things i learned today

the following is courtesy of rickey.org (and my good friend k-sib):

HMG* (*Holy Mother of God)

Daniel Radcliffe stars in the stage production of Equus in the West End. I am so speechless right now. Oh Harry Potter! Where can I find an application to Hogwarts?! It’s a gay nerd fantasy come true… with horses! I can’t breathe!

end rickey.org
start me


So, today i learned the following things:
1. HMG = holy mother of god. expect rampant usage of this in the near future.
2. NSFW = not safe for work. a very useful acronym indeed. given these delicate times.
3. gay nerds fantasize about daniel radcliffe.
4. most people fantasize about daniel radcliffe.
5. there are two kinds of people (shout out to jpr!): 1) those who scream scandal and potter pedophilia! and 2) those who make hubba-hubba eyes and say harry hotter!
6. treasure trail.
7. i cannot watch any of the harry potter movies ever again.
8. there are entirely TOO MANY jokes at one's disposal. i.e."harry's wand", "hairy harry" (thx brian).
9. there's a reason for this madness.

discuss amongst yourselves.

currently listening: "trouble" by voxtrot
currently reading: higher power of lucky. hahahahaha. i have to keep with the trend of the post. natch.

Muggles for Hillary and...

T-shirts available here.

And while your at it, I'd love the unicorn on the dirt-bike "wishes are unstoppable" tee.

currently listening: "23" by blonde redhead
currently reading: journal of social issues "the maternal wall"
currently feeling: jitterbuggy

need i say more?

offensive on SO many levels...

subway: not just for tables and sofas anymore

jason: "is that seat taken?"

just in case you thought he was moderate...

prior to attending a pro-abstinence-only fundraising event, mccain "flip-flopped" on his previously stated views of abortion to state definitively that roe v. wade should be overturned and left to the states to legislate, rather than you know, upholding a federal ruling that protects women's privacy.

friggin' article is here.

currently listening: "23" by blonde redhead (totally awesome)
currently reading: broadsheet blog on salon.com

cute interference

while attempting to complete my reading for class i had to reckon with the following furry feline friends...

gov. spitzer: woot #1

yay man! way to flex those gubernatorial muscles.

from guttmacher.org:

New York State Covers Nonprescription Emergency Contraception Under Medicaid

Although Medicaid normally pays only for prescription medications, as of February 1, Medicaid recipients in New York State may obtain nonprescription Plan B emergency contraception directly from a pharmacy. With Governor Spitzer’s approval, New York becomes one of the few states to ensure that poor women are able to access this time-sensitive method under Medicaid without first having to visit a physician or clinic. Still, many women in New York and elsewhere do not know what emergency contraception is, when to use it or where to obtain it—facts that point to an ongoing need for public education. Also, women younger than 18 in all states still need a prescription to obtain Plan B, making it more difficult for them to access the method quickly and use it when it is most effective.

Initiatives such as New York’s to improve access to emergency contraception are just one way to help low-income women plan their families and prevent unwanted pregnancies: A recent Guttmacher study has shown that expanding Medicaid coverage for contraceptives to match similar coverage for pregnancy-related care would enable low-income women to prevent a total of nearly 500,000 unwanted pregnancies annually, including 200,000 that would end in abortion. By helping women to prevent an estimated 225,000 unwanted births, such an expansion would also save $1.5 billion in annual federal and state expenditures.

Overall, growing disparities between poor and higher-income women with regard to sexual and reproductive health care pose a serious challenge for policymakers. Poor women are twice as likely to lack health insurance, four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy, five times as likely to have an unintended birth and more than three times as likely to have an abortion as their higher-income counterparts. Most unintended pregnancies could be prevented with consistent, correct use of modern contraceptives.

currently listening: "she fell into my arms" by ed harcourt

weekend service changes

overheard over a very LOUD and (surprisingly) functional subway intercom:

"ladies and gentlemen, due to weekend construction there are changes in service on the 1, 2, and 3 subway lines. 2 and 3 trains are running on the local track from 96th to chambers street, but are not affected elsewhere. 1 trains are only running on the local track to 14th street. there are no express trains between 96th and chambers street. but 1 trains will be making a stop at 34th street and then skipping 28th, 23rd, and 18th streets. so if you need one of those stops, please exit this train at 42nd street and get on a local running 2 or 3 train. no trains are stopping at south ferry (note that you normally have to be in one of the first five cars of the ten car train to get south ferry service anyways). to get to south ferry, get off this train at 42nd street and transfer to the R train to whitehall street. then walk to south ferry, it isn't far. or you can get off of this train at 34th street, transfer to a 2 or 3 local running train and take it to chambers street and exit the station for a shuttle bus, the shuttle bus is free. also, at 42nd street please keep in mind that there are no 7 trains running between 42nd street and Queens. so if you need queens service also transfer from this train to an R or N train at 42nd street. the MTA appreciates your business and apologizes for any inconvenience.

MTA, please note:
1) NYC is a tourist town, wtf are tourists (let alone those who don't speak english) supposed to do with this jumbled up mess of information?
2) this is why we hate you.

did you know?: a "straphanger" is a person who rides public transport (a colloquialism from the days of the leather straps one used to hold onto for support on the subway)

currently reading: expert psychological testimony in sexual harassment cases
currently listening: "dirty whirl" by tv on the radio

are you there god? it's me, justin.

cracks. me. UP!

the hair-petting game.
please, make it stop. this is just too funny. and in a place like NYC it is all too tempting.



the site is here

valentine's day

i know i don't shut up about postsecret. but i simply can't. it's just too good.

special valentine's day edition, click here.

shame on you veronica

so, i will admit that i've watched veronica mars. i watched the first season diligently, when it was actually quite a smart show and veronica was snarky, but not to a fault. the second season was lost on me, partly due to school and work, but i caught up with it eventually (although i don't remember who blew up the damn bus). this season, well, i think i watch it every now and then because, despite its many faults, the show still is basically about a kick-ass girl and her nancy drew adventures; i can't help but be drawn to it.

plus it follows the gilmore girls. damn that strategic tv line-up.

but this week, i was tremendously disappointed to see that veronica helps "bonnie" figure out who gave her the "morning after pill which caused her to have an abortion."

dammit veronica. dammit veronica's writers.
(see this blog for more intelligent griping than what follows below)

i haven't watched the episode yet, i will admit. it is stored safely on my DVR. but i did read about it in the feminist-blogs, which were all a twitter.

correction #1: morning after pill does NOT cause abortion. it won't touch an already established pregnancy with a ten foot pole. or any pole. or whatever.
correction #2: the pill that acts as an abortafacient is ru-486. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
correction #3: ru-486 often has to be administered in a two-dose sequence. if someone slips it in your drink all date-rape-drug-style then it might cause some issues, but it's only half the equation.

now yes, i know it's just tv. and medical information on tv is often askew. of course. but this show has been known for the alternative/progressive image it provides to young girls; its target audience is the main population that needs accurate information about EC (emergency contraception aka the morning after pill aka plan b).

AND whether or not teens (or anyone) should be getting their sex education from television or not is a moot point. after all, with every passing day we are nixing valuable sex ed programs in favor of abstinence only programs (now being funded for people up to age 29, don't EVEN get me started). so if not tv, then where?

dear CW network:
please do a PSA explaining the mishap to your viewers. and while you are at it, toss in a few Plan B adverts. and even better, how about putting some links to accurate sites up on your webpage? come on, step up to the plate.
thanks,
~valerie

for accurate information about EC, click here.

she's back in black

i promise to do better at posting.
i promise to do better at posting.
i promise to do better...