To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Dear Feminists, You’re Doing It Right
abbyjean:
katoleary:
feminally:
You get so tired. You get so sick of the homophobia, the sexism, the culture of rape jokes and wife beating cartoons. But today you can take 30 seconds and smile. Somewhere right now there is a daddy dancing along while his femmy boy sings Lady Gaga. Somewhere right now there is a little girl suiting up to go play football with her peewee team. Somewhere there is a woman taking off the clothes she hates and pulling on a pair of pants. And there are boys holding hands in front of Dairy Queen and there are girls on their first date at the mall. There is a mom driving her son to the court so he can change his name from Brittney to Brandon. There is a family supporting their daughter after she reveals sexual abuse. There is a foster parent hesitantly walking into his first PFLAG meeting. And there exists more freedom, more equality, more safety than has ever existed before in the history of humanity. Of course it’s not enough. But it is amazing just the same. And you have done this. This did not happen despite our tears and our sweat, our humiliation and betrayal. This happened because of it.
Keep fighting.
Keep being that “annoying” dude pointing out every sexist remark.
Keep arguing with your freinds about not saying “fag.”
Keep voting.
Keep protesting.
And don’t you EVER let the other side get you down. They know that wearing you out is all they have left. What they do not know is that because of you, their children are safer. Because of you, our schools talk about bullying. Because of you, sexual harassment is illegal at their place of business.
Brothers and sisters, I am leaving my work as an advocate. I am moving to a new town and a new career. Feminally is not going anywhere- but in my last few days as a professional feminist I wanted to let you all know something very important:
you’re doing it right.
Mr. Boa, where is your owner? Did they leave you all alone? Or were you a sacrifice to the god of stoplights?
Things I Will Try to Say More Often: Why? I love you. I’m sorry. May I have chocolate? Yes. yes. yes.
“
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Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente
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Now, why would a guy as incredibly handsome, smart, and successful as David Brooks feel the need to churn out another concern-trolling column urging women to choose marriage over career success? It’s clear that this rugged specimen of American manhood should have nothing whatsoever to worry about in terms of attracting and holding onto a beautiful, successful, ambitious woman like (for example) the Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock! The author of cutting-edge social analyses such as Bobos in Paradise (2000) is a clearly towering intellect–it’s on all of my syllabi, as I’m sure it is on all of yours, too. And, although of course I can’t speak from personal experience, I’m sure he is the dignified bearer of enormous and very long-lasting erections.
[Courts] often disagree. See, e.g., United States v. Chambers, 473 F.3d 724, 726 (7th Cir. 2007) (escape is a crime of violence); United States v. Piccolo, 441 F.3d 1084, 1088 (9th Cir. 2006) (no it’s not); United States v. Asberry, 394 F.3d 712, 715-16 (9th Cir. 2005) (statutory rape is a crime of violence); id. at 722 (Bea, J., concurring) (no way); United States v. Wenner, 351 F.3d 969, 974 (9th Cir. 2003) (burglary is not a crime of violence); id. at 977 (Wallace, J., dissenting) (is too); United States v. Johnson, 448 F.3d 1017, 1018 (8th Cir. 2006) (grand theft auto is); Von Don Nguyen v. Holder, 571 F.3d 524, 525 (6th Cir. 2009) (au contraire); Malta-Espinoza v. Gonzales, 478 F.3d 1080, 1084 (9th Cir. 2007) (stalking isn’t); id. at 1088 (Duffy, J., dissenting) (“I respectfully dissent.”); United States v. Saavedra-Velazquez, 578 F.3d 1103, 1110 (9th Cir. 2009) (Reinhardt, J.) (attempted robbery is); id. (Reinhardt, J., specially concurring) (or is it?); United States v. Trinidad-Aquino, 259 F.3d 1140, 1146 (drunk-driving-resulting-in-bodily-injury is a gentle crime); id. at 1147 (Kozinski, J., dissenting) (Bull!).
We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.
Adam punched the Back Bay zip code into the system and came back and assured me there would be no additional charge to install the satellite dish on the roof of my pretend brownstone.
Now, when I called back five minutes later and got another representative on the phone and gave him the same cover story but this time said I lived in Eastie and my zip code was 02128. I got a different response.
This time, I said I had just completed the historic renovation of the front of my home and wanted to make sure the dish went on the roof. When I asked if there would be an additional charge he went into a detailed explanation of how it was up to the discretion of the technician and that they would not be able to tell until they got there and looked at the house.
He added that there was the possibility of an additional $65 installation fee to install it on the roof.
Not the normal response, but I like it.
me: i live in a beautiful apartment in a great city with a lovely roommate, i have lots of amazing friends, i have food every day, many times a day, i should shut it
danny: whatever, whine away, life sucks
HAWLEY — This tiny community’s single ballot box, an old oaken contraption kept in a former one-room schoolhouse, will next perform its civic duty when Hawley votes for eight officials ranging from selectman to tree warden.
But there’s one glaring problem: No one from this Berkshires hill town is running in the May 3 election.
The ballot, literally, is a blank slate in the state’s fifth-smallest community, a hamlet of 336 residents with no post office, no gas station, no convenience store, and a single stop sign that some people good-naturedly call an infringement on their liberties.
The deadline to return candidacy papers passed March 15 without a single person submitting the required 25 signatures since the nomination period opened in mid-February.
