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Showing posts from January, 2007

What Mary Daly meant when she told us to "Sin Big!"

Mary Daly, who writes in her book Lust: Sin Big! What she means is this: In any social system, those in power have power over many things. Including language and religion. And so, to keep their power, they label as sins those things which might lead to change. Sin is a way of enforcing the way things are. Sin is a way of saying, don’t rock the boat. Matthew Johnson-Doyle, minister, activist, soon-to-be dad, religious liberal, puzzle-lover and Colorado Springs resident. Write me at minister AT hpcuu.org

Blatant sexualization of young girls through clothing

Panties: Broken Flower I love romantic Paris G-Strings: Picture of Cherry Spoil Me T-Shirts: Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll Piping Hot I Dream of You Pants: The Crack of Dawn Response: Public: Anti - Don't support the stores, boycott them, companies who do this shouldn't have to wait for a response from the public, companies shouldn't want to do it, retailers shouldn't buy them from manufacturers, companies cannot plead 'public demand' because they are part of our community and they should say 'no' ; Pro - Chill Woolworths : Thanks for the feedback, Woolworths have the least suggestive UK: Little Miss Naughty range withdrawn after complaints Childline : Paedophiles perceive that children come onto them Source: 702

Writing - notes about voice and outlines

We talked about various ways of building an outline, and looked at the way I was using yWrite's scene description area. Or you can use an MSWord document, on the left the character, and on the right a phrase to describe the scene. Not more than one line to describe. The outline is fluid. And about the difficulty of maintaining one voice over the 15 years it is going to take to write the book. Short stories each can have their own voice. And about the necessity of reading Fight Club to aid in the thinking about voice. Our assignment is to write a six word story, e.g. Ernest Hemingway was once prodded to compose a complete story in six words. His answer, was "For sale: baby shoes, never used."

How to attend a meeting

Listen. Try and make out when people just want to talk, then just listen. Yesterday I didn't look like I was listening, and I didn't spend enough time listening, but I learned lots nonetheless . I could have learned more had I just shut up. Don't get emotional. It's just business. Don't bounce enthusiastically off the walls. I am naturally positive and enthusiastic, I like that about myself, I want to be that. I do have to keep the bouncing down to a loud roar, though. Expertise is not as important as loyalty. People are going to choose other people to do the work over you, despite the fact that you can do it better. Even if they have to complain daily to their boss that they have to spend so much time micromanaging the new people that they can't get their own job done. They won't even complain. They won't even think it's a problem because then are exercising their loyalty and that feels good. I do the loyalty thing too sometimes, and it is really

The consequences of being a hairy feminist

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions ... Ooh they hate the hair. I think that must be the single biggest objection. Most 'soft' feminists think it is an abdication of feminity to not shave. Well, duh. And 'hard' feminists wouldn't take you seriously if you were hairless. I know I have to work extra hard myself in that situation to overcome my own susceptibility to the stereotypes. And rest assured, I have found a space in my mind for accepting shaven radicallesbianseparatists. Although, generally, I would fight in the streets for women's right to shave - if I can just stress that the decision to shave would have to be an informed decision. I cannot fight in the streets so that women can make uninformed decisions. I would fight in the streets for the right of women to spit at the notion that shaving their hair takes them into a pre-pubescent, pre-sexual, pre-self-controlled-sexuality state. At least pornography has introduced ubiquitously large, f