In case y’all couldn’t tell, November has all but knocked me on my ass. I can barely manage to eke out a link roundup for easyVegan.info before flopping back into bed with a book, a doggeh, or a blankie for a good read/snuggle/nap (or some combination thereof). Perhaps it’s time to kick the sunlamp up a notch, eh?

Anyway, here’s some random stuff – elsewhere, other things, for your browsing pleasure, until I return. Whenever that may be.

- Yesterday was the 10th annual International Transgender Day of Remembrance. I haven’t really been reading a whole lot of non-veg blogs lately, so didn’t catch many of the entries, but I did like Melissa and Jack’s contributions. For more, Cara has a nice link roundup here.

- amandaw at three rivers fog lets the fully-abled individual(s) among us know what we can do to improve accessibility for those living with disability. I’ve never been one to unnecessarily take the elevator, though I will henceforth think twice and be more conscious of my surroundings before walking/running on the escalator.

- Dennis Kucinich continues to rock.

- Me want.

- If you: 1) enjoy the Alien franchise; 2) are a heroine junkie like moi; and/or 3) *heart* pop culture criticism, check out Alien Woman: The Making of Lt. Ellen Ripley by Ximena Gallardo C. and C. Jason Smith (2006):

“Alien Woman” examines the construction of sex and gender in the four science-fiction films comprising the Alien saga (starring Sigourney Weaver). The Alien saga stands alone in presenting an enduring, self-reliant female protagonist, Ripley, who in the first film ends up as the sole survivor of the beleaguered starship Nostromo. Subsequent writers and directors in the 1980′s and 1990′s, left to grapple with this strong female protagonist, re-envision Ripley for different social, political, and cultural imperatives for women. “Alien Woman” focuses on how these writers and directors have re-written Ripley and how each revision informs our understanding of women in science fiction, and by examining the films’ creation and commodification of the female hero, the book illustrates how changing attitudes toward women and the female body help us understand broader societal beliefs and relationships, and provides a useful lens with which to understand woman’s place in the late 20th century and early 21st century.

Good stuff.

- Finally, no doubt you’ve already seen this video of Sarah Palin pardoning a Thanksgiving Wasilla turkey…

…and then granting an interview while the turkey’s less-fortunate comrades are slaughtered in the background. It’s everywhere, which may or may not be a good thing, I guess.

There isn’t much I can add to what Elaine and Ryan have already said – except to note that the disconnect of meat-eating bloggers, blogging about the disconnect Palin exhibits in pardoning one turkey and then engaging in idle conversation while two more turkeys are brutally slaughtered behind her, is enough to make my (admittedly already fragile) brain disconnect from my body in a violent fucking im-/ex-plosion.

So, yeah, think about that when you’re enjoying your fat, plump, juicy, genetically modified, brutalized and abused “holiday” turkey. Turkeys like Victor, Opal, Gobbles, Elliot, Gertrude and Ariel. Turkeys with feelings, families, emotions, interests and sentience. Turkeys like the one Sarah Palin pardoned – and her barn-mates, who were slaughtered in the backdrop while Ms. Palin gushed, without a hint of irony or self-awareness, about “levity” and “at least this was fun.”

At least Palin is honest enough to acknowledge from whence her holiday corpse comes.

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Tagged: sarah palin turkey slaughter thanksgiving video you tube alien alien woman link roundup link dump lolcat sad link love

“Candied” Chai Pears

Ingredients

5 cups water
5 tea bags, in a Chai tea flavor
10+ fresh, ripe pears
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Cloves
Brown sugar

Directions

1. Bring five cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat.

2. Place your tea bags in the hot (but no longer boiling) water and let steep for approximately 30 minutes.

3. Peel, core and quarter your pears. Use at least 10, but if you’ve got extra room in your baking pan, use it! Fill to the brim with pears, especially if you’ve got oodles of fresh pears, like moi.

4. Remove the tea bags from the (now warm) water. Add the Chai tea to the pears.

5. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to taste.

6. Bake, uncovered, at 275 degrees for two hours (or 350 degrees for one hour). When the pears are sufficiently soft for your palate, open the oven door and allow the pears to cook until the tea has evaporated. If you’d like your pears with a little Chai tea, skip this step.

7. Enjoy warm – but don’t let your furry friends have a taste, no matter how much they beg, whine and connive.

(Crossposted from.)

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Tagged: recipe recipes vegan veganism vegetarian vegetarianism pears cinnamon cloves brown sugar baked tea chai chai tea nutmeg candied pears caffeine dog canine rat terrier my furbabies o-ren lol lolz flickr photos pet companion animal

You see, the American Life League is actually doing us, pro-choicers, the world’s biggest favor. They’re pointing out once and for all — much better than we have ever succeeded in doing — that they don’t give a shit about babies, but really, really do love to hate women.

Those of us pay attention know this already. But unfortunately, most people don’t pay attention. And the forced-birth proponents do a damn good job of tricking people into believing that this is all about the babies and not even remotely about controlling women’s sexuality and ensuring that we go back to the good old days where if you fucked a woman — including and perhaps especially if you raped her — she became your property. Generally, they try to hide this sort of thing, because it makes them look both incredibly stupid and incredibly bigoted. If they want to abandon that and protest outside of birth control clinics for the express purpose of saying that contraception is murder, I say that we roll out the red carpet.

lolz and voice of reason via Cara.

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Tagged: now birth control holidays observances june 7 day of action contraception godbags national organization for women protest action alert feminism misogyny reproductive rights lolz lol

CC: Teh LORD

SRSLY, dude, NO WANT!

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Tagged: lol lolz lol stuff god

While you’re out there soaking up the sun and Boca Burgers, remember:

On Memorial Day we’ll hear about men who gave their lives for their country, but many lives were not given, they were taken, and taken stupidly and carelessly. And there has been great public piety about those men and their “sacrifice” on the part of politicians who blithely sacrificed them.

Enjoy your three-day weekend.

Wur n Piece lolz after teh jump:

Previous editions filed under “tgif”.

(Crossposted.)

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Tagged: friday veggie vlogging friday activist vlogging youtube memorial day support the troops war war on terra protest songs I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag Country Joe McDonald Edwin Starr Anarchy in the UK Sex Pistols lolz lol cats lol dogs

And since these are both somewhat depressing choices, some loldogz after the jump. Smile, it be Friday, yo!

Previous editions filed under “tgif”.

(Crossposted.)

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Tagged: friday veggie vlogging friday activist vlogging youtube Morrissey yje smiths meat is murder tori amos me and a gun rape misogyny speciesism lol lolz

Not that such a sign would have prevented NOPD from murdering Jax, but I do recommend that all animal guardians post something similar on their premises. The ASPCA offers free “in case of emergency, rescue my pet” stickers, and they’re readily available elsewhere for a small fee. (It’s probably a good idea to post one at every entrance to your home.) And if you leave your animals outdoors in a fenced area, a “beware of dog” or “do not open gate” sign is a good idea, too. We got ours from signswithanattitude.com, and have one posted on each set of gate doors.

Not that these babies will fuck anyone up…more likely they’ll make a mad dash for freedom and chase a bird right down the street. The hawks are circling for Rennie, methinks.

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Tagged: lol lolz my furbabies dachshund wiener dog rat terrier Jack Russell terrier Ralphie Peedee O-Ren Kaylee Jayne signs signage dog canine pet companion animal

That’s him, getting his podcast on. The first two episodes went by the name of The Libertarian Douchebag, but he and his co-host changed it to The Libertarian Dime when it proved difficult to book guests on a show called The Libertarian Douchebag. Personally, I think The Libertarian Dime is a bit cheesy – makes me think of shadowy ’50s figures smoking cigars and flitting around in fedoras. Whatevs.

He’s been at it a month and already he and Jonathan managed to book an actual guest – Glenn Nielsen, the State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Missouri. I don’t know if that speaks to the success of Shane’s podcast, or the desperation of the Libertarian Party of Missouri. I’m betting the latter. But hey, I give him props either way.

So, go have a listen. From what Shane reports, Glenn wasn’t as big an L as we’d thought he’d be. No Ron Paul botting to be found in the interview.

If you find yourself cringing at anything my husband says, just remember that I’m still working on him. I got him to embrace animal rights inside of two years, and he’s been vegan as long as I have. He’ll be a liberal douchebag someday.

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Tagged: libertarian libertarian douchebag the libertarian dime podcast politics lol lolz

But this grumpy feminist can’t listen to 30 minutes of terrestrial radio without sniffing some sexist MRA/Nice Guy ™ bullshit in the music. (Ten if you factor in the douchebag DJ filler. Two if you have the unfortunate luck of listening during the weekday morning show.)

So, a new series (I’m all about new series lately! I guess we’ll see how long this one lasts. “Friday Veggie Vlogging”, anyone?) examining misogyny in music. Or, hells, anywhere I happen to find it. Everywheres, is what I’m saying.

Listen up, menz and dudez. If my husband’s any indication, y’all are useless in detecting casual sexism and misogyny in pop culture staples. Or anywhere, really. So consider this a gift from me to you.

Today’s song is Death cab for Cutie’s latest, I Will Possess Your Heart. Even the title reeks of creepy Nice Guy ™ snivelings.

How I wish you could see the potential,
the potential of you and me.
It’s like a book elegantly bound,
but in a language you can’t read just yet.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

Firstly, a heart isn’t an object to be possessed, like a flat screen tv or an old mattress. Secondly, the woman isn’t illiterate, emotionally or otherwise; she doesn’t doesn’t want to date your sorry ass, and no amount of whining will convince her otherwise. Stop trying to convince her – and yourself – that she’d get totally wet for you if you just had one night to show her what she’s missing. Chances are there’s a good mofo reason reason why she won’t go out with you. Probably because…

There are days when outside your window,
I see my reflection as I slowly pass.
And I long for this mirrored perspective
when we’ll be lovers, lovers at last.

…you spend your days peering through her window like a peeping Tom. You do realize that stalking and harassment are crimes, not romantic gestures of your love, right?

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

I will possess your heart.
I will possess your heart.

You reject my advances and desperate pleas.
I won’t let you let me down so easily.
So easily…

From stalking to thinly veiled threats. Lovely.

Judging from the chorus (“You gotta spend some time love. / You gotta spend some time with me.”), a good kidnapping is in order. Maybe some uber-romantic forced sex rape, just for good measure. I’m sure one taste of our Nice Guy’s ™ man meat is all it will take to change his would-be lover’s mind. (Feminists: just lonely sluts in need of a deep dicking! Lolz.)

And there by the powers of Stockholm syndrome will woman fall madly in love with our Nice Guy ™ turned stalker!

But only ’cause he had to – there was no other way, because bitchez like her don’t give Nice Guys ™ like him the time of day under normal circumstances. See, he was plumb outta options.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

You gotta spend some time love.
You gotta spend some time with me.
And I know that you’ll find love.
I will possess your heart.

I will possess your heart.
I will possess your heart.

Shorter Death Cab:

‘Scuse me while I go yack. If this is what passes for a love song nowadays, methinks it’s time to give celibacy a whirl.

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Tagged: death cab for cutie i will possess your heart music misogyny sexism domestic violence stalking bitches is crazy pop culture lol lolz Misogyny Rocks

The “dubya” stands for bitchez-n-ho’s, dontchaknow!

In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain’s hair and said, “You’re getting a little thin up there.” McCain’s face reddened, and he responded, “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” McCain’s excuse was that it had been a long day.

Yeah, this quote has already made its way through the tubes, but I think it’s especially poignant in light of this story from CNN:

McCain courts women voters

Sen. John McCain, in an effort to woo women voters, spent Thursday with the hosts of ABC’s “The View” — a show targeted at women, a key voting bloc.

Sen. John McCain at a campaign stop in Chula Vista, California, on March 24.

The interview, taped Thursday, airs Friday.

McCain got a warm welcome but offered a businesslike greeting: handshakes for the hosts.

“Barack Obama gave us a hug,” co-host Joy Behar told him.

Then he was coaxed into some hugs, a telling lesson for the Republican candidate to embrace a giant challenge: the gender gap.

I wonder how long it took for dubya, Jr. to make a crack about Barbara Wawa’s wrinkled old snatch?

By the by, do click through to view the lolz at full res; you can also view the original ppl spread here.

[Previous stops on the Straight Talk Express: one and two.]

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Tagged: john mccain 2008 elections straight talk express women feminism misogyny cunt cindy mccain lol lolz the view