire. I see a woman deeply committed to the seriousness of life. I see someone unafraid to be her own intelligent, determined, vulnerable self. And I appreciate both Wyeth's effort to reach out and see Taussig on her own terms, and her allowing him to do that. For both of them, that took courage — exactly the kind of courage that's necessary to do ground-breaking work, in any field.
And so I think about how we portray women, still, today. The constant "Smile!" demands of photographers — demands never made of men. The emphasis on make-up and clothes. The obsessive focus on how we "look" — not how we look at the camera or the painter, but on how we look to others, how we will be judged by the court of appearances and surfaces. Do we look "attractive"? Do we look "feminine"? Do we look as we "should" look?
It's our choice. We can surrender to all these demands and end up as blandly uninteresting as the right-hand portrait of Dr Taussig. Or, as she did with Wyeth, we can find the courage to be ourselves — to look into the eyes of others with integrity and self-respect and say, "This is me. Here I am."
File under: art, existence, women | Tagged: Tags: Boston Museum of Fine Arts, cardiology, Helen Brooke Taussig, Jamie Wyeth, Johns Hopkins, portrait | 15 Comments
Hugh McCauley says:
I have to agree.
The hair perfectly done by some pro, and the lab coat to match the same color. It's all so 1950s.
Rachelcowan says:
Can I share this on FB?
Of course, Rachel! Just use the FB button below.
yeshua21 says:
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I rather think the picture in her Wikipedia entry does her more justice than either of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_B._Taussig
I think you may be right, but I also suspect you wouldn't see as much in that photograph if you hadn't seen Wyeth's portrait of her first. Thanks much for the link, though — I should have included it in the post, and will add it now. Always good to have good readers as editors!
Grada Schadee says:
It is funny how on the weakened down picture her eyes are still questioning the looker on, at least to me; her eyes in the Wyeth painting are visionary, way beyond the watcher; in the flattened down pic they are the cool eyes of the diagnostician. I think overall she was a not comfortable woman to be with just for a chat.. but one to go to when you were in trouble adn needed to think.
Thanks for letting me know about her.
lola ruiz says:
I like a lot this; "…to look into the eyes of others with integrity and self-respect and say "This is me. Here i am". Men and women, but, speccially women, we all could learn her honest way of being.
I like yours too after watching your TED conference. That's why i subscribed your blog. Women with your courage teach us there are other ways, other options, such as to be honest with oneself and others
I do happen to be a fan of Wyeth in the first place, but your points go far beyond the specifics of this artwork and into the more general concept of how one defines a sense of "self". Reminds me of the book "Writing a Woman's Life" by Heilbrun (which the blog author gifted me some years ago, I might add). Great post.
Thanks for making the connection, Nancy!
It's clearly time for me to read the book again. Just checked the link for Amazon (below) and noted the description:
"In this modern classic, Carolyn G. Heilbrun builds an eloquent argument demonstrating that writers conform all too often to society's expectations of what women should be like at the expense of the truth of the female experience. Drawing on the careers of celebrated authors including Virginia Woolf, George Sand, and Dorothy Sayers, Heilbrun illustrates the struggle these writers undertook in both work and life to break away from traditional "male" scripts for women's roles."
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Womans-Life-Carolyn-Heilbrun/dp/0393331644/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377034116&sr=1-1&keywords=writing+a+woman%27s+life
I can't believe this but I never for a moment thought about the fact that women are expected to smile in a photograph and men aren't? What, we must look nice, kind and pleasant all the time while men can be serious and thoughtful? oh no!
I am hardly the greatest fan of Jamie Wyeth but this is a great example of how a work by a real artist is so much better than the hack job. (The second portrait takes away any character from the woman.)
will post 2 quotes from John Singer Sargent about portraits;
"A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth." (I once saws this quote written as 'pawtrait')
"Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend."
'Pawtrait' works for me!
rafika says:
Loving this entry, I feel this one does justice for me since I'm 18 and still try to stay away from make-up, it's just a problem I have, I feel its a false facade
Please check out this youtube video,Katie Makkal is spot-on on how I feel
Dynamite! Thanks — L.
Beyond Tarzan and Jane
I just came across these four short clips from an interview I gave a few months ago — so impromptu and off the cuff that I'd forgotten I did it. Tarzan and Jane come up in the first one, when I'm asked about interfaith gatherings, which I generally find kind of stilted. "We tend to get together as me-Tarzan-you-Jane-we-friends," I said. "That is, me-Jew-you-Muslim-we-friends. We need to get beyond that. We need to see each other first as people…. talk about anything but religion… eat together, two or three or four at a time, over our own dining tables…"
On the other hand, swinging around on those vines could be fun.
It seems I also had a thing or two to say about responding to Islamophobia, and about women in Islam:
File under: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, women | Tagged: Tags: eating together, humor, interfaith, interview, Islamophobia, Jew, Muslim, Muslims for Peace, women imams | 9 Comments
sarabressler says:
That's a beautiful sentiment. I strive to have a way with words as you certainly do.
Gary Rizzo says:
Lesley…..is not faith the meaning of your life ?
Repeat: agnostic. I have no idea what "the meaning of my life" may be. Or indeed if there is any. I do my best to live it, that's all.
I love your mind… I love work, and by extension, love the person behind the work. May Allah bless you! 🙂
Correction: love your work
I think it got taken down, Lesley. At least the link is not showing up.
Just tried it on both my computer and my iPad, and it seems okay. Your glitch or mine, Roberto? Anyone else having trouble?
It's back. Maybe it was a gremlin in my computer.
A djinn!
Zero Bland Thirty
Posted December 23rd, 2012 by Lesley Hazleton
After a mind-numbing two and a half hours of Zero Dark Thirty last night, I came away with a single piece of information: Jessica Chastain has amazing hair.
That red mane stays toss-worthily silky even in the deserts of Afghanistan. The dust clouds raised by helicopters landing right in front of her can't dull her plastic glossiness. Nor can the sight and sounds of torture alter the uncanny blandness of her expression.
The movie's much-talked-about scenes of torture are peculiarly sanitized: shown, but not shown. There is no real sense of agony or degradation. The chief torturer's lines are a bunch of clichés straight out of the Hollywood B-movie playbook. And the effect of torture on both victim and perpetrator? So far as this movie is concerned, non-existent.
And this is what's being touted as some kind of breakthrough for women? It's hardly news that there are women CIA analysts, or women movie directors. And after seeing the infamous photos of Private Lynddie England at Abu Ghraib in 2004, do you really want to join the chorus of "Wow, look, a woman torturer!"
Zero Dark Thirty is a movie with zero point of view. It has no engagement with any of the political and ethical issues it indicates but never explores. Despite its subject matter, it is, in the end, a movie as bland as its star. Its "reality-TV" lens on the slow accretion of intelligence work is merely confusing. And I suspect director Kathryn Bigelow knew this, interspersing moments of ham-fisted emoting to keep her audience from nodding off.
All of which raises the question of why this movie was made at all. A question whose answer apparently lies in the swell of orchestral music toward the end, signaling American triumphalism.
But my reaction was more of a shrug.
"We" killed bin-Laden, true. And…?
File under: ugliness, US politics, war, women | Tagged: Tags: Afghanistan, Bin Laden, CIA, Jessica Chastain, Kathryn Bigelow, torture, Zero Dark Thirty | 2 Comments
tamam Kahn says:
One more thing, Lesley. The identification for the raid reportedly came from faking polio vaccines, and by doing so, obtained info on ObL. That allowed for the raid. The horrible consequence is that polio workers are being gunned down and many more people will get this disease in the Pakistani/Afgan area! The director had an opportunity to include this but did not mention it, I understand. What a lost opportunity! What a sad thing! Tamam
There was one very brief scene — a few seconds — of a medical worker calling at the Islamabad house, and a voice-over from a CIA discussion saying, as best I can remember, "we tried using medical personnel, but that didn't work." (i.e., though the script didn't make it clear, they didn't manage to get DNA.) That last phrase — "that didn't work" — certainly jarred like hell.
Mary: No Illusions
Posted November 25th, 2012 by Lesley Hazleton
First, ignore the cover, which makes it look as though Colm Tóibín's new novel is the usual sentimental rehash of the familiar Virgin Mary story. I have no idea how Scribner's could have gone with this cover. Or why Tóibín allowed them to do so. Because The Testament of Mary is quite the opposite. It's bitter, it's angry, and it's profoundly moving.
What Tóibín has done is what I would have loved to be able to do in my book Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography. In fact when I finished that book, I did play with the idea of writing a gospel of Mary. I'm glad Tóibín's done it instead. Far better a writer than I, he has made her so achingly human that even as you read, mesmerized, his clear, cold-eyed prose makes you want to weep. I have no idea how he does this, but I'm glad he does.
He writes in the voice of Mary as she looks back, her own death nearing. You could say it's the voice of a disillusioned Mary, but this woman has never had any illusions. Instead, she's transcendently clear-eyed.
Among many other things, this short, almost terrifyingly lucid novel is a brilliant commentary on how "history" is constructed. Mary watches in dismay as the disciples set about creating their own version of her son's life and death. They "interview" her as a matter of obligation, but can't hide their frustration when she refuses to endorse their manufactured memories. She sees them as almost threatening presences, enforcers of their constructed view of things. She feels "the enormity of their ambition and the innocence of their belief," along with "their efforts to make simple sense of things that are not simple."
But what carries this novel above all is the sheer beauty of the writing — the extraordinary voice, the lambent clarity of it. You find that you want to read it as slowly as possible. You start marking passage after passage. Like this on the first page:
I cannot say more than I can say. And I know how deeply this disturbs them and it would make me smile, this earnest need for foolish anecdotes or sharp, simple patterns in the story of what happened to us all, except that I have forgotten how to smile. I have no further need of smiling. Just as I had no further need for tears.
or this, which is kind of perfect for this time of year, at least in the northern hemisphere:
Now that the days are shorter and the nights are cold, when I look out of the windows I have begun to notice something that surprises me and holds me. There is a richness in the light. It is as if, in becoming scarce, in knowing that it has less time to spread its gold over where we are, it lets loose something more intense, something that is filled with a shivering clarity. And then when it begins to fade, it seems to leave raked shadows on everything. And during that hour, the hour of ambiguous light, I feel safe to slip out and breathe the dense air when the colors are fading and the sky seems to be pulling them in, calling them home, until gradually nothing stands out in the landscape.
Like that light, this novel is extraordinary. It has a luminous quality that I can't quite explain. But if the sentimentalization of faith sometimes makes you ache for the disillusionment of atheism, read this book.
File under: art, Christianity, women | Tagged: Tags: Colm Toibin, gospels, history, Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography, sentimentality, The Testament of Mary | 1 Comment
I absolutely loved this book review, and the excerpts have me all heartachy today. Thank you so much for posting.
Compare these two news reports from October 26. The first, from France:
The lower house of the French parliament voted on Friday to fully reimburse all abortions and to make contraception free for minors from the age of 15 to 18. France's national medical insurance pays for abortions for minors and the poor, while other women are reimbursed for up to 80 percent of the procedure's cost… Contraception is partly reimbursed. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to pass. [AP]
A safe bet: with free and easily available contraception, there'll be far fewer abortions in France. And with free and safe abortions, there'll be far fewer unwanted children born into poverty and negligence.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Republican party sees any form of national health insurance as some kind of dire Communist plot against America, and plans to scrap Medicare. Its official platform calls for a ban on all abortion except in cases of incest and armed rape (and there are a ton of Republicans who want to ban it even then), and it is intent on shutting down the country's largest provider of contraceptive advice and services:
Planned Parenthood filed a new lawsuit on Friday over a Texas rule that bars its clinics from a state health program for low-income women because the organization performs abortions… In the past two years, conservative Republicans in more than a dozen states have taken steps to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. [UPI]
What puzzles me about the French bill: why it seems to exclude girls under the age of 15.
What puzzles me about the American elections: how any self-respecting woman could even conceive of voting Republican. Or any man with a conscience.
File under: US politics, women | Tagged: Tags: abortion, contraception, France, health insurance, Medicare, Republican party, war on women | 10 Comments
Sani says:
Why should a woman go to seek for abortion?
Sani — maybe start by reading the other comments…
It is a matter of control. They can't let go of a woman's womb and the power of dominance.
I know a lot of devout Christian women who vote for Republicans because they are opposed to abortion. I don't argue with them about religion, politics, or abortion because I hate arguing. But I know that if they knew what I am–an atheist liberal–they'd pray for me and consider me evil. Sometimes I think it's like coming out as gay–if people in small towns realized that atheists are all around them, and that we're okay human beings, maybe they'd get over the prejudice. For that reason, I bought an atheist bumper sticker for my pickup. Anyway, I can understand why they take abortion personally–they actually *like* babies (I gave birth to three of them, and they were okay, but other babies? Yuck). But their overriding need to stop others from getting abortions leads them to vote for idiots like Romney. It's difficult to forgive them for that.
paul skillman says:
Yes, Yes. What is wrong with American. I am American but I do not understand.
The poor cant catch a break. Here's an example. A poor single woman works as a store cashier in the morning and a waitress in the evening. Her job barely covers her rent and her old mom's medications.
Insurance will not cover contraception, and if she gets pregnant, she cant get an abortion. So she is forced to keep an unwanted child who ends up raised by the streets.
Same people who are against contraceptive coverage and abortions are the ones who oppose helping this family or this kid when he grows to become unemployed or homeless because any help to him is "entitlement". They are all "good christians" when it comes to saying no to abortion and contraception, but when it comes to helping poor people or providing healthcare, food or shelter for the poor, they forget that Jesus was all for the poor and weak, they are suddenly greedy people. They use religion only for the ideas they like. Every "life" is important and from god, only till its an adult whose poor then racism takes over and its just hate.
All very hypocritical if u ask me. They all talk about abstinence like its the solution to everything, but lets ask those same "god-fearing" people…how many of them were abstinent till they got married. Let alone what percentage were abstinent through college. Why do they try to force things down society's throat when even they couldnt live by these ideals. I just dont get it. Sad.
The religious right in the US have taken over the Republican Party – and it's a dangerous situation for all women. We must vote these backward idiots out of office, for all our sakes.
The people who run the US must be making a lot of profit from an inefficient health care system. Otherwise it makes no sense. It is uber expensive and wasteful.
Fish Jones says:
I commented on your guns one too.
While guns are a lifelong hobby of mine, they are about the only thing that makes Republicans… Less irritating?
France is awesome for setting that up.


If you've been around this blog for a while, you know that Mike and I love to travel. Whether it's heading back to New England to visit family or jet-setting to a new city to check off a baseball stadium, we love any excuse to hop on a plane and go. You might have seen last month that he even surprised me with a trip to Washington, D.C. for my birthday. Two hours before our flight, I didn't know that we were even going, never mind where it was! When he told me to get packing, only letting me in on the high and low for the weekend and saying I could bring one bag, it got me thinking that I'd love to share how we do it.
Before even thinking about packing, having the energy to travel is number one, and adventuring (with all the walking involved) requires a lot of stamina. Nature Made® Energy†† B12 Adult Gummies contain 1000 mcg vitamin B12 per serving. Nature Made® has partnered with the USP, an independent 3rd party, nonprofit organization that tests its gummies for purity and potency so you get the added assurance that it has the nutrients you're seeking. With verification from USP for purity and potency, Nature Made® Adult Gummies is a gummy you can trust. Learn more about Nature Made® and USP here.
1. Choose one color scheme: I prefer black and white, but having a bunch of shirts and pants I can wear interchangeably is key for me.
2. Gather layers: Daytime highs and nighttime lows can be definite swings, and I like having everything from tank tops to sweaters to wear.
3. Wear the bulkiest items on the plane: This way, you have more room in your suitcase!
4. Roll everything: Not only does this take up less space, but you also don't get creases from folds.
5. Minimize shoes: Find one or two pairs to wear that will go with every outfit. Shoes always take up the most room!
6. Pack travel-size: When I travel, I love having my own shampoo (I think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like hotel shampoo). I even have a mini pill container for my Nature Made® Energy†† B12 Adult Gummies so I don't have to bring the full bottle.
7. Invest in a portable charger: This thing has saved my life! I don't feel chained to the walls at airports anymore, and with so many airlines having free Wi-Fi or free movies, I can entertain myself on the plane.
8. Change up outfits with jewelry: Something as simple as jewelry can change the look of a whole outfit. From day to night, take a top from casual to dressy with barely any suitcase space!
9. Take advantage of a personal item: Don't forget, when you carry on bags, you get a small suitcase and a personal items. This can be a small backpack, laptop case, camera bag, or purse. Stuff more stuff in there!
10. Re-wear pieces: I am all about wearing the same one or two pieces all weekend. Change up the jewelry, jacket, and shoes for a whole new look!
How do you make the most of your space when you travel?
† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure prevent any diseases.
I hope everyone had a happy a very happy Thanksgiving weekend! We enjoyed the perfect combination of family, relaxation, beautiful weather, and, of course, food. My boss surprised me with an afternoon of golf on Tuesday at one of the best courses in the country (yes, country), and that's where our mini vacation began!
What a beautiful afternoon at Yeamans Hall Club - if anyone in your family knows golf, I swear they'll know this one. It was just stunning!
On Wednesday, we had a great relaxing day around the city before Thanksgiving. We got some fresh air and exercise, had a nice, light meal at Queen Street Grocery, and finally tried the seasonal latte at Black Tap Coffee. Seriously, the sweet potato pie latte tasted just like it. It's finally starting to look and feel like fall in South Carolina - who says Charleston doesn't get foliage?!
On Thanksgiving, we didn't leave the house - haha! We started the day with a cheese board and the parade (all from Trader Joe's - I need to share my favorite products here soon!), continued with a turkey supper, all the fixings and football, and by dinner, we had turkey soup with homemade noodles (recipe here).
After Thanksgiving was Black Friday. We had no intention of shopping and headed to the King Street Extension (the coolest new industrial/modern area on the northern part of the peninsula) to check out Workshop and Edmund's Oast Brewing. We love the original Edmund's Oast location, and the brewery looked fantastic, too. The whole open air space between the two is great, and we made sure to grab some of their most recent canning to bring home. We decided to head up to the outlets to see how the sales were, and, of course, I got sucked in my Loft and J. Crew. I might have bought these pants in four colors - I go all out when I find pant I don't need to hem (here are the same ones in regular length for the non-vertically challenged) and a few tops like this one for work. If that wasn't enough, we wanted a little more misery and went to Best Buy. I still had my Galaxy S6 from almost 3 years ago, and even worse, Mike had an S5, so we both upgraded to S8s! The edge screen feature is so cool, and the camera is fantastic. The photo of Shadow below is the first photo I ever took with it. Now I just need to buy a cute case - this one or this one?
Saturday and Sunday were spent outside and relaxing: on the golf course and down at Folly, respectively. The weather was perfect, and it was such a relaxing way to end the weekend.
Good luck getting back to the grind this week, friends!
Happy almost-Thanksgiving! I'm so excited for a long weekend filled with family and food. After stuffing my face, while I'm relaxing on the couch, watching all my favorite holiday specials on Thursday, I usually take some time to order our Christmas cards. I've rounded up a bunch of my favorites, and I thought I'd share these styles with you... maybe for your own shopping, or maybe just to help me. So, please let me know your favorite!
Updated 11/27: If you're looking to shop Minted.com, they are having a Cyber Monday 25% off everything sale through 11/18 at 8am using code CM2017.
These can all be personalized for your state!
I'm also obsessed with this wrapping paper - Charleston doors are my favorite!
Does anyone know of any holiday card link-ups happening next month? If not, is anyone interested in hosting one with me?
Have a happy turkey day!
Happy Thanksgiving week! I am so ready for a long weekend with family, but before all the chaos and busyness of the holiday, we had the best weekend out on Kiawah Island. I had my organization's annual gala on Friday, and that always ends in a relaxing weekend on Kiawah. We played golf, saw 20+ gators during our round (including a nest of babies!), walked the beach, did some (window) shopping (hello new Lilly styles like this alpaca and this chimp pattern), and, of course, ate a ton of our favorite food at Ryder Cup Bar and Java Java.
And because relaxing is exhausting, we stopped at Waffle House on the way home for some greasy goodness and got home on Sunday and did absolutely nothing all day (except throw this dinner in the crockpot). I hope everyone enjoys a great short week - linking up with Biana today for Weekending!
I've always loved flower arranging. When I was younger, my mom taught me how to arrange evergreens for our window boxes, and I would make little pine boxes for teachers and neighbors. Last year, I made 50+ arrangements for my gala at work, and this year, I decided to take aim at the pumpkin arrangements I've seen all over Pinterest.
We don't decorate a ton for Halloween at our house (here's what we did this year) - we save all our holiday spirit for Christmas - but we do always get a few pumpkins. And, yeah, I totally jumped on the stacking-pumpkin bandwagon. I love all the shapes and colors. We still have them outside for Thanksgiving, but I swiped one for this project. Trader Joe's has some beautiful flowers right now, so I picked up a few bouquets and decided to make my own Thanksgiving centerpiece.
1. Cut your oasis to fit on top of the pumpkin, so that it covers all but 2-3 inches around the pumpkin.
2. Stick the skewers into the pumpkin so that they stick out as high as the oasis.
3. Soak the oasis in water and press it onto the skewers.
4. Trim the edges of the oasis into a more rounded shape.
5. Start arranging flowers from the bottom, cutting the stems so they slide all the way into the middle of the oasis.
6. Alternate different flowers, turning the arrangement constantly, to make sure all of the oasis is covered.
There you have it! I can't wait to have all of these beautiful colors on our table for Thanksgiving next week!
Hover over the photo below and click on the light green "P" to pin this DIY!


text:
Euro zone bond markets cheered but confused by vote against 'no-deal Brexit'
German bond yields rise 2 bps on no-deal rejection
Published: March 14, 2019 16:43 Reuters
Anti-Brexit, remain in the European Union supporters hold an EU and British union flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Image Credit: AP
LONDON: Investors sold safe-haven Eurozone government bonds on Thursday as the British parliament's rejection of a "no-deal Brexit" boosted risk sentiment, but confusion over the complex set of votes and uncertainty over the next steps limited the sell-off.
Most Eurozone bond yields were slightly higher after British lawmakers on Wednesday rejected leaving the European Union without a deal, paving the way for a vote that could delay Brexit until at least the end of June.
Irish and Italian bond yields bucked the trend, dropping on the day.
Italian debt tends to rally when risk sentiment improves, unlike better-rated counterparts, while Irish bonds benefit from signs of a "soft" Brexit, with Ireland the country most likely to be affected by an unruly divorce between Britain and the EU.
"With not much on the data slate, the market is very much reacting to the Brexit news, and reacting positively as a delay looks more likely now," said Commerzbank rates strategist Rainer Guntermann.
"But also most people are struggling to get the message (from Wednesday's votes), visibility remains fairly low on the path going forward and uncertainty remains high," he added, saying this will likely cap the rise in yields.
German 10-year bond yields, the benchmark for the bloc, rose 1.5 basis points to 0.08 per cent; still not far from more than two-year lows of 0.048 per cent hit earlier this month.
Other high-grade Eurozone bond yields — such as those of France and the Netherlands — were also higher 1-2 bps on the day.
This is not as dramatic as the reaction on sterling, for example, which had one of its strongest days this year so far on Wednesday as it became apparent which way the vote was going to go.
British gilt yields were sharply higher, with 10-year yields up nearly 5 basis points; many investors believe that a favourable outcome on Brexit would allow the Bank of England to hike rates later this year.
"That vote is not legally binding in itself, but its political force is considerable ... We now see a 60 per cent chance (up from 55 per cent) that a close variant of the Prime Minister's current Brexit deal is eventually ratified," analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note.
The potential impact of a "no-deal Brexit" had weighed heavily on bond markets, with the potential impact of such a development darkening the economic and rates outlook on Britain and Europe.
Ireland, the country most closely-affected by these proceedings, saw its 10-year yield drop over 2.5 bps on Thursday to 0.69 per cent.
Italian bond yields fell even more sharply by 7-8 bps across the board, and the closely-watched Italy-Germany 10-year bond yield spread tightened to 242 bps.
— Reuters
Traders ditch UAE bank shares for real estate
Private equity sees a record year at ADIA
Earnings key to fuel record momentum in US equities
More US stock records as Dow crosses 27,000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
10 000 meter är den näst längsta distans på mästerskap i friidrott utomhus och har funnits med på alla världsmästerskap sedan starten för herrar och sedan 1987 för damer. Totalt springer löparna 25 varv på en 400 meters bana. De bästa tiderna på distansen brukar sättas vid galatävlingar eftersom det då oftast finns så kallade harar som ser till att farten blir hög och jämn.

Grenens utveckling

Herrar
Den första manliga löparen som vid tävling sprang 10 000 meter under 30 minuter var Finlands Taisto Mäki som den 17 september 1939 noterade tiden 29:52. Under 1950-talet förbättrades tiden med en minut av Tjeckoslovakiens Emil Zatopek som den 1 juni 1954 sprang på 28:54. Nästa drömgräns passerades av Australiens Ron Clarke som den 14 juli 1965 sprang på 27:39. Den förste att springa under 27 minuter var Kenyas Yobes Ondieki som den 10 juli 1993 noterade tiden 26:58. Det nuvarande världsrekordet från 2020 är på 26:11 och innehas av Joshua Cheptegei från Uganda.

Damer
Det första officiella världsrekordet för damer noterades när Jelena Sipatova den 19 oktober 1981 sprang på 32:17. Den första att springa under 32 minuter var USA:s Mary Decker-Slaney som den 16 juli 1982 sprang på 31:35. Först under 31 minuter var Norges Ingrid Kristiansen som den 27 juli 1985 noterade tiden 30:59. Nästa drömgräns att klara var 30 minuter, den sprängdes när Kinas Wang Junxia den 8 september 1993 noterade tiden 29:31.

Tio snabbaste tiderna på 10 000 meter

Män
 Uppdaterat den 22 september 2022

Kvinnor
 Uppdaterat den 7 oktober 2020

Referenser
Statistik från Alltime-athletics.com

Se även
Världsrekordutveckling i löpning

Löpning 60 meter
Löpning 100 meter
Löpning 200 meter
Löpning 400 meter
Löpning 800 meter
Löpning 1 500 meter
Löpning 2 000 meter
Löpning 3 000 meter
Löpning 5 000 meter

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Judge rules prosecution can't link Rittenhouse to controversial right-wing group
Judge rules prosecution can't link Rittenhouse to controversial right-wing group
September 18, 2021 | Vivek Saxena | Print Article
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Kyle Rittenhouse, the then-17-year-old who fatally shot two left-wing extremists while being chased by them during the Kenosha riots last year, just caught a break in his case.
Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder ruled during a hearing Friday that the prosecution may not introduce a slew of evidence that would have marred Rittenhouse's character in the eyes of the jury set to judge the case.
The evidence allegedly "showed Rittenhouse's mindset as a person with a propensity to take violent action in situations in which he was not directly involved" and "showed ties with the Proud Boys," according to Kenosha News.
Rittenhouse's attorneys argued that the Proud Boys connection was entirely irrelevant because their client didn't link up with the group until after the shooting on Aug. 25, 2020.
The argument could be made he only linked up with them because he felt attacked by all the negative coverage he received following the shooting. As previously documented by BizPac Review, he was automatically deemed guilty of malicious "murder" by the mainstream left and even some ostensibly on the right.
Black Rifle Coffee disavows Kyle Rittenhouse; fans question conservative creds and backbone https://t.co/u0LLkbfypl via @BIZPACReview
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) November 23, 2020
Schroeder reportedly said during Friday's hearing that he'd "keep the door open a small amount" to eventually allowing the Proud Boys evidence, but only if the prosecution can prove relevance.
But according to defense attorney Corey Chirafisi, that'll never happen.
He "said the defense had an expert go through Rittenhouse's electronic history and found no evidence of an association with or interest in the Proud Boys or other white supremacist or militia groups before the shooting," according to Kenosha News.
The prosecution also failed to introduce a video from earlier that summer showing Rittenhouse punching a woman who'd been fighting with his baby sister. As a side note, big brothers tend to be overly protective of their baby sisters.
The last piece of evidence was a video recorded 15 days before the riot showing Rittenhouse sitting in a vehicle watching rioters looting a drug store.
"Bro, I wish I had my (expletive) AR, I'd start shooting rounds at them," he can be heard saying in the video, clearly angry over seeing small businesses be ransacked by left-wing extremists "peacefully protesting" on behalf of an alleged sexual abuser.
Chirafisi argued that the video proved nothing.
(Video: Fox 6)
"That video doesn't show anything. He didn't have a gun. He was sitting in a vehicle having a conversation with someone. He never made contact with those people. If you watch the video, they don't even know he's there," he reportedly said.
"He doesn't do anything. He doesn't open his window. He doesn't honk his horn. He doesn't insert himself [into the situation]. He could have, but he didn't," he added.
The prosecution countered by saying the video "is giving the jury an honest insight into the defendant's state of mind. This is information the jury should have in making those decisions, they drive to hear the truth of what the defendant is thinking."
Schroeder ultimately refused to make a definitive judgment call on the last video but did reportedly indicate that he wasn't likely to admit it as evidence.
It's not clear whether the following video that was released last year by Rittenhouse's attorneys will also be either included or excluded from the trial:
New 11-min Kyle Rittenhouse video reveals powerful evidence refuting murder charge https://t.co/GXb2O8Evj9
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) September 23, 2020
Rittenhouse's defense also sustained a lick during Friday's hearing.
One of the two extremists fatally shot by Rittenhouse was convicted child rapist and suspected arsonist Joseph Rosenbaum.
"The defense asked Schroeder to admit Rosenbaum's past criminal history at trial, saying it was relevant to his actions the night of the shooting. Schroeder denied that motion," Kenosha News reported.
The other deceased extremist, Anthony Huber, had a history of domestic abuse. A third extremist, Gaige Grosskreutz, was injured during the shootings but survived.
Grosskreutz later revealed that his only regret was "not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him."
By "the kid," he meant Rittenhouse.
The 3 shot (2 killed) in #Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot have been identified.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was the first one killed. Video allegedly shows him chasing teen shooter & throwing something at him. Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for a sex crime involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/up1VgDyrgZ
— Andy Ngô 🏳🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
Anthony Huber, 26, was shot & killed in Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot. He was filmed chasing down the armed teen and hitting him when he was on the ground with a skateboard. He has a criminal history that includes charges of battery & repeat domestic abuse. #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/1rvx7ltKKS
The third who was shot (& survived) is Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. He's a member of the People's Revolution Movement. He was filmed chasing after the teen w/a pistol. He was shot at close-range in the upper arm. He has a criminal record that includes being intoxicated & armed w/a gun. pic.twitter.com/U9Q3R7pcPH
GRAPHIC: A friend of the man who rushed at the #Kenosha teen with a pistol and was shot in the arm has posted an update about his status. Doctors were able to save Gaige Grosskreutz's right arm. The friend says Gaige regrets not being able to kill the teen. pic.twitter.com/2gJmnnroTF
Rittenhouse's trial is scheduled to commence on Nov. 1st. Grosskreutz faces no charges and has instead been heralded by the left-wing press as a good guy.
Vivek Saxena
V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
Latest posts by Vivek Saxena (see all)
Massachusetts bill proposing reduced prison time in exchange for organ donation sparks ethics debate - February 1, 2023
'What's next? Fox News?' Boebert threatens 'personal mission' to strip AT&T of fed subsidies over conservative censorship - February 1, 2023
'Not enough!' Unsatisfied activist complains about Calif's proposed $223,000 reparations payments - January 29, 2023


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text:
COACH Giant Dinosaur Rexy Stomps Over Kuala Lumpur's Busiest Shopping District
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 7 October 2021 - From digital 3D waves in South Korea to a 3D kitten on a building in Tokyo, 3D billboards are drawing the attention of pedestrians all over the world. COACH launched an initiative with "Windows of the Future" showcasing bespoke window displays in 9 locations around the world and in Malaysia, it's sending shockwaves through the city with a giant 3D Rexy (Coach's fearless mascot) jumping out of Pavilion Elite's LED screen.
The 3D Animation features the storyline of Rexy going into the store, hits on a few things, and grabs her favourite Rogue bags before she leaps off the screen, reflecting COACH Rogue's unique attitude inspired by free spirits, rebels, and dreamers. There is more installed in this OOH (out-of-home) advertising experience as COACH's digital agency CONTEN.T also released a digital AR game where the obsession of Rexy continues to an Augmented-Reality environment. This digital game will allow customers to immerse into an AR game experience to help Rexy capture more Rogue bags. Players with the highest points will win an exclusive Rogue bag at the end of the campaign. The digital game is currently available to play on mobile from 4th till 24th October 2021.
With the help of its agency for Singapore and Malaysia, the luxury brand COACH is no stranger to "Phygital" experiences, a term coined by the retail industry where physical meets digital experience. "We can expect to see more fun and engaging roll-outs in the coming seasons with COACH." said Jason Ang, Managing Director of CONTEN.T. The agency who has since released a number of award-worthy campaigns that push the boundaries of digital and offline experience to reach consumers.
Experience the AR game here.
Find out more on COACH and CONTEN.T.
About CONTEN.T
CONTEN.T - short for Content Technology is an immersive media production division of Fotobox Sdn Bhd that helps brands create immersive experiences through advanced media such in Augmented Reality, Virtual Retail, Mixed Reality and Real-time 3D and other creative tech. Serving brands like Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Estee Lauder and Gucci to name a few. The company had also expanded its services in South East Asia and Asia Pacific.
#CONTEN.T
CONTEN.T


text:
Q: Powershell change path of shortcuts in all folder and subfolder can anyone please help me with my problem?
I want to change the path of shortchuts in all folders and subfolders because we have changed our server. That is why I need the code to loop through the all folders and subfolders.
The old path is defined as oldPrefix and the path as newPrefix, i have just put placeholders here.
The code currently only searches for shortcuts on desktop, I would need it to search through everything in desktop (so some kind of for loop maybe?).
$oldPrefix = "OLD SERVER"
$newPrefix = "NEW SERVER"
$searchPath = "$($env:USERPROFILE)\Desktop"

$shell = new-object -com wscript.shell
write-host "Updating shortcut target" -foregroundcolor red -backgroundcolor black

dir $searchPath -filter *.lnk -recurse | foreach {
$lnk = $shell.createShortcut( $_.fullname )
$oldPath= $lnk.targetPath
$lnkRegex = "^" + [regex]::escape( $oldPrefix )

if ( $oldPath -match $lnkRegex ) {
$newPath = $oldPath -replace $lnkRegex, $newPrefix

write-host "Found: " + $_.fullname -foregroundcolor yellow -backgroundcolor black
write-host " Replace: " + $oldPath
write-host " With: " + $newPath
$lnk.targetPath = $newPath
$lnk.Save()
}
}

thank you.

A: If you change your dir row to this it will be recursive and get all *.lnk files in subdirectories too.
Get-ChildItem -Path $searchPath -Filter *.lnk -Recurse | foreach {

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Members of New Orleans funk outfit Galactic have purchased their city's iconic venue Tipitina's, a NOLA institution that was founded in 1977 and has recently faced financial uncertainty, The New Orleans Advocate reports.
Though the band was rumored to have interest in purchasing Tipitina's, the deal was apparently finalized on Friday afternoon. New Orleans real estate developer Roland Von Kurnatowski, who owned the club since the '90s, has recently been involved in a number of lawsuits and accusations of withholding payment from bands who have played his venue, including The Radiators who, The Advocate notes, had to wait weeks to be compensated for their annual January reunion shows at Tip's early this year, leading the band to decline a return to the venue for Jazz Fest 2019.
Galactic's purchase of Tipitina's will not include the Tipitina's Foundation that Von Kurnatowski founded to help local music education for children. Though the band has not officially announced their purchase, they did use their Twitter account to hint at the transaction with a single banana emoji (a banana is prominently featured in the Tip's iconic logo).
Tipitina's was originally founded in '77 by a collection of New Orlean's music lovers as a place to host performances from legendary pianist Professor Longhair and more, and the venue has helped the careers of countless NOLA acts throughout the decades. Radiators bassist Reggie Scanlan tells The Advocate that Tip's is "ground zero for New Orleans music" and that he thinks Galactic's ownership signals a positive change for the venue and its future. "It will be wonderful for it to be back in the hands of people who appreciate what it is and what it has to offer," he says.


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CREATING IDENTITIES & BUILDING BRANDS.
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text:
Miss World: Global Beauties Third Leaderboard
With just over a week to go, Global Beauties' panel of judges feel that the race to the Miss World crown is still wide open. The Head to Head Challenges have been eye-opening and it sees like we are in for a treat. It's been a real treat to watch the girls in action and hearing them speak in this type of setting. Kudos to the Miss World team for devising this challenging and executing it in a high quality way. We are anxious to see the results, but in the meantime, this is what our panel from the Philippines, the UK, the USA, South Africa, Brazil, Finland and Belgium thought:
Three leaderboards with three different leaders. France is our new number one, climbing four spots after cracking the top 5 in our last leaderboard. Mexico has also gained a spit in this round moving in to second place ahead of the two power blondes from the United States and Russia who have both fallen two spots. Spain has moved up three spots this time and is a new addition to the top 5. El Salvador has now lost her place in the top 5, but just barely and India is continuing to gain momentum as has made jumped more than ten places in this round. Brazil and Australia are holding steady in the top 10 while beautiful Tanzania has finally cracked our top 10.
Leaderboard designed by Michael Bailey!
MissWorld, Special CoverageHenrique Fontes November 8, 2017 Miss World, Miss World 201732 Comments
Miss World 2017: Dominican Republic wins Sports and advances!
MissWorld, Special CoverageHenrique Fontes November 9, 2017 Miss World, Miss World 2017, Miss World Sports
Miss Universe Trinidad & Tobago: Drama Galore
MissUniverseHenrique Fontes November 8, 2017 Miss Universe Trinidad Tobago