March 2009 Archives
So, I was flicking about Amazon because I needed to get printer cartridges. There's this form that I have to print out for the US government that is essentially my name and date of birth in triplicate, see. I had a look at theSTART's albums, to see what was available and how affordable they might be when I happened upon a review of Death Via Satellite.
Now, I'm going to go on the assumption that Richie P isn't meaning that the record should have had more attention only because it was the first ever time he'd bought female fronted music.
But imagine being enough into music to use Pandora (which is unavailable outside the US) but never buying music made by woman, or with women involved? He says female led, which may mean that he's listened to artists like David Bowie or Moby, who have women bassists, but I can't help but feel that he means music made from a woman's viewpoint or band with women who are more involved with the creative process (not that Greta Brinkman or Gail Ann Dorsey didn't contribute creatively, more that the music produced is percieved to be by the male performer alone). How could anyone claim to love music and actively be a music fan, and shut themselves off from half of the world (but sadly, not half of the music industry's output)? Deliberately? He states that it's the "first time [...] which is an acheivement in itself", which implies he actively didn't buy music by women before. Just think of what he's missed with his closed-mindedness!
(I remember watching this broadcast, I wanted to be Miki when I did!)
OK, I'm getting lost in youtube here... But think about it, imagine avoiding all music or books produced by women. Imagine what you'd lose.
4.0 out of 5 stars Hi Flyer,15 Jul 2006 I heard the single 'Hi Flyer', being played on pandora.com and instantly wanted the album. I'm suprised this album hasn't recieved more attention, as this is the first time I'v bought music from a female led band which is an achievment in itself. Considering the price, it would have been worth buying the album just for Hi Flyer, but I'v found that all of the tracks are enjoyable to listen to. However, I especially like the title track, Hi Flyer and Trinity.
By Richie P (England) - See all my reviews
A short album (only 6 tracks and they are all radio length except Trinity), but one of quality.
Now, I'm going to go on the assumption that Richie P isn't meaning that the record should have had more attention only because it was the first ever time he'd bought female fronted music.
But imagine being enough into music to use Pandora (which is unavailable outside the US) but never buying music made by woman, or with women involved? He says female led, which may mean that he's listened to artists like David Bowie or Moby, who have women bassists, but I can't help but feel that he means music made from a woman's viewpoint or band with women who are more involved with the creative process (not that Greta Brinkman or Gail Ann Dorsey didn't contribute creatively, more that the music produced is percieved to be by the male performer alone). How could anyone claim to love music and actively be a music fan, and shut themselves off from half of the world (but sadly, not half of the music industry's output)? Deliberately? He states that it's the "first time [...] which is an acheivement in itself", which implies he actively didn't buy music by women before. Just think of what he's missed with his closed-mindedness!
(I remember watching this broadcast, I wanted to be Miki when I did!)
OK, I'm getting lost in youtube here... But think about it, imagine avoiding all music or books produced by women. Imagine what you'd lose.
I'm sure you know the drill; put your music player of choice to shuffle and use the songs as your answers. No cheating, unless it's come up with... 1. If someone says 'Is this ok?' you say...
Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes (I didn't even know that this was on here...)
2. What do you like in a girl/guy?
To Keep Me - That Dog
3. How do you feel today?
Three Jack Swing - Julee Cruise
4. What is your life purpose?
Famous Goodbye King - Hs Name Is Alive
5. What is your motto?
Say You - Liz Phair
6. What do your friends think of you?
Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Burt Bacharach
7. What do you think of your parents?
Mesmerizing - Liz Phair
8. What do you think about very often?
The Chauffeur - Deftones
9. What do you think of your best friend?
Road To Somewhere - Goldfrapp
10. What do you think of the person you love?
Absolute Beginners Again - My Favorite
11. What is your life story?
Wow (Death Metal Diva Scene Mix) - Kylie Minogue (there's something kind of appropriate about that!)
12. What do you want to be when you're older?
Honeycomb - Helium
13. What do your parents think of you?
The Duchess of Surin - Dawn of the Replicants
14. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners (we hired an 80s school disco??)
15. What will be played at your funeral?
Luxury Problem - Lunachicks
16. What is your hobby/interest?
There She Goes - Snap-Her
17. What is your biggest fear?
Angels In The Air - God Is My Co-Pilot
18. What is your biggest secret?
R.I.P. - Bikini Kill
19. What do you think of your friends?
Half Past April - Rainer Maria
20. What will be written on your gravestone?
Sedition - Lesbians On Ecstacy (well, why should I regret seeing the light?)
Have I mentioned that I love Ellen? And Ellen and Portia? Funny women just rock my world, I guess.
In no particular order...
- Ken came over for a visit, but sadly went back today and should be soon to land at JFK as I type.
- I'm a fool to myself, and embarrassed myself at Ross Noble right after his show on Saturday night. We shall never speak of it again.
- Additionally from Saturday night, my vertigo is possibly worse than ever, but the back of the balcony in the Theatre Royal would do that to anyone, I think.
- Strawberry maki is absolutley gorgeous and my new favourite place to eat is OKO Express. The tofu tempura is also rather good.
- When Ken assists with my roots, I really should check, just to make sure he's got it all. Not that he's bad at it or anything, just that he's never really done that before so needd more practise.
- There seems to be an odd trend in commercial truck decoration towards unnecessary ellipsis... What's that about?
- $1 wind-up bunnies from Target are sadly unreliable and will break unexpectedly.
- When making beansprouts, half a tray is much, much more than any one person could eat. In a month.
- Cats as hair clips would be a logistical nightmare, but very cute.
- The reimagined series of Battlestar Galactica is the best television EVAR and everyone should watch it, even if it does end with the patented Ronald D. Moore endless ending that will make you cry at least three times (see DS9)
- We watched the movie of The Handmaid's Tale the same night that Natasha Richardson died. I may never watch a movie again, unless it stars people who are already dead.
- I can spend time away from the computer and the world doesn't come crashing to a halt. So I'm going to go do other stuffs. Any minute now...
Cuz I'm getting tired of saying the same thing over and over, here's someone else instead. With pictures!
Because it made me laugh and laugh and laugh until I had a coughing fit...
29. The Opoponax says:
March 10th, 2009 at 6:11 am - EditI think depresso was reacting in this way because he/she felt misrepresented, just like Feministe readers feel when we read some bogus study about abortion causing breast cancer or single motherhood causing rape and murder.
No, I think Depresso was reacting this way because he feels like this survey could NEVER apply to people from Scotland, and is upset to be tarred with the same brush as those awful misogynist barbarians to the south, with their completely unrelated cultural traditions, media outlets, gender norms, etc.
As if there is something about Scottish (or Northern Irish) culture that implies the results would be different if those areas were part of the survey.
When a study about how abortion causes breast cancer comes out, we’re not pissed because they didn’t interview us, we’re pissed because it’s bad science. It’s not bad science to survey England and Wales but not Scotland or Northern Ireland - it’s just what you’ve decided is the scope of your survey.
Emphasis mine, of course. And, yeah, it's from that Feministe thread. I've already made clear that I'm not going to comment there again, especially as it's extremely unwelcoming to me now. But lookit the wild assumptions! Because this person has chosen to misunderstand me, they've automatically assumed that I'm male and some sort of defender of the patriarchal status quo!
As Helen says, if this is what feminism looks like...
This morning, the Home Office released the results of a study into attitudes regarding responsibility when it comes to rape and sexual assault. The headline statistics are that up to 20% for people surveyed believe that it is acceptable to hit a woman under some circumstances, and that attitudes to rape are actually worse than Amnesty found in 2005 - that up to 33% of those surveyed believe a woman is partly or wholly responsible for being raped under certain circumstances - 43% of respondents in the Home Office survey believe that a woman is wholly or partly responsible for being raped, yet moreso if she's in prostitiution.
The people who were surveyed are all in England and Wales, because Scotland and Northern Ireland do these things themselves, seperately.
In fact, the Rape Crisis Scotland conducted their own survey in 2007, which found that 40% held a woman wholly or partly responsible for being raped in certain situations.
Why am I writing about this now? Well, Jill at Feministe posted a short piece about these new figures and attibuted them to the whole of the UK. When I called her out on what was essentially perpetuating flawed reporting, she got nasty and laid into me, personally. Because it's beside the point, and frankly a waste of my not-very-precious time - seeing as I don't have a full-time job, nor a blog that means I have to spend all day dealing with irritating jerks - I'm not going to bother posting anymore there, and certainly not when there are bigger issues at stake. Like, that anybody at all thinks is somehow acceptable to hit a woman. And yes, I chose Sean Connery for a very specific reason.
Edit to add: I'm also rather disgusted and disappointed that a few commenters at Feministe are expressing a desire to see the 1 person in 7 be beaten up. And that those views are unchallenged by pretty much everyone who has chosen to comment.
PS: I don't hold Americans or Canadians in higher estimation than the other. Just like I don't dislike English or Irish people. But I don't care to be called Irish or English.
The people who were surveyed are all in England and Wales, because Scotland and Northern Ireland do these things themselves, seperately.
In fact, the Rape Crisis Scotland conducted their own survey in 2007, which found that 40% held a woman wholly or partly responsible for being raped in certain situations.
Why am I writing about this now? Well, Jill at Feministe posted a short piece about these new figures and attibuted them to the whole of the UK. When I called her out on what was essentially perpetuating flawed reporting, she got nasty and laid into me, personally. Because it's beside the point, and frankly a waste of my not-very-precious time - seeing as I don't have a full-time job, nor a blog that means I have to spend all day dealing with irritating jerks - I'm not going to bother posting anymore there, and certainly not when there are bigger issues at stake. Like, that anybody at all thinks is somehow acceptable to hit a woman. And yes, I chose Sean Connery for a very specific reason.
Edit to add: I'm also rather disgusted and disappointed that a few commenters at Feministe are expressing a desire to see the 1 person in 7 be beaten up. And that those views are unchallenged by pretty much everyone who has chosen to comment.
PS: I don't hold Americans or Canadians in higher estimation than the other. Just like I don't dislike English or Irish people. But I don't care to be called Irish or English.
Ack. The government have taken International Women's Day, looked at an important issue, avoided all rational thought about how to improve the situation, then gone public with their idea.
I fear they will be lambasted over this for at least a few days. In theory, a register for violent partners is an interesting idea, but it soon falls apart when you look a little closer. It seems that it would require a conviction for a violent offence against an intimate partner. But what about all the people who the police don't know about? Or that charges are never brought against? Or those who use mental or emotional or financial abuse? More often than not, where there's physical abuse, there's a combination of the others too. But there isn't always physical abuse. So, in short, the register would be a very loose net.
And of those who were on it? How would the authorities know that they were in a new relationship? I doubt that they'd be in any rush to disclose that to the police. And how, exactly, would the new partner be told? Bear in mind, too, that this would probably consist of one meeting or phone call or whatever, while the violent person would have days and weeks to work on the perceptions of their new partner. Prisons are full of innocent people, this register, if it came to pass would be too, moreso even. Abusive people are incredibly manipulative, how do you think they continue to get away with it?
Finally, the people who did get involved with someone who was on this register, even after being informed that their partner was on it and had done x, y and z to their ex/exes? How many people will be less than sympathetic, as 'they knew what they were getting into'? How many people would be told 'I've made mistakes, it won't happen again, you're different, I promise' and believe it, hoping that it's true and being flattered by the apparent sincerity of this person that they're falling for? Can you imagine how that person would feel when it did happen, the person they love did hit them? Did you think 'even more isolated'? Well done, a gold star for you.
What the government could do, instead of this, is promise funding for Women's Aid, Rape Crisis centres, shelters, anything that makes support and advice freely and widely available across the country at any hour of the day and assists people who want to get out to get out and feel secure and supported all the way.
Just sayin'.
All that said, the 2 week thingo, to allow people time to decide what they want to do next? I can get behind that. But, I can also see where it would fall apart...
Oh, and footnote to the Beeb... On IWD, is it essential to highlight the 38 of the 142 people who died after domestic abuse in 2007 who were not women? 104 women seem to have been overlooked or forgotten about. 2 women a week not shocking enough? I guess this shows us how many women are equal to one man*.
Footnote #2: Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives; domestic violence affects women. Not just the children of women who have abusive partners.
Why is violence against women not bad enough in and of itself? Why do men and children have to be wheeled out as the victims? On International Women's Day??!
And yet, why am I not surprised? Women are expected to be subordinate to men and are often expected to care about their children above all else (see the 'what kind of mother are you, to let this happen to them?' campaigns about domestic violence) so it's all business as usual.
*sigh* Here and I was hoping that it might just potentially be a day that could spark something. Maybe it will, maybe I'm just being all pessimistic?
Things will change. They have to.
*2.74, if you're wondering.
I fear they will be lambasted over this for at least a few days. In theory, a register for violent partners is an interesting idea, but it soon falls apart when you look a little closer. It seems that it would require a conviction for a violent offence against an intimate partner. But what about all the people who the police don't know about? Or that charges are never brought against? Or those who use mental or emotional or financial abuse? More often than not, where there's physical abuse, there's a combination of the others too. But there isn't always physical abuse. So, in short, the register would be a very loose net.
And of those who were on it? How would the authorities know that they were in a new relationship? I doubt that they'd be in any rush to disclose that to the police. And how, exactly, would the new partner be told? Bear in mind, too, that this would probably consist of one meeting or phone call or whatever, while the violent person would have days and weeks to work on the perceptions of their new partner. Prisons are full of innocent people, this register, if it came to pass would be too, moreso even. Abusive people are incredibly manipulative, how do you think they continue to get away with it?
Finally, the people who did get involved with someone who was on this register, even after being informed that their partner was on it and had done x, y and z to their ex/exes? How many people will be less than sympathetic, as 'they knew what they were getting into'? How many people would be told 'I've made mistakes, it won't happen again, you're different, I promise' and believe it, hoping that it's true and being flattered by the apparent sincerity of this person that they're falling for? Can you imagine how that person would feel when it did happen, the person they love did hit them? Did you think 'even more isolated'? Well done, a gold star for you.
What the government could do, instead of this, is promise funding for Women's Aid, Rape Crisis centres, shelters, anything that makes support and advice freely and widely available across the country at any hour of the day and assists people who want to get out to get out and feel secure and supported all the way.
Just sayin'.
All that said, the 2 week thingo, to allow people time to decide what they want to do next? I can get behind that. But, I can also see where it would fall apart...
Oh, and footnote to the Beeb... On IWD, is it essential to highlight the 38 of the 142 people who died after domestic abuse in 2007 who were not women? 104 women seem to have been overlooked or forgotten about. 2 women a week not shocking enough? I guess this shows us how many women are equal to one man*.
Footnote #2: Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives; domestic violence affects women. Not just the children of women who have abusive partners.
Why is violence against women not bad enough in and of itself? Why do men and children have to be wheeled out as the victims? On International Women's Day??!
And yet, why am I not surprised? Women are expected to be subordinate to men and are often expected to care about their children above all else (see the 'what kind of mother are you, to let this happen to them?' campaigns about domestic violence) so it's all business as usual.
*sigh* Here and I was hoping that it might just potentially be a day that could spark something. Maybe it will, maybe I'm just being all pessimistic?
Things will change. They have to.
*2.74, if you're wondering.
I'll try to come up with a better post later, but right now I have to get organised to go meet up with the friend who I was going to meet on Thursday. Ooh! It's snowing!
OK, if I get back home without incident, then I'll try to post something better about IWD...
In the meantime, here's the link to the official site.
OK, if I get back home without incident, then I'll try to post something better about IWD...
In the meantime, here's the link to the official site.
Usually, the emails the send me suggesting other things to buy, based on what I have bought and is in my wishlist, suggest buying albums I already own. Or don't like. But it's never usually so bad as the email today...
Of all those, the ones I find most bearable are P!nk and Girls Aloud.
Apparently, these suggestions came about because I bought or rated
...and the new reprints of the first Broons and Oor Wullie books, which formed part of Ken's christmas gift.
Quite apart from how Oor Wullie indicates a liking for substandard male-whiny-posturing bullshit or boybands gone to seed, how do you get to those suggestions from female-led, quality music? Why not go whole hog and suggest U2's new album and the back catalogue of Coldplay? And The
Killer's recent attempt? Or is Amazon confusing good music with cool hipster music? Two may have a passing acquaintance from time to time, but not often by the time something has become a big mainstream hit. That's obviously not a hard and fast rule, but looking at the iTunes chart, the most popular music is usually unmitigated souless dross.
Yes, I am an overbearing music snob, why do you ask?
- Only By The Night - Kings of Leon
- Funhouse - P!nk
- Perfect Symmetry - Keane
- Slipway Fires - Razorlight
- The Circus - Take That
- Dear Science - TV on the Radio
- Out of Control - Girls Aloud
Of all those, the ones I find most bearable are P!nk and Girls Aloud.
Apparently, these suggestions came about because I bought or rated
- Absolute Garbage - Garbage
- Velocifero - Ladytron
- Seventh Tree - Goldfrapp
- Colour The Small One - Sia
- Some People Have Real Problems - Sia
...and the new reprints of the first Broons and Oor Wullie books, which formed part of Ken's christmas gift.
Quite apart from how Oor Wullie indicates a liking for substandard male-whiny-posturing bullshit or boybands gone to seed, how do you get to those suggestions from female-led, quality music? Why not go whole hog and suggest U2's new album and the back catalogue of Coldplay? And The
Killer's recent attempt? Or is Amazon confusing good music with cool hipster music? Two may have a passing acquaintance from time to time, but not often by the time something has become a big mainstream hit. That's obviously not a hard and fast rule, but looking at the iTunes chart, the most popular music is usually unmitigated souless dross.
Yes, I am an overbearing music snob, why do you ask?
Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.
How does the world see you?
Kick It - Peaches feat. Iggy
Will I have a happy life?
Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana
What do my friends really think of me?
Stuck In The Metal - Eagles of Death Metal
What do people secretly think of me?
Tiny Smiles - Lush
How can I be happy?
The Professional - Sleater-Kinney
What should I do with my life?
Not Too Soon - Throwing Muses
Will I ever have children?
Covert - Lush
What is some good advice for me?
Black And White Rainbows - Dawn of the Replicants
How will I be remembered?
Won't You Dance With Me - The Detroit Cobras
What is my signature dancing song?
100 Knives - Mirah
What do I think my current theme song is?
Who Poisoned the Food? - Dawn of the Replicants
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Killing Fantasy - Kenickie
What song will play at my funeral?
Warrior's Dance - The Prodigy
What type of men/women do I like?
Rising (Headspace Mix) - Curve
What is my day going to be like?
Strawberry Fields Forever (Love version) - The Beatles
How does the world see you?
Kick It - Peaches feat. Iggy
Will I have a happy life?
Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana
What do my friends really think of me?
Stuck In The Metal - Eagles of Death Metal
What do people secretly think of me?
Tiny Smiles - Lush
How can I be happy?
The Professional - Sleater-Kinney
What should I do with my life?
Not Too Soon - Throwing Muses
Will I ever have children?
Covert - Lush
What is some good advice for me?
Black And White Rainbows - Dawn of the Replicants
How will I be remembered?
Won't You Dance With Me - The Detroit Cobras
What is my signature dancing song?
100 Knives - Mirah
What do I think my current theme song is?
Who Poisoned the Food? - Dawn of the Replicants
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Killing Fantasy - Kenickie
What song will play at my funeral?
Warrior's Dance - The Prodigy
What type of men/women do I like?
Rising (Headspace Mix) - Curve
What is my day going to be like?
Strawberry Fields Forever (Love version) - The Beatles
One of the things I am working on with support is my assertiveness. Also, my self-confidence. For years and years and years, I've allowed myself to be steam-rollered and dominated by friends, as well as partners. I've spoken a bit about partners before; I'm sure that Ben would have bored of me far sooner had I stuck to my guns and not allowed him to use me as a wank-sock everytime I said no, for example.
And I use that example as it seems appropriate. I received a friend request through Facebook the other day, from W. Who Ben was so keen on establishing as a friend before we split up, as he decided that Edinburgh was his aspiration (which also tells you all you need to know about both him and the fate of any relationship; Glasgow is truly miles better.) W lives there. See, he's the type of person who thinks about people in terms of what they can do for him. Anyway. I used to say that I didn't hate Iain for what he did; I have recently revised that. I do hate him, and I hold Ben to be about equal, as a person, to Iain. I made it clear to W 2 years ago, that I could not be friends with someone who could condone Ben and the way he treated me, so broke off contact. I checked her friends list, mostly to confirm what I already knew. The request has been ignored.
Not very assertive, no. But I'm not going to have anything further to do with someone who so deliberately damaged me, or any of his friends. Someone who can treat women so poorly, so criminally, and think there's nothing wrong with it? I don't want that in my life.
So, W's ex-husband, who raped her in Germany while she was incapacitated with a bad back? Is also no longer a friend. W may be able to condone what her ex did, and what Ben did. But I can't. And I won't, even tacitly. It's only Facebook, but it all starts somewhere.
And I use that example as it seems appropriate. I received a friend request through Facebook the other day, from W. Who Ben was so keen on establishing as a friend before we split up, as he decided that Edinburgh was his aspiration (which also tells you all you need to know about both him and the fate of any relationship; Glasgow is truly miles better.) W lives there. See, he's the type of person who thinks about people in terms of what they can do for him. Anyway. I used to say that I didn't hate Iain for what he did; I have recently revised that. I do hate him, and I hold Ben to be about equal, as a person, to Iain. I made it clear to W 2 years ago, that I could not be friends with someone who could condone Ben and the way he treated me, so broke off contact. I checked her friends list, mostly to confirm what I already knew. The request has been ignored.
Not very assertive, no. But I'm not going to have anything further to do with someone who so deliberately damaged me, or any of his friends. Someone who can treat women so poorly, so criminally, and think there's nothing wrong with it? I don't want that in my life.
So, W's ex-husband, who raped her in Germany while she was incapacitated with a bad back? Is also no longer a friend. W may be able to condone what her ex did, and what Ben did. But I can't. And I won't, even tacitly. It's only Facebook, but it all starts somewhere.
Forgive my sudden cessation of sharing my choicest thoughts with the portion of the whole world (who-has-access-to-the-internets); inspiration dried up. I've been feeling a bit glum about the job situation; endlessly (it feels like; about 2 or 3 a week really) sending out my CV and hearing nothing back really starts to get to you after several months. There is a particular application that I sent away on Friday that is more important to me, but more on that if I ever hear anything about it.
I have a new tattoo! Photos will follow soon. My wrist is amusingly swollen just now, and my arm looks weird part-shaved.
So, after banging on about how wonderful theSTART are, I found a torrent containing their whole back catalogue. In fact, I was so excited about it downloading, I had to change my pants. Almost. So you can probably imagine how frustrating it was to discover that the copy of Shakedown! (the song, not the whole album) had an error in it, that meant that iTunes skipped after 1:21. Checking on WinAmp, it sounds like a CD skipping. I'm trying to find a different copy of it, and have been for about 2 hours now. There may yet be much gnashing of teeth and tearing at hair. Actually, that's scheduled for about 2 minutes from now, I really should prepare.
I have a new tattoo! Photos will follow soon. My wrist is amusingly swollen just now, and my arm looks weird part-shaved.
So, after banging on about how wonderful theSTART are, I found a torrent containing their whole back catalogue. In fact, I was so excited about it downloading, I had to change my pants. Almost. So you can probably imagine how frustrating it was to discover that the copy of Shakedown! (the song, not the whole album) had an error in it, that meant that iTunes skipped after 1:21. Checking on WinAmp, it sounds like a CD skipping. I'm trying to find a different copy of it, and have been for about 2 hours now. There may yet be much gnashing of teeth and tearing at hair. Actually, that's scheduled for about 2 minutes from now, I really should prepare.
